Stan Lee Charms New York
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on February 27, 2007 Sign up now!
by Peter Sanderson, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 2/27/2007
When Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada introduced guest of honor Stan Lee at the New York Comic-Con on Friday, fans armed with flash cameras surged toward the stage. Who there wouldn't want a picture of Marvel's editor and principal writer in the 1960s, who cocreated Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, among many others? But the show organizers obviously hadn't anticipated the need for crowd control.
"They've left us alone! No security! With all these hostile people!" exclaimed Lee in mock panic. "I'm scared!" The audience burst into laughter.
Belatedly, some con security people arrived to clear the space in front of the stage. "Oh, security!" Stan said, relieved, and then warned the audience, "You better watch out! We got a guy in a red shirt here!"
Quesada questioned Lee about the familiar story of how he revolutionized superhero comics in the 1960s. "Before I came up with the Fantastic Four," Lee began, "the comic book industry was a cultural wasteland." The audience was amused by Stan's characteristic hyperbole, and he said, "You have to forgive me. It's been a tough day. I refuse to be serious." This is the key to appreciating Stan Lee's public appearances: what he does at conventions is a masterful kind of performance art.
For example, 40 years after dubbing DC Comics "Brand Ecch," he still has fun at the expense of Marvel's eternal rival. Lee explained that Marvel used to be named Atlas, but after the launch of the Fantastic Four, he decided the company needed a catchier name and came up with Marvel. That lent itself to snappy catchphrases, like "Make mine Marvel!" But, Lee said, back in the 1960s DC "called themselves National Comics." Since Marvel had changed its name, DC decided to change its. "They hired a professional name-changing company," Lee informed his listeners, and "labored for weeks" to find just the right name. And then they came up with "DC." "Make mine DC!?" Lee asked, appalled. "My God!"
During the discussion Lee was very generous toward the artists he collaborated with on stories and characters. "I get so much credit. A lot of it should go to Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, John Buscema," and he reeled off still more names as the audience applauded. "If it wasn't for these talented artists, I wouldn't be sitting here getting these nice things said [to me] by Joe Quesada."
"There has to be a ringmaster," ventured Quesada.
"Of course, it's all due to me!" Stan replied, to audience laughter.
More seriously, Lee said that "probably by the 20th issue" of The Amazing Spider-Man, artist Steve Ditko "was doing the plotting." Having the artist do much or all of the plotting "made it more fun for me" because the "pages would be a surprise." Lee was describing the editiorial process developed at Marvel that allowed artists like Ditko and Jack Kirby to plot their stories visually and Lee would add dialog later.
"When I wrote the copy, I could give it the style," Lee explained of the way he built on his collaborators' work. "Like jazz composition ideas," suggested Quesada.
Quesada asked if back in the 1960s Lee ever thought that his characters would be as successful as they are today, when they star in movies. "Not in a million years," Lee said.
Then Quesada asked if Lee thought his books would do better than DC's.
"Oh, yes!" declared Stan. "I read DC books. There was no way they could compete with us!"
Lee turned to the very appreciative audience. "You don't know what a good feeling this is. You're a captive audience, I can say anything. My wife won't listen to me!"
Toward the end of the panel Quesada joined Lee in serenading the crowd with Stan's lyrics to the Merry Marvel Marching Society theme song. "Those are darn good lyrics," Quesada observed.
On Saturday afternoon Stan Lee was back onstage for a reunion of members of the 1960s' "Marvel Bullpen," including Joe Sinnott, the inker on Jack Kirby's art for Fantastic Four, and Gene Colan, the penciler who worked with Lee on Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, and Sub-Mariner. A surprise guest was "Fabulous" Flo Steinberg, Stan's secretary in the 1960s, who remains a part-time proofreader at the company today. Steinberg shies away from doing interviews, and it is very unusual for her to make a public appearance. Also on the panel was Marvel's current senior editor, Ralph Macchio, who didn't join the company until the end of the 1970s.
The moderator, Adam McGovern from TwoMorrows Publishing, introduced the panelists, bestowing lavish praise upon them, and finally got to Lee, "a man who needs no introduction." "They always say that!" Stan protested in mock outrage. "For once just give me an introduction!"
Colan, Sinnott, Steinberg and Macchio were all clearly quite fond of Lee and grateful for what he had done for them, while Lee, maintaining his public persona, tried to keep the panel from turning sentimental.
For example, Colan credited Lee with giving him his big break in comics and said, "I don't know where I'd be if not for Stan."
"Probably rich and famous," Stan replied.
Praising Stan's sheer "energy," Colan said, "Stan always reminds me of Jack Lemmon."
"He always compares me to dead people!" Stan exclaimed.
McGovern asked Lee to tell the story of how the great Italian director Federico Fellini once visited the Marvel offices in the 1960s. Lee recalled how his receptionist informed him, "Stan, there's a Fred Felony to see you." Lee told the audience self-deprecatingly, "Nobody ever visited me. I'd see anybody," but when Fellini came in, Stan recognized him. "He had four associates with him," all dressed in black raincoats, "and they were in descending order of height," with Fellini, the tallest, in the front.
Once again Lee gave credit to the artists he worked with. "Believe me, Marvel is not a one-man show. Oh, maybe I was the greatest!"
Very quietly, Flo Steinberg smiled and commented, "Stan was always very modest."
When the moderator turned to the audience for questions, a little boy piped up with the classic fan inquiry: "I was just wondering, who is stronger: Thor or the Hulk?" Stan declared it was Thor, because he was a god. Then the boy asked if Stan would sign the T-shirt he was wearing, so he was invited up onstage for what Stan called his "15 minutes of fame." Signing, Stan told the boy that this would "ruin your shirt, your mother's going to kill me, and I'll give you my lawyer's address." The task completed, Stan Lee sent the young lad on his way, advising him, "Don't let the fame go to your head!"
