UPDATED: MARVEL COMICS US STAMPS CHARACTER SELECTION NAMED

**MattBrady** · 08-25-2006, 09:10 AM

As (albeit quietly) announced last year when the US postal Service released information on the then-forthcoming DC Comics stamps, Marvel Comics characters will have their own stamp series in 2007, featuring both Marvel characters in portrait shots and classic covers.

The characters that will be appearing on the stamps were recently named, with the word of the characters coming via the Virtual Stamp Club message boards. The ten characters that will be featured are:

• Spider-Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Sub-Mariner
• The Thing
• Captain America
• Silver Surfer
• Spider-Woman
• Iron Man
• Elektra
• Wolverine

The selection follows the list of characters that made it on to the DC stamps, following the eight male and two female breakdown, showing individual heroes and no groups or teams - sorry, Champions fans. While opinions on the character blend will be widely varied, undoubtedly, the characters that will cause the greatest amount of discussion are Spider-Woman and Elektra...as neither of which are exactly what one could call "heroes" in the strictest sense.

Designs of the stamps and the day the stamps are to be put on sale will be announced by the U.S. Postal Service at a later time, but given the reception the DC stamps had at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, a first day of sale coinciding with the 2007 edition of SDCC seems likely.

Thanks to Gary Dunaier.

Update: 08.29.06

From the San Antonio Express News Blog, Geek Speak, an update on the Marvel commemorative stamp story. According to USPS spokesman Mark Saunders, the ten covers featuring Marvel characters will be:

Amazing Spider-Man #1
Incredible Hulk #1
Sub-Mariner #1
Fantastic Four #3
Captain America #100
Silver Surfer #1
Marvel Spotlight #32 (Spider-Woman)
Iron Man #1
Daredevil #176 (Elektra)
X-Men #1

Saunders told Geek Speak that the list was still preliminary, noting that the X-Men #1 cited is the 1963 issue – yes, the one without Wolverine on the cover.

Newsarama challenge - think you can design 'em? Let's see readers' best shots - remember - one portrait and one classic cover of the characters listed above.

Ares · 08-25-2006, 09:22 AM

Now if only Canada post could do this!

Spade · 08-25-2006, 09:30 AM

They should have did a Storm stamp over Spider-Woman and Elektra. Storm is one of the most recognized female heroes. The only female hero that may be more popular than her is Wonder Woman.

xdemon · 08-25-2006, 09:32 AM

Somewhere at home, I have the X-Men stamps that were released in Mongolia.

I'll have to get a set of these.

JSA Mou · 08-25-2006, 09:35 AM

I would've thought a Fantastic Four stamp* would be very necessary, considering that FF no. 1 is beginning of the modern Marvel Age of Comics. And surely the Invisible Woman is more recognizable than Elektra or Spider-Woman. Ah, well, still looking forward to the set.

* I realize there's a Thing stamp, but still...

Jed Saxon · 08-25-2006, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

• Spider-Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Sub-Mariner
• The Thing
• Captain America
• Silver Surfer
• Spider-Woman
• Iron Man
• Elektra
• Wolverine

I fully understand that Spider-Man, Hulk, Cap and Iron Man are on these stamps. I can live with Mr. Everywhere, too. Thing is the most popular FF member so yeah. Silver Surfer? Why? Namor? WHY?! Spider-Woman? Elektra?! Were they on crack? No Daredevil but Elektra? Duh. And Storm would've made a better stamp than Spider-Woman. Emma Frost, too.

Howard · 08-25-2006, 09:49 AM

Matt, any word on Paladin or Princess Powerful? Do we need to start an online petition?

**MattBrady** · 08-25-2006, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard

Matt, any word on Paladin or Princess Powerful? Do we need to start an online petition?

yes, if you have that kind of free time.

MattB

Howard · 08-25-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

yes, if you have that kind of free time.

MattB

Paladin, Princess Powerful and Ben Riley. Got it. I'll make it later after nap time and snack time. Gotta have my apple juice.

spiderrob8 · 08-25-2006, 09:56 AM

I am just happy to get the stamps. I've waited a long time for these

The DC ones say Chapter one on it-more chapters to follow?

One thing is that all of these characters have had their own books-since we are doing characters and covers of comics.

Sure Emma Frost had one, but her legs were spread on ever cover, and it is hardly a classic.

Silver Surfer is a known character to some degree, has a distinctive look, and is in FF 2.

With the exception of Spider-woman, every one of these characters has been in a movie, or they have a movie planned.

