Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book

338 Pages·2004·17.7 MB·English

by  Jordan Raphael

6x9 paperback_6x9 paperback 7/28/11 3:53 PM Page 1
BIOGRAPHY S R
P A
“By the final page [of this biography], there is no questioning Lee’s rightful place
U P
as a pop visionary. . . . An entertaining, persuasive book.” R H
—Boston Globe G A
E E
O L
“Raphael and Spurgeon’s celebration of [Stan Lee’s] long career is a pleasure to N &
read and an inspiration for would-be superheroes everywhere.”
—Hollywood Reporter
“The definitive history of this particular slice of American popular culture.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An absorbing portrait of a man and an industry.”
—Miami Herald
“An insightful examination [that] offers keen insights on how the industry has
risen, fallen, survived and teetered on the edge of extinction. It illuminates the
role Lee played in a long-running drama every bit as compelling as those depict-
ed between the garish covers of Marvel Comics.”
—CNN.com
T
he face of Marvel Comics and the cocreator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the
Fantastic Four, and hundreds of other colorful heroes, Stan Lee is known as
a dazzling writer, a skilled editor, a relentless self-promoter, a credit hog, and a
huckster—a man equal parts P. T. Barnum and Walt Disney. This book, based on
interviews with Stan Lee and dozens of his colleagues and contemporaries, as well
t A
as extensive archival research, is at once a professional history, an appreciation, and h n
e d
a critical exploration of Stan Lee and his many accomplishments.

a t
m H
JORDAN RAPHAEL has written for the New York Times, the Los e E
r
R
Angeles Times, the Globe and Mail, and other publications. i
c i
a S
n E
TOM SPURGEON edited The Comics Journaland has c A
written for Seattle’s The Stranger; his syndicated news- o N
D
m
paper comic strip, Wildwood, appeared in over 12 mil- i F
c
A
lion homes daily.
b L
$16.95 (CAN $25.95) o L

o O
k F

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group
www.ipgbook.com
6x9 paperback_6x9 paperback 7/28/11 3:53 PM Page 1
BIOGRAPHY S R
P A
“By the final page [of this biography], there is no questioning Lee’s rightful place
U P
as a pop visionary. . . . An entertaining, persuasive book.” R H
—Boston Globe G A
E E
O L
“Raphael and Spurgeon’s celebration of [Stan Lee’s] long career is a pleasure to N &
read and an inspiration for would-be superheroes everywhere.”
—Hollywood Reporter
“The definitive history of this particular slice of American popular culture.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An absorbing portrait of a man and an industry.”
—Miami Herald
“An insightful examination [that] offers keen insights on how the industry has
risen, fallen, survived and teetered on the edge of extinction. It illuminates the
role Lee played in a long-running drama every bit as compelling as those depict-
ed between the garish covers of Marvel Comics.”
—CNN.com
T
he face of Marvel Comics and the cocreator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the
Fantastic Four, and hundreds of other colorful heroes, Stan Lee is known as
a dazzling writer, a skilled editor, a relentless self-promoter, a credit hog, and a
huckster—a man equal parts P. T. Barnum and Walt Disney. This book, based on
interviews with Stan Lee and dozens of his colleagues and contemporaries, as well
t A
as extensive archival research, is at once a professional history, an appreciation, and h n
e d
a critical exploration of Stan Lee and his many accomplishments.

a t
m H
JORDAN RAPHAEL has written for the New York Times, the Los e E
r
R
Angeles Times, the Globe and Mail, and other publications. i
c i
a S
n E
TOM SPURGEON edited The Comics Journaland has c A
written for Seattle’s The Stranger; his syndicated news- o N
D
m
paper comic strip, Wildwood, appeared in over 12 mil- i F
c
A
lion homes daily.
b L
$16.95 (CAN $25.95) o L

o O
k F

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group
www.ipgbook.com
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page i
and the Rise and Fall
of the American Comic Book
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page i
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page iii
and the Rise and Fall
of the American Comic Book
by
Jordan Raphael
and
Tom Spurgeon
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page iv
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Raphael, Jordan.
Stan Lee and the rise and fall of the American comic book / by
Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-55652-541-9 (paperback)
1. Lee, Stan. 2. Cartoonists—United States—
Biography I. Spurgeon, Tom, 1968– II. Title.
PN6727.L39Z88 2003
741.5'092—dc21 2003004378
Cover art: Jeff Wong
Cover design: Todd Petersen
Interior design: Pamela Juárez
©2003 by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 1-55652-541-9
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
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For Stan
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page i
00 (i-xvi) front matter_00 (i-xvi) front matter 7/28/11 3:57 PM Page vii
Contents
Introduction and Acknowledgments ix
Prologue xi
Part I  “From Humble Beginnings . . .”
1 Stanley Lieber 3
2 Martin’s Cousin-in-Law 10
3 Stan Lee, Playwright 19
Part I I  “Excelsior!”
4 Bring on the Bad Guy 37
5 The Biggest Comic-Book Company in North
America 49
6 Jolly Jack and Sturdy Steve 64
7 The Escapist 72
Part III  “The Marvel Age of Comics Has Truly
Begun”
8 The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine 81
9 Secret Origins 86
10 What Marvel Did 95
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Part IV  “A Marvel Pop-Art Production”
11 Live and on Campus 109
12 Stan Lee, Editor 116
13 Moving on Up 126
Part V  “With Great Power Comes Great
Responsibility”
14 Friends of New Marvel 137
15 Building the Brand 157
Part VI  “Flame On!”
16 Stan Lee, Author 171
17 Stan in Hollywood 184
Part VII  “This Man, This M onster”
18 The Evil Empire 201
19 Step Right Up! 213
Part VIII  “It’s Clobberin’ T ime!”
20 In Stan’s Image 233
21 Millionaire on Paper 247
Part IX  “If This Be My D estiny”
22 Stan the Man 259
23 Ever Upward 266
Source Notes 271
Index 289