▁Spring ▁ 1 9 4 1 . ▁Tim ely ▁Comics ▁became ▁the ▁um bre lla ▁name ▁for ▁the ▁several ▁paper ▁corpor ations ▁that ▁compr ised ▁Good man ' s ▁com ic - book ▁division , ▁which ▁in ▁en su ing ▁dec ades ▁would ▁evol ve ▁into ▁Marvel ▁Comics . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 1 , ▁Tim ely ▁published ▁its ▁third ▁major ▁character , ▁the ▁patri otic ▁super h ero ▁Captain ▁America ▁by ▁Simon ▁and ▁artist ▁Jack ▁Kir by . ▁The ▁success ▁of ▁Captain ▁America ▁# 1 ▁( M arch ▁ 1 9 4 1 ) ▁led ▁to ▁an ▁expansion ▁of ▁staff , ▁with ▁Simon ▁bringing ▁fre el ancer ▁Kir by ▁on ▁staff ▁and ▁subsequently ▁h iring ▁in ker ▁Syd ▁Sh ores ▁" to ▁be ▁Tim ely ' s ▁third ▁employee ." ▁Simon ▁and ▁Kir by ▁depart ed ▁Tim ely ▁after ▁ 1 0 ▁issues ▁of ▁Captain ▁America , ▁and ▁Good man ▁appointed ▁his ▁wife ’ s ▁cousin , ▁Stan ▁Lee , ▁already ▁there ▁as ▁an ▁editor ial ▁assistant , ▁as ▁Tim ely ' s ▁editor , ▁a ▁position ▁Lee ▁would ▁hold ▁for ▁dec ades . ▁ ▁With ▁the ▁post - war ▁less ening ▁of ▁interest ▁in ▁super h ero es , ▁Good man ▁established ▁a ▁pattern ▁of ▁direct ing ▁Lee ▁to ▁follow ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁gen res ▁as ▁the ▁market ▁seemed ▁to ▁tr end , ▁such ▁as ▁rom ance ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 8 , ▁horror ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 , ▁Western s ▁in ▁ 1 9 5