TIMONIUM, MD (January 24, 2002) - The Red Skull, Captain America's most dangerous and evil foe, is coming back - in the form of an 8-inch statue from Diamond Select Toys. This statue will be the first such product to come out of Diamond Select's recent licensing agreement with Marvel Enterprises. The Red Skull has long been a pillar of villainy in the extensive Marvel Universe, and his adventures against Captain America have become the stuff of legend. The statue is slated to ship in March 2002 and is currently available for order in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributors' Previews catalog.

"The Red Skull is a classic villain that has stood the test of time and is as fearsome now as he was during World War II," said sculptor Sam Greenwell. "I jumped at the chance to create a statue of him with Diamond Select's support."

Not only is the Red Skull the first Marvel statue to come out of the recent licensing agreement, it is also the first in a line of Avengers statues that will be sculpted and released as interlocking pairs. A Captain America statue will be available later in 2002 to link up with the Red Skull. Future statue pairs currently in progress include Vision and Scarlet Witch, also sculpted by Sam Greenwell, Thor and Loki from Shawn Nagel, and Iron Man and Mandarin by Tony Cipriano. The figures of these statues are actually 8-inches tall, even larger when the bases are included.

"Collectors will appreciate the magnificence in Sam's work," said Jason Whitney, Diamond Select's Production Manager. "And in this time when patriotism is high, people will certainly want to pick up this piece and link it together with the forthcoming Captain America statue."

In this first offering, the Red Skull is depicted raising the Cosmic Cube in triumph while standing before a devastated brick wall, a scene inspired by the cover to the classic Captain America #115. The statue's run is limited to 7500 pieces.

Distribution of the Red Skull 8-inch Statue is still available in several countries outside of North America. Please contact Diamond Select if interested.

ABOUT MARVEL ENTERPRISES, INC.

Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies with operations in five divisions: licensing, toys-via its Toy Biz division-comic book and trade publishing, entertainment and new media. Marvel's 4,700 proprietary characters are licensed for use in feature films, television, new media, apparel, video games, collectibles, snack foods, promotions and much more.

Based in New York, Marvel Enterprises is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MVL". For more information, please visit www.marvel.com

ABOUT DIAMOND SELECT

Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Envisioned to create unique and exciting collectibles for children and adults alike, the company has licensed a variety of pop culture properties to be turned into merchandise.

With partners such as Marvel Enterprises, Linsner.com, Goodtimes Entertainment, Golden Books Publishing, and Pioneer Video, Diamond Select produces a large range of products based on a wide variety of properties.

Diamond Select Toys is headquartered in Timonium, Md. For more information, visit www.diamondselecttoys.com.

Marvel Enterprises, Inc.: MVL (NYSE) Marvel and all related characters: TM 2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.

All rights reserved. www.marvel.com

To see a larger image of the Red Skull, please see the news item from December 2001.