No-Prize
Encyclopedia
A No-Prize is a faux award given out by Marvel Comics
to readers. Originally for those who spotted continuity
errors in the comics, the current "No-Prizes" are given out for charitable works or other types of "meritorious service to the cause of Marveldom". As the No-Prize evolved, it was distinguished by its role in explaining away potential continuity errors. Rather than rewarding fans for simply identifying such errors, a No-Prize was only awarded when a reader successfully explained why the continuity error was not an error at all.
When readers began pressuring Marvel to start giving out a similar prize, Stan Lee
created the No-Prize — basically as a joke by the Marvel staff on the readers. In Fantastic Four
#26, Lee ran a contest asking readers to send in their definition of what "the Marvel Age of Comics" really meant. As part of the letter, Lee wrote "there will be no prizes, and therefore, no losers."
Originally, the "prize" was simply Lee publishing the letter and informing the letter-writer that he or she had won a No-Prize, which was actually nothing.
Other No-Prize contests asked readers questions and rewarded the most creative responses. For instance, one example asked readers for proof of whether the Sub-Mariner was a mutant or not. Winners had their letters printed along with Lee congratulating them on winning a No-Prize. When fans began demanding No-Prizes for no real reason, Lee took on a new approach. Since other comic companies had given out prizes for pointing out oversights and continuity errors in their books, Lee started doing the same thing, and awarded No-Prizes to people who found errors in the Marvel line of books — which at the time was quite a feat since Marvel was well known for its rigorous continuity.
The No-Prize soon evolved as a reward to those who performed "meritorious service to the cause of Marveldom": readers who first spotted a mistake, or came up with a plausible way to explain a mistake others spotted, or made some great suggestion or performed a service for Marvel in general.
The No-Prize had been intended as a reminder for Marvel readers to "lighten up" and read comics for pleasure rather than for prizes, or at least the thrill of being recognized for their efforts. However, letters soon tripled as fans wrote in looking for errors in every comic they could, and suddenly the non-existent prize was in high demand. In addition, many recipients of the "award" began to write Lee and ask why they had not received an actual prize.
In response, in 1967 Lee began mailing No-Prize-winners pre-printed empty envelopes that said "Congratulations, this envelope contains a genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize which you have just won!" But even this was a problem, as some clueless fans wrote back asking where their prize was, even going so far as to suggest their prize had fallen out of the envelope.
's practice of giving them away to anyone who wrote a letter asking for one to Mike Higgins' policy of not awarding them at all. As reported in Iron Man #213 (Dec. 1986), these were the various editors' policies:
A typical mid-1980s attempt at a No-Prize comes from the letters page
of The Incredible Hulk #324 (Oct. 1986), in response to Hulk #321: ". . . On page 12, panel 5, Wonder Man
's glasses are knocked off, but in following panels on the next page, he has them on. He didn’t have enough time to get them after they fell off, and Hawkeye’s explosive arrow probably would have destroyed them when it detonated on the Hulk
. Never fear, though. I have the solution — while flying down to help Hawkeye
, Wonder Man pulled out an extra pair he carries in case of just such emergencies." (Editor Bob Harras awarded the writer a No-Prize.)
Editor Mark Gruenwald
believed the quest for No-Prizes negatively impacted the quality of letters sent to comic book letter column
s, as readers were becoming more focused on nitpicking and pointing out errors than in responding to the comics' stories themselves. (He even cited one letter which focused on Captain America
's glove being yellow in one panel, instead of the correct color red.) Gruenwald then temporarily adopted a new policy, which was to award No-Prizes to readers who not only pointed out an error but also devised a clever explanation as to why it was not "really" an error. (Gruenwald was also known for awarding the "fred-prize" to readers of Captain America.) But in 1986, still believing that the quest for No-Prizes was degrading the quality of reader communication, Gruenwald informed the public that his office would no longer award No-Prizes at all.
By 1989, Marvel was owned by Ronald Perelman
, the man who would eventually drive Marvel into bankruptcy. One of the first casualties of the new financial belt-tightening was the No-Prize, considered in one memo to be "a silly, expensive extravagance to mail out."
In 1991, then-Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco
reinstated the No-Prize, introducing the "meritorious service to Marvel above and beyond the call of duty" criteria:
In the late 1990s, Stan Lee returned to writing the Bullpen Bulletins column. He would answer fan questions, and anyone whose question was used would receive a physical No-Prize.
instituted the digital No-Prize to be awarded for "meritorious service to Marveldom". The first was awarded on August 12, 2006, to a group of Marvel fans who donated a large number of comics to U.S. servicemembers stationed in Iraq
.
