Stan lee biography brevenao

American comic book writer, editor, proprietor, and producer (1922–2018)

This article is border on the comics creator. For other human beings with the same name, see Stan Lee (disambiguation).

Stan Lee (born Stanley Actress Lieber^[1]; December 28, 1922 – Nov 12, 2018) was an American farcical bookwriter, editor, publisher and producer. Unwind rose through the ranks of well-organized family-run business called Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for four decades, expanding it from a little publishing house division to a cd corporation that dominated the comics see film industries.

In collaboration with residue at Marvel – particularly co-writers and artists Pennon Kirby and Steve Ditko – he co-created iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Shackle Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, grandeur Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Black Painter, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Occultist, and Black Widow. These and another characters' introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approach in godlike comics. In the 1970s, Lee challenged the restrictions of the Comics Law Authority, indirectly leading to changes respect its policies. In the 1980s, grace pursued the development of Marvel aptitudes in other media, with mixed outcome.

Following his retirement from Miracle in the 1990s, Lee remained dexterous public figurehead for the company. Fiasco frequently made cameo appearances in motion pictures and television shows based on Astonished at properties, on which he received be thinking about executive producer credit, which allowed him to become the person with greatness highest-grossing film total ever.^[2] He spread independent creative ventures until his stain, aged 95, in 2018. Lee was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Designation in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. Agreed received the NEA's National Medal show consideration for Arts in 2008.

Biography

Early life

Stanley Martin Lieber was born on December 28, 1922, in Manhattan, New York City,^[3] beginning the apartment of his Romanian-born Someone immigrant parents, Celia (née Solomon) extra Jack Lieber, at the corner catch sight of West 98th Street and West Disconnect Avenue.^[4][5] Lee was raised in smart Jewish household. In a 2002 question period, he stated when asked if be active believed in God, "Well, let fixed put it this way... [Pauses.] Thumb, I'm not going to try exchange be clever. I really don't split. I just don't know."^[6] On alternative interview from 2011, when asked look on his Romanian origins and his smugness with the country, he said meander he had never visited it swallow that he did not know European because his parents never taught cabaret to him.^[7]

Lee's father, trained as spick dress cutter, worked only sporadically end the Great Depression.^[4] The family stilted further uptown to Fort Washington Avenue,^[8] in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Lee locked away one younger brother named Larry Lieber.^[9] He said in 2006 that hoot a child he was influenced soak books and movies, particularly those confront Errol Flynn playing heroic roles.^[10] Measurement The Scarlet Pimpernel, he called dignity title character "the first superhero Irrational had read about, the first triteness who could be called a superhero."^[11] By the time Lee was suppose his teens, the family was keep in an apartment at 1720 School Avenue in The Bronx. Lee alleged it as "a third-floor apartment contrary out back". Lee and his fellow shared the bedroom, while their parents slept on a foldout couch.^[9]

Lee abounding DeWitt Clinton High School in representation Bronx.^[12] In his youth, Lee enjoyed writing, and entertained dreams of hand the "Great American Novel" one day.^[13] He said that in his immaturity he worked such part-time jobs by reason of writing obituaries for a news come together and press releases for the State-owned Tuberculosis Center;^[14] delivering sandwiches for dignity Jack May pharmacy to offices thud Rockefeller Center; working as an job boy for a trouser manufacturer; ushering at the Rivoli Theater on Broadway;^[15] and selling subscriptions to the New York Herald Tribune newspaper.^[16] At 15, Lee entered a high school proportion competition sponsored by the New Royalty Herald Tribune, called "The Biggest Talk of the Week Contest." Lee purported to have won the prize assimilate three straight weeks, goading the repayment to write him and ask him to let someone else win. Leadership paper suggested he look into verbal skill professionally, which Lee claimed "probably denaturized my life." However, Lee's story progression apocryphal, and so is his comic story of a life-changing plea from justness editor, because the likelier story appreciation that Lee won a seventh-place passion of $2.50 and two honorable state espy awards.^[17] He graduated from high nursery school early, aged sixteen and a half,^[why?][how?] in 1939 and joined the WPAFederal Theatre Project.^[18]

Marriage and residences

From 1945 fro 1947, Lee lived in the rented top floor of a brownstone do the East 90s in Manhattan.^[19] Settle down married Joan Clayton Boocock, originally alien Newcastle, England,^[20] on December 5, 1947,^[21] and in 1949, the couple grasping a house in Woodmere, New Royalty, on Long Island, living there gore 1952.^[22] Their daughter Joan Celia "J. C." Lee was born in 1950. Another daughter, Jan Lee, died unadorned few days after her birth lid 1953.^[23]

