Книга: Wally Wood, Stan Lee «Marvel Famous Firsts: 75th Anniversary Masterworks Slipcase Set»

Wally Wood

Infobox Comics creator


imagesize =
caption = Self-portrait by Wally Wood
birthname = Wallace Allan Wood
birthdate = birth date|1927|6|17|mf=y
location = Menahga, Minnesota
deathdate = death date and age|1981|11|2|1927|06|17
deathplace = Los Angeles, California
nationality = American
area = writer, penciller, inker, publisher
alias = Woody
notable works =
awards = full list

Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927, Menahga, Minnesota – November 2, 1981, Los Angeles, California) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and "Mad". Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he claimed to dislike.Stewart, Bhob, ed. "Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood". TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003. Trade paperback ISBN 1-893905-23-3, hardcover ISBN 1-893905-28-4] Within the comics community, he was also known as Woody, a name he sometimes used as a signature.

He was the first inductee into the comic book's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, in 1989, and was inducted into the subequent Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame three years later.

In addition to Wood's hundreds of comic book pages, he illustrated for books and magazines while also working in a variety of other areas — advertising; packaging and product illustrations; gag cartoons; record album covers; posters; syndicated comic strips; and trading cards, including work on Topps' landmark "Mars Attacks" set.

EC publisher William Gaines once stated, "Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant". [Evanier, Mark, "Mad Art" (Watson Guptil Publications, 2002), p. 47; ISBN 0-8230-3080-6]

Biography

Early life and career

Wally Wood was born on June 17 1927, and began reading and drawing comics at an early age. He was strongly influenced by the art styles of Alex Raymond's "Flash Gordon", Milton Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates", Hal Foster's "Prince Valiant", Will Eisner's "The Spirit" and especially Roy Crane's "Wash Tubbs". Recalling his childhood, Wood said that his dream at age six, about finding a magic pencil that could draw anything, foretold his future as an artist.Wood's mother was his first publisher, in a sense, collecting his early drawings and binding them on her sewing machine into books. These early and mostly undated works still exist today because of her actions and offer a glimpse into his progression as a young artist.

Wood graduated from high school in 1944, signed on with the United States Merchant Marine near the end of World War II and enlisted in the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Paratroopers in 1946. He went from training at Fort Benning, Georgia, to occupied Japan, where he was assigned to the island of Hokkaidō. Arriving in New York City with his brother Glenn and mother, after his discharge in July 1948, Wood found employment at Bickford's as a busboy. During his time off he carried his thick portfolio of drawings all over midtown Manhattan, visiting every publisher he could find. He briefly attended the Hogarth School of Art (later changed to the Cartoonists and Illustrators School) but dropped out after one semester.

By October, after being rejected by every company he visited, Wood met fellow artist John Severin in the waiting room of a small publisher. After the two shared their experiences attempting to find work, Severin invited Wood to visit his studio, the Charles William Harvey Studio, where Wood met Charlie Stern, Harvey Kurtzman (who was working for Timely/Marvel) and Will Elder. At this studio Wood learned that Will Eisner was looking for a "Spirit" background artist. He immediately visited Eisner and was hired on the spot.

Over the next year, Wood also became an assistant to George Wunder, who had taken over the Milton Caniff strip "Terry and the Pirates". Wood cited his "first job on my own" as "Chief Ob-stacle", a continuing series of strips for a 1949 political newsletter. He entered the comic book field by lettering, as he recalled in 1981: "The first professional job was lettering for Fox romance comics in 1948. This lasted about a year. I also started doing backgrounds, then inking. Most of it was the romance stuff. For complete pages, it was $5 a page... Twice a week, I would ink ten pages in one day". [Wally Wood interview, originally published in "The Buyer's Guide" #403 (Aug. 1, 1981), reprinted in "Comic Book Artist" #14 (July 2001); p. 18 of the latter.]

Artists' representative Renaldo Epworth helped Wood land his early comic-book assignments, making it unclear if that connection led to Wood's lettering or to his comics-art debut, the ten-page story "The Tip Off Woman" [sic] in the Fox Comics Western "Women Outlaws" #4 (cover-dated Jan. 1949, on sale late 1948). Wood's next known comic-book art did not appear until Fox's "My Confession" #7 (Aug. 1949), at which time he began working almost continuously on the company's similar "My Experience", "My Secret Life", "My Love Story" and "My True Love: Thrilling Confession Stories". His first signed work is believed to be in "My Confession" #8 (Oct. 1949), with the name "Woody" half-hidden on a theater marquee. He penciled and inked two stories in that issue: "I Was Unwanted" (nine pages) and "My Tarnished Reputation" (ten pages).

Wood began at EC co-penciling and co-inking with Harry Harrison the story "Too Busy For Love" ("Modern Love" #5), and fully penciling the lead story, "I Was Just a Playtime Cowgirl", in "Saddle Romances" #11 (April 1950), inked by Harrison.

1950s

[
thumb|left|Jack Kirby (pencils) and Wood (inks)] Working from a Manhattan studio at West 64th Street and Columbus Avenue, Wood began to attract attention in 1950 with his highly detailed and imaginative science-fiction artwork for EC and Avon Comics, some in collaboration with Joe Orlando. During this period, he drew in a wide variety of subjects and genres, including adventure, romance (which he really didn't care for) war and horror; message stories (for EC's "Shock SuspenStories"); and eventually satirical humor for now editor Harvey Kurtzman in "Mad".

