10/01/2022
Gr 8 Up—In this young adult adaptation of his adult book of the same title, Batchelor chronicles the development of the comic book industry, the rise of the superhero genre, and the life of Stanley Lieber from the Great Depression and Cold War, through 1960s counterculture to 21st-century multimedia stardom. Batchelor presents Lee, like his Marvel creations, as an antihero—an imperfect man struggling to prove himself worthy of his accolades while simultaneously positioning himself as a defender of freedom of expression against the repressive Comics Code. As a child of Romanian-Jewish parents, Lee grew up in a period of economic collapse and patriotic fervor. Quick-witted, opportunistic, and fiercely ambitious, the teen evolved from office boy to writer/editor, scripting the antihero archetype that later morphs into the well-known motif of the paradoxical, accidental superhero. Developing creative collaborations that lasted decades, Lee cultivated talent and generated opportunities for freelance artists through the Marvel Method of storytelling, broke the fourth wall by speaking directly to readers, and fabricated celebrity status through entrepreneurial spirit, keen awareness of cultural shifts, shrewd business acumen, and perseverance. This well-researched and annotated account brings the iconic figure to life with colorful anecdotes and deep dives into historical and sociopolitical context yet gets mired in transactional accounts of the publishing business that may lose the interest of young readers or anyone but the most fervent fans. Very little attention is paid to women in Lee's life or in the comic book industry, as the narrative paints the picture of a business run and influenced by men. VERDICT An extra purchase for libraries to fill a gap or for those with special interests.—Rebecca Jung
2022-07-27
A young readers’ adaptation of Batchelor’s 2017 profile of the same name for adult readers, co-publishing with a new version of the adult original.
Along with lightly massaging his text, the author adds a chapter that takes the Marvel universe story up to Lee’s death in 2018 and details the horrific elder abuse that marked his last years. Taking an evenhanded stance on the ugly squabbles that developed between Lee and artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko over who played just what roles in developing the foundational Marvel characters, he nonetheless perceptively argues that Lee’s distinctive voice was his greatest contribution because it created and, over decades, established a uniquely human, flawed superhero archetype. But he makes more debatable claims too, for example, about the vast extent of Marvel’s cultural influence, and sometimes assumes the role of apologist, as when he soft-pedals the sexism of projects like Savage She-Hulk and Stripperella. Problematically in terms of audience appeal, Batchelor stuffs his account of Lee’s career trajectory from office boy to international icon with more than enough minor detail about sales figures, corporate maneuvering, marketing deals, failed publications, personnel shifts, and the like to glaze the eyes of most fans. Readers who really can’t get enough about the comics biz will gravitate anyway to the marginally longer edition for adults.Nine drawings of Lee and associates and a scanty selection of photos and covers offer inadequate visual relief from the densely packed pages.
A superfluous offering. (notes, index) (Biography. 14-16)
08/28/2017
This unauthorized biography by cultural historian Batchelor (Mad Men: A Cultural History) is as much a history of Marvel Comics and the comic book industry as it is of Stan Lee, the man largely credited with transforming the comic book industry into a pop culture colossus. Batchelor begins with Lee’s childhood in New York City during the Great Depression, to which he attributes Lee’s strong work ethic and ambition. A workaholic from an early age, Lee joined the comic book industry at its infancy, learning the ropes from writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby, who were his mentors at Timely Comics (later renamed Marvel Comics). By age 19, Lee had already taken over as editor-in-chief. Aside from the first chapter on his childhood, the book mainly glosses over Lee’s personal life, focusing primarily on his career. Batchelor shows how Lee led his team of writers and illustrators with a can-do spirit, working with his staff in employing snappy dialogue and colorful graphics to concoct a dynamic new medium. Introducing racial diversity, serial storytelling, current events, and emotional conflict, the boastful Lee and his team devised a marvelous universe of new characters, who connected strongly with readers by displaying emotional weaknesses that equaled their physical strengths. Though the parallels he draws between Lee and his superheroes become redundant after awhile, Batchelor successfully shows how this dreamer and risk-taker perfectly captured the cultural zeitgeist and assisted in creating “fairy tales for grown-ups.” (Sept.)
Bob Batchelor's bio of Stan Lee is not only thorough and accurate, it's also extremely well written. If you enjoy reading Stan's stories, you'll enjoy the story of Stan just as much.
Bob Batchelor has done a very professional and well researched job.... If you want to understand the principal creator of the Marvel Universe, this new biography could serve as a one-stop shop.... Batchelor clearly knows what he’s doing, being the author of cultural studies on subjects ranging from Mad Men ... to The Great Gatsby. If you want someone to provide an objective, outsider’s analysis of the life and work of Stan Lee, then it would be hard to find a cultural historian more qualified than Batchelor. This is especially true for readers who haven’t dived into the story of Marvel comics before. For all fellow baby boomers—remember how Stan the Man used to sign off all those Soapboxes—Excelsior!