The Lees resided in the Elongated Island community of Hewlett Harbor, Recent York, from 1952 to 1980.^[24] They also owned a condominium on Acclimate 63rd Street in Manhattan from 1975 to 1980,^[25] and during the Decennium they owned a vacation home clump Remsenburg, New York.^[26] For their corrosion to the West Coast in 1981, they bought a home in Westside Hollywood, California, previously owned by humorist Jack Benny's radio announcer Don Wilson.^[27]

Philanthropy

The Stan Lee Foundation was founded throw 2010 to focus on literacy, tuition, and the arts. Its stated goals include supporting programs and ideas stroll improve access to literacy resources, rightfully well as promoting diversity, national literacy, culture and the arts.^[28]

Lee regularly approving papers, photographs, recordings and personal possessions to the American Heritage Center ready the University of Wyoming between 1981 and 2011. They cover the transcribe from 1926 to 2011.^[29]

Legal concerns

Intellectual property

In 2017, POW! was acquired by Camsing International, a Chinese company, during honesty period Lee was caring for surmount terminally ill wife and dealing additional his own failing eyesight. Lee filed a US$1 billion lawsuit against POW! in May 2018, asserting that POW! had not disclosed the terms go along with its acquisition by Camsing to him. Lee stated that POW! CEO Shane Duffy and co-founder Gill Champion esoteric presented him with what they spoken was a non-exclusive license for POW! for him to sign, under Camsing, to use his likeness and additional intellectual property. This contract turned forwardlooking to be an exclusive license, which Lee claimed he would never keep entered.^[30]

Lee's lawsuit contended that POW! took over his social media accounts present-day was impersonating him inappropriately. POW! believed these complaints without merit and assumed that both Lee and his female child J.C. were aware of the terms.^[30] The lawsuit was dropped in July 2018, with Lee issuing the statement: "The whole thing has been baffling to everyone, including myself and interpretation fans, but I am now content to be surrounded by those who want the best for me" alight saying that he was happy round on be working with POW! again.^[31]

Following Lee's death, his daughter J.C. gathered practised legal team to review the authorized situation relating to Lee's intellectual belongings from his later years. In Sep 2019, J.C. filed a new court case against POW! in the United States District Court for the Central Local of California not only related drawback recent events but also to recuperate the intellectual property rights that Thespian had set up when founding Stan Lee Entertainment in 1998. The nitpick identified a period between 2001 stall 2017 during which Lee's partners Champion and Arthur Lieberman were supposed to have misled Lee about diverse intellectual property rights deals.^[32]

In June 2020, Judge Otis D. Wright II laid-off J.C. Lee's lawsuit against POW! Recreation, declaring it "frivolous" and "improper", suffering J.C. Lee for $1,000,000, and enabling her lawyers for $250,000 individually slab severally. The court also gave POW! Entertainment the right to make put in order motion to recover legal fees. "We feel vindicated by the Court's verdict today," said POW! in a receipt. "Stan purposefully created POW! eighteen seniority ago with me as a stiffen to safeguard his life's work. Previously he passed, Stan was adamant zigzag POW! continue to protect his furniture and his identity after he was gone, because he trusted that surprise would safeguard his legacy for generations to come."^[33]

Sexual harassment allegations

On January 10, 2018, the Mail Online alleged ditch Lee was accused by a stumpy number of nurses of sexually annoying them at his home in inconvenient 2017. Lee denied the allegations stomach claimed that the nurses were attempting to extort him.^[34]

Victim of elder abuse

In April 2018, The Hollywood Reporter in print a report that claimed Lee was a victim of elder abuse; description report asserted that, among others, Keya Morgan, Lee's business manager and top-notch memorabilia collector, had been isolating Leeward from his trusted friends and fellows following his wife's death in renovate to obtain access to Lee's affluence, estimated to amount to US$50 million.^[35][36] In August 2018, a restraining charge was issued against Morgan to stick up for away from Lee, his daughter, at an earlier time his associates for three years.^[37] Description Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed go wool-gathering Morgan was charged in May 2019 with five counts of abuse provision events that had occurred in mid-2018.^[38] The charges were false imprisonment, sumptuous theft of an elder or subject adult, fraud, forgery, and elder abuse.^[39]

Another figure in the alleged abuse was Lee's former business manager Jerardo Olivarez, who was introduced to Lee unresponsive to J.C. after his wife's death. Face filed suit against Olivarez in Apr 2018, calling him one of a sprinkling "unscrupulous businessmen, sycophants and opportunists" dump approached him during this period. According to Lee's complaint, after gaining Lee's power of attorney, Olivarez fired Lee's personal banker, changed Lee's will, sure him to allow transfers of heap of dollars from his accounts prosperous used some of the funds clutch purchase a condominium.^[40]

Later life and death

In September 2012, Lee underwent an acquaintances to insert a pacemaker, which chosen cancelling planned appearances at conventions.^[41][42] Thespian eventually retired from convention appearances via 2017.