Wood was instrumental in convincing EC publisher William Gaines to start a line of science fiction comics, "Weird Science" and "Weird Fantasy" (later combined under the single title "Weird Science Fantasy"). Wood penciled and inked several dozen EC science fiction stories, many considered classics. Wood also had frequent entries in "Two-Fisted Tales" and "Tales from the Crypt", as well as the later EC titles "Valor", "Piracy" and "Aces High".

Working over scripts and pencil breakdowns by Jules Feiffer, the 25-year-old Wood drew two months of Will Eisner's classic, Sunday-supplement newspaper comic book "The Spirit", on the 1952 story arc "The Spirit in Outer Space". Eisner, Wood recalled, paid him "about $30 a week for lettering and backgrounds on "The Spirit". Sometimes he paid $40 when I did the drawings, too". [Wood interview, "Comic Book Artist" #14, p. 19] Between 1957 and 1967, he produced both covers and interiors for more than 60 issues of the science-fiction digest "Galaxy Science Fiction", illustrating such authors as Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Jack Finney, C.M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Robert Sheckley, Clifford D. Simak and Jack Vance. He painted six covers for "Galaxy Science Fiction Novels" between 1952 and 1958. His gag cartoons appeared in the men's magazines "Dude", "Gent" and "Nugget". He inked the first eight months of the 1958-1961 syndicated comic strip "Sky Masters of the Space Force", penciled by Jack Kirby. Wood expanded into book illustrations, including for the picture-cover editions (though not the dust-jacket editions) of titles in the 1959 Aladdin Books reissues of Bobbs Merrill's 1947 "Childhood of Famous Americans" series. [Guthridge, Sue. "Tom Edison, Boy Inventor". Illustrated by Wood. New York : Aladdin Books ; London : Collier Macmillan, 1986, c1959] [ [http://seriesbooks.com/cfa.htm "Childhood of Famous Americans"] (1947 original issue)]

The Silver Age

Wood additionally did art and stories for comic-book companies large and small — from Marvel (and its 1950s iteration Atlas Comics), DC (including "House of Mystery" and Kirby's "Challengers of the Unknown"), and Warren ("Creepy" and "Eerie"), to such smaller firms as Avon ("Strange Worlds"), Charlton ("War and Attack", "Jungle Jim"), Fox ("Martin Kane, Private Eye"), Gold Key ("M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War", "Fantastic Voyage"), Harvey ("Unearthly Spectaculars"), King Comics ("Jungle Jim"), Atlas/Seaboard ("The Destructor"), Youthful Comics ("Capt. Science") and the toy company Wham-O ("Wham-O Giant Comics"). In 1965, Wood, Len Brown, and possibly Larry Ivie [Ivie, Larry, "Ivie League Heroes", Comic Book Artist 14 (July 2001), pp. 64-68] created "T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents" for Tower Comics. He wrote and drew the 1967 syndicated Christmas comic strip, "Bucky's Christmas Caper". [Starger, Steve and J. David Spurlock, "Wally's World" (Vanguard Productions, 2007), p. 177. ISBN 1-887591-80-X]

For Marvel during the Silver Age of comic books, Wood's work as penciler-inker of "Daredevil" #5-8 and inker (over Bob Powell) of issues #9-11 established the title character's distinctive red costume (in issue #7; see cover at left). When Daredevil guest-starred in "Fantastic Four" #39-40, Wood inked that character, over Jack Kirby pencils, on the covers and throughout the interior. [Per Stan Lee in letters page, "Fantastic Four" #42 (Sept. 1965)] Wood also penciled and inked the first four 10-page installments of the company's "Dr. Doom" feature in "Astonishing Tales" #1-4 (Aug. 1970 - Feb. 1971), and both wrote and drew anthological horror/suspense tales in "Tower of Shadows" #5-8 (May-Nov. 1970), as well as sporadic other work. [Wood inked "The Avengers" #20-22 and the "Iron Man" feature in "Tales of Suspense" #71, both over penciler Don Heck, as well as the "Human Torch" feature in "Strange Tales" #134, over Powell, in 1965; "Captain America" #127, over Gene Colan, in 1970; "Kull the Conqueror" #1, over Ross Andru, and "Red Wolf" in "Marvel Spotlight" #1, over Syd Shores, in 1971; and "The Cat" #1, over Marie Severin, in 1972. He inked Kirby on the covers of "Avengers" #20-21 and "The X-Men" #14. The Grand Comics Database (see "References", below) also cites "additional inks... uncredited" on the Kirby layouts and George Tuska pencil and ink work of the "Captain America" feature in "Tales of Suspense" #71.]

In one of his final assignments, Wood returned to a character he helped define, inking Frank Miller's cover of "Daredevil" #164 (May 1980).

In circles concerned with copyright and intellectual property issues, Wood is known as the artist of the unsigned satirical Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster, which first appeared in Paul Krassner's magazine "The Realist". [ [http://www.ep.tc/realist/74/12.html "The Realist" Archive Project: "The Realist" #74 (May 1967): "The Disneyland Memorial Orgy", by Paul Krassner and Wally Wood, pp. 12-13] , with credits listed at archive's [http://www.ep.tc/realist/74/24.html May 1967 Contents Page] ] The poster depicts a number of copyrighted Disney characters in various unsavory activities (including sex acts and drug use), with huge dollar signs radiating from Cinderella's Castle. Wood himself, as late as 1981, when asked who did that drawing, said only,"I'd rather not say anything about that! It was the most pirated drawing in history! Everyone was printing copies of that. I understand some people got busted for selling it. I always thought Disney stuff was pretty sexy... Snow White, etc." ["Comic Book Artist" #14, p. 20] Disney took no legal action against either Krassner or "The Realist" but did sue a publisher of a "blacklight" version of the poster, who used the image without Krassner's permission. The case was settled out of court.

