Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee

by Stan Lee, George Mair

The man behind Spider-Man, The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and a legion of other superheroes tells his own amazing story in a book packed with punch, humor, anecdotes, and a gallery of never-before-seen photographs.

Stan Lee is the most legendary name in the history of comicbooks. The leading creative force behind the rise of Marvel Comics, he brought to life some of the world's best-known heroes and most infamous villains. His stories, featuring super- heroes who struggled against personal hang-ups and bad guys who possessed previously unseen psychological complexity, added wit and subtlety to a field previously locked into flat portrayals of good vs. evil. Lee put the human in the super-human. In the process, he created a new mythology for the twentieth century.

In this treasure trove of marvelous memories, Stan tells the story of his life with the same inimitable wit, energy, and offbeat spirit that he brought to the world of comicbooks. He moves from his impoverished childhood in Manhattan to his early days writing comicbooks, followed by military training films during World War II, through the rise of the Marvel empire in the 1960s to his recent adventures in Hollywood.

The story of a man who earned respect by blazing new creative trails in a storytelling form once dismissed as just for kids, Excelsior! is an inspirational story about following one's vision, no matter the odds. Yet it's also the story of how some of the most exciting and memorable characters in the pop-culture universe came to thrill a generation.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Comics, Autobiography, Memoir, History, Biography Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!
I was recommend book by one of my goodreads friends. I thought I would give it a try since I have bee reading comic books lately. Let me tell you that this was really good. I really enjoyed the art, the story line, characters. Pretty much I loved everything about this book. I am glad that I was recommend this book. I would read this again. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read comic books.

[Zorro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Days and life of a legend!

He is the man. Stan "the Man" Lee.
Father of Spider-man and co-cretor of hundred of characters like Hulk, Daredevil, Captain America and many more.
And he is still alive. He is among us.
Thanks for everything Stan.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read if you've loved the really corny humor found in Stan's Soapbox.

[Imogen Worrall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book and also very funny

[Kris Ashton · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think about my influences as a writer/journalist, the names that come to mind include Stephen King, John O'Grady, James Herriot, John Wyndham and Hunter S. Thompson. But about halfway through Excelsior!, I realised there was another man who shaped the way I wrote - and the course I took in life - as much as any of those aforementioned. His name was Stan Lee, and Excelsior! is his autobiography (or "bio-autography" as he calls it, which we'll get to in due course).

One of my earliest memories is watching The Incredible Hulk on television. I must have been only three or four. I had a strange relationship with the show: throughout the 'boring' parts I would be willing David Banner to change into the Hulk, but when he finally did I'd get so scared I'd put a cushion in front of my face.

I also watched the Spider-Man TV show, and the crappy (and not-so-crappy) animated series they made from The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor and Iron Man.

Then, in my early teens, I went into a comic book store. I can't remember why I was there - maybe I was with a friend. Anyway, I spotted a copy of The Incredible Hulk and picked it up.

It began a two-year obsession with comics, primarily Hulk and Spider-Man. But while I got off on the stories and artwork, I also responded to the friendly way Marvel Comics treated its readers. From Stan Lee's chummy 'Soapbox' column to the way the editors replied to letters, to the self-effacing jokes the creative staff made about themselves - I realised Marvel did something differently to other magazines. (Mad magazine in its prime had a similar air about it.)

Not only did the soft sci-fi concepts in Marvel's comics help determine what genre of fiction I primarily wrote, the company's editorial attitude influenced the way I ran What DVD magazine a decade or so later. I never dumbed things down, I included photos of the staff and I encouraged them to share their lives with our readers. I suspect all of us - staff and readers - look back on those magazines with real fondness.

And Stan Lee played a big role in that.

Which brings me, at long-winded last, to Excelsior! With a couple of Marvel movies out when I read it, I suppose my old obsession rose to the surface and I got to wondering if Stan Lee had ever written an autobiography. Amazon confirmed that he had indeed written one, co-authored with George Mair. Lee has a notoriously fickle memory, so Mair was called in to do some research and fill in the gaps. Hence Lee's use of the term bio-autography.