AlexLothos · 08-25-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spade

They should have did a Storm stamp over Spider-Woman and Elektra. Storm is one of the most recognized female heroes. The only female hero that may be more popular than her is Wonder Woman.

I gotta agree with Spade and JSA Mou- Storm and Invisible Woman would have been better choices. I'm sure Elektra was picked because she has a movie, but then again why was Daredevil left off?

ThorEl3 · 08-25-2006, 10:02 AM

And once again, Thor gets no love.

tncomics · 08-25-2006, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattBrady

• Spider-Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Sub-Mariner
• The Thing
• Captain America
• Silver Surfer
• Spider-Woman
• Iron Man
• Elektra
• Wolverine

i>

No Thor, but at least we got a couple of assassins on the team!

Kepler · 08-25-2006, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLothos

I'm sure Elektra was picked because she has a movie, but then again why was Daredevil left off?

I'm assuming they wanted at least a couple of female characters to round out the list; Elektra rises to the top in terms of recognizable female characters, but DD doesn't quite make the top 8 for male characters.

It does show that Marvel needs to do some image work with their female characters...Spider Woman is only recognizable to the general public as a female analogue for a male hero, and Elektra was the star of a largely panned movie. You could take any female X-Man and she would be more resonant with the comic reading public, but these are the characters that they feel would be identifiable to the non-fan. That's something to consider working on.

That aside...I think it will be totally cool to have an Elektra stamp.

xdemon · 08-25-2006, 10:23 AM

Stephen Colbert will be happy there is a Captain America stamp.

Skyhawk · 08-25-2006, 10:27 AM

What! No invisible woman?! The grand damme of Marvel Superwomen? No Phoenix or Storm c'mon.

Give props to those tried and true.

Roy Batty · 08-25-2006, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyhawk

What! No invisible woman?! The grand damme of Marvel Superwomen?

The Invisible Woman is in ALL the stamps in the collection, of course. And nude, to boot.

The D · 08-25-2006, 10:39 AM

So they put Spider-Woman and Elektra in there to make it more diverse, but they're still all whities

Bleh · 08-25-2006, 10:40 AM

*yawn* They used Spider Woman and Elektra instead of the Invisible Woman and Storm?

Wolverine representing the X-Men, again? He doesn't represent the X-Men to me, he's getting his own movie, has two solo books, is also in the New Avengers? The character representing the X-Men, again, should be Storm.

SDulaney · 08-25-2006, 10:45 AM

Spider-Man
The Incredible Hulk
Captain America
Wolverine

Okay, these were no-brainers.

Iron Man
Sub-Mariner

Not as "top of mind" to the general public, but major characters in the history of Marvel and will be familiar to civilians who may have read Marvel books in the 60s and 70s but didn't become lifelong collectors. Arguably the Surfer would fit in this group.

The Thing
Silver Surfer

If not for the movie next year, I'd group them with Iron Man and Namor. I just hope the "cover stamp" for the Thing is the "This Man, This Monster" FF cover but I doubt it will happen.

Spider-Woman
Elektra

Your token female characters. If I were to guess, they got the nod because they've had their own solo books that they can have a wide selection to pick "cover stamps" from. Granted there's been a Storm mini or two, but the best of the Storm covers (arguably) were really X-Men covers. As much as I would love to send a letter with a Life Death II stamp, from a marketing standpoint I can see where Storm in a mohawk might not be desired if the main Storm stamp is taken from the Jim Lee-era. Spider-Woman at least has had mass media exposure in the past with the cartoon series and as one of Marvel's "big four" during their 70s marketing.

spiderrob8 · 08-25-2006, 10:46 AM

Wolverine representes himself. The most popular character introduced in the last 30 years.

If it follows DC, these are characters who have had their own books for long stretches of time, at one point or another, and seem to be a mix of Golden, Silver, and Modern Ages. Or, they have movies.

Superfrick · 08-25-2006, 10:46 AM

I'm shocked they didn't try to toss an ARANA stamp in there.

PhoenixFacto · 08-25-2006, 10:54 AM

Storm and Phoenix should have been the women over Elektra and Spider Woman. They are far more iconic in their appearance

Vintage · 08-25-2006, 10:56 AM

Storm should have been up there. Poor Thor got snubbed again. As for Submariner, he's one of Marvel's oldest characters and may possibly be their very first superhero(of sorts). So I think he deserves the recognition.

bcondray · 08-25-2006, 10:58 AM

I have bought several books of the DC stamps...and now I'll be getting those Marvel beauties next year!!