The love of comics has brought up a whole generation of adults who believe that changes in the set of chromosomes can enrich a person with the ability to crawl along walls like a spider, stretch out like an elastic band, or suddenly disappear. Comics replaced modern people with the myths and tales that our ancestors entertained with their imagination. But even people who are not fans of this genre know the legendary Marvel company. Stan Lee, the famous author of the most popular stories about superheroes, made the little-known magazine a widely recognized brand.
Start
Martin's family lived very poorly, therefore, after graduating from high school, young Stan begins to work in the literary field. His first works were very far from funny comics - at first he wrote obituaries for the news service and messages for the tuberculosis center. However, he was soon invited to Marvel Comics.
In the 60s, DC Comics Superman and Batman became incredibly popular. Marvel was on the verge of ruin, it was urgent to come up with new heroes that could eclipse a pushy couple. And Stan did what literally blew up the entire comic book world. He released a series of numbers about the adventures of the Fantastic Four.
Today, no one remembers the Justice League created by DC Comics, but everyone knows the Avengers (Hulk, Iron Man, Osu, Ant-Man and Thor) produced by Marvel. Stan Lee came up with them as an answer to competitors. But, of course, the biggest success was Spider-Man, who advanced Marvel Comics to a leading position in its segment.
Marvel Success: Stan Lee Chief Editor
After receiving the post of chief editor of the Marvel Comics Group, Stan introduced a number of innovations that have now become generally accepted. For example, he was the first to mention in the credits not only writers and comic artists, but also indicate the names of people who selected paints and fonts. He also came up with the idea of organizing correspondence with fans, which added to his already crazy popularity to his brainchild.
Even stepping down as Marvel’s owner, Stan Lee continued to live actively in the universe of his superheroes. As a special compliment to fans, he even took part in films created based on his own comics.
Stan Lee in the Marvel Movies
The author of the comics took part in almost all adaptations of his works. Sometimes as real media personalities, like in the movie Iron Man 2, where he played the role of Larry King. In the first Iron Man, his incredible resemblance to Hugh Heffner allowed him to play the role of owner of Playboy. In Fantastic Four: The Silver Surfer Invasion, he played himself, whom the guard did not allow at the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. In all the other films, Stan Lee occasionally appears in the role of a frightened passerby during an attack by a goblin (Spider-Man), a seller of hot dogs on the beach (X-Men), an absent-minded newspaper reader who is stopped in time by Matt Blind Murdock (“ Daredevil ”), an elderly security guard (“ The Hulk ”), a real comic book character, postman Willy Lampkin (“ Fantastic Four ”). It is he who saves the woman from falling pieces of the wall when Spider-Man fights with the Octopus (Spider-Man-2), inspires the protagonist in Spider-Man-3 and pours water on the lawn while Gene Gray demonstrates his abilities in the film X-Men: The Final Battle. ” In The Avengers, he gives an interview to the TV channel, where he doubts the presence of superheroes in New York, in The Incredible Hulk, he accidentally drinks milk with Bruce Banner’s blood, in Torah he helps to pull Mjolnir’s hammer out of the funnel, and in The First Avenger attends the Captain America Award.
And these are only large projects in which we can personally witness a charismatic man. You can list many animated and television roles for quite some time.
Parallel world at arm's length
Today, the question "who is the undisputed king of comics?" the answer is undeniable - Stan Lee (Marvel). Quotes from the dialogues of his heroes fans relish with pleasure in personal communication. For example, the famous phrase: “The greater the strength, the greater the responsibility” gained fame after the comic strip about Spider-Man. And the statement of Victor von Doom from the Fantastic Four: “He is drawn to the stars, but the load of problems does not allow him to tear himself off the ground” was doomed to fame. Also a brilliant idea, reflecting all the evil of this world, said by Matthew Murdoch: “I no longer see the city, only its darkness” could not go unnoticed.
Perhaps the characters of his works entered our life so naturally because they themselves are very similar to us? In their free time from exploits, they are simple townsfolk who can also be hurt in the subway, they also have problems with girls and have an obligation to visit the employment center. Patiently blowing a crush on public transport, people do not lose hope of unexpectedly discovering a fantastic gift, like the heroes of their favorite comics.
Unlike Batman and Superman, who operate in Metropolis and Gotham City, Spider-Man and Daredevil save real people in a real city. The idea of placing the main action of comic books in New York and carefully monitoring the credibility of its scenery brought Marvel more than a dozen points to its popularity.
Super Stan
The secret to the success of Stan Lee's ideas is that he, like no one else, sensitively grasped the aspirations of readers, giving them what they wanted before they could realize it. He easily communicated with the public, deftly tacking in changing moods and fashion.
He created an authoritative mark of quality in the world of comics - Stan Lee (Marvel). A photo of this cheerful old man accompanies every mention of superheroes. And most importantly, he simply did his job with great pleasure, putting his soul and all his talent into it.