I invariably find stories about a person's childhood far more boring than those about his adult life, and so it is here. Excelsior! gets off to a slow start, but once Lee begins to recount his teenage years and his early adult life, the book picks up pace.

If you've ever heard Lee talk you'll know how he writes (at least about himself). It's almost as if he spoke into a dictaphone and then transcribed it. While he's far from the greatest scribbler ever to pick up a pen, he has a style all his own - which more than makes up for any deficiencies. No one writes like Lee.

I gobbled up Excelsior! in a few sittings - not just because it was interesting to a lifelong fan, but because it contains a lot of photos and chapters for a sub-300-page book. While he's fairly candid, there's no doubt Lee skims over things and some more detail would have been nice. That is Mair's stated purpose as co-author, but he doesn't contribute much to proceedings. I came away feeling the book had clarified some things I already knew, rather than adding a great deal to my store of knowledge about Lee's life.

But the good thing about being a Marvel fanboy is it doesn't matter. I loved every word of it and will probably re-read it sooner rather than later.

[Austin E]

This book is about Stan Lee, who created a lot of Marvel characters. It is about how he got to be so famous and how he got started with Marvel. In this book Stan talks about when he was a teenager and when he was an adult. It is also about how his Superheroes that he created came to be. Stan also talks about Marvel before it was called Marvel.
One thing that happens in this book is that Stan starts his career in comic books. He decided to go to the military but, instead of fighting, they told him to write comic strips because he had done it before. Another thing that happened is that when he moved to Hollywood because he had to be there so often, he started to do movies instead of comics. So then he didn't really get to be a part of what he really wanted to do for a while. Those are just some things that happened because he made a decision to do things that he wanted to do.
I actually enjoyed this book more than I expected. I thought it was a lot better than a regular auto biography would be. It was also kind of funny because he kept on using this term for the book, "bio-autography" or something like that. But overall it was a pretty good book. It also mentioned some stuff I didn't know about the Marvel characters. It was really good.

[Jeff Wetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas 2018 gift from my wife. Loved reading about the life of the late Stan Lee, who passed away recently and whose comics I had been reading since I was a boy.

[Thomas Amaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the most detailed of memoirs, but certainly one of the funniest. Written very much in the style of Stan's Soapbox, this is full of out-loud laughs. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Nick]

Haven't you always wanted to know what the man behind Spider-Man, the fantastic four and other marvel heroes he made. In the book you will know how he created them. Stan lee a New Yorker when he was about 18 or 19 he joined a comic company called Timely comics. Timely comics is a comic book company that were famous for their top superheroes Captain America and the human torch the guy who owned the company was Martin Goodman he was Stan's boss and Stan had a good time but he decided to join the army. When he was working for the army he still worked for timely, When worked in the army he made training videos. After the war ended he went back to timely but then they changed their name to Atlas comics. When he came back he got married to Joan Clayton and have 2 daughters. When sales were going down Martin wanted Stan to created something like the justice league so Stan created the Fantastic Four. There names were Reed Richards a scientist who can stretch his body into any shape his name was Mr. fantastic. Next was Susan Strom the love interest of Reed her powers was to turn invisible and make a force flied around anyone or anything her name was invisible woman her brother Johnny Strom was a jokester his power was to go on fire usually by saying "flame on" he could also fly and shot fire his name was the Human Torch it was a lot different from the old human torch back then. Then there is Ben Grimm he was a normal man but he and the rest of the fantastic four before they were the fantastic four got hit with some cosmic rays and that is how they t their powers. With Ben he got turned into a rock thin so his whole body is made of rock his catch phrase was "clobberin time" his name was The Thing the main villain was Dr. Doom. The comic was very good so Stan decided to make more he made The Hulk and their most popular superhero Spider-Man he debut in amazing fantasy 15 Stan's boss hated Spider-Man but everyone loved it and it became a series they also changed the company name to Marvel comics. During the years even now marvel is still popular for their comics, toys, Merch..., shows, and Movies and it was all because of Stan Lee.

