MARVIN CELEBRATES THIRTY YEARS IN SYNDICATION
Posted by kingfeaturesadmin on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 · Leave a Comment
The Comics' Favorite Redheaded Toddler Celebrates with a Special
Two-Week Series Beginning Sunday, July 29
(NEW YORK – July 24, 2012) In 1982, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers to claim their first World Series Championship since 1967, and the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl 26-21 over the Cincinnati Bengals. The average house cost $69,300, while the average car was priced at $7,983. A first-class stamp cost 20 cents, and a gallon of regular gas was $1.24. The Weather Channel aired on cable for the first time, Epcot opened and the first Boeing 747 was introduced. Also, in 1982, Tom Armstrong and his wife were expecting their second child. He was a struggling cartoonist, who was trying to come up with an idea for a comic strip. After a stack of overdue bills arrived in the mail, Armstrong had an epiphany. He thought, "I'll draw a cartoon about a big fat baby!" And the idea for MARVIN, the first comic strip told from the viewpoint of a baby, was born.
MARVIN first appeared in newspaper comics pages on August 1, 1982. Since that day, the comic strip has revolved around the life and times of a precocious baby boy named Marvin, his father and mother Jeff and Jenny Miller, and their dog Bitsy. Other characters have been introduced through the years, including Megan, Marvin's super-smart cousin; Janet, who is Megan's mother and Jenny's divorced sister; Ming Ming, Janet's adopted daughter from China; and Bea and Roy, Marvin's doting grandparents.
Through the years, readers have asked Armstrong if he was ever going to let Marvin grow up. In 2003, after 21 years, Armstrong developed a storyline in which Marvin took his first steps. Now nine years later, in honor of the 30th anniversary of MARVIN, Armstrong has created a special series in which Marvin meets his 30-year-old adult self. The series will begin on Sun.,, July 29 and run daily until Aug. 12.
"People who started reading 'Marvin' when they were little often write to say that they are still following his adventures, but now relate to him because they have baby 'Marvins' of their own," said Armstrong. "I wanted to explore that dynamic further, and saw the strip's 30th anniversary as a unique and timely way to do that."
Fans of MARVIN will get a small glimpse into his future, which shows a handsome Marvin with cropped hair and dressed in a shirt and tie. He is married and has a son, Marvin, Jr., who is the spitting image of his Daddy when he was a boy.
"Readers have been living with Marvin as a baby for so many years. It will be interesting for them to see Marvin as a grown up," said Brendan Burford, Editor at King Features. "Readers will have to tune in to see if the adult version of Marvin thinks that the world revolves around him as much as his pint-sized counterpart does."
MARVIN is distributed to newspapers, websites and mobile applications by King Features Syndicate, and can be read daily on more than 100 Comics Kingdom sites and DailyINK.com.
Claudia Smith, King Features, (212) 969-7542, or email cmsmith@hearst.com
Rose Croke, King Features, (212) 969-7594, or email rmcroke@hearst.com
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Tags: 1982, 30th anniversary, Anniversaries, baby, cartoonist Tom Armstrong, comic, comic Marvin, Comics, Marvin, Tom Armstrong