During the 1960s, Wood did many trading cards and humor products for Topps Chewing Gum, including concept roughs for Topps' famed 1962 "Mars Attacks" cards prior to the final art by Bob Powell and Norman Saunders. Discovering (from Roy Thomas) that Jack Kirby had returned to DC in 1970, Wood called editor Joe Orlando in an attempt to get the assignment to ink Kirby's new work, but that role was already filled by Vince Colletta.Ro, Ronin. "Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution" (Bloomsbury, 2004)] Wood continued to produce periodic work for Marvel during the early 1970s, primarily as inker, and then worked on a handful of comics for DC between 1975 and 1977, producing in particular several covers for "Plop!" and inks for issues of "All Star Comics" and (over Steve Ditko) on Paul Levitz' four-issue miniseries "Stalker". Active with the 1970s Academy of Comic Book Arts, Wood also contributed to several editions of the annual "ACBA Sketchbook". His last known proper credit was inking "Wonder Woman" #269, cover-dated July, 1980. [ [http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=62422 ComicBookDb: "Wonder Woman" #269] . Accessed April 2, 2008]

Over several decades, numerous artists worked at the Wood Studio. Associates and assistants included Dan Adkins, Richard Bassford, Tony Coleman, Nick Cuti, Leo and Diane Dillon, Larry Hama, Russ Jones, Wayne Howard, Paul Kirchner, Joe Orlando, Bill Pearson, Al Sirois, Ralph Reese, Bhob Stewart, Tatjana Wood and Mike Zeck.

Wood as publisher

In 1966, Wood launched the independent magazine "witzend", one of the first alternative comics, a decade before Mike Friedrich's "Star Reach" or Flo Steinberg's "Big Apple Comix" (for which Wood drew the cover and contributed a story). Wood offered his fellow professionals the opportunity to contribute illustrations and graphic stories that detoured from the usual conventions of the comics industry. After the fourth issue, Wood turned "witzend" over to Bill Pearson, who continued as editor and publisher through the 1970s and into the 1980s.Wood additionally collected his feature "Sally Forth", published in the U.S. servicemen's periodicals "Military News" and "Overseas Weekly" from 1968-1974, in a series of four oversize (10"x12") magazines. Pearson, from 1993-95, reformatted the strips into a series of comics published by Eros Comix, an imprint of Fantagraphics Books, which in 1998 collected the entire run into a single 160-page volume.

In 1969, Wood created another seminal independent comic, "Heroes, Inc. Presents Cannon", intended for his "Sally Forth" military readership. Artists Steve Ditko and Ralph Reese and writer Ron Whyte are credited with primary writer-aritst Wood on three features: "Cannon", "The Misfits" and "Dragonella". A second magazine-format issue was published in 1976 by Wood and CPL Gang Publications. Larry Hama, one of Wood's assistants, said, "I did script about three "Sally Forth" stories and a few of the "Cannon"'s. I wrote the main "Sally Forth" story in the first reprint book, which is actually dedicated to me, mostly because I lent Woody the money to publish it". [ [http://joeguide.com/hama/artist.shtml JoeGuide.com: "Larry Hama: Writer & Artist"] , no date]

Final years

For much of his adult life, Wood suffered from chronic, unexplainable headaches. In the 1970s, following bouts with alcoholism, Wood suffered from kidney failure. A stroke in 1978 caused a loss of vision in one eye. Faced with declining health and career prospects, he committed suicide by gunshot three years later.

Wood was married three times. His first marriage was to artist Tatjana Wood, who later did extensive work as a comic-book colorist.

EC editor Harvey Kurtzman, who had worked closely with Wood during the 1950s, once commented, "Wally had a tension in him, an intensity that he locked away in an internal steam boiler. I think it ate away his insides, and the work really used him up. I think he delivered some of the finest work that was ever drawn, and I think it's to his credit that he put so much intensity into his work at great sacrifice to himself". ["EC Lives! The 1972 EC Fan-Addict Convention Book" (privately published)]

Awards

*National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Division awards, 1957, 1959, and 1965.
*Alley Award, Best Pencil Artist,1965
*Alley Award, Best Inking Work, 1966
*Best Foreign Cartoonist Award, Angoulême International Comics Festival, 1978
*The Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, 1989
*The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame, 1992

ee also

List of Mad Magazine issues

Audio

* [http://209.51.142.186/~dogatco/mmms/mmms65.mp3 Merry Marvel Marching Society recording] includes voice of Wally Wood

Footnotes

References

* [http://bpib.com/illustrat/wood.htm Illustrated Profile by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr.]
* [http://www.stevestiles.com/wood.htm "Wallace Wood: The Tragedy of a Master S.F. Cartoonist"]
* [http://www.tvparty.com/comics/woodPIC.html John Hitchcock's Wally Wood Letters and Photo Album]
* [http://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/08wood.html Michael T. Gilbert profile of Wood]
* [http://splashpages.com/wood/gallery/woodgallery1.html Neil Riehle's Splash Pages: Wally Wood Gallery and Online Checklist]
* [http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?type=credit&query=wallace+wood&sort=chrono&Submit=Search The Grand Comics Database: Wallace Wood] and [http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?query=wally+wood&type=credit&sort=chrono&Submit=Search Wally Wood] separate chronological search results
* Wood, Wally. "The Marvel Comics Art of Wally Wood". New York: Thumbtack Books, 1982, hardcover. ISBN 0-942480-02-3

