Historians who appreciate classic comics and 1970s rock-and-roll will point out that KISS’s partnership with Marvel Comics on an illustrated magazine gave the publisher a financial boost. The oversized A Marvel Comics Super Special #1 (September 1977) featured a larger-than-life band and a higher-than-average cover price than the standard monthly comic book, and the sales blew away expectations.
KISSTORY won’t let the story behind the making of Super Special #1 fade away. The historical record will continue to highlight that Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss donated their blood into a vat of red ink used for the issue. The blood donation gimmick brilliantly hyped the book and played to KISS’s offbeat image, contributing to the debut issue’s massive newsstand success.
All parties walked away from the venture with more than they expected. While the sales triumph of the KISS/Marvel team-up receives recognition, less attention is given to the storytelling quality. This focus is understandable, given the comic’s significant revenue generation. However, the issue transcends typical publicity material by offering a genuinely entertaining narrative, blending KISS’s mysterious, dark persona with a humorous adventure. This comic isn’t just promotional material. It’s an oddball fusion of gaudy superheroic and musical pop culture infused with Adam Smith’s capitalistic invisible heavy-handedness, giving readers something more enjoyable than an all-hype picture magazine.
Comic Books, Rock-and-Roll, and Publicity
The dollar-sign, bottom-line significance of A Marvel Comics Super Special #1 far exceeds the story in its pages, but the issue’s merits deserve acknowledgment. No, the book isn’t close to the level of The Dark Knight Returns. No one would seriously suggest that, and neither KISS nor Marvel intended the issue to be anything profound.
What makes it so memorable? The KISS comic stands out as a seminal 1970s success because it is so audaciously entertaining. But, truth be told, it exists primarily as a promotional item, but one with more passion than a throwaway promo magazine. As such, it is necessary to understand how and why the promotional approach supported and benefited from the whimsically creative elements.
Everyone involved with the KISS comic wanted a good time when creating an outlandish press kit with an accompanying fantasy story. KISS in comic book form was supposed to be fun and embrace the spirit of old-time, entertaining panel-by-panel storytelling while grabbing cash and promoting a rock band’s album and tour.
It is unfair to look at the book solely as a cash grab and a glorified publicity item timed to support the release of a new album. Not that grabbing cash is a bad thing. Marvel needed a hit, and the KISS special’s 600,000 sell-through figure greatly exceeded the company’s top book, Spider-Man.
So, who got the better out of the deal, KISS or Marvel Comics? The massive infusion of cash that helped Marvel when comic book superheroes weren’t super-popular suggests the House of Ideas benefited the most. Or did it? And does it matter?
At the time, KISS was riding high with smash-hit albums like Alive!, Destroyer, and Rock and Roll Over, with Love Gun, set to hit record stores on June 30, 1977 – shortly after the KISS comic book would grace magazine and spinner racks. A Marvel Comics Super Special #1’s release date was June 21, 1977, adding more news and buzz to herald the new album’s arrival and a tour commencing on July 8, 1977.
However, saying KISS didn’t need Marvel’s help would be shortsighted. Another superficial assessment calls it a vanity project to appease long-time comic book fan Gene Simmons.
Publicity never hurts. Added publicity reaching hundreds of thousands of comic book readers, some of whom would become new KISS fans, in a pre-social media era when reaching people via mass media during a time when “mass” involved limited TV, radio, print, and billboard exposure.
Then there is the “eyeballs” factor. People browsing newsstands couldn’t help but see the comic book cover on racks. The cover served a purpose no different from a poster framed on a movie theater’s exterior walls—it raised familiarity and awareness.
Yes, the comic book was mutually beneficial to all parties. Marvel could reap the rewards of a gift handed to them – the company was dealing with the declining popularity of comic books when a knock on the door arrived from a red-hot rock band thrilled to license tie-in merchandise that would sell.
KISS benefited from the free publicity generated from the comic book, but Love Gun would be successful whether or not they did a comic book with Marvel. They would do well on tour even if Marvel never published the issue. Comic books had audience limitations, so rock bands didn’t waste time with comic book publishers in the late 1970s.
