New comic book tells origin story of Captain Citrus
An icy villain, an orange grove under siege and the origin of America’s newest hero.
BARTOW, Fla. – An icy villain, an orange grove under siege and the origin of America’s newest hero awaits readers in the newly released second installment of the Avengers Assemble comic book series featuring Captain Citrus.
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), together with Marvel Custom Solutions, reimagined Captain Citrus in 2014to help convey the values of the Florida Citrus industry and the importance of making smart choices about nutrition. As National Nutrition Month kicks off, the second chapter continues that focus with an aim to empower families to make informed decisions on healthy eating and reinforce the value of 100% Florida Orange Juice as part of a delicious and healthy diet.
Available now as a digital comic at CaptainCitrus.com, the second chapter includes appearances by Marvel’s popular Avengers characters and reveals the story behind Florida Citrus grower John Polk’s transformation into Captain Citrus.
Combining entertainment with education, the digital comic book encourages young readers to maintain positive outlooks and healthy lifestyles while also reminding them not to judge a book by its cover.
A million children in schools across the country received a printed copy of the first chapter last fall. An educational teacher’s guide, providing a lesson plan aligned with best practices teaching guidelines, accompanied them. Both are available online.
“We are very pleased with the success of the first chapter and are excited to continue the Captain Citrus saga,” said Doug Ackerman, executive director of the FDOC. “Our partnership with Marvel enables us to share the nutritional benefits of Florida Orange Juice and the values of our industry in a fun way with families around the globe.”
“It’s been fantastic developing Captain Citrus with FDOC, and this issue is a particularly interesting milestone,” said Mark Basso, a Marvel editor working on the comic series. “Not only do we get to see Captain Citrus use his amazing powers, we get to see how he got them—that origin so crucial to a hero’s story!”
A third chapter in the Avengers Assemble series featuring Captain Citrus is slated for release this spring.
For more information on the Captain Citrus program, please visit CaptainCitrus.com.
About the Florida Department of Citrus
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs nearly 62,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of nearly $10.7 billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida’s schools, roads and health care services. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org.
About Marvel Custom Solutions
Custom Solutions is Marvel’s in-house creative agency that leverages all the greatest talent within Marvel Entertainment to create highly dynamic and compelling content and campaigns for global brands. Marvel Custom Solutions has the ability to deploy the work it creates through its robust print, digital, social and theatrical platforms, adding scale to the programs it creates.
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 more than 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, visitmarvel.com. © MARVEL