I loved the book it was very nice to learn a little bit about Stan lee I was very glad to here that Spider-Man was their best superheroes they ever had because favorite superhero. I loved the way that Stan did a little bit more then write comics it as very interesting that he was in the army as well I would recommend this book to anyone who likes marvel heroes, Stan lee or any thing that who likes something that has to do with marvel.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the superhero genre is now a dominant theme of the movies for the big screen, it is time to give the credit where it is due. In the late fifties and very early sixties, comic books were popular, yet so much of what appeared was repeated and recycled with only slight alterations. It was time for a change and Stan Lee was the driving force behind a large set of new characters that are the subject of many popular and profitable movies.
Decades after the time of their creation, there is still some controversy over the contributions to the creation, yet there is no doubt that it was Lee that had the original ideas for the characters. To his credit, in this book, Lee is lavish in giving credit to others, such as Jack Kirby, for bringing the characters into existence. As Lee points out, there is plenty of credit to go around.
This book is about the full life of Lee, from growing up in New York City during the Great Depression until roughly the year 2000. It is a story of an entire industry being transformed through many difficult times and a description of incredible creativity.
What Lee did was create superheroes that had flaws, specifically emotions that did not diminish their powers, but made them appear as human. He also did another very essential thing, he created antagonists that were worthy of the fight against the powerful heroes. The quality of the stories were also enhanced by the non-powerful supporting characters such as the blowhard J. Jonah Jameson.
This (auto)biography is not exactly that. It is co-written with George Mair and is constructed of alternating segments written by Lee and Mair. While it is a different approach it is one that works, the flipping from the personal to the detached perspective often give an insight that would otherwise be lacking.
This is a great book about one of the most creative people of all time. Furthermore, as Lee states several times, he was one of the hardest working writers of all time. Demonstrating that, even for the incredibly talented, there is no substitute for hard work and perseverance.

[Pavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Už jsem četl různé texty od Stana Leeho, a tak jsem tušil, co mám přibližně očekávat - pohodovou autobiografii, kde se snoubí teatrální chvástání se skromností a pokorou (často i v jednom odstavci... možná i větě). A přesně to tahle kniha je. Jenže kromě toho, že se knížka úžasně čte, tak musím říct, že mě slušně nadchla.

Je to hodně daný tím, že mě zajímají komiksy do hloubky, zajímá mě jejich vývoj, různé zajímavosti a "historky z natáčení". A tohle všechno tady je. Kolegové komiksáci vědí, že život v Marvelu rozhodně nebyl žádné peříčko a hodně lidí na Stana Leeho nevzpomínalo v dobrém, dokonce má i mnoho odpůrců (včetně některých současných komiksových čtenářů). Mám na to nějaký svůj názor, ale do téhle knihy jsem šel s tím, že se na to mrknu ze Stanova pohledu. A opět, ani v tomhle mě kniha nezklamala. Stan Lee se kontroverzím nevyhýbá a adresuje je. Stan to dělá tak, že velice rád a pregnantně chválí své kolegy, ale zároveň servíruje (svoje) fakta a stojí si za svém.
Na druhou stranu Stan Lee rozhodně všem nemaže med kolem pusy, a tak se v této knize slušně opře do několika jeho spolupracovníků, kteří s ním podle všeho slušně zametli (jednoho kriminálníka a pro mě překvapivě i hodně sjede dlouholetého nakladatele Martina Goodmana).

Tahle kniha ale není jen o kontroverzích. Především tu vidíme Stanův život, ve kterém jako chudé dítě z početné rodiny chtěl vždy něco dokázat. Hlavně teda mít peníze a krásnou manželku. Oboje se mu díky komiksům Marvelu podařilo, což zní opravdu jako splněný sen. Nakonec je pro mě tahle knížka především motivační, protože se mi moc líbilo, jak celým jeho životem vede jako zlatá nit ta jeho nezastavitelná pracovitost a nadšení pro nové věci.

Nejsem nekritický ctitel Stana Leeho, ale měl jsem ho hrozně moc rád, a tahle jeho knížka pro mě byla prostě báječné čtení.