The Man Behind Marvel is a handy document that not only tracks the career of the best-known man in comic books, but also traces the rise of Marvel from copycat also-ran to industry king.
There is a lot of content in this book. I think it will be a valuable resource for enthusiasts, students of ephemera, and future historians. I appreciated the incredibly detailed footnotes and reference sections. Amazingly thorough job.
[Bachelor] does a great job with the obviously meticulously researched information he provides so if you’re something of a newbie to Marvel or don’t recognize him beyond his name and the cameos he makes in his movies then this would be a good book for you.... Bachelor is well-known for his unbiased analysis in cultural studies of popular works and figures so you’d be hard-pressed to find a better work done.
Bob’s Batchelor’s Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel provides an insightful look into not only the titular man himself, but also the complex and captivating world of Marvel Comics growth and evolution over the years.... Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel is an exceptionally well researched book and even for those who are not prone to reading non-fiction it will still engage you through the well written prose. You also get to see some great photos of Stan Lee in his younger days. I highly recommend this book to comic book fans, regardless of your publisher preferences, and to anyone who enjoys the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Netflix series. You will come away with so much knowledge and a better understanding of how Marvel has prevailed throughout the years through the exceptional Stan Lee.
As a cultural historian, Bob Bachelor has evidently done vast and in-depth research of Stan Lee and his path to becoming a central figure in American pop culture, as well as the birth and evolution of the modern day comic book industry.... [It's] a pleasant read.... [I]f you want a heavily researched book that gives a solid analysis of the comic book industry and the man that heavily influenced its transformation, then this book is for you.
Meet Stanley Lieber: movie fan, adventure-story fan, budding writer. Young Stanley started in the comic book business as an assistant to Timely Comics’ head writer, Joe Simon, and to artist Jack Kirby. Along the way, as he graduated from assistant to writer, he became known as Stan Lee and wound up revolutionizing the comic-book business: in partnership with some of the great artists (Kirby and the legendary Steve Ditko, among others), he created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and other familiar superheroes. What made Lee’s creations special was his insistence on giving them recognizable human traits and flaws; these weren’t idealized superheroes but real people with special abilities. This is a solidly researched and written biography of Lee (who is in his mid-nineties now).... [Lee] is a hugely entertaining story, and the author tells it well.
When writing a definitive account of a figure that looms as large as any fictional superhero, such as Stan Lee, the chosen writer must know the subject beyond genial superlatives. … As a celebrated historian and author, Bob Batchelor expertly delves into the canvas of Stan Lee’s creations as well as the creator himself in a discourse that is matchless, an exemplary biography with heart that shares how Stan Lee helped to shape the comic book medium’s landscape as well as our contemporary understanding of the power of the individual.
Stan Lee is one of the most recognized names in comic book history, a deserving accolade because of his momentous contributions as a Marvel Comics administrator, editor, writer, and creator of some of the world’s favorite pop culture icons. Of course, his penchant to stay in the limelight through self-promotion and self-reinvention, and his good fortune to remain active into his mid-nineties, were also to his advantage. Batchelor (Miami Univ.) does an admirable job of piecing together the verifiable facts and anecdotes about Lee, with non-supported “Stan legend” and murky details (e.g., about his ancestry), bits of history about the comics and society of the times, and plot synopses of comic books created by Lee and his cohorts. He points to decisive periods when Lee questioned being “only” a comics writer, and when he deviated from his publisher’s wishes and moved into new directions. Lee and Marvel’s downsides, such as his professional squabbles with Jack Kirby and others, and the company’s financial woes of the nineties, are not spared, but what is lacking is a picture of “the man behind Marvel” in a non-professional, out-of-the-company light. Stan Lee is a well-researched, lucid addition to superhero comics history and comics biography more generally.
[In this] energetic and entertaining biography.... Batchelor examines many of Lee’s most beloved works, including the 1960s comics that transformed Marvel from a second-rate company to a legendary publisher. This book reveals the risks Lee took to bring the characters to life and Lee’s tireless efforts to make comic books and superheroes part of mainstream culture for more than fifty years. Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel not only reveals why Lee developed into such a central figure in American entertainment history, but brings to life the cultural significance of comic books and how the superhero genre reflects ideas central to the American experience. Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, this is a biography of a man who dreamed of one day writing the Great American Novel, but ended up doing so much more—changing American culture by creating new worlds and heroes that have entertained generations of readers.
Stan Lee is must reading for comics fans and anyone interested in the creative process. A great book about a great man.