External links

* [http://www.comic-art.com/biographies/wood0001.htm "Comic Art & Graffix Gallery": Biographies" Wallace Wood]
* [http://isthistomorrow.com/2004/woodcard.html "Is This Tomorrow?" Wood trading card]
* [http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards.asp National Cartoonist Society Awards]
* [http://joeljohnson.com/archives/2006/08/wally_woods_22.html Wally Wood's "22 Panels That Always Work"]
* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/m/misfitsww.htm Wally Wood's "The Misfits"]
*The Wally Wood yahoo group: [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wood-l]

Источник: Wally Wood

Stan Lee

Lee introduced the practice of including a credit panel on the splash page of each story, naming not just the writer and penciller but also the inker and letterer. Regular news about Marvel staff members and upcoming storylines was presented on the Bullpen Bulletins page, which (like the letter columns that appeared in each title) was written in a friendly, chatty style.

Throughout the 1960s, Lee scripted, art-directed, and edited most of Marvel's series, moderated the letters pages, wrote a monthly column called "Stan's Soapbox", and wrote endless promotional copy, often signing off with his trademark phrase "Excelsior!" (which is also the New York state motto). To maintain his taxing workload, yet still meet deadlines, he used a system that was used previously by various comic-book studios, but due to Lee's success with it, became known as the "Marvel Method" or "Marvel style" of comic-book creation. Typically, Lee would brainstorm a story with the artist and then prepare a brief synopsis rather than a full script. Based on the synopsis, the artist would fill the allotted number of pages by determining and drawing the panel-to-panel storytelling. After the artist turned in penciled pages, Lee would write the word balloons and captions, and then oversee the lettering and coloring. In effect, the artists were co-plotters, whose collaborative first drafts Lee built upon.

Because of this system, the exact division of creative credits on Lee's comics has been disputed, especially in cases of comics drawn by Kirby and Ditko. Similarly, Lee shares co-creator credit with Kirby on the two "Fantastic Four" films, while also sharing the same credit with Ditko with the "Spider-Man" feature film series.

In 1971, Lee indirectly reformed the Comics Code. The US Department of Health, Education and Welfare asked Lee to write a story about the dangers of drugs and Lee wrote a story in which Spider-Man's best friend becomes addicted to pills. The three-part story was slated to be published in "Amazing Spider-Man" #96-98, but the Comics Code Authority refused it because it depicted drug use; the story context was considered irrelevant.Fact|date=August 2008 With his publisher's approval, Lee published the comics without the CCA seal. The comics sold well and Marvel won praise for its socially conscious efforts.Fact|date=August 2008 The CCA subsequently loosened the Code to permit negative depictions of drugs, among other new freedoms.Fact|date=August 2008

Lee also supported using comic books to provide some measure of social commentary about the real world, often dealing with racism and bigotry. "Stan's Soapbox", besides promoting an upcoming comic book project, also addressed issues of discrimination, intolerance, or prejudice.Fact|date=August 2008 In addition, Lee took to using sophisticated vocabulary for the stories' dialogue to encourage readers to learn new words. Lee has justified this by saying: "If a kid has to go to a dictionary, that's not the worst thing that could happen."Fact|date=August 2008

Later career

In later years, Lee became a figurehead and public face for Marvel Comics. He made appearances at comic book conventions around America, lecturing at colleges and participating in panel discussions, and by now owning a vacation home on Cutler Lane in Remsenburg, New York [ [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_9.html Lewine, "The New York Times", Image 8] ] and, from 1975 to 1980, a two-bedroom condominium on the 14th floor of 220 East 63rd Street in Manhattan. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_11.html Lewine, "The New York Times", Image 10] ] He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties. He has been an executive producer for, and has made cameo appearances in Marvel film adaptations and other movies. He and his wife bought a home in West Hollywood, California previously owned by comedian Jack Benny's radio announcer, Don Wilson. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_12.html Lewine, "The New York Times", Image 11] ] Lee was briefly president of the entire company, but soon stepped down to become publisher instead, finding that being president was too much about numbers and finance and not enough about the creative process he enjoyed.

Lee also published two novels: "Dunn's Conundrum" [(Harper & Row, 1985, ISBN 0718125134, ISBN 978-0718125134)] and "The God Project". [(Grove/Atlantic, 1990, ISBN 0802111289, ISBN 978-0802111289)] In "Dunn's Conundrum", a group of American Cold War intelligence specialists called The Librarians are led by Harry Dunn. When the team investigates a leak of U.S. defense information, Dunn begins questioning the entire intelligence system and begins to wonder who the enemy truly is. As the U.S. and the Soviet Union approach the brink of nuclear war, Dunn must choose whether or not to release sensitive information. In "The God Project" presidential aide Malcom Keyes must investigate rumors of the CIA's titular secret weapon.

