Stan Lee had seemingly been around for years—and years after his death, it seems as if he’s still in as much in a sort of public awareness as he had been when he was alive. My thoughts over the incomparable Lee have shifted over the past few years; how I’ll get to it in a minute.
And, after all these decades, it’s darn near impossible to find things that haven’t been restated repeatedly until it feels like it’s been beaten into the ground. But I think I’ve found a few things that might shed some different light on the Marvel Legend.
I like to idea that Disney is starting to recognize some creators outside of Stan Lee. It was fantastic that last year, Steve Ditko was added as a part of the Disney Legends. It’s a Hall of Fame award that The Walt Disney Company awards to individuals who “[have] made a significant impact on the Disney legacy.” The honor was established in 1987 and was traditionally awarded annually during a special private ceremony.
But, I would love to see one day a whole 60s Silver Age Marvel Bullpen with all the legendary creators equally represented. No disrespect to Kirby, Lee, and Ditko, but others should get a little more attention. Stan Goldberg ( the Other Stan) did most of the coloring for those Silver Age Spider-Man and Fantastic Four—to name two!—classics. He also drew a lot of Millie the Model. It was the likes of Millie and the war, and such, that was Marvel’s bread-and-butter before the Silver Age heroes launched Marvel into what it is today.
I give Stan Lee tons of credit for everything he did for the whole comic book industry. I think, though, there’s so much out there that many fans— including myself for years—cast Stan in one particular way, and that stance, for many fans, hasn’t changed much over the years.
I think that is unfair not only to Stan Lee but to fans in general. There are so many things that made Stan Lee who he was through countless books, articles, and interviews. Still, I think I’ve found some lesser-known interviews with Stan Lee and those who knew him that does put say some, not exactly new things, but things that—like myself shifts (if even a little) what you think about Stan Lee.
For me, it came from an old TwoMorrow magazine, Comic Book Artist. It was a multi-Eisner Award-winning publication that celebrates the lives and works of cartoonists, writers, and editors from various eras. It featured in-depth interviews, articles, and unpublished art, offering a deep dive into the history and creativity of the comic book industry. Its first run lasted twenty-five issues from 1998 through 2003.
It was the second issue, which covered Marvel Comics in the early 1970s. Leading off was a thirteen-page interview—more of a conversation—between Roy Thomas and Stan Lee. For newer fans, Roy Thomas played a pivotal role in shaping the legacy of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. Handpicked by Lee in 1965, Thomas quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a cornerstone of Marvel’s creative team. In 1972, he stepped into Lee’s formidable shoes as editor-in-chief when Lee became the publisher. Often celebrated as Lee’s protégé, Thomas embraced the mantle of Marvel’s creative torchbearer, crafting unforgettable characters and stories that fueled the company’s meteoric rise.
Thomas was editor-in-chief for about two years, but during that time and up until Lee’s death, they had a close relationship. Over the decades, Thomas and Lee had something unique that shines in this interview. Because of their closeness and mutual affection, I think you see a more nuanced side of Lee.
Most of all— besides being insightful—it’s a fun read with lots of good-natured bantering and humor. Because Thomas was asking the questions, I think Lee opened up more than he could with someone else.
I’ve read it several times, and each time, I gain a little more insight. I don’t want to delve too deeply and spoil it for anyone. It’s 100% worth checking out—it’s that good. But that one interview sent me down a path to see if I could gain more insight into Stan Lee, which isn’t, exactly what you’ll find over the years of stuff on Stan Lee.
One was in one of the very earliest fanzines: Crusader Fanzine emerged as a grassroots beacon during the formative years of comic book fandom. Born from the unbridled passion of devoted fans, these publications were handcrafted using humble tools like ditto machines and distributed to a tightly knit audience of enthusiasts. With its raw, unpolished charm, Crusader became a hub for exclusive interviews, thought-provoking articles, and vibrant discussions, forging connections between creators and fans alike. It stood as a testament to the ingenuity and determination of early comic book aficionados, preserving the spirit and history of the medium in its purest form.
One of Crusader Fanzine’s standout features was its exclusive interviews with some of the most prominent and influential figures in the comic book industry. These interviews provided fans with rare insights into creators’ minds, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their creative processes and the stories that shaped the comic world.
