Marvel Comics has been publishing comic books since 1939. According to the company's 2006 annual report, Marvel Comics are the "comic industry leader, with 45% of the dollar share and 46% of the unit share of the industry."

Primary target audience is male teenagers and young adults 13-23. Readership also extends to readers in their mid-thirties.

In most publications, ten pages (three glossy cover pages and seven inside pages) are allocated for advertising.