Media Release -- A city is under attack from evil forces that drain the will and desire to do anything that's active or healthy! You can't see them, you can't hear them, but you can feel Habit Hazards stealing your energy, dehydrating you, and keeping you from making healthy eating decisions. In a new comic book developed in partnership with Marvel Custom Solutions, Florida Blue and WellPoint's health plans, Agents Dynamo, Fuel and Quench join forces with the Armored Avenger Iron Man to defeat this threat. The story is based on healthy habits, inviting readers to become "Habit Heroes."
"Thanks to his armor, Iron Man can fly through the air and fire repulsor rays, but inside that hi-tech suit is Tony Stark, who, like us, is always learning new ways to make healthy decisions," said Marvel editor Bill Rosemann. "All of us at Marvel are proud to help readers of all ages realize that everyone—even Super Heroes—need to practice positive habits each day. And thanks to the unique mix of the power and relatability of the Marvel characters, we do it via an exciting and entertaining comic book!"
The Habit Heroes comic shows readers how healthy habits can make a difference. The 20-page comic also includes a special "Habit Heroes Training Guide" insert to help kids learn to incorporate healthy habits into their daily lives.
"At WellPoint, we are focused on helping people get healthy and stay healthy," said Patrick Blair, chief marketing officer. "The goal of the Habit Heroes Iron Man comic book experience aligns with our commitment to help inspire families to lead healthier lives, and is part of our broader efforts to provide the tools and resources needed to help families achieve this goal. With National Child Health Day just around the corner, this is a perfect time to introduce the comic book and remind families that working together makes it fun and easy to make healthy choices."
Marvel, Florida Blue and WellPoint's health plans worked closely with third-party health and wellness experts to create a comic book that conveys a positive message about healthy lifestyles in an empowering way. The comic will be available in English and Spanish, in both print and digital forms, and will be distributed to children and families at a variety of community events throughout Florida and WellPoint's health plan service areas in California, Nevada, Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, and portions of New York, Virginia and Missouri.
When asked about the collaboration with Marvel and WellPoint on this new comic book, Pat Geraghty, chairman and CEO, Florida Blue, said, "I am extremely excited about this effort. With the health care industry dramatically changing, one thing we all need to be focused on is being proactive about our health." He went on to say, "If we can create a fun experience for children and families to help further their health, we get one step closer to accomplishing our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health."
About Marvel:
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 marvel.com.
About Florida Blue:
Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, is a leader in Florida's health care industry. Our mission is to help people and communities achieve better health. Florida Blue has approximately 4 million health care members and serves 15.5 million people in 16 states through its affiliated companies. Florida Blue is a not-for- profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.floridablue.com.
About WellPoint:
At WellPoint, we believe there is an important connection between our members' health and well-being—and the value we bring our customers and shareholders. So each day we work to improve the health of our members and their communities. And, we can make a real difference since we have nearly 36 million people in our affiliated health plans, and nearly 68 million people served through our subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; and as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint's plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). We also serve customers in several additional states through our Amerigroup subsidiary and in certain markets through our CareMore subsidiary. Our 1-800 CONTACTS, Inc. subsidiary offers customers online sales of contact lenses, eyeglasses and other ocular products. Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.