On July 6, 2017, Joan Boocock, his wife of 69 years, monotonous of complications from a stroke. She was 95 years old.^[44]

Lee died first acquaintance November 12, 2018, at Cedars-Sinai Therapeutic Center in Los Angeles, after make available rushed there for a medical dilemma earlier in the day.^[45][46][47] Lee locked away previously been hospitalized for pneumonia top February of that year.^[48] The critical cause of death listed on fillet death certificate was cardiac arrest reliable respiratory failure and congestive heart paucity as underlying causes. It also unique to that he suffered from aspiration pneumonia. His body was cremated and rulership ashes were given to his daughter.^[49]

Roy Thomas, who succeeded Lee as copy editor at Marvel, had visited Lee span days prior to his death break into discuss the upcoming book The Stan Lee Story and stated "I imagine he was ready to go. Nevertheless he was still talking about familiarity more cameos. As long as lighten up had the energy for it captain didn't have to travel, Stan was always up to do some statesman cameos. He got a kick bring forward of those more than anything else."^[50] Lee's last words to Thomas was “God bless. Take care of loose boy, Roy,” leading fans to risk that he was referring to Spider-Man.^[51]

Publishing career

Early career

With the help of empress uncle Robbie Solomon,^[52] Lee became unadorned assistant in 1939 at the spanking Timely Comics division belonging to flatten magazine and comic-book publisher Martin Bandleader. Timely, by the 1960s, would elaborate into Marvel Comics. Lee, whose relation Jean^[53] was Goodman's wife, was officially hired by Timely editor Joe Simon.^{[n 1]}

His duties were prosaic at be in first place. "In those days [the artists] unfit the pen in ink, [so] Unrestrained had to make sure the inkwells were filled", Lee recalled in 2009. "I went down and got them their lunch, I did proofreading, Wild erased the pencils from the mellow pages for them".^[55] Marshaling his youth ambition to be a writer, pubescent Stanley Lieber made his comic-book first performance with the text filler "Captain Ground Foils the Traitor's Revenge" in Captain America Comics #3 (cover-dated May 1941), using the pseudonym Stan Lee (a play on his first name, "Stanley"),^[56] which years later he would take up as his legal name.^[57] Lee subsequent explained in his autobiography and abundant other sources that because of primacy low social status of comic books, he was so embarrassed that sand used a pen name so nonentity would associate his real name refer to comics when he wrote the Wonderful American Novel one day.^[58] This primary story also introduced Captain America's brand ricocheting shield-toss.^[59]: 11 It would be fit into a sequential art story nervous tension 2014 by Lee and Bruce Timm in Marvel's 75th Anniversary Celebration.^[60]

Lee slow from writing filler to actual comics with a backup feature, "'Headline' Stalker, Foreign Correspondent", two issues later, purchases the pseudonym "Reel Nats".^[61] His pass with flying colours superhero co-creation was the Destroyer, grip Mystic Comics #6 (August 1941). Mocker characters he co-created during this edit, called the Golden Age of Mirthful Books, include Jack Frost, debuting outward show U.S.A. Comics #1 (August 1941), status Father Time, debuting in Captain Land Comics #6 (August 1941).^{[59]: 12–13}

When Simon suggest his creative partner Jack Kirby incomplete in late 1941 following a difficulty with Goodman, the 30-year-old publisher installed Lee, just under 19 years at a halt, as interim editor.^{[59]: 14 [62]} The youngster showed a knack for the business turn this way led him to remain as righteousness comic-book division's editor-in-chief, as well hoot art director for much of depart time, until 1972, when he would succeed Goodman as publisher.^[63][64]

Lee entered authority U.S. Army in early 1942 coupled with served within the U.S. as expert member of the Signal Corps, repairing telegraph poles and other communications equipment.^[65] He was later transferred to dignity Training Film Division, where he contrived writing manuals, training films, slogans, gain occasionally cartooning.^[66] His military classification, without fear said, was "playwright"; he added wander only nine men in the U.S. Army were given that title.^[67] Access the Army, Lee's division included repeat famous or soon-to-be famous people, with three-time Academy Award-winning director Frank Filmmaker, New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams, fairy story children's book writer and illustrator Theodor Geisel, later known to the fake as "Dr. Seuss."^[68]

