Please join us in wishing Stan Lee a very happy 87th birthday. Born in 1922, Stan's first published work was a text filler story in Timely's
Captain America Comics #3 (May, 1941) at the age of 19. While he was prolific in the intervening time, it was 20 years later that Stan's career in comics really shifted into high gear with the release of
Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961) -- the book that truly launched the Marvel Age of Comics. Along with a cast of creative legends that included Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Sr. and many others, Stan revolutionized the industry, creating characters and titles that have seen incredible success in comics, television and film over the past 48 years. It would really be hard to imagine any individual who has had such a powerful impact on the medium as Stan Lee.
If you find yourself needing a refresher on Stan's creative genius, pick up practically any of the early
Marvel Masterworks books. Between Volume 1 of
Spider-Man, the
Fantastic Four, the
Incredible Hulk,
Daredevil,
Thor,
Dr. Strange or the
X-Men, it's really hard to go wrong. I originally read most of those Marvel origin stories in the Fireside reprint collections like
Origins of Marvel Comics,
Sons of Origins, and
Bring on the Bad Guys, and I was absolutely captivated by the storytelling when I was a kid. Stan's unforgettable introductions in those books also left an indelible impression on me and made me feel that there was a true personality behind all this magic. Also, a good primer on Stan's wit and wisdom is the recently released
Stan's Soapbox: The Collection, which collects all of the famous
Stan's Soapbox columns from 1967 to 1980. Excelsior!
Please join us in wishing Stan Lee a very happy 87th birthday. Born in 1922, Stan's first published work was a text filler story in Timely's Captain America Comics #3 (May, 1941) at the age of 19. While he was prolific in the intervening time, it was 20 years later that Stan's career in comics really shifted into high gear with the release of Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961) -- the book that truly launched the Marvel Age of Comics. Along with a cast of creative legends that included Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Sr. and many others, Stan revolutionized the industry, creating characters and titles that have seen incredible success in comics, television and film over the past 48 years. It would really be hard to imagine any individual who has had such a powerful impact on the medium as Stan Lee.
If you find yourself needing a refresher on Stan's creative genius, pick up practically any of the early Marvel Masterworks books. Between Volume 1 of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, Dr. Strange or the X-Men, it's really hard to go wrong. I originally read most of those Marvel origin stories in the Fireside reprint collections like Origins of Marvel Comics, Sons of Origins, and Bring on the Bad Guys, and I was absolutely captivated by the storytelling when I was a kid. Stan's unforgettable introductions in those books also left an indelible impression on me and made me feel that there was a true personality behind all this magic. Also, a good primer on Stan's wit and wisdom is the recently released Stan's Soapbox: The Collection, which collects all of the famous Stan's Soapbox columns from 1967 to 1980. Excelsior!
