Over the years, KISS has licensed thousands of products. They’ve slapped their logo on everything from t-shirts to caskets. Their willingness to appear in as many formats as possible, along with their larger-than-life stage personas, led to the band’s appearances in multiple comic books. On this day (June 30) in 1977, Marvel Comics released the first comic books to feature the band as both central characters and superheroes. To make things more appealing for fans, the band mixed their blood into the ink.
KISS first appeared in two back-to-back issues of Howard the Duck in May and June of 1977. Then, on June 30, Marvel released A Marvel Comics Super Special!: KISS. The full-length color comic book featured Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley’s stage personas as superheroes. This was the first of many comics starring Detroit’s most famous rock and roll band. However, that’s not the only thing that made this book special for fans.