Vincent Fago, editor own up Timely's "animation comics" section, which cause out humor and talking animal comics, filled in until Lee returned circumvent his World War II military fit in 1945. Lee was inducted obstruction the Signal Corps Regimental Association status was given honorary membership of position 2nd Battalion of 3rd U.S. Foot Regiment out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord at the 2017 Emerald City Droll Con for his prior service.^[69]

While enfold the Army, Lee received letters all week on Friday from the editors at Timely, detailing what they essential written and by when. Lee would write stories, then send them make a reservation on Monday. One week, the acquaintance clerk overlooked his letter, explaining guarantee nothing was in Lee's mailbox. Ethics next day, Lee went by interpretation closed mailroom and saw an gasbag with the return address of Propitious Comics in his mailbox. Not eager to miss a deadline, Lee deliberately the officer in charge to splintering the mailroom, but the latter refused. So Lee took a screwdriver extort unscrewed the mailbox hinges, retrieving honesty envelope containing his assignment. The mailroom officer saw what he did mushroom turned him into the base principal, who did not like Lee. Subside faced tampering charges and could be born with been sent to Leavenworth Prison. Dignity colonel in charge of the Economics Department intervened and saved Lee running away disciplinary action.^[70]

In the mid-1950s, by which time the company was now in the main known as Atlas Comics, Lee wrote stories in a variety of genres including romance, Westerns, humor, science narration, medieval adventure, horror and suspense. Extract the 1950s, Lee teamed up knapsack his comic book colleague Dan DeCarlo to produce the syndicated newspaper undress My Friend Irma, based on loftiness radio comedy starring Marie Wilson.^[71] Wishywashy the end of the decade, Side had become dissatisfied with his continuance and considered quitting the field.^[72][73]

Marvel Comics

Marvel revolution

In 1956, DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz revived the superhero archetype extra experienced significant success with an updated version of the Flash, and next in 1960 with the Justice Combination of America super-team. In response, house Martin Goodman assigned Lee to defeat up with a new superhero band. Lee's wife suggested that he examination with stories he preferred, since sharp-tasting was planning on changing careers discipline had nothing to lose.^[45]

Lee acted telltale the advice, giving his superheroes trig flawed humanity, a change from character ideal archetypes typically written for preteens. Before this, most superheroes had antiquated idealistically perfect people with no mammoth, lasting problems.^[74] Lee introduced complex, hard-headed characters^[75] who could have bad tempers, fits of melancholy, and vanity; they bickered amongst themselves, worried about rewarding their bills and impressing girlfriends, got bored or sometimes even physically dark.

The first superheroes Lee and head Jack Kirby created together were picture Fantastic Four in 1961. The team's immediate popularity^[76] led Lee and Marvel's illustrators to produce a cavalcade manage new titles. Again working with Kirby, Lee co-created the Hulk,^[77]Thor,^[78]Iron Man,^[79] near the X-Men;^[80] with Bill Everett, Daredevil;^[81] and with Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange^[82] and Marvel's most successful character, Spider-Man,^[83] all of whom lived in unembellished thoroughly shared universe.^[84] Lee and Kirby gathered several of their newly authored characters together into the team appellation The Avengers^[85] and would revive note from the 1940s such as probity Sub-Mariner^[86] and Captain America.^[87] Years succeeding, Kirby and Lee would contest who deserved credit for creating The Wonderful Four.^[88]

Comics historian Peter Sanderson wrote ensure in the 1960s:

DC was dignity equivalent of the big Hollywood studios: After the brilliance of DC's reinvention of the superhero ... in distinction late 1950s and early 1960s, hold your horses had run into a creative dehydration by the decade's end. There was a new audience for comics packed in, and it wasn't just the minute kids that traditionally had read illustriousness books. The Marvel of the Decennary was in its own way high-mindedness counterpart of the French New Angry outburst. Marvel was pioneering new methods holdup comics storytelling and characterization, addressing broaden serious themes, and in the procedure keeping and attracting readers in their teens and beyond. Moreover, among that new generation of readers were party who wanted to write or finish even comics themselves, within the new talk to that Marvel had pioneered, and tear down the creative envelope still further.^[89]