Devět splněných snů Stana Leeho z deseti.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written with the same corny humor and hyperbolic style as he used to do "Stan's Soapbox" in the old comics, Lee's autobiography is a fun look at his poor youth in New York, his time in the army writing training manuals for things he'd never done, working as a go-for at the publishing company that would become Marvel, becoming the "editor by default," and then the golden age of comics and everything after.

The best parts are the middle chapters dealing with the inspirations/origins for all the characters he created with artists Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko in the early 1960's, which have a lot of trivia such as:

--He felt bored and trapped and was going to quit right before his wife convinced him to do a story with a higher vocabulary (early comics were mostly written at a 3rd-grade comprehension level) and more realistic characters like he'd always wanted. Since he felt he had nothing to lose if his boss didn't like it, he came up with the Fantastic Four.

--The frequent use of alliterative names for the super-heroes' secret identities (Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, Matt Murdock) was because it made it easier for Lee to keep track of all their names.

--The Hulk's skin was turned green in the second issue because the colorist had a hard time keeping the same tone of grey in the first one.

--Daredevil's blindness and the shrapnel in Iron Man's heart are due to Lee wanting to give his heroes an Achilles heel.

--The X-Men all got their powers from genetic mutation because Lee was tired of coming up with individual explanations for each ability (radioactive spider-bites, gamma rays, cosmic rays, etc.).

[Kevin Ibanez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Personally, the man is one of my heros. What impressed me was his undying work ethic. The man never stopped working. Apparently he would write for hours on end, and to improve his writing, he would act it out to make it more natural. He carried this over into his chief editing days and I believe it is what helped create marvel as a success.

I also loved seeing where all of the heroes came from. I didn't know that Stan Lee didn't create Captain America, that the Fantastic Four came before the Avengers, the the Hulk is stronger than the thing (its true. Page 123), and that Spiderman's thought bubbles share the same concept of Shakespeare's use of soliloquies. It's also worth noting that he tried to make characters whom people would hate based on current affairs. How could a story about a billionaire making and selling weapons possible sell during the 60's? Well they did, and now we have Ironman.

What is most humbling is that Stan strived to make everyone involved feel important and respected. He considered most of these people close friends and holds them in high regards. Even after all this time, he wants everyone, comic book readers included, that they are just as much a part of the marvel success as the writers, artists, and everyone in the company.

Reading this gave me so much more appreciation for Stan. He has a passion for his work, humility about his success, and an all around enthusiastic demeanor which his applies to all aspects of his life. It was nice getting to know the man behind so many masks.

...Give it a month and I'll read it again. With Annotating.

[Robert Federline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who ever read Spiderman, Fantastic Four, the Avengers, X-Men, or numerous other Marvel comic books is familiar with the name of Stan Lee. He made comic books acceptable and not shameful. He took them to a level where their artists and authors are deemed worthy of respect. They are the hottest items in Hollywood currently (although this was still building at the time this book was written).

This is a fun read about an iconic figure in entertainment. He is, to most fans, the actual heart of Marvel comics. His face is synonymous with Marvel and he is responsible for bringing its most successful characters to the public and to life.

Stan Lee appears to have lived a larger-than-life existence, just like the characters he creates. It is interesting to see, however, that he does not, and apparently never had, the ownership and wealth and control over the industry which one would expect with the ubiquitousness of his name and face. While he never truly complains, it is obvious that he has had his share of disappointments in his life. He has been shorted by employers and by those he thought were his friends. He chose, instead, to rise above, and to find the positive in each situation.

He lives in a fantasy world populated by strife-torn heroes. When you read this "bio-autography" you understand why he has such empathy in his characters and how they are able to meet tragedy with humor. He has done so himself. He understands that attitude is all-important, and that if you can control this, you will always rise above the evil villains in your life and ultimately triumph.

[Torrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelsior! is the charming result of what would happen if you sat your quirky grandfather down for a cup of tea and asked him about his entire life, if your grandfather was Stan Lee. Imagine also that there is a biographer at the table with you as well, who keeps the chronology organized and interjects the important context you need for your grandfather’s punchline to make sense. It feels like a stream of consciousness conversation with a naturally funny and clearly skilled if immodest (but deservingly so!) conversationalist. Reading this book, you know exactly how he spoke in his day to day life and can imagine what it may have been like working with him in the Atlas bullpen. Stan was one of the fathers of the American comic book industry, and as with any developing industry the rules aren’t always clear-cut from the start - so in this book Stan does his best to address some of the controversies of creative ownership which he was involved in, even if it is a bit awkward. Overall, a must-read for any Marvel fan as it does an incredible job of inking in the penciled panels of our favorite heroes’ histories.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee is an autobiography written by Stan Lee and George Mair. This memoir is an account of his life from his childhood struggles to the comic book luminary he became and the force behind Marvel Comics.

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American comic book writer, editor, and publisher who was active from the 1940s to the 2010s. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business to become Marvel Comics' primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry.

Stan Lee died earlier this week (12 November 2018) and I am saddened that he had passed. Although, I am mostly a DC Comic aficionado, there is no denying the impact that Stan Lee had on the comic book industry as a whole. Therefore, I thought that it would be appropriate to read his autobiography right now, as a comic book geek, it needed to be done – even if I am more inclined to DC Comics.

Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee open with his childhood, which quickly segue into his first introduction with the comic book industry. As a working-class New York teenager in the 1930s, Stanley Martin Lieber was convinced that one day he would write the Great American Novel. Instead, he found himself writing and editing comic books.

To preserve the literary purity of his name, he attached the pseudonym "Stan Lee" to his comics. He never got around to writing his novel, but as the figurehead of the Marvel Comics Group, Stan Lee became the best-known figure of the post-war comic-book scene.

In his early career, Stan Lee wrote a myriad of different genres to compete with the seemingly indomitable DC Comics. He spent most of his time writing westerns, crime stories, war comics, monster books, comics targeted to girls, and whatever was popular. It was not until the sixties when Stan Lee started writing comics to small children and decided to have some fun by launching a set of unorthodox super-heroes to challenge DC Comic's anodyne approach – it worked.

Renamed Marvel, the company saw sales double within a year and were up almost seven-fold by the end of the decade. Stan Lee geared his work towards adolescents and introduced elements of soap opera, wisecracking humor, moral dilemma and politics to achieve what passed for "realism" in the censored comic’s world. He collaborated with master-artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, the X-Men and a horde of others.

These characters were unlike any heroes who preceded them: in DC Comic's straitlaced world, the Hulk would scarcely have qualified as a hero at all. Their impact was revolutionary, and Marvel had DC Comics on the run until the former market-leader could learn to play by the upstart's rules. By the end of the decade, Marvel's innovations had degenerated, as innovations will, into a new set of clichés, but by then Stan Lee had handed over day-to-day responsibilities to others.

Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee is written rather well, despite or in spite of the corny humor – can't decide which yet. It is a tad congratulatory, but it was written well if you can get around the tone. I found it interesting that Stan Lee was a frustrated writer who wanted to write the "Great American Novel" to the point that he used a nom de plume to write the "lesser" comic books. Instead, he would forever be remembered as by his pseudonym and as Mr Marvel.

All in all, Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee is a well-written autobiography about Stan Lee and his amazing story on how he become one of the comic book industry giants.

