Who Was Stan Lee

There are few names as significant to the comic book industry as Stan Lee.

He is the creator of such classic comic book titles such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, X Men, and the Fantastic Four just to name a few.

However, Stan didn't start at the top. He had to work his way through the ranks at Marvel comics.

Stan's First Comic

From his humble beginnings as a text filler on the first published comic he ever worked on (Captain America Comics #3 May 1941) Stan showed a natural understanding of the medium of comics. Within his first year at Marvel Comics (then called Timely Comics) he had graduated to a writing position and work on a variety of different titles.

In the 1960's Stan Lee turned the world of superhero comics on its head by creating a-typical flawed characters that had to contend with the everyday problems of life. This new generation of characters had to find a job or struggled paying their rent, while super villains threatened the sanctity of their fair city.

Until Stan, the majority of superheroes were unnaturally perfect humans without any character flaws whatsoever. This made for one dimensional, repetitive stories that readers quickly became bored with.

So Why Use Stan Lee?

Born, Stanley Martin Lieber, Stan Lee originally used the name when he was first published with marvel in 1941. He said he was saving his real name for more literary work. Latter in life he would change his name legally to Stan Lee.

From 1942 to 1945 Stan Lee served in the US Army. By providing text for training films and field manuals, Stan found a way to serve his country during World War II without ever leaving for Europe or the Pacific. After the war ended Stan returned to Timely Comics and picked up right where he left off.

By the year 1975 Lee had secured himself as the face of Marvel and his creations has been permanently etched into American pop culture. He began to make appearances at comic book conventions all over the country, as well as lecturing at collages. It was around this time that Lee began to achieve the financial windfalls that his creations would eventually provide him. 

Stan Lee Also Appears In Many Of The Adapted Movies

Stan Lee has appeared in most, but not all of the major motion picture adaptations of his comic book creations. Although, usually only as cameo appearances, Lee has been credited with over a dozen roles in these movies. In 2005, Stan Lee went to court against Marvel Comics over an agreement dispute regarding his share of profits pulled in by recent movies. After all was said and done, Stan Lee walked away with over $10 million.

Stan Lee's contribution to the world of comic books is legendary. His character creations have brought joy to countless avid fans of his fiction. In his later years, he has enjoyed his greatest creations immortalized on the big screen and has also enjoyed the financial benefits of repeated box office success.

Stan Lee is the most significant and influential individual to ever work in the comic book industry.

The Golden Age and the Super Hero

In the year 1929, a can of spinach helped to give a gruffly middle-aged sailor the strength that he needed in order to defeat his brutish arch enemy in a never-ending quest to win over the heart of his beloved love interest named Olive Oyl.

Not quite a superhero in the classic sense of the word, Popeye the Sailor created by Elzie Crisler Segar helped audiences to negotiate depression era economics with a laugh or a grin at his constant battle against muscle-bound Bruto.

Meanwhile, American audiences were being serenaded by radio show hosts who created narratives with characters that actually foreshadowed an emphasis upon the spectacular that was become the driving force of the comic book creations to come.

That same year Street and Smith publishers of Detective Story Magazine created The Shadow, a mysterious crime fighter who fought Bernie Maddoff type criminals on Wall Street, at a time when Wall Street had left a sour taste in most people's mouths.

Eventually, Street and Smith turned to radio in order to popularize the Shadow character, and at one time a 22 year old Orson Wells became the voice of the mysterious crime fighter with the menacing laugh. On radio, the show actually lasted for another 25 years. Walter B. Gibson was the author of more than 300 of the stories in this popular multi-media series.

However, The Shadow and then The Phantom who came to life in 1936 and was the first superhero to actually wear a costume, were the pre-cursors to the kind of characters who had abilities far beyond those of mortal human beings.

In 1934, two young men barely beyond high school age named Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster published the story of a bald-headed telepathic super-villain bent upon controlling the world in an obscure science fiction magazine. The character did poorly. Unable to sleep at night, Siegel revamped the character into an alien human figure that wore a dare-devil-circus-performer-like costume and had super-human strength. For four years they pitched Superman to various publishers. But, to no avail. Then in 1938, Vin Sullivan made Superman the cover feature for his Action Comic # 1 published by DC Comics.

Did Superman Signal The Start Of The Golden Age

Superman was an instant success and his debut is largely touted as signaling the beginning of the American comic book Golden Age. His superhuman strength, his ability to fly, his costume, his alien heritage and hidden identity became a part of the prototypical characteristics of most if not all subsequent superheroes to come. In time, Superman would be joined by a host of other heroes each with various super powers of their own. From 1938 to 1941, All-American and DC Comic published

The Wonder Woman series, Batman and Robin, The Flash, The Green Lantern, The Hawkman, Aquaman and Atom. Marvel Comics published Captain America, The Sub Mariner and The Human Torch.

Super Heros Brought Comics Into The Mainstream

The genre of the superhero brought comic books into the mainstream of popular culture. It was a time when the nation was sorely in need of a hero and sales of comic books soared until well after the end of World War Two. Comic book characters were duly employed in the propaganda of the war effort. It was not uncommon during the war for superhero characters to be featured fighting fascist Italian soldiers, single-handedly taking on Kamikaze pilots, or punching out none other than Hitler himself. The superhero did not completely define the Golden Age. Nonetheless, it provided comic books with the strength to continue to compete as a popular art form for yet another day.

