The Amazing Spider-Man. The Incredible Hulk. The Invincible Iron Man. Black Panther. These are just a few of the iconic superheroes to emerge from the mind of Stan Lee.
From the mean streets of Depression-era New York City to recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Lee’s life has been almost as remarkable as the thrilling adventures he spun for decades. From millions of comic books fans of the 1960s through billions of moviegoers around the globe, Stan Lee has touched more people than almost any person in the history of popular culture.
In Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel, Bob Batchelor offers an eye-opening look at this iconic visionary, a man who created (with talented artists) many of history’s most legendary characters. In this energetic and entertaining biography, Batchelor explores how Lee capitalized on natural talent and hard work to become the editor of Marvel Comics as a teenager. After toiling in the industry for decades, Lee threw caution to the wind and went for broke, co-creating the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and others in a creative flurry that revolutionized comic books for generations of readers. Marvel superheroes became a central part of pop culture, from collecting comics to innovative merchandising, from superhero action figures to the ever-present Spider-Man lunchbox.
Batchelor examines many of Lee’s most beloved works, including the 1960s comics that transformed Marvel from a second-rate company to a legendary publisher. This book reveals the risks Lee took to bring the characters to life and Lee’s tireless efforts to make comic books and superheroes part of mainstream culture for more than fifty years.
Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel not only reveals why Lee developed into such a central figure in American entertainment history, but brings to life the cultural significance of comic books and how the superhero genre reflects ideas central to the American experience. Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, this is a biography of a man who dreamed of one day writing the Great American Novel, but ended up doing so much more—changing American culture by creating new worlds and heroes that have entertained generations of readers.
There are very few people who have lived their lives more in the public eye than Stan Lee. He himself has never been shy about media attention and, from his teenage years has been involved in the publishing world, publicity and comics.
I grew up in a comics loving household. (My paternal grandfather taught himself English using comic books, a love he passed on to my dad, and to me). Since I lived near a major metropolitan city (Pittsburgh, Pa) and not impossibly distant from NYC, I got involved in the large and vibrant fandom in my area. I've met Mr. Lee on several occasions and every single time I met him I came away with an awestruck feeling at how much energy he has and how positive and gracious and accessible he is. I never fail to grin at his cameos in the comics films. I have never heard anyone say he had a bad day or was cranky or ungracious when they encountered him. He's a force of nature.
So, when I sat down to read this -meticulously- researched brick of a book (260 pages), I opened it with a little trepidation. Would the real man behind the phenomenon have feet of clay? Was he really just a man and not the cyclone of my formative years? He's a man who has never shied away from controversy, would the biography have an angle? An agenda?
Obviously there are many (many!) other biographies and biographical resources about Stan Lee. His life has basically been one continual open book, lived in the public eye. The question is really, does this particular book bring anything to the table in terms of new material or unique perspective? I believe it does. I don't recall ever reading much about his very early life growing up in the depression or his difficult early home life. The author suggests that as one reason for his incredible work ethic, it could be true. (Reminds me somewhat of the work-til-you-drop ethic of people in my grandparents' generation, which also had its genesis in the great depression).
There is a lot of content in this book. I think it will be a valuable resource for enthusiasts, students of ephemera, and future historians. I appreciated the incredibly detailed footnotes and reference sections. Amazingly thorough job.
Four stars Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
