Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible
An autobiography of Stan Lee highlighting his best accomplishments
Born in NYC on Dec 28, 1922
His father was a Romanian immigrant
Larry Lieber, Stan’s younger brother is born in 1931
Stan loved to read
His family (parents) struggled to make it. He developed a strong work ethic from it
Worked odd jobs in his youth
Stan meets Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1939 when he begins working at a comics-publishing company in NYC
He becomes assistant to them starting at $8/week
After they leave to work for National Periodicals (the company’s competitor), Martin Goodman (Stan’s cousin’s husband and publisher of the company), makes Stan the writer
In 1942, Stan joined the Army where he was assigned to the Training Film Division because of his writing experience and worked alongside Charles Addams, Frank Capra, and Dr. Seuss
In 1947, just shy of his 25th birthday, Stan meets his wife Joan Boocock Lee. They get married and his parents approve of her
Stan was ashamed to admit that he was a comic book writer as it was not a respectable career in the 40s
In 1971, at 49 years old, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan to write a story with an anti-drug message
This would conflict with the Comics Code Authority established in 1954 which prohibited content inappropriate for children
He writes ASM #’s 96-98 with art by Gil Kane which involves a storyline of Harry Osborn and drugs
The CCA denies approval. Martin Goodman approved publication and it was published anyway
In 1950 Stan had his first daughter, Joan Celia Lee and in 1953, a 2nd daughter named Jan Lee sadly died about a week after delivery. Joan B. Lee could never have children again
The year is 1961 (Stan is 39) and Martin Godman is golfing with Jack Liebowitz, publisher of DC Comics. Liebowitz brags about the Justice League and Goodman challenges Stan to to counter it with a team of their own- thus, The Fantastic Four are created
Stan wished to incorporate personal issues into the superheroes he created
Goodman was initially against the idea of Spiderman in 1962 because people hated spiders but Amazing Fantasy 15 was a huge success
Because of the Vietnam War, Lee and Kirby created the military industrialist Iron Man and Sgt. Fury and The Howling Commandos
Doctor Strange was created as inspiration from Chandu the Magician
In the early/ mid 60s, Lee begins speeches at colleges
In parallel to themes of anti-bigotry, the X-Men are created by Lee and Kirby and the name of the title was changed from The Mutants to X-Men
The Marvel Bullpen (news and info page inside the comics which includes Stan’s Soapbox where he addresses the readers), begins a fan club known as the Merry Marvel Marching Society in 1964. A radio show is associated so fans can tune in. The MB runs from 65-01
Goodman demands the MMMS fan club to be shut down because of costs. Goodman doesn’t care about PR, only about sales. It runs from 64-69
Marvelmania International succeeds MMMS as the fan club and includes the fan magazine Marvelmania Magazine. FOOM is the next magazine followed by Marvel Age which was the last magazine. Respectively these magazines ran from 69-71, 73-78, and 83-99
Jimmy Carter invites Stan to The White House in the 70s
Relationships are strained between Stan and Steve Ditko and Stan and Kirby
Lee becomes publisher. Roy Thomas becomes editor-in-chief
Marvel Comics becomes world-known
Stan almost had a near collaboration with Paul Mccartney
A Marvel Comics issue featuring KISS is published in 77’ in which the actual blood of the member is used as ink for their signatures
Lee suggests the name of The Punisher to Gerry Conway for the name of his new character in 74’
Stan creates a Spiderman newspaper strip that continued into the 2010s and contained a story where Peter Parker and MJ get married but Stan informed editor-in-chief Jim Shooter first so that it could happen in the comics first
In the late 70s, Marvel forays into live-action tv with The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man
Lee’s animation studio, which he established in L.A. unfortunately burns to the ground
Ron Perelman buys Marvel in 1989 and offers Stan double what he already earns
Comic book stores go down in the 90s because newer comics are sold in more quantity and have less value so comics collectors stop collecting and selling to shops which go out of business. The number of stores go down from 6K to 2K
The toy company Toy Biz buys Marvel and saves it from bankruptcy
Stan makes a deal with Marvel Studios to earn 10% of the profits for each cameo in a Marvel film beginning with X-Men and ending with Endgame, doing it for 20 years.
Stan receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011