And in 1964, they ran an interview with Stan Lee. It was early in the Silver Age of the Marvel Age of Heroes. The Fantastic Four had only been around for three years, and Spider-Man had first appeared in 1962. It was before Marvel took off and Stan Lee started to go to college campuses and before he fine-tined that sort of Stan Lee, he would eventually become—the one who was the biggest cheerleader for All Things Marvel.
The whole thing was done via mail. And, considering the future of Stan Lee, I found one quote amusing when asked about being interviewed: “No, not if it is by mail, I don’t like to give in-person interviews too much, because it isn’t fair to other zine editors, who could not come to NY or an in-person interview.”
It isn’t all that long, but it does give you some insight into the early days of Marvel’s Silver Age. Another came from The Comics Journal Website and originally ran in The Comics Journal 181 in 1995. It’s from 1968, and the interviewer is Ted White, who was a multifaceted figure in the 1960s known for his contributions to both music and science fiction. It originally ran in “A Conversation with the Man behind Marvel Comics: Stan Lee,” Castle of Frankenstein #12 in 1968.
By this time, Stan had been touring colleges for a couple of years. His earliest recorded college appearance took place at Bard College in New York. In 1966, his captivating talks reached prestigious institutions such as Princeton University, where he continued to inspire and engage students with his passion for Marvel Comics.
Again, this was about five years after the Fantastic Four appeared, and I don’t think Stan Lee or Jack Kirby could have imagined what the Fab Four would become in the ensuing years. There’s a quote about that: “We … about five years ago, I guess we were selling about 13 million.
Now we’re selling about 45 million a year … and this has been a steady rise over the past five years … and there seems to be no end in sight, I’m happy to say. I think we’re only limited by how many we can physically print and how many we can physically distribute. I think we can sell many more if we can print them and distribute them.”
But here, you get some insight into the plotting process, and Lee says some nice things in giving Jack Kirby his share of the credit for the creative process: “Some artists, such as Jack Kirby, need no plot at all. I mean, I’ll just say to Jack, “Let’s let the next villain be Dr. Doom.” … or I may not even say that. He may tell me. And then he goes home and does it. He’s so good at plots, I’m sure he’s a thousand times better than I. He just about makes up the plots for these stories.” And later, “Jack is just fantastic. We’re lucky.”
Now I don’t want to get into the long-running debate of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or any creator. I do know that I’ve read many interviews where he’s ‘cheerleaded’ the creators as much as Marvel Comics. I’m not here to take sides on anything—but to give a different perspective.
I started all of this off with Roy Thomas, and that’s where I’m going to end things. It isn’t an interview but a story that Roy told in his Alter Ego magazine—also out by TwoMorrows. Alter Ego focuses on unraveling the vibrant history and legendary creators of comic books from the Golden and Silver Ages. It received an Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism in 2007.
The tale comes from Alter Ego 6, way back in 2000, in a piece Roy Thomas called “Play It, Again Stan!” It was about Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos 79, from 1969, and how the writer, Gary Friedrich, was inspired to do a definite no-no of a crossover with Sgt. Fury and the movie Casablanca. And I quote: “Nobody seems to recall when or how the tale of Sgt. Fury #72 came to Stan’s attention… As a general rule, Stan flipped through the issue reading mostly the first and last pages, to make sure the story began and ended well. Not this time.”
Oh, it gets better! “But, from the moment he saw the twenty pages of the issue, that’s all Stan could think about!
When he saw the issue and quickly scanned through it, Smilin’ Stan Lee stopped smiling.
And went right through the roof.”
It’s a fantastically fun read—and comes across as a madcap tale of those Silver Age days at Marvel. Oh, and they did “fix” the unofficial copyright infringement crossover between Casablanca and Sgt. Fury. Just how it all worked out—you’ll have to read the piece!
Again, throughout, I wanted to give different slices of Stan Lee that not everyone might be aware of as fans. There’s no definitive way to look at Stan Lee. He was a multifaceted iconic legend, but hopefully, these insights will help you see him through a slightly different perspective.
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