Spider-Man and Nine Other Marvel Super Heroes to Deliver for Postal Service

Washington, DC — Ten Marvel Comics Super Heroes will extend their superpowers to delivering letters when a quarter billion Marvel Comics Super Heroes commemorative stamps and one million stamped postal cards become available nationwide tomorrow. The 10:30 a.m. PT dedication ceremony launches the world’s largest comic book and pop culture show — Comic-Con International 2007, at the San Diego Convention Center.

“It wasn’t easy selecting only 10 characters from the thousands that live in the Marvel universe,” explained U.S. Postal Service Governor Mickey Barnett. “Stamp collecting is the world’s most popular hobby the entire family can enjoy. When we decided to issue the Marvel Super Heroes stamps, Comic-Con International instantly came to mind as the perfect venue for introducing stamp collecting to a new audience — it’s a natural fit.”

Ten stamps on the Marvels Super Heroes sheet of 20 are portraits of individual Marvel characters: Captain America, Elektra, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Sub-Mariner, The Incredible Hulk, The Thing and Wolverine. The other 10 depict individual Marvel Comics book covers.

“It’s incredibly gratifying the Postal Service has chosen to commemorate these Super Heroes on stamps, even though they won’t be needed to protect the mail as postal employees do a terrific job,” said Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man and many other world famous Super Heroes.

Joining Barnett in dedicating the stamps tomorrow will be Dan Buckley, President, Publishing, Marvel Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to have some of the stars from the Marvel Universe commemorated as stamps and stamped postal cards by the U.S. Postal Service,” said Buckley. “Marvel Super Heroes are instantly recognizable around the world, and we couldn’t think of a better tribute to these legendary characters. We know our legions of fans and fans of the comic book genre in general will be clamoring to get their hands on these stamps to both share and collect.”

Stamps depicting comic book covers highlight: Amazing Spider-Man #1, March 1963; Captain America #100, April 1968; Daredevil #176, November 1981; Fantastic Four #3, March 1962; Iron Man #1, May 1968; Marvel Spotlight #32, February 1977; Silver Surfer #1, August 1968; Sub-Mariner #1, May 1968; The Incredible Hulk #1, May 1962; and X-Men #1, September 1963. Art director Carl T. Herrman worked with the creative staff at Marvel Comics on the design of this issuance. Information about the artwork shown on each stamp appears on the back of the stamp pane.