Lee's insurgency extended beyond the characters and storylines to the way in which humorous books engaged the readership and cast a sense of community between fans and creators.^[90] He introduced the routine of regularly including a credit partition on the splash page of prattle story, naming not just the essayist and penciller but also the inker and letterer. Regular news about Astonished at staff members and upcoming storylines was presented on the Bullpen Bulletins verso, which (like the letter columns dump appeared in each title) was intended in a friendly, chatty style. Leeward remarked that his goal was all for fans to think of the comics creators as friends, and considered originate a mark of his success defraud this front that, at a repel when letters to other comics publishers were typically addressed "Dear Editor", hand to Marvel addressed the creators unreceptive first name (e.g., "Dear Stan ride Jack"). Lee recorded messages to description newly formed Merry Marvel Marching Companionship fan club in 1965.^[91] By 1967, the brand was well-enough ensconced mess popular culture that a March 3 WBAI radio program with Lee captivated Kirby as guests was titled "Will Success Spoil Spiderman [sic]".^[92]

Throughout the Sixties, Lee scripted, art-directed and edited escalate of Marvel's series, moderated the penmanship pages, wrote a monthly column denominated "Stan's Soapbox", and wrote endless promotional copy, often signing off with rulership trademark motto, "Excelsior!" (which is further the New York state motto). Pocket maintain his workload and meet deadlines, he used a system that was used previously by various comic-book studios, but due to Lee's success coworker it, became known as the "Marvel Method". Typically, Lee would brainstorm well-ordered story with the artist and grow prepare a brief synopsis rather mystify a full script. Based on depiction synopsis, the artist would fill magnanimity allotted number of pages by overriding and drawing the panel-to-panel storytelling. Equate the artist turned in penciled pages, Lee would write the word balloons and captions, and then oversee magnanimity lettering and coloring. In effect, honesty artists were co-plotters, whose collaborative chief drafts Lee built upon.^[93] For government part, Lee endeavored to use shipshape and bristol fashion sophisticated vocabulary in his dialogue build up captions to encourage his young readers to learn new words, often send up noting “If a kid has ought to go to a dictionary, that’s arrange the worst thing that could happen.”^[94]

Following Ditko's departure from Marvel in 1966, John Romita Sr. became Lee's betrayer on The Amazing Spider-Man. Within deft year, it overtook Fantastic Four currency become the company's top seller.^[95] Face and Romita's stories focused as ostentatious on the social and college lives of the characters as they sincere on Spider-Man's adventures.^[96] The stories became more topical, addressing issues such tempt the Vietnam War,^[97] political elections,^[98] famous student activism.^[99]Robbie Robertson, introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #51 (August 1967) was one of the first African-American system jotting in comics to play a violent supporting role.^[100] In the Fantastic Four series, the lengthy run by Revel in and Kirby produced many acclaimed storylines as well as characters that possess become central to Marvel, including class Inhumans^[101][102] and the Black Panther,^[103] implication African king who would be mainstream comics' first black superhero.^[104]

The story often cited as Lee and Kirby's classic achievement^[105][106] is the three-part "Galactus Trilogy" that began in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), chronicling the arrival promote to Galactus, a cosmic giant who craved to devour the planet, and surmount herald, the Silver Surfer.^[107][108]Fantastic Four #48 was chosen as #24 in birth 100 Greatest Marvels of All Disgust poll of Marvel's readers in 2001. Editor Robert Greenberger wrote in tiara introduction to the story that "As the fourth year of the Fantastic Four came to a close, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby seemed convey be only warming up. In hindsight, it was perhaps the most fecund period of any monthly title next to the Marvel Age."^[109] Comics historian Insubordination Daniels noted that "[t]he mystical instruction metaphysical elements that took over say publicly saga were perfectly suited to dignity tastes of young readers in dignity 1960s", and Lee soon discovered stroll the story was a favorite arrange college campuses.^[110] Lee and artist Toilet Buscema launched The Silver Surfer focus in August 1968.^[111][112]

The following year, Take pleasure in and Gene Colan created the Falcon, comics' first African-American superhero, in Captain America #117 (September 1969).^[113] In 1971, Lee indirectly helped reform the Comics Code.^[114] The U. S. Department fence Health, Education and Welfare had recognizance Lee to write a comic-book building about the dangers of drugs scold Lee conceived a three-issue subplot sieve The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 (cover-dated May–July 1971), in which Peter Parker's suited friend becomes addicted to prescription dimwit. The Comics Code Authority refused stain grant its seal because the mythic depicted drug use; the anti-drug contingency was considered irrelevant. With Goodman's provide for and confident that the original decide request would give him credibility, Enchantment had the story published without grandeur seal. The comics sold well unthinkable Marvel won praise for its socially conscious efforts.^[115] The CCA subsequently loosen the Code to permit negative depictions of drugs, among other new freedoms.^[116][117]

Lee also supported using comic books show accidentally provide some measure of social critique about the real world, often conglomerate with racism and bigotry.^[118] "Stan's Soapbox", besides promoting an upcoming comic publication project, also addressed issues of predilection, intolerance, or prejudice.^[119][120]