Well, most rock bands. Kiss wasn’t the first rock band to become involved with licensing themselves to comic books. Dell produced a one-shot for The Beatles in 1964; quite surprisingly, the Rolling Stones had a one-shot produced by Gold Key in 1972 titled The Rolling Stones: Rock ‘n’ Roll Adventures. Dell also made a comic book tie-in to the Monkees TV show that lasted 17 issues from March 1967 to October 1968.
Overall, bands avoided comic book tie-ins. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones certainly didn’t brag about being featured in a comic book.
Too silly. Too low rent. Too juvenile. Too image cheapening.
In 1977, long before superheroes became red-hot properties, many people in the music business probably shook their heads and snickered behind KISS’s back. They may even have considered the decision “childish.” What they didn’t envision was the incredible sales and publicity potential of a KISS/Marvel marketing venture.
The simple story appears alongside articles you’d see in a press kit, such as a biography of KISS and a listing of their current discography. By combining this material with a comic book, KISS could reach an untapped fanbase. A young fanbase.
KISS started catering to younger fans with the arrival of the KISS lunch box in 1976 and trading cards one month before the comic book – but EVERYBODY had lunch boxes and trading cards. The comic book was unique, and the massive sales brought non-comic books (or non-Marvel comic book fans) into the Marvel fold, showing comic books could appeal to larger audiences during a weak period of popularity with the right product and marketing.
One more feather in the band’s cap helps them maintain historical notoriety. That’s a little thing that sets them apart, not unlike their solo albums. The comic book drew public attention. As with the solo albums, the attention wasn’t always for the better. The comic book opened doors for more merchandising targeting a younger audience, which turned off hardcore KISS fans and contributed to friction in the band.
Unfortunately, the comic book foreshadowed KISS’s decision to over-commercialize and market itself to a younger audience. However, it is unfair to slap the comic book with such criticism since putting a book like this out with Marvel is the equivalent of poking a finger in the eye of the music industry and making KISS look like rebels defining success on their terms.
As for the story, it has a unique, kitschy appeal that deserves a closer look.
KISS’s Marvelous Adventure
Writer Steve Gerber had a knack for making entertaining parodies that were enjoyable and silly and beacons for social commentary – ala Howard the Duck. The KISS Super Special abounds with excessive 1970s silliness that embraces the over-the-top elements of KISS’ persona. The comic book is not about Gene, Paul, Ace, or Peter. The story is about the adventures of the Demon, Star Child, the Space Ace, and Cat-Man, which makes the adventure less compelling from a character-driven perspective but makes sense from a historical one.
The simple (and absurd) plot has plainclothed Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter taking possession of the Box of Khyscz, a Cosmic Cube stand-in. They acquire the Box of Khyscz from its previous owner, Dizzy the Hun, a barbarian besieged by muggers on the streets of New York. Starving for more silliness, Ace opens the Box of Khyscz, which rewards boys with a costume makeover and unclear superpowers, allowing them to fend off the muggers.
The plot twist comes when the newly super-powered mates discover the claimant of the Box of Khyscz is none other than the most villainous of all Marvel villains: Doctor Doom, and he has plans for the lads who’ve taken his property.
Don’t look for Alan Moore or Frank Miller-style brooding introspection. Readers won’t leave with any deep impressions about Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, or Ace Frehley. Still, the tale offered some insights into the peculiar individuals behind the makeup.
The illustrated tale shows the foursome without makeup—a remarkable choice given that the band members and their management fiercely guarded their real-life secret identities back then. It is astonishing that they would even allow an artist to depict them without the grease paint.
Today, fans can access autobiographies and extensive media content to learn about the men behind the KISS characters. In 1977, KISS and its members were shrouded in secrecy, and this enigma bolstered the band’s image, setting them apart. It also made producing comic books like this one much simpler. KISS seamlessly fit into the pages of Marvel Comics; they looked like superheroes (and/or villains), and a fan could easily imagine them stepping into a late 1970s Marvel adventure. Pink Floyd? Led Zeppelin? Not so much.
Modern hardcore KISS fans might want something more profound. They might even appreciate a lengthy, character-driven story that takes KISS in a postmodernist direction by focusing on the complexities and challenges of the men behind the imagery. A take on a KISS adventure, not unlike a brooding Bruce Jones four-part Incredible Hulk story where the Hulk only appears at the end, could be engaging. In 1977, however, it would have been confusing and enraging. And boring.
