This is a variant cover to 2021’s Venom #35/200, drawn by Kael Ngu. Take a closer look at it. How does it make you feel? Joy? Apprehension? Confusion?
For me, it’s a true work of art, and represents the crossover between two of my favorite things in the world: basketball and comics. While the effects of Filipino genes may have prevented me from going pro (shoutout Jordan Clarkson though!), I’m happy to say it doesn’t stop me from finding ways to write about the game or finding ways to connect it to comics.
The two intersect in surprising ways, whether that be through strong ties to New York or the numerous stories that find a way to work hooping into their narrative. However, nothing is more surprising than the way two of the most culturally dominant entities in both worlds grew and developed over the course of the past 60 years.
Although it may not be an exact 1-to-1 comparison, the parallel evolution of Marvel Entertainment and the National Basketball Association follow remarkably similar paths. The two are cultural juggernauts today, but it was a hard-fought battle to the peak of relevance in today’s world. This story ain’t the prettiest, but it sure is fascinating.
Two quick notes: 1) For the purposes of this series, the majority of Marvel content will center on the comics side of the company, since the movies/tv shows did not become what they were until the late ‘90s/early 2000s. 2) I am a lifelong Celtics fan and will do my best to be as objective as possible. However, I will go to my grave arguing that the Los Angeles Lakers do not deserve the five championships earned by the Minneapolis Lakers, and therefore do not hold the most championships of all time. That distinction belongs to the 17x World Champion Boston Celtics.
Prologue
The foundations for Marvel and the NBA came from economic and technological growth before, during and after World War II. An influx of jobs and a healthy economy meant that, for the first time in history, a middle class emerged, ready and able to afford … stuff. Whatever that may be. In this consumer economy, new ideas and products flooded the marketplace to compete for the hard-earned dollars of the working class. Comics and basketball existed long before this, but the ability to transform both disciplines into a product comes from the additional cash that lined the pockets of everyday Americans.
The parallel stories we’re looking at don’t begin to line up all that closely until the 1960s, but it’s worth discussing where each was through the 1940s and 1950s.
Marvel’s roots lie in pulp publisher Marvin Goodman’s Timely Publications. Starting in 1939, Goodman began to publish comic books as a way to capitalize on a growing trend. Most of these comics starred superheroes (another new and popular creation), and at the peak of the Golden Age, nearly half a million copies were sold of each individual comic that was released.
Creators like Bill Everett, Joe Simon, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (Goodman’s nephew) got their start developing characters like the Sub-Mariner and Captain America, and involving them in battles against supervillains and Nazis. However, after the end of WWII, superheroes receded in popularity, allowing for a number of other genres to take their place, like romance, horror, sci-fi, talking animals and war.
Growing pains hit Timely (now known generally by Atlas, the name of Goodman’s distribution company) in a variety of ways, whether that was a staff disgruntled with low pay or the impact of the newly formed Comics Code Authority. But nothing hurt Atlas more than a new distribution deal with Independent News. The distributor was owned by Atlas’ biggest competition, National Periodical Publications, who put out titles such as Superman and Batman, and were more well known as DC Comics. Under the new agreement, Atlas was forced to dramatically cut its line from 50-60 titles a month to between 8 and 12.
Thus, with a dramatically reduced line and staff, the formerTimely comics line became a small cog in Goodman’s massive Magazine Management Company (yes, that was the name). Lee had become editor-in-chief just prior to WWII (at the ripe old age of 18), and weathered the success and subsequent downturn over this 20-year span with as much grace as one could. Though their relationship was fraught, the shrunken state of the comics industry meant the return of Jack Kirby to Atlas in 1958. Mainly publishing pulpy sci-fi titles, the comics division of MMC looked aimless heading into the 1960s, with an uncertain future ahead of it.
The NBA, on the other hand, was on the up and up. A permanent pro basketball league had been a goal among fans of the sport in the decades since the basketball’s creation in 1891, but nothing managed to stick around. The few leagues that did exist were based around barnstorming (a tradition the Harlem Globetrotters continue to this day), and the collegiate version of the game took precedence. However, after slowly absorbing teams over its three-year lifespan, the Basketball Association of America (c. 1946) fully absorbed the National Basketball League (c. 1937) to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.
By 1954, the league was predominantly located in the Northeast and Midwest, and had shrunk from 17 to eight teams (all of which still exist in some form today). From a commercial standpoint, the Association acted as a way to fill arenas on off-nights for the National Hockey League, a fact touted by Boston Celtics founder Walter Brown. George Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships over six years, but the game was still very different from the fast-paced sport it has since become. Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biscone came up with the idea for the 24-second shot clock prior to the 1954-55 season, leading to increased shot attempts/makes, along with greater interest from fans. Bill Russell entered the league in 1956, forever changing the game with his defensive skills and offensive prowess. As a member of the Boston Celtics, he joined Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn under coach Red Auerbach to win their first of two championships to end the 1950s.
As opposed to Marvel, the end of the 1950s spelled potential for the NBA. The first Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals concluded the 1958-59 season, kicking off one of the most famous rivalries in all of professional American sports. Future all-star Wilt Chamberlain entered the league as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors, and the decade ended with a November match-up between Chamberlain and Russell, sparking another rivalry that would dominate the next 10 years …
Courtside comics
At the end of each of these pieces, we’ll be spotlighting a comic featuring basketball, whether that be from Marvel or somewhere else!
For this first installment, we’d like to direct your attention toward Dragon Hoops, a gorgeous 2020 graphic memoir from Gene Luen Yang (of American Born Chinese, Superman Smashes the Klan, Shang-Chi and more). The book follows Yang himself, back in his days as a high school computer science teacher, as he tags along with the Bishop O’Dowd Dragons during their 2014-15 season. Featuring glimpses of basketball history, interviews with members of the team, and reflection on his own career and aspirations, the book is a fantastic read, and a surprisingly solid introduction to basketball for those who have no interest in sports.
Cy Beltran
Cy Beltran is a writer/editor based out of Chicago. He is an editorial assistant at Sourcebooks and was formerly an intern at Marvel Comics. Outside of comics, he spends far too much time watching basketball and practicing guitar.