Over the years, KISS has licensed thousands of products. They’ve slapped their logo on everything from t-shirts to caskets. Their willingness to appear in as many formats as possible, along with their larger-than-life stage personas, led to the band’s appearances in multiple comic books. On this day (June 30) in 1977, Marvel Comics released the first comic books to feature the band as both central characters and superheroes. To make things more appealing for fans, the band mixed their blood into the ink.
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KISS first appeared in two back-to-back issues of Howard the Duck in May and June of 1977. Then, on June 30, Marvel released A Marvel Comics Super Special!: KISS. The full-length color comic book featured Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley’s stage personas as superheroes. This was the first of many comics starring Detroit’s most famous rock and roll band. However, that’s not the only thing that made this book special for fans.
According to Business Insider, the members of KISS, accompanied by comic book legend Stan Lee, traveled to Marvel’s printing facility in New York. There, a registered nurse drew blood from each of the band members. That blood was then mixed into the vats of red ink used to print the books. A notary public witnessed the process.
The story featured the band fighting Dr. Doom alongside Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. It sold 500,000 copies and became Marvel’s best-selling single issue until the publisher re-launched Spider-Man in 1990.
Paul Stanley on KISS Becoming Comic Book Heroes
In 2019, Paul Stanley sat down with Marvel Entertainment to talk about his memoir, charity work, and more. During the conversation, he reflected on KISS comics and being inspired by superheroes.
“I think part of the beauty always of Marvel has been that the characters behind these amazing superheroes are complex people,” Stanley said. “If KISS were to be Marvel heroes–and we have been. Truly, Marvel is where we belong. I always felt that people might put me or other people on pedestals. The fact is, we’re all very, very similar, and that’s part of the Marvel universe,” he added. “I’m here to tell you that we’re all complex and we’re all conflicted.”
Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
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