#FlashbackFriday: A Comic-Book Tie-in That Was an Exchange Marvel

Seventeen years ago, the Exchange sponsored a special-edition Marvel New Avengers comic book, which was distributed free to troops and their families worldwide. Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld kicked off an April 28, 2005, book launch that was attended by more than 500 children and their parents, and included an appearance by Spider-Man.

In the comic book, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Dan Jurgens and Sandu Florea—all top comic-industry names—the superheroes encounter an alien army. A million copies were distributed, beginning with 150,000 shipped to troops deployed to the Middle East and Southwest Asia for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Marvel first contacted the Department of Defense about the comic book, and the DoD turned to the Exchange to handle distribution.

Marvel thanked the Exchange by incorporating the organization’s logo into several panels in the book, which was the first in a series of military-only “New Avengers” comic books with a cast of characters that included Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and others. Messages about Exchange products, services and sweepstakes were embedded throughout the storylines

This was part of a long tradition of comic-book support for the military that began in World War II, when Superman and Captain America fought Nazis while promoting war bonds and paper drives. Comic-book and -strip characters such as Beetle Bailey and Steve Canyon have helped promote the Exchange benefit and its support of the military community.

The Exchange has partnered with Marvel and Marvel Studios on other events, most recently a Camp Arifjan screening of Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight,” an original series streaming on Disney+, as well as a virtual Q&A with star Oscar Isaac and Grant Curtis, one of the series’ executive producer.