The Hidden Gems of Marvel Comics: Marvel Brand Emblem Logo History

The Hidden Gems of Marvel Comics: Marvel Brand Emblem Logo History

My name is Matt Bruback, I have been an avid comic book enthusiast since I was eight years old. The characters, the stories, all inspired me to question things to become a better version of myself. Since I’m probably the only person currently with all this Marvel information I thought I’d share it with the world so you too can find “The Hidden Gems of Marvel Comics”. Many won’t care, many won’t see the value of the historical preservation of comics, but I do… and hopefully you will as well! In July of 2019, I started noticing unique brand emblems on various comics from the 1940’s. It was at this point I decided to start researching the rarity of these logos and noticed they had not been accurately documented. This led me to the creation of a new cataloging system called the Universal Comic Guide Catalog (UCGC). This system catalogs comic books numerically by Copyright Date, followed by Publication Date. If the Copyright Date and Publication Date are the same, then Alphabetical Order is used to determine the order. In 2021 archivist Joshua Nunez validated the UCGC as being accurate to an academic standard. During my initial research on Marvel logos, I discovered the 1st Marvel Comics Brand Emblem was featured on Willie Comics #5, published in Fall 1946. The back of this comic had a scene of a young ballplayer hitting a grand slam on the playground during recess. For those of you who might not know me, I’m a former Professional Baseball player who played for almost a decade in the minor leagues. Immediately, this discovery resonated with me on a deeper level and my journey to preserve historical brand emblems began. At some point every industry experiences a change in perspective when new discoveries are brought to light. In the comic book industry, everyone knows the value of comics lies in “firsts”, the first time a child experiences a comic book, first character appearances (heroes or villains), first cameos of characters, first time there is a new suit or armor, first time an artist starts drawing a character, first time a writer starts writing for a new title, and now, notably, first brand emblems. In writing this book, it is my hope that one day you will be able to find and preserve one of “The Hidden Gems of Marvel Comics”. If you happen to find any of the first four logos of Marvel, consider yourself lucky for there are less than 100 combined copies of these extremely rare comics known to exist today. “Luck's a revolving door, you just need to know when it's your time to walk through.” Stan Lee; Former Editor, Writer, Publisher and Producer for Marvel Comics