Such a story would also have undermined the comic’s primary goal of promoting KISS to a broader audience and priming the market for merchandise. Making a KISS adventure too complex would have had another drawback: a lack of whimsy.
Hiring a writer who knew nothing about the band added to the simplicity. When you read a line by Ace, like, “Nothing in the universe is permanent, Curly. Witness the moon,” it seems doubtful that Gerber spent much time with the band. Either that or Ace didn’t say much to him. The Space Ace wasn’t known (and presently isn’t known) for making lucidly profound comments.
Weaving in KISS’s music with the story, such as playing to themes in the music, could have fleshed out the characters more and made a stronger connection between the narrative and the band’s songs. The comic magazine’s commercial and promotional nature undercuts any desire to produce anything introspective, and Steve Gerber’s lack of familiarity with KISS songs doesn’t help. Most of KISS’s songs dealt with having fun, but an obsessive fan-turned-writer who sees speculative and theoretical symbolism in the songs could have fleshed something more intriguing out.
Would Marvel and KISS have allowed that? Likely, no. The focus was on releasing a fun book that could make some bucks, an unfortunate omen of overcommercialization and merchandising that would hurt the band.
Someone else sought to hurt the band. You can’t have heroes without villains, and Doctor Doom is the perfect choice for a nemesis. Although music critics may have scoffed at KISS and radio stations denied them airplay, the bands’ ability to sell millions of LPs and concert tickets placed them high on the entertainment industry ladder. It would be absurd for Marvel to have the band appear in an oversized magazine with a $1.50 cover price and face a B or C-Level villain. KISS had the gravitas to face a top-tier villain, and Doctor Doom fits that role. Heavy-hitter Mephisto appears, another villain usually reserved for teams and A-tier heroes.
KISS is a team, albeit one inexperienced in superheroics. Even so, all the other heroic teams – The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The Defenders – take a step back, revealing that it is up to KISS to win their fight with Doom themselves. This approach keeps the focus on KISS without diminishing their superheroic status. It avoids making KISS appear like a joke, unlike when the Silver Samurai butted heads with John Belushi’s Samurai character on the old SNL set in a delirious Marvel Team-Up #74 (October 1978).
The superpowers created for Kiss are a hodgepodge mix. The cat man uses cat-like fighting prowess to kung fu bad guys, while the Space Ace has magical teleportation powers that get them in and out of trouble. Paul can shoot lasers out of his eye, which was a special effect planned for the Dynasty tour that wasn’t feasible. Gene’s powers make the most sense – he breathes fire with abandon, and his dragon boots come to life to snarl and bite in a menacing (and silly) fashion.
Even a wacky story can benefit from plot twists; this tale could have used more compelling ones. The odd sequence where Ace and Peter end up in an outer space nightclub where the Cat-Man shows off his fighting prowess to impress cat-women does nothing to move the narrative forward, but it’s fun. That’s what the Super Special is about – and hyping KISS’ recording career in prose to those unfamiliar with the band.
It’s okay to forgive the oddball issue for a thin plot, but one incredible omission is head-scratching: the tale has no in-story reference to KISS being a rock band. Gene, Paul, Peter, and Ace aren’t struggling, underemployed New Yorkers hoping to become a famous rock band. They’re just struggling and underemployed New Yorkers.
Not tying the KISS comic story to rock-and-roll is perplexing. Maybe Gerber, the Marvel Bullpen, and KISS figured everyone already knew it. Still, a fantastic subplot could have transformed KISS, the rock band, into KISS, the heroic quartet. The concept worked wonders in KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park.
Without spoiling the ending, Doctor Doom realizes he must control KISS to harness the power of the Khyscz or, if he cannot, destroy them. Doom adjusts his attitude when asked if he remembers what it was like to be young. Doom experienced a change of heart upon hearing the question, which likely resonated with KISS fans since so many popular KISS songs share similar themes. Feeling “They’re too old to understand” and wanting to be “far from the house, and the family fights” struck a chord with young fans, a nerve struck with Doom when he remembers what it was like to understand once.
Great Expectations for Long-Term Impact and Themes
Anyone interested in anything more sophisticated has to remember that this was Marvel Comics circa 1977, and you weren’t going to get anything too experimental or controversial with its mainstream releases. Whatever expectations existed for Super Special #1’s impact on KISS’s career and legacy were likely underestimated, and the thematic elements were understated.