The Platinum Age

The rise of the comic strip industry in the United States happened to coincide with spectacular advances in four-color printing, the phenomenal birth of American Cinema, and the rise of an enormous new age of spiritual, scientific and political inquiry.

The obliteration of the Cuban Revolution in 1898 and the seizure of Guantanamo Bay marked the maturation of the United States as an imperialist power. The socialist Fabian Society would come of age during this time.

Who Is Madame Blavatsky

Although Madame Blavatsky herself had died in 1891, her Theosophical Society was still a major force amongst the guard in the intellectual circles of the Western elite. So too, this was a tumultuous era in the formal re-structuring of the Order of the Golden Dawn.

It is today without question that all of these institutions and events would ultimately provide enormous inspiration to the young artists who would spend the greater part of the first three decades of the 20th Century canonizing the early conventions of what would ultimately come to be called the comic book's Platinum Age.

The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats

   
In 1897 publisher GW Dillingham gained permission from the Hearst Company to publish a 'comic book' adaptation of The Yellow Kid called The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats. The small square book sold for 50 cents and it carried the words "Comic Book" on the back cover. Most comic books were done in hard cover during this time. In 1901, the first full color comic book came out called The Blackberries.

For the first two decades comics were largely produced in a magazine format and although their popularity was rising steadily as is attested by the popularity of Outcault's Buster Brown, still they had not yet adhered to any one standard format, as far as shape, size, price, availability or content is concerned. The first monthly series did not arrive until in 1922. It was called Comics Monthly.

Comics Came From The Funny Pages Of Newspapers

Comic Books gained their name from their genesis as serial humorous newspaper strips which were originally called Funnies. The also had a role as an early form of entertainment during the intermission of silent films. In 1924, cartoonist Roy Crane evolved a humorous comic strip named Wash Tubbs into an adventurous dramatic series full of spine-tingling cliff hangers.

The age of comic book adventure had suddenly arrived. Nonetheless, it would still require another decade for the 'Funnies' to evolve from out of their solid niche which seem to make them available solely as a vehicle for humorous forms of escapism.

Fortunately, there was a plentiful well of adventure to draw from. Most notably, Edgar Rice Burroughs novel Tarzan about a White undomesticated child raised in isolation by apes in the African wilderness. Tarzan of the Apes debuted in magazine form in 1912 and then came out as a book two years later.

First illustrated in comic book format by Hal Foster in 1929, Tarzan has been drawn over and over again by a seemingly endless array of comic book artists. It has become one of the most popular narratives in American literary history.

Back To The History Of Comic Books

Brief History of Comic Books

Comics have a long and rich history that spans more than a century and over that time the industry has seen many changes, both in style and technology. Comic books can be categorized by the era in witch it was published. The eras are broken down as follows.

 

The Platinum Age Of Comics

The Platinum age lasted from 1890-1934. These books were predominantly compilations of comic strips from news papers. In this era we see the introduction of such timeless characters as, Pop Eye the sailor man, Dick Tracy, and Little Orphan Anne.

 

The Golden Age

The Golden age refers to comic books from 1934-1955. During this period is when we first met some familiar faces such as Batman, Captain America, Superman and Wonder Woman. These titles gained mass popularity in the early 1940's. Furthermore, they were a popular among the troops during World War II.

This led to a demand for more graphic and grittier content. In response, new titles began to emerge from the horror genre, such as, Weird Fantasy or The Crypt of Terror. However, for some this proved to be too gritty. So, the end of the golden age was marked by the introduction of the Comic Code Authority. This code was created to control the content of comic books with the public's best interests in mind.

 

The Silver Age

The silver age (1956-1969) was when superhero's secured their spot as the predominant genre of comic books. However, a lot had to change in accordance with the comic code. Wile DC comics adapted by remaking some of their classic characters like The Flash, Marvel comics was struggling and would slash their production in order to survive.

Regardless, with the team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Marvel would continue on with the introduction of characters such as Spiderman, the X-men, as well as the Fantastic Four. The silver age truly set the stage for things to come.

The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age lasted through the 70's and marked a market shift. At this time superheroes lost their spot as top selling form of comic book to Archie comics. More pages are added to the standard comic book layout and prices increase. Many of the big characters from the silver age are continually re-invented and build in popularity. In addition, new and less conventional characters emerge such as, The Punished and Wolverine.

The Modern Age

The Modern age is from 1980 to today. During this time we have seen the industry explode in all directions. New technologies are once again changing the landscape of the industry. It is now possible to subscribe, buy and read a comic book online. With dozens of publishers popping up all over the map and movie deals bringing in big bucks, it's no wonder why some of these rare books can hold so much value.

Over one hundred years after their inception, comic books remain a significant part of pop culture. Even though so much has changed over the years, Comic books have shown their adaptability in the face of adversity and continue to show society a fantasy reflection of it's self.