Superhero fiction fiction. In 1960, DC banded its most popular heroes together in the Justice League of America, which became a sales phenomenon. Empowered by the return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee and the artists/co-writers Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Bill Everett launched a new line of superhero comic books, beginning with The Fantastic Four in 1961 and continuing with the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, and Daredevil. These comics continued DC’s use of science fiction concepts (radiation was a common source of superpowers) but placed greater emphasis on personal conflict and character development.
Marvel UK Panini Comics obtained the license to print Marvel material in 1995 and took over the UK office's remaining titles. Reprints of American Marvel material had been published in the UK during the 1960s by Odhams Press under their Power Comics imprint. Titles such as "Smash!" and "Fantastic" featured a mix of Marvel reprint material and original non-Marvel work. This lasted till 1969 when the last superhero strip was removed from "Smash!", leaving no Marvel titles being reprinted in the UK at all. In 1972, seeing a gap in the popular weekly comics market of the UK, Marvel Comics formed their