F&TVR Profile: Stan Lee 1

Introduction

Too Marvelous for (Just) Words!

Stanley Lieber wanted to be a novelist. When he started working for Martin Goodman at Atlas/Timely Comics that was his dream. He began by writing short prose stories (every comic book had to have one to qualify for the lower book rate shipping), but he changed his name to Stan Lee to sign off on these because he wanted to save his real name for the important writing that would be in his future, his novels. His first filler story was a Captain America story. Little did he know how long he would be working with this character. How could he? The comics were at an impasse. It seemed like they were about to go the way of the dinosaur, but then Stan Lee happened. Not only did he revive the faltering company owned by Martin Goodman by making it the marvel of the industry, but he influenced the company he would come to call his Distinguished Competition again and again. Just as DC’s Justice League had spurred him to create the Fantastic Four many of his innovations would be noticed and embraced by not only DC National Comics, but by anyone who was paying attention.

Two early issues of The Fantastic Four each featuring an enduring menace; Namor, the Sub Mariner in issue #4 who will be a temptation to Sue Storm for some time to come, and the brilliantly evil, Doctor Doom in issue #5. Namor, not exactly a villain, but a lothario and rival for Sue’s affections. Namor’s two concerns, protecting his underwater kingdom and making Sue Storm his queen. Dr. Doom, the King of Latvaria whose passions are defeating the Fantastic Four and ruling the world.

The personalities and private concerns of his characters became the drama and comedy that powered his stories and made them memorable, above: Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Michael Chiklis), Alicia (Kerry Washington, and Stan Lee’s Cameo as Willie Lumpkin. Life was never simple with the Fantastic Four.

His most important contribution to comic books was not just the many wonderful characters he created or co-created with others, but how he managed to imbue them with real life characteristics beyond what was necessary to tell an action/adventure story. He all but literally breathed life into them. He simply gave them what he called ‘hang-ups’ which is how he referred to the real life problems that we all have. He brought them down to earth and in doing so, made them more credible to his readers even though their powers and adventures were incredible.

In addition, he was a master showman. With his simple ‘Stan’s Soapbox’ column, he managed to make readers feel that he was talking to them, and they had no reason to believe he wasn’t. It made the experience of reading comic books interactive before anyone ever dreamed of a PC. The letter pages contained letters from readers of all kinds including some who were destined to draw and write the very comics that they were reading and writing to. Even those readers that didn’t go on to draw or write comics were mentored by Stan. He helped them to see the world though his eyes of wonder and imagination.

The comics flourished, in part because they could make anything happen that could be drawn. The writer’s imagination could be full blown without having to worry about how to produce the powers, effects, outer space, even other planets and their inhabitants. Imagination reigned on the four color pages. It took television and the movies decades to catch up. Now, no matter what the artist puts on the story board, it can be translated to the screen.

ABOVE: Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), & Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in The Avengers (2012)

The current blockbuster super hero films are the result of an odyssey that Lee started out on in 1981 when he relocated to California to concentrate on developing Marvel TV and feature film projects. The earliest success was TV’s The Incredible Hulk (which may have prompted Lee’s decision to get more involved) starring Bill Bixby & Lou Ferrigno. Stan Lee was a consultant on 82 episodes from 1977 to 1981. Guest stars on the show included Loni Anderson, Ray Walston, Sally Kirkland, Pat Morita, Joi Lansing, and Mackenzie Phillips to name just a few that appeared during the five successful seasons.