Stan Lee (1922-2018)

Like many, we at The Watchers are incredibly saddened by the passing of comic book supremo, Stan Lee, who passed away yesterday (12th November) at the age of 95. 

Born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28th 1922, his parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. After graduating from high school in 1939, he became an assistant at Timely Comics, a pulp fiction company, filling the artists' inkwells, proofreading and erasing the pencil lines. Two years later, he made his comic-book debut with an all-text Captain America story- written under the pseudonym 'Stan Lee' (he planned to keep his given name for more literary work). In late 1941, Lee was installed as interim editor at Timely, following Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's departure. He was just under 19 years of age. From 1942-1945, Lee served in the US Army and served as a member of the Signal Corps before being transferred to the Training Film Division. He was one of only nine men to be given the military classification of 'playwright'. 

Stan Lee during his military service in World War II

After returning from military service, Lee continued as editor for Timely (which became known as Atlas Comics by the mid-1950s) but soon became frustrated with the restrictions of the comic book form and was churning out whatever was needed to satisy the readership- be that crime, horror, westerns. As he approached 40, Lee was on the brink of quitting comics and turning his attention to writing novels. Besides, DC Comics were stealing a march on the comic-book scene with the Justice League of America and Atlas didn't have anything to compare. His wife Joan told him to 'write one comic you are proud of' before finishing with comics. 

This comic would eventually become The Fantastic Four, which he co-created with Jack Kirby, and which published its first issue in 1961. The dysfunctional family unit became a massive success and the first foundation of what would be known as Marvel Comics was laid. In 1962, Lee co-created Ant-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor with Kirby and one of his most famous characters, Spider-Man, with Steve Ditko. Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the Wasp, the X-Men, Daredevil and the Avengers would soon follow. Over the years, he would create or co-create many other Marvel characters, including Groot, the Inhumans, Iron Fist, Black Panther, Falcon, Black Widow, and Nick Fury.

Throughout the 1960s, Lee would utilise a system that (although used by other comic-book studies) would come to be known as the 'Marvel method': the story would be brainstormed between the writer and the artist, a brief synopsis (rather than a full script) would be produced by the writer, the artist would draw the panels- working out the page-by-page storytelling- then pass the completed panels back for the writer to do the word balloons and captions. This system helped Lee maintain his workload and meet the deadlines, but could also give rise to claims that Lee took more credit than was due for the work; Lee had a particularly acrimonious time with the estate of Jack Kirby over such claims (a claim that was settled for an undisclosed sum 20 years after Kirby's death, with the terms of the settlement never made public). 

In his comics, Lee would include a credit panel to properly acknowledge the inkers and letterers of the strip as well as the writer and artist. He'd also write the Bullpen Bulletins page and a 'Stan's Soapbox' where he'd discuss issues in his familiar, chatty style. Lee made his characters relatable- they had day-to-day issues, they weren't some on-high flawless creatures. Some looked like villains. Others were different, outcasts, freaks. He also used the comic books to discuss real-life issues, such as the Vietnam War and the Red Scare, with one comic historian noting that 'from 1962 to 1965, there were more communists [in Marvel Comics] than on the subscription list of Pravda'! DC didn't involve themselves with such things. In one 'Stan's Soapbox', he writes about the evils of bigotry and racism and how 'if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance'. 

One of the controversial panels in The Amazing Spider-Man #97

In 1971, Lee played no small part in the reformation of the Comics Code, which was created in 1954 by the Comics Code Authority (CCA) and acted as a de facto censor for comic books. If a comic-book didn't adhere to the Code, it was not authorised to use the Comics Code seal on the cover. This would cause publishers issues. When the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare asked Lee to write a story about the dangers of drugs, Lee did just that: a three-issue storyline within The Amazing Spider-Man comics where Harry Osborn would nearly die from an overdose. The CCA promptly refused to authorise the use of the seal (no matter that the presentation of drugs was shown distinctly as a negative). Luckily, Marvel essentially decided to publish and be damned, and those three issues went out without the seal: rather than there be any wholly negative problems, Marvel were praised for its social consciousness and the CCA eventually loosened the Code. 

In 1972, Lee stopped writing comic books- he was writing the copy for all of Marvel's covers- and stepped down as editor. He took up the role of publisher within Marvel (a role he would hold until 1996). His final issues of The Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four came out in July and August respectively. He would occasionally write with various projects, such as a 1982 Silver Surfer one-shot with John Byrne, and the first issue of The Savage She-Hulk with John Buscema. 

Stan in Mallrats with Jason Lee

In the 1980s, Lee moved to Los Angeles to focus on developing Marvel's film and TV projects. He was the narrator for both The Incredible Hulk (1982-1983) and Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends (1981-1983). In 1995, he appeared as a heightened version of himself in Kevin Smith's Mallrats. In 1998, Lee embarked on a new internet-based superhero production and marketing studio called Stan Lee Media. Sadly, this venture was shortlived when one of his investors was found to be illegally manipulating stock prices and was sent to prison. Lee himself filed for bankruptcy, although he was never implicated in any wrongdoing. 

In 2000, superhero movies were starting to be made with some money and some thought behind them, thanks largely to the original X-Men movie (starring Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and Hugh Jackman). As the X-Men's co-creator, Lee had a small cameo as a hot dog vendor. It's very much a blink-and-you-might-miss-it moment but was a fun Easter egg for fans. This wasn't the first superhero movie cameo Lee made, however: he was the jury foreman in The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk (1989). 

As more and more Marvel movies were being made, so Lee kept on being offered cameos- playing everything from a mailman to a beauty pageant judge, an Army general to a strip-club DJ. One of my particular favourites is in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) where he's a school librarian blithely unaware of the carnage happening behind him as Spider-Man and the Lizard have a massive scrap. His cameos soon became an integral part to a Marvel movie and fans reacted with glee at each one-liner or look. To many, a Marvel movie without a Stan Lee cameo won't feel quite the same. 

Stan's cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Lee continued to work in various mediums- writing graphic novels, attending conventions, meeting fans, writing several manga titles, appearing in films and TV shows, although increasing ill health sometimes meant he had to cancel convention appearances. In 2008, he was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts for his services to comic books, and was awarded the Producers Guild of America's Vanguard Award in 2012. His wife Joan, to whom he had been married for nearly 70 years and the person he credited as his muse and inspiration, passed away in 2017. She appeared with him for his cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse. He is survived by his daughter J.C. Lee. 

Stan and Joan Lee in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

It's difficult to think of someone who has had such an impact on popular culture as Stan Lee. He helped to bring comic books from niche to mainstream, and his legacy of dozens of iconic characters will endure. Lee once wrote 'entertainment is one of the most important things in people's lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you're able to entertain people, you're doing a good thing.' And you did entertain people. Thank you for everything. 

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. 

Excelsior, true believer. 

Rhys, Tez & Matt
The Watchers