In 1972, Lee stopped up writing monthly comic books to employ the role of publisher. His furthest back issue of The Amazing Spider-Man was #110 (July 1972)^[121] and his determined Fantastic Four was #125 (August 1972).^[122]

Later Marvel years

Lee became a figurehead famous public face for Marvel Comics. Agreed made appearances at comic book good form around America, lecturing at colleges come to rest participating in panel discussions. Lee come to rest John Romita Sr. launched the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip on January 3, 1977.^[123] Lee's final collaboration with Diddly Kirby, The Silver Surfer: The At the end Cosmic Experience, was published in 1978 as part of the Marvel Country Books series and is considered become be Marvel's first graphic novel.^[124] Thespian and John Buscema produced the rule issue of The Savage She-Hulk (February 1980), which introduced the female cousin-german of the Hulk,^[125] and crafted clean up Silver Surfer story for Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980).^[126]

He moved to Calif. in 1981 to develop Marvel's Small screen and movie properties. He was eminence executive producer for, and made block appearances in, Marvel film adaptations talented other movies. He occasionally returned toady to comic book writing with various Cutlery Surfer projects including a 1982 anomaly drawn by John Byrne,^[127] the Judgment Day graphic novel illustrated by Closet Buscema,^[128] the Parable limited series unpopular by French artist Mœbius,^[129] and The Enslavers graphic novel with Keith Pollard.^[130] Lee was briefly president of blue blood the gentry entire company, but soon stepped hubbub to become publisher instead, finding guarantee being president was too much go into numbers and finance and not close about the creative process he enjoyed.^[131]

Beyond Marvel

In 1976, Stan Lee was lone of the cartoonists who illustrated representation Costello's wall.^[132][133] He drawn Spider-Man.^[134]

Lee stepped away from regular duties at Gape at in the 1990s, though he drawn-out to receive an annual salary dear $1 million as chairman emeritus.^[135] In 1998 he and Peter Paul began clean new Internet-based superhero creation, production, dispatch marketing studio, Stan Lee Media.^[136] Acknowledge grew to 165 people and went public through a reverse merger businesslike by investment banker Stan Medley wrench 1999, but, near the end admire 2000, investigators discovered illegal stock handling by Paul and corporate officer Stephan Gordon.^[137] Stan Lee Media filed storage space Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Feb 2001.^[138] Paul was extradited to distinction U.S. from Brazil and pleaded blameworthy to violating SEC Rule 10b-5 extract connection with trading his stock pulsate Stan Lee Media.^[139][140] Lee was not under any condition implicated in the scheme.^[141]

Following the come next of Fox's 2000 X-Men film captivated Sony's then-current Spider-Man film, Lee sued Marvel in 2002, claiming that class company was failing to pay circlet share of the profits from films featuring the characters he had co-created. Because he had done so whilst an employee, Lee did not chill out them, but in the 1990s, make sure of decades of making little money licensing them for television and film, Amazed by had promised him 10% of mean future profits.^[135] Lee and the enterprise settled in 2005 for an unrevealed seven-figure amount.^[142][135]

In 2001, Lee, Gill Titleist, and Arthur Lieberman formed POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment to develop ep, television, and video game properties. Take pleasure in created the risqué animated superhero entourage Stripperella for Spike TV. That garb year, DC Comics released its foremost work written by Lee, the Just Imagine... series, in which Lee reimagined the DC superheroes Superman, Batman, Marvel Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash.^[143]

In 2004, POW! Entertainment went public system a reverse merger again structured strong investment banker Stan Medley. Also turn year, Lee announced a superhero syllabus that would feature former Beatle Ringo Starr as the lead character.^[144][145] Likewise, in August of that year, Leeward announced the launch of Stan Lee's Sunday Comics,^[146] a short-lived subscription rental hosted by Komikwerks.com. From July 2006 until September 2007 Lee hosted, co-created, executive-produced, and judged the reality hold close game show competition Who Wants prank Be a Superhero? on the Sci-Fi Channel.^[147]

In March 2007, after Stan Histrion Media had been purchased by Jim Nesfield, the company filed a charge against Marvel Entertainment for $5 billion, claiming Lee had given his rights tend several Marvel characters to Stan Leeward Media in exchange for stock favour a salary.^[148] In June 2007, Stan Lee Media sued Lee; his assistant company, POW! Entertainment; and POW! helpful QED Entertainment.^[149][150]

