Year: 1963
Major events: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby appear as characters in the Marvel Universe, Iron Man gets red armor, the FF go to Atlantis, The Avengers form, Sgt Nick Fury joins the main Marvel Universe and SHIELD is introduced, Thing and Hulk fight for the first time, Marvel innovates the cover “corner box.”
Best new series: Amazing Spider-Man.
Best new characters: Way too many mention, including Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Wasp, Baron Mordo, Sandman, J Jonah Jameson, Vulture, Pepper Potts, Doctors Strange and Octopus, Lizard, Wasp, The Watcher, Molecule Man, Surtur, Cobra and Hyde.
The Top 10 comics of 1963
- The Amazing Spider-Man #1: 1st Chameleon; meets Fantastic 4, introducing idea of “shared universe”
- Fantastic Four #12: 1st Thing vs Hulk Fight
- The Amazing Spider-Man #3: 1st Doctor Octopus
- Fantastic Four #13: 1st Watcher
- Fantastic Four #10: 1st Stan and Jack
- The Amazing Spider-Man #7: 1st Vulture
- Fantastic Four #11: 1st Impossible Man and Willie Lumpkin
- Strange Tales #115: Origin of Dr. Strange
- The Amazing Spider-Man #5: vs Doctor Doom
- Avengers #1: 1st “assembled” team