Later in the 1990s, Lee befriended former lawyer Peter Paul, who supervised the negotiation of a non-exclusive contract with Marvel Comics for the first time in Lee's lifetime employment with Marvel.Fact|date=August 2008 This enabled Paul and Lee to start a new Internet-based superhero creation, production and marketing studio, Stan Lee Media, in 1998. It grew to 165 people and went public, but near the end of 2000, investigators discovered illegal stock manipulation by Paul and corporate officer Stephan Gordon. [SEC Litigation Release No. LR-18828, August 11, 2004.] Stan Lee Media filed for bankruptcy in February 2001, and Paul fled to São Paulo, Brazil."Stan Lee Holder Peter Paul Flees to South America, According to Cohort's Affidavit", "Inside.com", March 5, 2001] ["Accusations Against Peter Paul Retracted and Corrected in Court Filing", "MarketWatch.com", May 7, 2001] He was extradited back to the U.S., and pled guilty to violating SEC Rule 10b-5 in connection with trading of his stock in Stan Lee Media.United States Attorney's Office, [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nye/pr/2005mar8.htm "Peter Paul, co-founder of Stan Lee Media, Inc., pleads guilty to securities fraud; Fraud scheme caused $25 million in losses to investors and financial institutions"] , press release, March 8, 2005. ] April Witt, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401150.html "House Of Cards: What do Cher, a Hollywood con man, a political rising star and an audacious felon have in common? Together they gave Bill and Hillary Clinton a night they'll never forget – no matter how hard they may try"] , "The Washington Post", October 9, 2005, p. W10] Lee was never implicated in the scheme.

Some of the Stan Lee Media projects included the animated Web series "The 7th Portal" where he voiced the character Izayus; "The Drifter"; and "The Accuser". The "7th Portal" characters were licensed to an interactive 3-D movie attraction in four Paramount theme parks.

In the 2000s, Lee did his first work for DC Comics, launching the "Just Imagine..." series, in which Lee reimagined the DC superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash.

Lee created the risqué animated superhero series "Stripperella" for Spike TV. In 2004, he announced plans to collaborate with Hugh Hefner on a similar superhero cartoon featuring Playboy Playmates.Fact|date=February 2007 He also announced a superhero program that would feature Ringo Starr, the former Beatle, as the lead character.cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4212335.stm | title=Ringo Starr to become superhero | publisher=BBC | work=| date=2004-08-06 | author= ] Additionally, in August of that year, Lee announced the launch of Stan Lee's Sunday Comics, [cite news | url=http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2004/08/06/Arts/lee040806.html | title=Stan Lee Launches New Online Comic Venture | publisher=CBC | work=| date=2004-08-06 | author= ] hosted by Komikwerks.com, where monthly subscribers could read a new, updated comic and "Stan's Soapbox" every Sunday. The column has not been updated since Feb. 15, 2005.

In 2005, Lee, Gill Champion and Arthur Lieberman formed POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment to develop film, television and video game properties. The first film produced by POW! was the TV movie "Lightspeed" (also advertised as "Stan Lee's Lightspeed"), which aired on the Sci Fi Channel on July 26, 2006.Fact|date=August 2008 POW! president and CEO Champion said in 2005 that Lee was creating a new superhero, Foreverman, for a Paramount Pictures movie, in tandem with producer Robert Evans and Idiom Films, with Peter Briggs hired to collaborate with Lee on the screenplay. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000819063 "The Hollywood Reporter" (March 1, 2005): "Lee, Evans' POW! fields 'Foreverman'", by Liza Foreman] ]

In 2005, Lee filed a lawsuit against Marvel for his unpaid share of profits from Marvel movies, winning a settlement of more than $10 million.Fact|date=August 2008

In 2006, Marvel commemorated Lee's 65 years with the company by publishing a series of one-shot comics starring Lee himself meeting and interacting with many of his creations, including Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, The Thing, Silver Surfer and Dr. Doom. These comics also featured short pieces by such comics creators as Joss Whedon and Fred Hembeck, as well as reprints of classic Lee-written adventures.

In 2007, POW! Entertainment started a series of direct-to-DVD animated films under the "Stan Lee Presents" banner. Each film focuses on a new superhero, created by Stan Lee for the series. The first two releases were "Mosaic" and "The Condor".

In June 2007, Walt Disney Studios entered into an exclusive multi-year first look deal with Stan Lee and POW! Entertainment. "It's like the realization of a dream. Ever since I was a young boy, Disney represented the best and most exciting film fare to me. ... I look forward with indescribable enthusiasm to being a part of that world and contributing whatever I can to keep the legend alive and growing," said Lee. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Disney Studios Signs Exclusive Deal With Stan Lee | date= | publisher=Magical Mountain | url =http://www.magicalmountain.net/WDWNewsDetail.asp?NewsID=1569 | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-06-15 | language = ]

On March 15, 2007, Stan Lee Media's new President Jim Nesfield filed a lawsuit against Marvel Entertainment for $5 billion, claiming that the company is co-owner of the characters that Lee created for Marvel. [ cite web |url=http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=21665&hed=Stan+Lee+Media+Sues+Marvel:+$5B |title=Stan Lee Media Sues Marvel|accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format=html |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl=http://strange.commongate.com/post/Stan_Lee_Media_Sues_Marvel_5B |archivedate=2007-09-22 |quote= ]

On June 9, 2007, Stan Lee Media sued Stan Lee, his newer company, POW Entertainment, subsidiary QED Entertainment, and other former Stan Lee Media staff at POW. [ cite web |url=http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/june_9_stan_lee_media_inc_files_aggressive_lawsuit_against_stan_lee/ |title=June 9: Stan Lee Media, Inc. Files Expected Lawsuit Against Stan Lee
accessdate=2007-09-22 |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format=html |work=Daily Blog |publisher=The Comic Reporter |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

In 2008, Lee wrote humorous captions for the political fumetti book "Stan Lee Presents Election Daze: What Are They Really Saying?". [(Filsinger Publishing, ISBN 0970263155; ISBN 978-0970263155)]