In 1982, Marvel published a humorous one-shot comic featuring some of their most notorious goofs. Subtitled "Mighty Marvel's Most Massive Mistakes," the book's cover was deliberately printed upside-down. Lee, with the help of artists Bob Camp
and Vince Colletta
, exposes and pokes fun at typos, misspellings and other errors. Further examples include characters with two left hands, characters looking through the periscope with the eye that has a patch over it and incoherent story lines. There are also famous misnamed characters, such as the text identifying Spider-Man
as "Peter Palmer" in Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Doctor Octopus
calling him "Super-Man" in Amazing Spider-Man #3.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
to readers. Originally for those who spotted continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
errors in the comics, the current "No-Prizes" are given out for charitable works or other types of "meritorious service to the cause of Marveldom". As the No-Prize evolved, it was distinguished by its role in explaining away potential continuity errors. Rather than rewarding fans for simply identifying such errors, a No-Prize was only awarded when a reader successfully explained why the continuity error was not an error at all.
History
The No-Prize, originally implemented in 1964, was inspired by the policies of many other comic book publishers of the time — namely, that if a fan found a continuity error in a comic and wrote a letter to the publisher of the comic, he or she would receive a prize of cash, free comics, or something similar.When readers began pressuring Marvel to start giving out a similar prize, Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
created the No-Prize — basically as a joke by the Marvel staff on the readers. In Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#26, Lee ran a contest asking readers to send in their definition of what "the Marvel Age of Comics" really meant. As part of the letter, Lee wrote "there will be no prizes, and therefore, no losers."
Originally, the "prize" was simply Lee publishing the letter and informing the letter-writer that he or she had won a No-Prize, which was actually nothing.
Other No-Prize contests asked readers questions and rewarded the most creative responses. For instance, one example asked readers for proof of whether the Sub-Mariner was a mutant or not. Winners had their letters printed along with Lee congratulating them on winning a No-Prize. When fans began demanding No-Prizes for no real reason, Lee took on a new approach. Since other comic companies had given out prizes for pointing out oversights and continuity errors in their books, Lee started doing the same thing, and awarded No-Prizes to people who found errors in the Marvel line of books — which at the time was quite a feat since Marvel was well known for its rigorous continuity.
The No-Prize soon evolved as a reward to those who performed "meritorious service to the cause of Marveldom": readers who first spotted a mistake, or came up with a plausible way to explain a mistake others spotted, or made some great suggestion or performed a service for Marvel in general.
Distribution
In response, in 1967 Lee began mailing No-Prize-winners pre-printed empty envelopes that said "Congratulations, this envelope contains a genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize which you have just won!" But even this was a problem, as some clueless fans wrote back asking where their prize was, even going so far as to suggest their prize had fallen out of the envelope.
Confusion and decline
After Lee stepped down as Marvel editor-in-chief in 1972, Marvel's various editors, who were left in charge of dispensing No-Prizes, developed differing policies toward awarding them. By 1986, these policies ranged from Ralph MacchioRalph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
's practice of giving them away to anyone who wrote a letter asking for one to Mike Higgins' policy of not awarding them at all. As reported in Iron Man #213 (Dec. 1986), these were the various editors' policies:
- Ann NocentiAnn NocentiAnn "Annie" Nocenti is an American journalist, writer, editor, and filmmaker best known for her work on comic books and magazines. As an editor for Marvel Comics, she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men...
(X-Men): "The spirit of the No-Prize is not just to complain and nitpick but to offer an exciting solution. Do that and you will get one from me." - Carl PottsCarl PottsCarl Potts is an American comic-book writer, artist, and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics.-Early life:...
(Alpha Flight and Power Pack): "If someone points out a major story problem I'm not aware of and solves it to my satisfaction, I'll award a No-Prize. I give away very few." - Mike Higgins (Starbrand): "No No-Prizes for New Universe no-no's no way!"
- Larry HamaLarry HamaLarry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
(Conan, G.I. Joe): "No one writes in for them in the Conan books so we don't award them. On G.I. Joe, which I write, I give them to people who get me out of jams if they are very ingenious about it." - Archie GoodwinArchie Goodwin (comics)Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
(Epic): "We acknowledge our mistakes in print, but Epic Comics doesn't award No-Prizes." - Bob BudianskyBob BudianskyBob Budiansky is an American comic book writer, editor, and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel's Transformers comic. He also created the Marvel character Sleepwalker and wrote all 33 issues of that comic.-Career:...
(Secret Wars II): "If someone finds a clever enough explanation for what seems to be a mistake, I'll send them a No-Prize." - Bob HarrasBob HarrasRobert "Bob" Harras is an American comics writer and editor, who was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics from 1995 to 2000 and currently serves as editor-in-chief of DC Comics.-Career:...
