There has been a plethora of Stan Lee’s bios to choose from since his passing. The main reason Is elected this was its brevity. I figured 192 pages should tell me just enough about The Man and Marvel. And it actually did just that. It was very informative, accessible and fun, obviously well researched and fascinating, but…biased. Granted I’m not a frequent biography readers, but the ones I’ve read have all been either neutral or very fond of their subjects. Not the case here. In fact, from the beginning the author seems downright contemptuous of his subject and frequently throughout the book he chose to go with the worst possible explanation of a situation or a behavior.
It didn’t color my opinion of Stan Lee overall, because I’m a huge fan and have a tremendous amount of respect for The man, his talent, his legend and his legacy. Just wasn’t sure the author shared that. At any rate, it didn’t preclude him from being able to present facts of life and doing so in a fun and engaging manner…second reason I chose this bio was Mackinder’s past comedic career, figured it’d be a fun read. It was. Also, opinionated. Jack Kirby, another Marvel luminary, was presented in a surprisingly kind light, considering the amount of nastiness he has spewed Lee’s way over the years. In fact, it’s kind of amazing the two have ever managed to work together, let alone for so long. Toward the end of his life Kirby has bitterly accused Lee of all sorts of things, Trumpstyle blatant untruths about easily verifiable facts. But anyway…Lee was in business for ages, has been essential in making Marvel the powerhouse it became, however that trajectory has ebbed and flowed over the years. The two are inseparable with Stan Lee having been the face and image of the company for decades. You don’t get to a place like that without stepping on some toes, without resorting to some shameless self promotion (something the author of this book seems especially begrudging about). And the thing is it doesn’t really matter, not in the grand scheme of things. Spoken like a fan? Sure. Why wouldn’t you be one? Stan Lee was the embodiment of the American Dream, a son of impoverish Eastern European Jewish immigrants who attainted success in every possible measure. A talented writer, a wily promoter, an intuitive businessman, an imaginative luminary, a devoted family man and eventually a very, very wealthy one. Stan Lee created legends and in the end became one. Nothing in the book has made me admire The Man any less, despite the author’s occasionally snippy tone. Plus I learned a bunch of things about Lee and Marvel and the comic industry in general, from bitter rivalries to grand successes. These days Marvel Cinematic Universe has made the entire world aware of Lee’s (and others’) creations. I’m not actually a huge fan of traditional superhero comics, but some things are just impossible not to appreciate, if only for their tremendous entertainment value. And so In loved the behind the scenes look at the origin stories of some of the greatest, greenest, grandiose, gravity defying and grooviest gangbusters out there. That attempt at grandiloquence was to honor Stan Lee, the alliteration king par excellence. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. The infusion of author’s personality might work to a different degree for different readers, but the stories within these book are too great to fail, irrespective of perspectives. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
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