Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 as Timely Publications by Martin Goodman. It eventually became known as Atlas Comics and then took on its modern name of Marvel Comics in 1961. During this time, Marvel launched many successful superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko including the Fantastic Four. These titles established Marvel's reputation for focusing on character development to a greater extent than previous superhero comics. One of Marvel's most successful characters was Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Over the decades, Marvel Comics was sold and changed ownership and leadership several times but has survived for over 75 years so far.