[Mark Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent autobiography about Stan “The Man” Lee. This is the only book I recommend as the newest books really try and tear down Stan Lee’s accomplishments. Stan Lee was the creator of many comic characters such as The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men, Dr. Strange, though not really Thor as Thor or any of the Norse characters are from Norse myth and I’m amused by anyone trying to claim they were the creator of Norse mythology. Stan Lee did not create the Silver Surfer but Stan did come up with the Silver Surfers origin. Captain American was another character Stan Lee did not create but it was Stan that came up with Cap throwing his shield. Stan gave co-creator credits to all artists though he came up with the characters himself. There are artists that believed they were the sole creator of the characters because they drew them. Stan came up with the Marvel method where he would describe basic story plot and artists would then draw the story. However before this Stan did actually write scripts for comics. So who is correct? I fall in the Stan Lee camp. The way I look at it is this: Who created Sherlock Holmes? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Not whoever illustrated his stories. Who created Harry Potter? J.K. Rowling not the illustrators of the books. The artists think that the character doesn’t exist before they drew it so from their point of view Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J.K. Rowling would not be the creators of the books they wrote. George Lucas created Star Wars but from these artists that claim they created the comic characters by drawing them then Lucas would not be the creator of Star Wars but the artists that drew the storyboards and concept art. Interestingly they only claim credit of creation on first artist to draw a character, otherwise anyone that drew a comic character would then be a creator of that character. I always enjoy listening to Stan Lee when he would describe how he came up with a character. The artists would simply say they drew the character with no further details. This reminds me of the movie Working Girl where Tess went into detail how she came up with the idea for the company buying a radio station. When her boss was asked how she came up with it she said she would have to check her notes because she didn’t know how Tess had come up with the idea. Take Spider-Man. Stan Lee came up with Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Stan went to Jack Kirby first but didn’t like Kirbys drawings so then Stan went to Ditko. So based on the artists belief that what they drew they created then it was Kirby that created Spider-Man though Ditko claimed he created Spider-Man after Kirby had first taken a crack at drawing Spider-Man. Obviously it was Stan Lee that created Spider-Man and set him as a teenager in high school with all the problems of a teenager not Ditko or Kirby. The idea that character doesn’t exist until being drawn is crazy. Imagine every book ever written the author not being the creator of the books characters because they didn’t draw them.

[Steve Howells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
by Stan Lee & George Mair (2002)

Stan Lee, a name synonymous with comics, nerd culture and much more. He is one of those people who have transcended genres and more. He has almost mythical status.

Well hang on to your hats, here is the true story of the man behind the myths and stories. Stanley Martin Lieber was born in NYC and lived there for a good portion of his life, NYC and the state of NY.

From a young age Stan, had a very creative mind and it showed in his school work and at home, to keep himself amused. From an early age, Stan was a creative writer and in his teens, he won a newspapers writing contest so often they asked him not enter so others would have a chance.

As a young man Stan started working and never quit working till his death many years later. Stan was always interested by movie stars and the great American novel and wanted to write a novel one day.

This book details events in his life that will give you a new look at Stan Lee, not just the comic book genius but just a creative genius.

He started in the comic industry at Timely comics, that would eventually became Marvel comics in 1939 as basically a “gopher” doing what ever needed doing, getting lunch for writers, filling inkwells, … Stan’s career was just getting going in 1942 when he was drafted as this was WW2 and every man was needed.

Follow Stan threw the war years and back to the comic industry. Then in the early 60’s with an idea from his wife because Stan was getting tired of the same old comic thing for every hero, Stan gave the world a teenager with teenage problems. This teenager also had the proportionate strength and abilities of a spider.

The world and Stan’s life was changed forever.

This book details all the other ideas that Stan pursued and how many times, Stan almost changed careers. How the comic industry and world would be different.

Stan Lee is a true creative genius.

An incredible read and an incredible story, that continues long after the book ends.

[Eric Nierstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd seen this book around for a long time and finally got to it after the man passed away. Right away, the tone of the book is perfect. Stan Lee basically reminisced about his life while another writer steered through the details, and the result is great. You hear Stan's voice in every word and phrase, and he goes over every aspect of his life. It's refreshing to hear his humor and positive attitude coming through, especially as he goes over rough patches like the loss of his second daughter and the struggles of the comic industry.

That said, it would have been nice to get some outside perspective on certain issues. Lee mentions his falling out with Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby over credit, and he does reiterate how important their talents were to the comic legends they made together. But it might've been nice to get more insight from outside sources on what Ditko and Kirby were thinking. That's said, this is still a solid, fun, and enjoyable recollection of the life of a comic book icon. 'Nuff said.

[Mindbait]

I had been interested in reading Stan's story and preferred to hear it from the horse's mouth. To be honest, it's not an amazing book. Mair puts together what amounts to a fulsome wikipedia article's worth of material, and this is interspersed with Lee's recollections, which are delivered in a sort of ironically bragging style with occasional self-deprecation. It's like he's having a one on one confidential jokey chat with you (an approach probably honed during his time on the lecture circuit).

