Marvel and the Avengers Join Forces with Visa Canada to Help Children Become Financial Super Heroes

Visa Canada and Marvel launch a unique comic book to teach children about the mighty benefits of financial literacy

TORONTO, April 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Marvel Entertainment. LLC and Visa Inc. are taking readers in Canada and around the world on an action packed journey courtesy of the new comic book Avengers: Saving the Day.

The 16-page comic book - available to Canadians in French and English - combines Marvel's iconic characters with Visa's financial literacy expertise, to introduce children to basic money concepts.

"Parents and educators are always looking for innovative and creative ways to engage and educate children about the importance of money management," said Melissa Cassar, Head of Corporate and Public Affairs, Visa Canada. "Visa and Marvel Comics have created an exciting adventure story full of Super Heroes and colourful characters - supported by financial literacy messages, making the topic both entertaining and educational for youth."

The Avengers: Saving the Day comic was created by a well-known team of Marvel storytellers, including veteran writer James Asmus (Generation Hope). Fan favourite Andrea Di Vito (Avengers Academy) drew the comic, which features the iconic comic book versions of the world's most popular Super Heroes including Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Black Widow. The collectors' item comic also features a new cover by comics legend Tom Grummett.

"As a kid, I would have been completely thrilled to get a comic like this.  It's got all the fun and excitement that you think of when you imagine a Marvel comic.  And thanks to some sly and playful introduction of financial advice, Visa is using their incredible reach to get it to as many kids as possible" said Marvel writer James Asmus.  "It's an amazing honour to know that I wrote what will undoubtedly be the first comic book tons of kids around the world will read - and it stars the Avengers!  It just doesn't get cooler than that."

Avengers: Saving the Day features a fast-moving plot revolving around the Avengers characters learning about personal finance, while battling the evil Mole Man during an attempted heist.  The book is accompanied by a teacher's guide that uses Marvel's characters to introduce children to basic financial concepts such as budgeting, saving and banking.  Available at no cost, Avengers: Saving the Day is being distributed around the world, and can also be viewed online at www.practicalmoneyskills.ca.  In addition to English and French, the comic is also available in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Portugese, Russian and Spanish.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit www.marvel.com.

About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

Erin Sufrin             
Visa Canada
[email protected]
416-860-3869

Janine Allen
Fleishman-Hillard
[email protected] 
416-645-3657