How Flying Colors came to be…

Flying Colors Comics: The Origin Story

During a decade-long tenure in radio advertising in Stockton (1978-1988), Joe Field, a Moraga-native and devoted comics enthusiast, spearheaded a campaign to designate Stockton California as "the birthplace of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four" in honor of Marvel's 25th Anniversary in 1986.

This public relations initiative captured the attention of the media and the general public, earning widespread positive coverage for both the city of Stockton and the comic book industry, making headlines in newspapers nationwide. Marvel embraced Stockton's designation, as evidenced in the pages of Fantastic Four #286, and sent emissary Stan Lee to Stockton to acknowledge the achievement and deliver the official proclamation to Stockton's city leaders.

Following the success of the FF campaign, Stan Lee engaged Joe for a short stint of freelance public relations work to promote the first published novel from Stan's wife, Joan Lee. From there Joe was invited to assume the role of advertising director for WonderCon, which was the largest comic book convention in Northern California. This role afforded Joe the opportunity to further immerse himself in comic book culture, paving the way for a professional transition away from radio and into the comics retailing business.

Over the course of two years of extensive research and planning, Joe, along with his dedicated marketing research team consisting of his wife Libby and their three daughters Michelle, Jenny, and Cindy, scouted for just the right location and developed ideas and plans to create the ideal comic book store. Their efforts culminated in the grand opening of FlyingColors Comics & Other Cool Stuff on October 3, 1988.