It was kind of interesting that though Stan helped come up with many iconic characters, he was mostly always just an employee of Marvel. Even once he became head editor he was still under the manager/owner of the company who could theoretically veto his decisions, yet he is more or less the face of Marvel. No doubt this is in part due to his superpower of self-promotion. He also made himself available, answering fan letters and writing an editorial section to accompany the Marvel issues.

[Babs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm where to begin?

This reads like a long, transcribed interview with a smattering of more biographical paragraphs woven in. Interesting of course, especially the war chapters, but super biased. Covers his life up to the first Spiderman movie.

Things I noted:
He says he has a terrible memory but is able to refute all the disagreements with all the other writers, creators and artists along the way

Seemed to have created all of the big Marvel characters.....hmmm

Always seemed to irritate or piss people off when he first met them, but always ended up being great friends.

Definitely want to read a more academic take on him. It was really interesting reading this right off the back of Tom Sciolis' Jack Kirby biography. Key Kirby quote about Stan Lee, "If I ever see that guy again I'll fuckin' kill him."

[Dom Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an enjoyable and simplistic read about the legendary late great Stan Lee.

It is told in the “bio-autography” where George Mair provides high level overview and facts, and then Stan Lee shares his take and feedback. Throughout the book, you see Stan as a genuinely good human being and even learn some of the nuances on how he created many of the characters in the MCU today and his thought processes behind them

I wish there was expansion on the book after the MCU was alive and well and he did all his cameos, that’d be fun to read his take. Otherwise a delightful read I encourage

Excelsior!!!

[Hrushikesh Ayre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it was possible to love Stan Lee more than I already did, but this book made it possible. Obviously if you are expecting a stirring life with ups and downs, this is not a book for you. But its the story of a man who made Marvel what it is now. The book is very simple to read, just like his comic books. Filled with optimism and positive attitude towards your life and work, this book definitely helped me get over some mental block I had regarding my job.

[Apryl McLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I liked his voice coming through in the story of his life as a writer and creator of super heros. I liked getting a feel for the years he lived through. My husband has shared his love of Marvel with our whole family so when I read about the creation of Spider Man I cried and shared it with my daughter and she cried too. It's a great book and one I'd recommend to anyone who likes Marvel.

[James Millington · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had read this in 2002 upon release (wherein I would’ve been 8 years old and primed to love everything Marvel and Stan), then no doubt I would’ve given this 5 stars.

But reading it 21 years after release and reading it immediately after reading Abraham Riesman’s sterling effort in True Believer, it just didn’t really hit home for me.

There are one or two amusing stories and anecdotes contained within, but other than that, I’d choose to read True Believer again over this in an instant.

[Joe Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always liked Stan Lee, but after reading this book, I absolutely love him. He is such a great example of what happens when a person doesn't let current social, financial, or personal circumstances break their spirit. He always retained a childlike sense of joy and wonderment. I can understand how he was responsible for creating so many of the comic book characters I love to this day. Plus, to hear him go on about how much he completely adores his wife makes me want to believe in love again.

[Tim The Book Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

No better way to learn about the legend's life than reading it in (mostly) his own words. His wonderful writing style with a mix of "what does that mean?" words and consistent jokes about himself and others make this one of the best bio-autography books I've ever read! Rest in peace to this wonderful man who gave our world some of the most cherished hero's, villains, and everyone in between!

[Steven Lloyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read this book before, maybe 10 years ago and don’t remember hating it this much.
Unfortunately I just couldn’t finish it this time, Stan comes across arrogant and if I remember correctly doesn’t actually address any issues he had with his other colleagues.
I would have liked this more if I was a big Marvel guy no doubt, but those days ended a long time ago

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel tells the story of Stan Lee in the best way possible. It was such a great amazing and different read that fans of Stan Lee will enjoy and love. Give it a read if you're a fan of Marvel, comics or just Stan Lee in general.

[Collin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful book for those interested in superheroes, but still holds its meeting even for those who don't fall into this category. Its delightful anecdotes are something not many others include in their autobiographies.