(Incredible Hulk, X-Factor): "My policy is if a certain mistake wouldn't have bothered me when I was a kid, it's not worth a No-Prize. But if someone does really help us out, I'll send them one." - Don Daley (Captain America): "First I place a temporal statute of limitations on No-Prize mistakes. If the mistake is more than six issues old, it doesn't qualify anymore. Second, I only give them out for things that count, not trivial nitpicking and faultfinding. Third, the explanation should not only be logical but emotionally appealing. I don't award many of them."
- James Owsley (Spider-Man): "We only mail them out to people who send us the best possible explanations for important mistakes. Panels where someone's shirt is colored wrong do not count. We send out the No-Prize envelopes to everyone who gets the same best answer, and sometimes will send out postcards to runners-up who come close."
- Ralph MacchioRalph Macchio (comics)Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
(Daredevil): "The No-Prize is an honored Marvel tradition. Of course I give them away — for just about any old stupid thing. I have a million of them."
A typical mid-1980s attempt at a No-Prize comes from the letters page
Comic book letter column
A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...
of The Incredible Hulk #324 (Oct. 1986), in response to Hulk #321: ". . . On page 12, panel 5, Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
's glasses are knocked off, but in following panels on the next page, he has them on. He didn’t have enough time to get them after they fell off, and Hawkeye’s explosive arrow probably would have destroyed them when it detonated on the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. Never fear, though. I have the solution — while flying down to help Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, Wonder Man pulled out an extra pair he carries in case of just such emergencies." (Editor Bob Harras awarded the writer a No-Prize.)
Editor Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
believed the quest for No-Prizes negatively impacted the quality of letters sent to comic book letter column
Comic book letter column
A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...
s, as readers were becoming more focused on nitpicking and pointing out errors than in responding to the comics' stories themselves. (He even cited one letter which focused on Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
's glove being yellow in one panel, instead of the correct color red.) Gruenwald then temporarily adopted a new policy, which was to award No-Prizes to readers who not only pointed out an error but also devised a clever explanation as to why it was not "really" an error. (Gruenwald was also known for awarding the "fred-prize" to readers of Captain America.) But in 1986, still believing that the quest for No-Prizes was degrading the quality of reader communication, Gruenwald informed the public that his office would no longer award No-Prizes at all.
By 1989, Marvel was owned by Ronald Perelman
Ronald Perelman
Ronald Owen Perelman is an American business magnate. Through his company MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., he has invested in various companies in grocery, cigar, licorice, makeup, car, photography, television, camping, security, lottery, jewelry, banks, and comic book industries.-Early...
, the man who would eventually drive Marvel into bankruptcy. One of the first casualties of the new financial belt-tightening was the No-Prize, considered in one memo to be "a silly, expensive extravagance to mail out."
In 1991, then-Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
reinstated the No-Prize, introducing the "meritorious service to Marvel above and beyond the call of duty" criteria:
In the late 1990s, Stan Lee returned to writing the Bullpen Bulletins column. He would answer fan questions, and anyone whose question was used would receive a physical No-Prize.
Digital No-Prize
On July 31, 2006, Marvel executive editor Tom BrevoortTom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...
instituted the digital No-Prize to be awarded for "meritorious service to Marveldom". The first was awarded on August 12, 2006, to a group of Marvel fans who donated a large number of comics to U.S. servicemembers stationed in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Return of the No-Prize
In 2011 Norb Rozek was awarded an actual No-Prize. Norb had previously received a digital No-Prize and was pleasantly surprised by the return of the paper envelope "actual" No-Prize.No-Prize book
Bob Camp
Bob Camp is a cartoonist, comic book artist, director, and producer. Camp has been nominated for two Emmys, a CableACE Award, and an Annie Award for his work on The Ren & Stimpy Show.-Career:...
and Vince Colletta
Vince Colletta
Vincent Joseph Colletta was an American comic book artist and art director best known as one of industry legend Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age of comic books...
, exposes and pokes fun at typos, misspellings and other errors. Further examples include characters with two left hands, characters looking through the periscope with the eye that has a patch over it and incoherent story lines. There are also famous misnamed characters, such as the text identifying Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
as "Peter Palmer" in Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
calling him "Super-Man" in Amazing Spider-Man #3.
See also
- Bullpen BulletinsBullpen Bulletins"Bullpen Bulletins" was the news and information page that appeared in most regular monthly comic books from Marvel Comics...
- Comic book letter columnComic book letter columnA comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...
- Merry Marvel Marching SocietyMerry Marvel Marching SocietyMerry Marvel Marching Society was a fan club for Marvel Comics started by Marvel editor Stan Lee and/or Marvel publisher Martin Goodman in 1964.-History:...
- BlooperBlooperA blooper, also known as an outtake or boner is a short sequence of a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms of misspoken words...