In fact, I wouldn't even be working in comics if there'd been no Marvel Comics to keep me interested after I'd naturally grown out of Beano, Whizzer and Chips etc. The first publisher to accept my work was Marvel Comics, at a point when I'd almost given up after being rejected by other companies.
Here's a photo of me 50 years ago holding a copy of Tales of Suspense No.96 bought from a stall on Blackpool prom, written by Stan Lee. (And yes, they're short trousers, not a skirt. :)) The seeds that inspired me and many others were planted back then. Our lives would have been completely different, and culturally poorer, without him.
Rest In Peace, Stan. You did good.
I wasn't a regular reader of super hero comics when I was young. I preferred funny + adventure comics. Even I knew of Stan Lee though. His editorials were charismatic and engaged the readers. That charisma is something he always carried with him and made him much loved. However my appreciation of him did erode a little over the years. Kirby and Ditko who along with Lee made Marvel were both very critical of him.
ReplyDeleteKirby said "Stan Lee has never been editorial minded. It wasn't possible for a man like Stan Lee to come up with new things - or old things for that matter. Stan Lee wasn't a guy that read or told stories. Stan Lee was a guy who knew where the papers were or who was visiting that day."
Ditko who always contested Lees input on Spiderman quoted Lee saying " As late as 1999, Stan wrote in 'Stan Lee's Marvel Soapbox'(May):'You know me, I'll take credit for anything that isn't nailed down.'"
I think the tough fact is that Lee was part of that generation of Editors who saw the work of artist and writers as his property over which he could claim not just ownership but also authorship.
In fact Lees creative contributions seem to have been mostly limited to scripting the speech balloons after the creators had already written a script and created the art.
I don't wish to detract from Lees important legacy. But if you believe in creator writes I think we need to be careful of endorsing all of it.
This web page has an interesting collection of interviews and quote about this issue regarding Lee.
https://comicbookhistorians.com/marvel-1960s-jack-kirby-stan-lee-steve-ditko-who-created-what/
I think a lot of criticism of Stan Lee is BS. He's the guy who GAVE credits to his artists. Most comics didn't feature any credits on the stories until he came along. He also admitted back then that Steve Ditko plotted the later Spider-Man stories.
ReplyDeleteStan wrote full scripts for years until work became so intense he developed the "Marvel Method" which was he'd come up with a rough plot, send it to the artist who'd have the FREEDOM to interpret it and pace it in their own way, and Stan would then dialogue it. Some artists such as Jack Kirby added characters (such as the Silver Surfer, - although Stan named him), and suggested dialogue with notes in the margins. That's why some issues credited the FF as a co-production between Stan and Jack.
Let's face it, few people would even know who those Marvel artists were if Stan hadn't instigated putting full credits on every comic. He should be respected for what he did for artists, not condemned for what some claim he didn't do, and fans should certainly be respectful in the week he passed away.
Totally agree with you Lew...
ReplyDeleteHe did so much for artists..letterers...inkers...and mentioned other staff...and if he made an error who created what...he said loads of times the true creators... artists have nothing to grumble about.. look at DC comics of the 60's Bob Kane did everything! DC Thomson artist were only credited twice...A.M and Dudley D Watkins...no writers...artists were mentioned... and the way Stan Lee talked to the reader was brilliant...we need more of that in comics...