According to Marvel Comics legend, the story begins on a golf course in 1961.

Timely Publications head Martin Goodman was playing a quick nine holes with one of the executives from comic distributor Independent News. Said suit mentioned that rival DC Comics was generating fantastic sales from its Justice League Of America superhero title.

It was news to Goodman. Last he’d noticed, superhero comic books were making a loss, their initial popularity during WW2 having evaporated in the ‘50s as romances, westerns and horror comics gobbled up the market.

Back in the office, Goodman ordered his Editor-In-Chief Stan Lee to plan a rival comic. Working with artist Jack Kirby, Lee created The Fantastic Four. It was the start of an incredibly fertile couple of years.

Between 1961 and 1963 Lee also introduced The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Avengers, Iron Man and – perhaps their greatest creation of all – Spider-Man.

Suddenly superheroes were back in vogue and Lee’s unique brand of storytelling revolutionised the comics industry. The “Marvel Age of Comics” had arrived.