Like all great comics, Marville was the product of a bet (note: sarcasm). Then-publisher at Marvel Comics Bill Jemas made a wager that he could start his own series, and it would outsell writer Peter David's Captain Marvel. Whoever lost took a pie to the face for charity. As it turned out, it was actually one of those Aliens Vs Predator deals: whoever wins, we - the geek population - lose. Allegedly a satirical look at the comics industry, what Marville actually consisted of were parodies with the subtlety of a Friedberg-Seltzer movie coupled with horribly cheesecakey covers from artist Greg Horn, who's well known for tracing most of his work from adult movie stills. Marville was embarrassing for comics fans on so many levels, from its origins to its ham-fisted and self-satisfied contents to the soft porn covers to, well, the fact that it was hot garbage.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