In April 2008, at the NYCC, Viz Media announced that their parent company Shueisha would be debuting the prologue chapter of "Karakuridôji Ultimo", a collaborative effort between Stan Lee and "Shaman King" creator Hiroyuki Takei. [ cite web |url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/864/864777p1.html |title=NYCC 08: Stan Lee Dives Into Manga
accessdate=2008-04-08 |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format=html |work= |publisher=IGN |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Brighton Partners and Rainmaker Animation announced in April 2008 a partnership with Lee's POW! Entertainment to produce a CGI film series, "Legion of 5". [cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=44144|title=Stan Lee Launching Legion of 5|accessdate=2008-04-16|publisher=ComingSoon.net] That same month, Virgin Comics announced Lee would create a line of superhero comics for that company. [ [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-virgin19apr19,1,7072456.story Stan Lee to oversee Virgin Comics' superheroes] , "LA Times", April 19, 2008]

Personal life

On December 5, 1947, Lee married Joan Clayton. Joan Lee gave birth to Stan's two daughters: Joan Celia "J.C." Lee in 1950 and Jan Lee, who died three days after delivery in 1953.

Interests

Lee's favorite authors include Stephen King, H. G. Wells, Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Harlan Ellison. ["Stan's Soapbox, Bullpen Bulletins", October 1998]

Awards and honors

Lee has received several awards for his work, including being formally inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995.

He is among the celebrities scheduled to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. [ [http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/spider-man-3/news/stan-lee-gets-a-star-on-walk-of-fame.html JustPressPlay.net (July 22, 2007): "Stan Lee Gets a Star on Walk of Fame!", by Arya Ponto] ]

Fictional portrayals

Stan Lee and his collaborator Jack Kirby appear as themselves in "The Fantastic Four" #10 (Jan. 1963), the first of several appearances within the fictional Marvel Universe. The two are depicted as similar to their real-world counterparts, creating comic books based on the "real" adventures of the Fantastic Four.

Kirby, during his years of working for DC Comics in the 1970s, created the character Funky Flashman as a possible parody of Stan Lee. With his hyperbolic speech pattern, gaudy toupee, and hip '70s-Manhattan style beard (as Lee sported at the time) this ne'er-do-well charlatan first appeared in the pages of "Mister Miracle".

Kirby later portrayed himself, Lee, production executive Sol Brodsky, and Lee's secretary Flo Steinberg as superheroes in "What If #11", "What If the Marvel Bullpen Had Become the Fantastic Four?", in which Lee played the part of Mister Fantastic. Lee has also made numerous cameo appearances in many Marvel titles, appearing in audiences and crowds at many characters' ceremonies and parties, and hosting an old-soldiers reunion in "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos" #100 (July 1972). Lee appeared, unnamed, as the priest at Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' wedding in "New Avengers Annual" #1. He pays his respects to Karen Page at her funeral in the "Daredevil" "Guardian Devil" story arc,issue and appears in "The Amazing Spider-Man" (June 1977).

In Alan Moore's satirical miniseries "1963", based on numerous Marvel characters of the 1960s, Moore's alter ego "Affable Al" parodies Lee and his allegedly unfair treatment of artists.

The "Young Dan Pussey" stories by Daniel Clowes, collected in "Pussey!", feature an exploitative publisher who relies on Lee's gung-ho style and "Bullpen" mythology to motivate his stable of naive and underpaid creators; the stories mainly satirize the state of mainstream comics in the 1990s, but also the subculture of young superhero fans that Lee helped to create.

In Marvel's 1991 comic book adaptation of game "Double Dragon", a character modeled after Stan Lee was specifically created for the comic and is introduced as the father of the protagonists, Billy and Jimmy Lee. The character is only referred by his first name, Stan, although the play on his name is obvious when one considers the Lee brothers' surname.

In "X-Play" on the cable network G4, the character "Roger, the Stan Lee Experience" - dubbed "the fifth-best-thing next to Stan Lee" - is a foul-mouthed, perverted stand-up comic parody of Lee. Roger's segments normally consist of him describing details of numerous unspeakable adult encounters, usually involving the wife of another Marvel veteran, Jack Kirby, with each encounter somehow leading to the creation of a well-known Marvel character.

In Marvel's July 1997 "Flashback" event, a top-hatted caricature of Lee as a ringmaster introduced stories which detailed events in Marvel characters' lives before they became superheroes, in special "-1" editions of many Marvel titles. The "ringmaster" depiction of Lee was originally from "Generation X" #17 (July 1996), where the character narrated a story set primarily in an abandoned circus. Though the story itself was written by Scott Lobdell, the narration by "Ringmaster Stan" was written by Lee himself, and the character was drawn in that issue by Chris Bachalo. Bachalo's depiction of "Ringmaster Stan" was later used in the heading of a short-lived revival of the "Stan's Soapbox" column, which evolved into a question & answer format.

In his given name of Stanley Lieber, Stan Lee appears briefly in Paul Malmont's 2006 novel "The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril".

Lee and other comics creators are mentioned in Michael Chabon's 2000 novel about the comics industry "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay".

On one of the last pages of "Truth: Red, White, and Black", Lee appears in a real photograph among other celebrities on a wall of the Bradley home.

In Ultimate X-Men #20, a caricature of Lee appears as a photograph next to the letter Xavier leaves for his students.

In Stan Lee Meets Superheroes, Stan Lee comes in to contact with some of his favorite creations. The series was written by Lee himself.