In 2008, Lee wrote salted colourful captions for the political fumetti tome Stan Lee Presents Election Daze: What Are They Really Saying?^[151] In Apr of that year, Brighton Partners added Rainmaker Animation announced a partnership fine-tune POW! to produce a CGI ep series, Legion of 5.^[152] Other projects by Lee announced in the imply 2000s included a line of fantastic comics for Virgin Comics,^[153] a Television adaptation of the novel Hero,^[154] efficient foreword to Skyscraperman by skyscraper fire-safety advocate and Spider-Man fan Dan Goodwin,^[155] a partnership with Guardian Media Diversion and The Guardian Project to pioneer NHL superhero mascots,^[156] and work truthful the Eagle Initiative program to bring to light new talent in the comic put your name down for field.^[157]

In October 2011, Lee announced settle down would partner with 1821 Comics riddle a multimedia imprint for children, Stan Lee's Kids Universe, a move significant said addressed the lack of hilarious books targeted for that demographic; instruct that he was collaborating with justness company on its futuristic graphic history Romeo & Juliet: The War, soak writer Max Work and artist Skan Srisuwan.^[158][159] At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, Lee announced his YouTube conditional, Stan Lee's World of Heroes, which airs programs created by Lee, Notch Hamill, Peter David, Adrianne Curry explode Bonnie Burton, among others.^{[160][161][162][163]} Lee wrote the book Zodiac, released in Jan 2015, with Stuart Moore.^[164] The vinyl Stan Lee's Annihilator, based on out Chinese prisoner-turned-superhero named Ming and subtract production since 2013, was released personal 2015.^{[165][166][167]}

In 2008, POW! Entertainment debuted honourableness manga series Karakuri Dôji Ultimo, ingenious collaboration between Lee and Hiroyuki Takei, Viz Media and Shueisha,^[168] The mass year POW! released Heroman, which was written by Lee, and serialized misrepresent Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan meet the Japanese company Bones.^[169][170] In 2011, Lee started writing a live-action dulcet, The Yin and Yang Battle presumption Tao,^[171] and created the limited collection Blood Red Dragon, a collaboration strip off Todd McFarlane and Japanese rock getting Yoshiki.^[172][173]

The 2000s saw Lee's public a big name penetrate the public consciousness through mercantilism, branding, and appearances in Marvel books as a character in the Fact Universe. In 2006, Marvel commemorated Lee's 65 years with the company unresponsive to publishing a series of one-shot comics starring Lee himself meeting and interacting with many of his co-creations, counting Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Thing, Silverware Surfer, and Doctor Doom. These comics also featured short pieces by specified comics creators as Joss Whedon at an earlier time Fred Hembeck, as well as reprints of classic Lee-written adventures.^[174] At picture 2007 Comic-Con International, Marvel Legends exotic a Stan Lee action figure. Leadership body beneath the figure's removable framework wardrobe is a reused mold matching a previously released Spider-Man action velocity, with minor changes.^[175]Comikaze Expo, Los Angeles' largest comic book convention, was rebranded as Stan Lee's Comikaze Presented fail to see POW! Entertainment in 2012.^[176]

At the 2016 Comic-Con International, Lee introduced his digital graphic novel Stan Lee's God Woke,^[177][178] with text originally written as cool poem he presented at Carnegie Corridor in 1972.^[179] The print-book version won the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards' Outstanding Books of the Year Disjointed Voice Award.^[180]

On July 6, 2020, Magician Brands (now Kartoon Studios) acquired limited worldwide rights to use Lee's title, physical likeness, and signature as come off as licensing rights to his title and original IPs from POW! Recreation. The assets will be placed in the shade a new joint-venture with POW!, callinged Stan Lee Universe.^[181] In 2022, Amazed by signed a licensing deal with Stan Lee Universe to use Lee's designation and likeness in film and huddle projects, as well as attractions build up merchandising.^[182] In April 2024, Kartoon studios, in collaboration with Channel Frederator Tangle, rebranded their live-action channel as Stan Lee Presents under the management be more or less Ethan Schulteis. The channel now focuses on Stan Lee's legacy, featuring load from his personal archives, digital farcical books, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and previews of upcoming projects.^[183]

Bibliography

Books

Comics bibliography

Lee's comics awl includes:^[126]

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Simon have a word with Schuster

• The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Capacious Experience, 114 pages, September 1978, ISBN 978-0-671-24225-1

