Stan Lee Presents: The Mighty Marvel Comics Strength and Fitness Book
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Published in 1976 this comic book has become a bit of a cult classic oddity among comic collectors. Set in the Marvel Universe that details exercise and fitness techniques, demonstrated by well known Marvel characters. It was written by "Agile" Ann Picardo and illustrated by "Jumpin'" Joe Giella, with Stan Lee adding some dialogue. I first came across the Spiderman pages of it, when they were reprinted in a Spiderman annual I was given for Christmas in the early 80s. I vividly remember doing what it oddly turns out is called "The Little Miss Muffet" in my bedroom for what seemed hours, in order to build-up my Spidey strength. In fact, many of the titles for the exercises are peculiar, never mind some of the actual exercises themselves. Here are a few examples that are available across the Weird Wide Web.
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Spiderman, The Hulk and Medusa grace the cover.
Getting all "buddy-buddy", these guys have got each other's backs.
Hours I spent in my bedroom as a kid doing "The Little Miss Muffet"!
Firstly Bruce Banner was far from "bellicose", hence why he became The Hulk when he got angry. And what's the dig about us mere "normal" kids not knowing what "supine" means?
Only if I'd have known about this one when I decided to take-up surfing through the universe.
What the...? We get to an exercise featuring a female character (Medusa), and it involves some weird form of self-abuse. How could pulling your own hair until "you can actually feel your scalp move" be any good for you? Try it! Try pulling your hair that hard, it really hurts!
This is a move I'm trying down the discotheque on a Friday night. Hopefully will set the dance-floor on fire!
*Snigger* "Bottom Basher"... "Grab your ankles"... "Oops! I don't feel so good"... No?! Just me that finds this funny then?
Last, but not least, my favourite exercise of all... From J. Jonah Jameson.
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Captain America and Falcon team-up, for the appropriately jingoistic sounding "The Patriotic Pull". Note the odd self-indulgent reference to Italian-Americans in step number 2.
After all that manly hand-holding and buddying-up, what better than a good old manly arm-wrestle?
"Perpendicular legs"? There was no way, even as a kid I could do this one.
The Hulk with the help of Namor, doing sit-ups. I'd forgotten the name "Ole Jade Jaws" until I saw this.
The first part of this exercise is missing! Oh well, it's the Silver Surfer, so it's cool even if only half there.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder.
Guess it depends on whether you're invisible, as to whether he'll notice you or not. Where getting into issues of self-worth here... Let's move on...
Ghost Rider's really come down in the world since those awful Nicholas Cage movies. Reduced to a bicycle.
Well there you have it, the best of the pages around on the Weird Wide Web of this strange little publication from Marvel. I've seen copies of this exchanging hands for anything from $75 all the way up to $300, depending on condition. I think it's high-time that Marvel did a reprint of it, in these times of social health concerns about kids being lazy couch potato gamers, in danger of obesity. Let's get kids all over the place sneaking off to their rooms with a copy of The Mighty Marvel Comics Strength And Fitness Book, to spend hours practicing "The Little Miss Muffet", and letting all that pent-up angst out by doing "The Jameson Roar".
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