LEE, Stan

(1922-)

   US COMIC-book writer and executive, born Stanley Leiber; his name has been legally changed to Lee. Before WWII he began to establish himself in the New York comics publishing world, in 1939 joining Timely Comics, Inc., the firm for which Jack KIRBY invented Captain America. SLremained with Timely - which soon became Atlas Comics, then MARVEL COMICS in 1963, without changing its corporate identity - for the whole of his career, serving as its editor 1942-72, and as its publisher and editorial director from 1972, concentrating on film productions after 1978. His career was not of particular importance for the student of sf until 1961, when - with Kirby, who had spent many years away from Marvel - he began to create a new type of comic-book SUPERHERO, with titles like The Fantastic Four (from 1961) and The Incredible Hulk (from 1962); other comics createdat this time included Spiderman (initiated in Amazing Fantasy in 1962) as drawn by Steve Ditko, whose angular, repressed style greyly evoked the pedestrian urban life which the hero tried to transcend. Over the next half decade SL (usually with Kirby) initiated a number of similar comic books including The Avengers (from 1963), into which Kirby reintroduced his Captain America, X-MEN (from 1963) and Thor (separate comic from 1966, character introduced in Journey into Mystery in 1962).These comics, most of them scripted by SL-according to the "Marvel Method", which involved much initial collaboration between artist and writer-were remarkable for eschewing the template structures of previous work in the field (characters neither ageing nor suffering significant change). SL'sprotagonists grew up, aged, suffered, exhibited human frailties and changed their minds about things; their superpowers were often explicitly seen as compensatory wish-fulfilments, allowing them - though never permanently - to transcend their personal problems. In hindsight, SL's 1960s work was a major influence on the creation of the GRAPHIC NOVEL inthe 1980s, especially perhaps the work from about 1965 on, when his continuing storylines began to develop space-operatic complexities; most memorable were those episodes of The Fantastic Four in which the heroes became involved in intergalactic disputes with the planet-devouring (but rather sympathetic) Galactus and his moody sidekick, the Silver Surfer, a nonhuman rider of space imprisoned by Galactus within Earth's atmosphere where, misunderstood and reviled, he time and again (as featured in The Silver Surfer 1968-70) saved humanity from itself.The above account shouldbe read in the context of Jack Kirby's repeated claims during the 1980s that SL was an administrator rather than a writer - indeed, that he actually wrote none of the comics for which he received writing credit. The editors of this encyclopedia are not in a position to evaluate thoseclaims.In 1970 Kirby left Marvel; though he would return later, it is arguable that SL's domination of the comic-book world, as both editor and writer, began to slip from about this time. For instance, it was Roy Thomas who fruitfully introduced into Marvel's generic mix a number ofthemes and characters from HEROIC FANTASY (including Robert E. HOWARD's Conan in Conan the Barbarian from 1970), and though Marvel Comics featuredever more spectacular and sf-like situations, there was a sense of decreasing ebullience; routine situations began to predominate.SL is not to be confused with the Stan Lee who has written novels such as The God Project (1990), a NEAR FUTURE thriller with metaphysical import.

   JC

   See also: SUPERMAN.