Film and television appearances

Marvel film properties

Stan Lee appeared in cameos as one-scene characters in many (but not all) movies based on Marvel Comic characters he helped create.

* In the TV-movie "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk" (1989), Lee's first appearance in a Marvel movie or TV project is as jury foreman in the trial of Dr. Bruce Banner.
*Lee has cameo roles in the Fox Broadcasting Company telefilms "Generation X" (1996) and "" (1998)
*In "X-Men" (2000), Lee appears as a customer at a hotdog stand on the beach when Senator Kelly emerges naked onshore after escaping from Magneto.
*In "Spider-Man" (2002), he appeared during Spider-Man's first battle with the Green Goblin, pulling a little girl away from falling debris.
*In "Daredevil" (2003), as a child, Matt Murdock stops Lee from crossing the street and getting hit by a car.
*In "Hulk" (2003), he appears walking alongside former TV-series Hulk Lou Ferrigno in an early scene, both as security guards at Bruce Banner's lab. It was his first speaking role in a film based on one of his characters.
*In "Spider-Man 2" (2004), Lee again pulls an innocent person away from danger during Spider-Man's first battle with Doctor Octopus.
*In "Fantastic Four" (2005), Lee appears for the first time as a character from the comics, in a role credited as Willie Lumpkin, the mail carrier who greets the Fantastic Four as they enter the Baxter Building.
*In "" (2006), Lee and Chris Claremont appear as two of Jean Grey's neighbors in the opening scenes set 20 years ago. Lee, credited as "Waterhose man," is watering the lawn when Jean telekinetically redirects the water from the hose into the air.
*In "Spider-Man 3" (2007), Lee appears in a credited role as "Man in Times Square". He stands next to Peter Parker, both of them reading a news bulletin, and commenting to Peter that, "You know, I guess one person can make a difference". He then says his catchphrase, "'Nuff said."
*In "" (2007), Lee appears as himself at Reed Richards' and Susan Storm's first wedding, being turned away by a security guard for not being on the guest list. In "Fantastic Four Annual" #3 (1965), in which the couple married, Lee and Jack Kirby are similarly turned away.
*In "Iron Man" (2008), Lee (credited as "Himself") appears at a gala cavorting with three blond women, where Tony Stark mistakes him for Hugh Hefner. [cite news |author=Eric Goldman |title=Stan Lee's Further Superhero Adventures |publisher=IGN |date=2007-05-04 |url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/785/785824p3.html |accessdate=2007-05-14] In the theatrical release of the film, Stark simply greets Lee as "Hef" and moves on without seeing Lee's face; another version of the scene was filmed where Stark realizes his mistake, but Lee graciously responds, "That's okay, I get this all the time." ["Iron Man" Ultimate 2-Disc Edition DVD, disc 2, "I Am Iron Man" documentary]
*In "Incredible Hulk" (2008), Lee appears as a hapless citizen who accidentally ingests a soft drink mixed with Bruce Banner's blood, leading to the discovery of Dr. Banner's location in a bottling plant in Brazil.

Warner/DC properties

* In the original broadcast airing of the "" episode "Apokolips... Now! Part 2", an animated Stan Lee was planned to be visible mourning the death of Daniel "Terrible" Turpin, a character based on Lee's collaborator Jack Kirby. The scene would also have included such Marvel characters as the Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, and Peter Parker, as well as such Kirby DC characters as Big Barda, Scott Free, and Orion. This shot appeared in the completed episode and was aired in 7 February 1998 in WB Kids, but was later removed in the DVD release of the episode. [The original sketches for this scene appear in the book "The Krypton Companion" (TwoMorrows Publishing)]

Other film, TV and video

* Lee appears with director Kevin Smith and 2000s Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada in the DVD program "Marvel Then & Now: An Evening with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith". [ [http://www.thenandnowdvd.org Then And Now] ]

*Lee narrated the 2000 film "", under the pseudonym "Peter Parker."

*One of Lee's earliest contributions to animation based on Marvel properties was narrating the 1980s "Incredible Hulk" animated series, always beginning his narration with a self-introduction and ending with "This is Stan Lee saying, "Excelsior"!" Lee had previously narrated the "Seven Little Superheroes" episode of "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends", which the "Hulk" series was paired with for broadcast.

*Lee did the narration for the original 1989 X-Men animated series pilot titled "Pryde of the X-Men".

*Lee was executive producer of a 1990s animated TV series, titled "". He appeared, as animated character (and with his voice), in the series finale episode titled "Farewell, Spider-Man". Spider-Man was teleported into the "real" world where he is a comic book hero. He swings Stan Lee around and drops him off on top of a building. Realizing he is stuck on a roof, Lee muses "Maybe the Fantastic Four will pop up and get me down."

*He also voices the character "Frank Elson" in an episode of "" series broadcast by MTV in 2003, and titled "Mind Games" (Parts 1 & 2, originally aired in Aug. 15 & 22, 2003).

*Lee has an extensive cameo in the Kevin Smith film "Mallrats". He once again plays himself, this time visiting "the" mall to sign books at a comic store. Later, he takes on the role of a sage-like character, giving Jason Lee's character, Brodie Bruce (a longtime fan of Lee's), advice on his love life. He also recorded interviews with Smith for the non-fiction video "Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels" (2002).

*Lee appeared as himself in an extended self-parodying sketch on the episode "Tapping a Hero" of "Robot Chicken"

*Lee appears as himself in writer-director Larry Cohen's "The Ambulance" (1990), in which Eric Roberts plays an aspiring comics artist.

