He’s considered a legend in the realm of pop culture, and in the late 1950’s he revolutionised comics and created some of the world’s most popular characters. Stan Lee is a comic-book writer, editor, film executive, producer, and publisher and he lead the charge for taking Marvel Comics from a small division within a publishing house to its expansion into a multimedia corporation. Without him there would be no Spiderman, no Fantastic Four, no Iron Man, no Hulk, no Avengers.
At 94 years of age he still manages to emit a youthful cheeky demeanour and on his first ever trip to Adelaide, Stan Lee wowed the audiences of Supanova Comic Con & Gaming by regaling us with stories of his career. We pick out 5 of the most interesting tidbits from his question & answer panels to share …
The Origins Of Spiderman…
When Stan Lee was trying to think of a new superhero, it was the humble fly that inspired him for his next character. He wanted a character that had the ability to climb walls but also wanted the character to be a teenager, so as to be relatable for the teenage comic-book readers. Thus Peter Parker / Spiderman was born, a superhero with real-world troubles and challenges that the young audiences could feel closer to.
Playing favourites …
As the creator for so many popular characters it’s a little cliche to ask but does Stan Lee have a favourite out of them all? Spiderman of course, but coming in a close second is Iron Man. Lee is quick to joke that he modeled Iron Man on himself, a rich, handsome man with a great suit of armour. He also says that nobody could have brought the character of Tony Stark / Iron Man to life on the cinema screen better than Robert Downey Jr. One thing that Lee does say repeatedly though is that choosing favourites for him is hard, it’s like trying to pick which one of your children is your favourite.
The Man and his cameos …
Stan Lee has become practically synonymous with popular culture and the comicbook genre but his popularity has increased over the years thanks to his ironic cameos in Marvel films. Quizzed on whether he knows about his role prior to filming those cameos he says that he almost never knows beforehand what his cameo will involve. He just shows up onset and is told by the director what they want him to do.
He also quips that his favourite cameos are the ones where he’s in it for more than one scene. This includes the Avengers: Age of Ultron cameo where he challenges Thor to drinking the Asgardian brew and ends up having to be carried out. As well as his cameo in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 where he is seen having a friendly chat with The Watchers only to then be promptly abandoned in space, as well as popping up in the end credits roll. One audience member even proposed that they should make a Stan Lee movie where all the stars of the Marvel films make cameos, which Stan thought was a great idea!
It’s “comicbook” not “comic book” …
Whilst in the middle of responding a question, Stan Lee feels compelled to jump into a tangent about the word “comicbook” and how it should be properly spelt. Saying that it should be spelt as “comicbook” or as one word, not two words. Clarifying that if it’s spelt as two words “comic” “book” it’s referring to a funny or comedic book. But when saying it as one word, it clearly signifies that you’re talking about a book that comprises of comic strips. Considering he’s been in the industry for 70+ years you can’t argue with the master.
A Word Of Advice …
For a man who has had such a long and successful career, it’s no surprise that fans want to pick his brain over how to best achieve success in their own endeavours. Stan says that any aspiring writers or artists should continually read stories and find things in their life that they find interesting to draw inspiration from. You should also seek out a mentor, somebody who is already working in that industry that can provide you guidance and be able to learn from what they do. And so you can maybe steal some of their ideas he quips at the end.
Stan Lee appeared as part of the Supanova Comic Con And Gaming Brisbane and Adelaide tours.
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