Gene may have spent more time with Gerber and the Marvel team, which is unsurprising considering he is a huge comic book collector. Early in the story, Gene quips to Paul about the pressure at home to ditch his comic book collection, become an accountant to see the world, and be too old to read comic books, which Gene sees as a failure to dream.
While these may seem like off-handed lines, there’s something profound to the words. KISS, the band, was always about dreaming and reaching the stars. The band was also focused on a following that might not have been the most popular kids in class. In his excellent autobiography, From Makeup to Breakup, Peter Criss suggested that KISS appealed to kids who weren’t always the most popular ones in school, and they rewarded KISS with tremendous loyalty. A rare audio recording of Criss chatting with fans outside an event earlier in their career shows a strong connection between the band and its followers at the time.
Those looking for something more sophisticated with KISS storytelling would have to wait until 1997 with Image’s Psycho Circus series and other books published by Platinum, Dark Horse, and Dynamite.
Comic Book Dynasty
A Marvel Comics Super Special continued as an anthology featuring Marvel characters, movie tie-ins, and musical subjects. KISS returned to the title with issue number five, likely with good sales. You have to wonder why they didn’t give KISS a monthly, considering the band’s “Super KISS” merchandising mania of the late 1970s.
KISS’s sojourn into comics did not end with the initial Marvel collaboration. Further adventures in the comic medium lay ahead. KISS’ Would return to comic books in the 1990s with Revolutionary Comics / Hard Rock comics with the biographical series Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics #9, “Their Rise to Greatness and Beyond,” followed by the more detailed three-part chronicle of the 1970s, KISS: Pre-History.
Criticism levied at these comics suggested their approach was too cursory, as the creative teams had to tell their stories in limited space. The writing, while not overly sophisticated (which wasn’t necessary), had a more “modern” feel. It was tailored for an audience older than the typical comic book reader of 1977.
It would have been intriguing to see the later Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics’ writing style applied to the Gerber tale from 1977. Gerber certainly was capable of producing sophisticated material with a humorous edge. Imagine a KISS story that combined his Howard the Duck humor and commentary with the dark elements from his Man-Thing scripts. A darker 1970s KISS story or a modern indie style would have to wait until 1997, but that time would be an entirely different era of KISSTORY.
Expect to see more KISS comics in the future. They made money for publishing houses in the past, and they’ll likely do the same in the future, so you’ll see them again. However, new KISS comics might not be the true continuation of the original Super Special legacy. Plans to bring KISS to life as avatars in digital concerts – never aging, always being the iconic larger-than-life and darkly cartoonish characters – It would be the more modern equivalent of something outlandish, audacious, and line blurring between the reality of the band and the characters they play. The characters transition into a fictional setting as the living embodiment of “creative non-fiction.” Avatars would be the KISS comic book concept come to life – or as close to real life as digital gets.
In the late 1970’s, a full-color comic book was the most KISS would get, but what an impact it had. A Marvel Comics Super Special #1 kept the band’s successful momentum going – hundreds of thousands of printed copies got in front of untold scores of eyeballs, helping to move KISS further up the rock-and-roll ladder, creating a connection with fans that translated into longevity.
The KISS/Marvel collaboration was a financial triumph and heralded a pop culture phenomenon. Through innovative marketing and a playful refusal to take themselves too seriously, KISS and Marvel created something with lasting cultural impact that transcends eras. Will we ever see something like that again?
Anthony M. Caro recently published the acclaimed work Tragedy Man: A Horror Anthology. He also penned the essay collection Universal Monsters and Neurotics: Children of the Night and their Hang-Ups and the sci-fi novelette Why Is Cal Drawing Stick Figures at 3 AM in the 22nd Century? He writes about all things pop culture and contributed to HorrorNews.Net, PopMatters, Mad Scientist, and Jiu-Jitsu Times. Besides working as a professional writer, he handled production duties in radio, TV, film, and theater. He is also the author of the acclaimed short story collection Dreaded Invocations and produces the podcast Comic Book Ruminations, where he shares audio-narrated essays. The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.
essay ©2024 Anthony Caro
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