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A New Book Called "Stan Lee Lied", Claims That Stan Lee… Lied

Chaz Gower has written a new book Stan Lee Lied: Your Handy Guide to Every Lie in The Origins of Marvel Comics.

Published Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:17:11 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Chaz Gower's new book, "Stan Lee Lied," investigates and debunks lies about Stan Lee's comic book origins.
Claims Lee exaggerated his role in Marvel's creation, using documented evidence to refute his statements.
Examines overlooked inaccuracies in Lee's 1974 book "Origins of Marvel Comics," now in a deluxe edition.
Argues that Lee's falsehoods were aimed at boosting his reputation and prominence in the comic book industry.

Chaz Gower has written a new book called Stan Lee Lied. Full title, Stan Lee Lied: Your Handy Guide to Every Lie in The Origins of Marvel Comics. And it does exactly what it says on the tin. Dedicated to Bleeding Cool favourite Bob Beerbohm (Bleeding Cool gets itself a couple of mentions), it takes the Stan Lee-authored Origins Of Marvel Comics for its fiftieth anniversary, and systematically attempts to disprove as many of the statements in that book as possible, using recorded facts and archives, testimonies and memories of others. This is a case for the prosecution; there is no attempt to be even-handed, and anything that doesn't challenge the tenet that Stan Lee didn't co-create or write the comic books he claimed to have and was credited for is either not included or dismissed with a hand wave.

That 1974 volume Origins Of Marvel Comics is itself getting a deluxe hardcover printed from Gallery Editions next month for its fiftieth anniversary, so this is clearly well-timed. Maybe you could read them together? Here is just one small example to let you know where this is going…

"Stan Lee: "At the moment, the trend is monster stories… Jack and I were having a ball turning out monster stories with such imperishable titles as "Xom, the Creature Who Swallowed Earth", Grottu, the Giant Ant-Eater"… "Fin Fang Foom"…."

"Stan Lee signed almost everything he ever did from… at least 1950 on. Most likely from Day One, but for SURE from 1950 on. He signed pin-up pages if he wrote even the smallest of dialogue on it, and paper doll pages in Patsy Walker comics… he rarely if ever missed an opportunity to sign his name to something, to get the credit and of course, the PAY. BUT… He never signed a single Jack Kirby monster story from those presuperhero years at Marvel Comics. Which means he didn't write ANY of them. Not ONE SINGLE STORY. He signed NONE OF THEM. Which means he didn't write ANY of them."

What Chaz is doing here is not just aiming to show that Stan Lee lied about so much, but making that case that Stan Lee with a purpose, to increase his role, to gain plaudits, and even the small lies are used to build up a narrative that would justify his claim to create the Marvel Comics universe and profit from that reputation. And that without them, his claims would seem outlandishly false. That, basically, Stan Lee, was the Donald Trump of comic books.

Stan Lee Lied: Your Handy Guide to Every Lie in The Origins of Marvel Comics is available now. Origins Of Marvel Comics is republished in October. Let us know what conclusions you come to.

Stan Lee Lied: Your Handy Guide to Every Lie in The Origins of Marvel Comics by Chaz Gower
In 1974, Stan Lee released the 'Origins of Marvel Comics', laying claim to the creation of some of the greatest superheroes in the history of comic books. For 50 years, the lies and inaccuracies of this book have been overlooked or outright ignored by the mainstream media and even many comic journalists.
For the first time, an in depth look at just how inaccurate Lee's story is – fact-checked with modern updated means of information collection and later interviews with the people who were there.
Stan Lee Lied. A LOT.
And that's a fact.

Origins of Marvel Comics Deluxe Editionby Stan Lee, Chris Ryall
Now back in print and timed for its 50th anniversary—the landmark book Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee! A deluxe, collector's edition of the original Origins of Marvel Comics including a new cover, essays, and more. Originally published in 1974, Origins of Marvel Comics features the first appearance of characters who have dominated the pantheon of Marvel's modern storytelling mythology—Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, and Doctor Strange—along with a second Silver Age tale featuring these special heroes, all hand-picked and introduced by the one and only Stan Lee, and serving as an essential showcase for writers and artists such as Stan himself, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and Marie Severin. Whether viewed as a historical artifact that launched an industry of presenting Marvel Comics to a broad audience of fans or a collection of the best in Silver Age comics by many of the greatest creators to ever put pencil to paper, Origins of Marvel Comics highlights both the lasting greatness of these iconic characters as well as the monumental contributions of the talented creators who launched an entire storytelling universe.

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