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Teenagers have always been fascinated by superheroes. Before the advent of multimedia communication channels such as television, movies, and the Internet; teenagers used to derive immense satisfaction from comic books that portrayed their favorite superheroes. Comic books were more than just story books. They portrayed the immense turbulence of the times, offering a peek into the minds of society and how it perceived the prevalent economic, political, and crime scenarios. Ever since their debut, Marvel comic books have stood at the helm of the world of comic books. Marvel is still the biggest comic book publishing company.

In October of 1939, Martin Goodman hired Lloyd Jacquet's company to publish the very first Marvel comic book. It's not a coincidence this original was called Marvel Comics #1. This initial issue sold more that 80,000 copies. In 1941, after a boost of confidence via the popularity of their first superhero Human Torch, Marvel released their second superhero, Captain America.

World War II marked the end of what became known as the "Golden Age" of comic books. Marvel Comics responded to a precipitous decline in the popularity of superhero books, featuring characters such as Captain America, by introducing a new range of humorous books based around characters such as Super Rabbit.

The beginning of the war in Vietnam spurred a renewal of interest in comic book heroes. The Marvel publishing company came up with a group of new superheroes who formed a team called The Fantastic Four. More Marvel comic books were also created, starring such unforgettable characters as The X-Men, Iron Man, The Hulk, and the very popular Spiderman. Young people love these superheroes and flock to the hugely successful Hollywood films which portray their exploits.

Marvel comics were more than just for entertainment. For those who look closely enough, you can tell how Marvel comic books have incorporate relevant social issues like drug use into their pages. Because of this, many in education were encouraging people to read these comic books.

Collectors will dish out large amounts for old comic books, especially for those really rare issues that are excellent condition, these can fetch millions of dollars. Talk to your parents or grandparents to find out if they just might be holding a fortune somewhere in a drawer full of items from their childhood. Today, even the government is recognizing the influence of superhero comics on society, as evidenced by the fact that commemorative stamps were released in 2007 featuring comic book characters.