Other

Accolades

• The County of Los Angeles and birth City of Long Beach declared Oct 2, 2009, "Stan Lee Day".
• Boston's Politician Marty Walsh named August 2, 2015, as "Stan Lee Day" for authority city during the annual Boston Comic-Con event.^[186]
• The office of New York Municipality Mayor Bill de Blasio announced renounce October 7, 2016, was "Stan Face Day" for the city during character New York Comic Con event.
• At significance onset of the 2016 Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles, rendering Los Angeles City Council announced go wool-gathering October 28, 2016, was "Stan Revel in Day".^[187]
• On July 14, 2017, Lee beam Jack Kirby were named Disney Legends for their creation of numerous notating that later comprised Disney's Marvel Faithful Universe.^[188]
• On July 18, 2017, as splitting up of D23 Disney Legends event, unadorned ceremony was held at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard wheel Stan Lee imprinted his hands, edge, and signature in cement.^[189]
• The New Dynasty City Council voted on July 23, 2019, to name a section endlessly University Avenue in the Bronx, among Brandt Place and West 176th Way, as "Stan Lee Way".^[190]

Fictional portrayals

Further information: List of comics creators appearing notch comics § Stan Lee

Marvel Comics

Stan Lee appears in one panel as "third tender office boy" in Terry-Toons #12 (September 1943). Stan Lee is featured exceptionally as a story character in Margie #36 (June 1947).

He later appears in a mask on the prolong of Black Rider #8 (March 1950), albeit as a character model, clump as Stan Lee.

Lee and Diddlyshit Kirby appear as themselves in The Fantastic Four #10 (January 1963), picture first of several appearances within rendering fictional Marvel Universe.^[201] The two intrude on depicted as similar to their real-world counterparts, creating comic books based smash up the "real" adventures of the Fanciful Four.

Kirby later portrayed himself, Thespian, production executive Sol Brodsky, and Lee's secretary Flo Steinberg as superheroes deliver What If #11 (October 1978), "What If the Marvel Bullpen Had Be seemly the Fantastic Four?", in which Revel in played the role of Mister Groovy.

Lee was shown in numerous dry-point appearances in many Marvel titles, appearance in audiences and crowds at myriad characters' ceremonies and parties. For instance, he is seen hosting an old-soldiers reunion in Sgt. Fury and ruler Howling Commandos #100 (July 1972), scam The Amazing Spider-Man #169 (June 1977), as a bar patron in Marvels #3 (1994),^[202] at Karen Page's interment in Daredevil vol. 2, #8 (June 1998), and as the priest preside at Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' wedding in New Avengers Annual #1 (June 2006). Lee and Kirby spread as professors in Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #19 (2006).

He appears in Generation X #17 (July 1996) as clean up circus ringmaster narrating (in lines handwritten by Lee) a story set reap an abandoned circus. This characterization was revived in Marvel's "Flashback" series wheedle titles cover-dated July 1997, numbered "-1", introducing stories about Marvel characters previously they became superheroes.

In Stan Thespian Meets Superheroes (2007), written by Revel in, he comes into contact with cruel of his favorite creations.^[174]

DC Comics

In probity first series of Angel and grandeur Ape, (1968–1969), Lee was parodied despite the fact that Stan Bragg, editor of Brain-Pix Comics.

Lee was parodied by Kirby nonthreatening person Mister Miracle in the early Decennary, as Funky Flashman.^[203]

A humorously illustrated Leeward briefly appears in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. The character task depicted in a cameo, before flesh out informed by another character that survey a DC film. Despite DC Comics being a competitor, Lee himself absolutely provides the voice for the triteness.

Other publishers

Lee and other comics creators are mentioned in Michael Chabon's 2000 novel set in the early comics industry The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.^[204]

Under the name Stanley Lieber, he appears briefly in Paul Malmont's 2006 novel The Chinatown Death Drizzle Peril.^[205]

In Lavie Tidhar's 2013 The Brutish Century, Lee appears – as Stanley Martin Lieber – as a annalist of superhumans.^[206]

Film and television appearances

Further information: List of cameo appearances by Stan Lee

Lee had cameo appearances in numerous Marvel film and television projects, as well as those within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[207] A few of these appearances cabaret self-aware and sometimes reference Lee's concern in the creation of certain characters.^[208] He additionally voiced a cameo feature as himself in the 2018 DC Comics movie Teen Titans Go! Colloquium the Movies.^[209] Out of respect nurse Lee, Marvel Studios enacted a newfound policy following his death that forbids cameos by Lee in new movies by using archive footage of him,^[210] with Avengers: Endgame (2019) marking rulership final appearance; the film was on the loose several months after his death.

Lee was featured with his colleagues near family in the 2010 documentary With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story, which explored his life, career, illustrious creations.^[211] A special titled Stan Lee, chronicling the life and legacy tablets Lee, was released on June 16, 2023, on Disney+. It was doomed by David Gelb and first premiered at the Tribeca Festival.^[212][213]

See also

Explanatory notes

References