Stan Lee: Conversations

Conversations with Artists

by Jeff McLaughlin (Editor)

Stan Lee (1922-2018), cocreator of the Amazing Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and the Uncanny X-Men, is one of the most successful writers and publishers of comics. During the 1960s and 1970s, he wrote superhero adventures for Marvel Comics. His storylines imbued the genre with angst and contemporary politics and focused as much on the personal lives of his characters as on heroics. His work, in collaboration with cartoonists such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, remains deeply influential. His role as a spokesperson and impresario for Marvel paved the way for the superhero genre to be taken seriously by the critical establishment and for the penetration of Marvel Comics into mainstream American culture. Stan Conversations collects interviews ranging from 1968 to 2005. Lee's charm, good humor, and keen business sense are on display. He has spirited conversations with cartoonists Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, and Roy Thomas, talk show host Dick Cavett, and Jenette Kahn (head of DC Comics, Marvel's rival), among others. He talks with candor about his creative process, publishing, film and television adaptations of his comic books, and the evolution of the comics industry. The volume concludes with a new interview conducted by the editor.

Genres: Comics

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mike Gibas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of interviews with Stan Lee compiled over the years. What is revealing is how little Stan reveals. He sticks to his PR script and muddles his way through with charm aplenty. Only rarely does he get genuinely passionate or angry about something, which is a shame as there are many interesting things we’d love to know about a Stan, his life and his work... but it’s not here!

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of interviews with Stan “the man” lee. They are good interviews.but, they become repetitive after a while.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stan Lee. The man (sorry, The Man) who transformed Marvel Comics into a juggernaut of American superhero comics publishing corporation. Also the man whom I must thank for his help in improving my English via reading his comics during my formative years. Some accuse Stan Lee of being a two-bit huckster as if that was a bad thing! He wrote comics for kids. He had to compete with DC. Of course he had to be a huckster. He presented himself as a friend to the reader and that made reading Marvel books fun.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for a real fan boy perspective, but a lot of the stories get repetitive and if you are not really into comic books you will be board out of your mind. Being a fan boy my self, I really liked the book.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative about the creative process. You want to own your artistic work and receive some type of royalties for your product. This is all a negotiation process. So many characters to keep up with.

[Brett Bydairk]

Interviews from the main architect of modern, thinking comics, from 1968 thru 2005. Fascinating reading for any comics fan.

[Travis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is there a zero star option?