*In "The Simpsons" episode "I Am Furious Yellow" (April 28, 2002), Lee voices the animated Stan Lee, who is a prolonged visitor to Comic Book Guy's store ("Stan Lee came back?" "Stan Lee never left. I am starting to think his mind is no longer in mint condition.") He asks if Comic Book Guy is the stalker of Lynda Carter - the star of the 70s show "Wonder Woman" - and shows signs of dementia, such as breaking a customer's toy Batmobile by trying to cram a The Thing action figure into it (claiming that he "made it better"), hiding DC comics behind Marvel comics, and believing that he is the Hulk (and fails trying to become the Hulk, while Comic Book Guy comments he couldn't even change into Bill Bixby). In a later episode, Lee's picture is seen next to several others on the wall behind the register, under the heading "Banned for life".

*Lee also appears as himself in the Mark Hamill-directed ' (2004), a direct-to-video mockumentary primarily filmed at the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con. He appeared in ' (2004) as the "Three Stooges Wedding Guest", a Spaniard who learns English from watching Three Stooges shorts.

*Stan Lee narrates the 2000 video game "Spider-Man" and the 2001 sequel "".

*Lee is producer and host of the reality-TV show "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?", which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel July 27, 2006, and had its second season in summer, 2007.

*Lee has made two appearances as a subject on "To Tell the Truth": first in 1970, and again in 2001.

*Lee also made an appearance on December 21, 2006, on the NBC game show "Identity".
*Lee voices characters in POW! Entertainment's direct-to-DVD "Stan Lee Presents" line of animated features. In "Mosaic" he voices the security guard Stanley at Interpol, and in "The Condor" he voices a candy-store owner whose granddaughter the Condor saves.

*In the "Unexpected" episode of the TV science-fiction drama "Heroes" (2006), Lee appears as a bus driver kindly greeting Hiro Nakamura.

Radio

*Lee recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's "Hip-Hop Literacy" campaign

Action figure

At the 2007 Comic-Con International, Marvel Legends introduced a Stan Lee action figure. The body beneath the figure's removable cloth wardrobe is re-used from the mold of a previously released Spider-Man action figure, with only minor changes. [ [http://www.oafe.net/yo/mlh2_sl.php OAFE - ML: Stan Lee exclusive review] ]

elected bibliography

Comics that Stan Lee has written or co-written include:

*"The Amazing Spider-Man" (Vol. 1): #1-100, 105-110, 116-118
*"The Avengers" (Vol. 1): #1-34
*"Captain America" (Vol. 1) #100-109, 112, 114-141
*"Daredevil" (Vol. 1): #1-9, 11-50, 53, 81
*"Fantastic Four" (Vol. 1): #1-115, 120-125, 154, 180, 189, 236, 296
*"Journey into Mystery" (Vol. 1): #1, 3, 55, 62, 64, 71-79, 83-125
*"Ravage 2099"
*"Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos": #1-28
*"The Silver Surfer" (Vol. 1): #1-18
*"Solarman" 1-2
*"Strange Tales" (Vol. 1): #1, 9, 11, 67, 73-74, 78-86, 88-89, 91-95, 97-98, 100-147, 150-157, 174, 182-188
*"Tales to Astonish" (Vol. 1): #1, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 24-33, 35-101
*"Tales of Suspense" (Vol. 1): #7, 9, 16, 22, 27, 29-30, 39-99
*"The Mighty Thor" (Vol. 1): #126-194, 200, 254, 385, 432, 450
*"The X-Men" (Vol. 1): #1-21

Footnotes

References

* Lee, Stan, "Origins of Marvel Comics" (Simon and Schuster, 1974; Marvel Entertainment Group, 1997 reissue, ISBN 0-7851-0551-4)
* Lee, Stan, and Mair, George. "Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee" (Fireside, 2002) ISBN 0-684-87305-2
* Ro, Ronin. "Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution" (Bloomsbury USA, 2005 reissue) ISBN 1-58234-566-X
* Raphael, Jordan, and Spurgeon, Tom. "Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book" (Chicago Review Press, 2003) ISBN 1-55652-506-0
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/NAML8.HTM#N162 Stan Lee] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
* [http://powentertainment.com/ POW! Entertainment] (official site)
* [http://www.stanleeweb.com Stan Lee Web] (fan site)

External links

* [http://www.folkstory.com/articles/spiderman.html Framingham, Mass., "Daily News" (May 5, 2002): "Myth and the Hero's Journey: Big Screen Blockbusters - Star Wars, Spider-Man Tell Timeless Tales", by Chris Bergeron]
*"Newsday" (April 1, 2007): "Fast Chat: Stan Lee"
* [http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/886 Stan Lee: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi)]

Audio/Video

* [http://209.51.142.186/~dogatco/mmms/mmms65.mp3 Audio of Merry Marvel Marching Society record] , including voice of Stan Lee
* (autobiographical)
* [http://www.chriscomerradio.com/stan_lee/stan_lee4-1-05.htm Chris Comer Radio Interviews: "Stan Lee"] , April 1, 2005
* [http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/comic_geek_speak-111.php Comic Geek Speak: Episode 83] - Stan Lee interview podcast, December 12, 2005
* [http://daily.mahalo.com/2008/01/28/md044-stan-lee-interview/ Mahalo Daily with Veronica Belmont: "MD044 - Stan Lee Interview"] , January 28, 2008
* [http://www.truegameheadz.com/blogheadz/stan-lee-the-man/ Stan Lee receives 1st New York comics legend award] April 17 2008

Источник: Stan Lee