Readers will love this book even if they know the outcome of Stan’s story. The thrill of this biography is not in Lee’s triumphs but in following the Voice of Marvel through decades of doubts, frustrations, and professional dissatisfaction before he achieved his status as an American icon. Batchelor took readers back in time with a highly descriptive style that would be at home in a novel. A meticulously researched and fact-filled account accompanied Batchelor’s breezy writing to analyze comic’s greatest bard…. Batchelor went on to fill in the blanks of history in an approachable and informative manner. It was clear he put a great effort into acquiring the multiple sources he cited regularly in the Chicago style. Moreover, this book would be a blessing for anyone seeking a secondary academic source on comics or the history of Stan Lee…. Whether a reader is a comic historian or just a big fan, Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel is chock-full of a thrilling narrative, stories, and little-known trivia in the life of Stan Lee….Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel is available on Amazon in paperback or e-book and is a must-read for comic readers and historians. Pick it up today!
Where Batchelor succeeds most is fleshing out the settings and context along the narrative spine of Lee’s life. To understand Lee’s emerging choices as a teenager, for instance, is to comprehend the rise of the pulp book business, the branching out of comic strip publishing and the convergence of colorful men looking to make a buck after World War I, even if it meant making connections with the Mob. Superheroes are first embraced by American readers not yet economically lifted by the postwar boom. [Stan Lee:] The Man Behind Marvel is a thorough primer for the newcomer to the tale of Lee’s legendary 1960s rise. Batchelor delves into not only how Lee worked as an editor — the creative freedom he gave many artists worked to his advantage, too — but also how he built himself into a celebrity brand synonymous with the Marvel name.
Bob Batchelor's book takes us on a journey into the life and imagination of Stan Lee, whose collaborations with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko laid the foundation of the Marvel Universe and unleashed a creative explosion that continues to impact—and transform—all of popular culture.
How did Mr. Batchelor tell a story that all comic book aficionados know in a new way and how did he make a comfortably mundane life interesting? The author took a step back from the protagonist of the biography and described the world and conditions that shaped Mr. Lee, allowing the reader to explore their own understanding of the character.... Mr. Batchelor offers us a book worth reading because he does more than distill Mr. Lee’s many interviews. Stan Lee teaches us that powerful writing comes out of adversity. Without the restrictions and worries that surely influenced Mr. Lee’s work, our shared cultural heritage would be different. Perhaps most importantly, the author doesn’t skimp on the parts of Stan Lee’s life that you really want to know about. We get detailed tellings of the creation of the Fantastic Four, of Mr. Lee’s working relationship with Jack Kirby, and his somewhat unfocused later years. (Where do you go when you become a living legend by your fifties and live into your nineties?) Whether or not you’re a comic book person, Mr. Batchelor’s book is a worthwhile chronicle of a writer’s life and offers other writers the opportunity to see what it’s like to have your creative dreams come true in ways you didn’t expect.
What artists entertained, inspired, and promoted social change in the twentieth century? When future historians ask that question, Stan Lee will fill their thought bubbles—with the incredible, hulking story Bob Batchelor delivers in this book.
An insightful and candid look at one of the twentieth century's greatest myth-makers.
In this smartly written, deeply researched biography, Bob Batchelor cuts through the hype and hyperbole to reveal the secret origins of Stan Lee's thoroughly mythic life and art. It's one for both the casual and hardcore fans.
Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel is an extraordinary biographer that is a 'must read' for the legions of Stan Lee fans. Absolutely certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections....
Stan Lee is one of the most recognized names in comic book history, a deserving accolade because of his momentous contributions as a Marvel Comics administrator, editor, writer, and creator of some of the world’s favorite pop culture icons. Of course, his penchant to stay in the limelight through self-promotion and self-reinvention, and his good fortune to remain active into his mid-nineties, were also to his advantage. Batchelor (Miami Univ.) does an admirable job of piecing together the verifiable facts and anecdotes about Lee, with non-supported “Stan legend” and murky details (e.g., about his ancestry), bits of history about the comics and society of the times, and plot synopses of comic books created by Lee and his cohorts. He points to decisive periods when Lee questioned being “only” a comics writer, and when he deviated from his publisher’s wishes and moved into new directions. Lee and Marvel’s downsides, such as his professional squabbles with Jack Kirby and others, and the company’s financial woes of the nineties, are not spared, but what is lacking is a picture of “the man behind Marvel” in a non-professional, out-of-the-company light. Stan Lee is a well-researched, lucid addition to superhero comics history and comics biography more generally.
Stan Lee is one of the most recognized names in comic book history, a deserving accolade because of his momentous contributions as a Marvel Comics administrator, editor, writer, and creator of some of the world’s favorite pop culture icons. Of course, his penchant to stay in the limelight through self-promotion and self-reinvention, and his good fortune to remain active into his mid-nineties, were also to his advantage. Batchelor (Miami Univ.) does an admirable job of piecing together the verifiable facts and anecdotes about Lee, with non-supported “Stan legend” and murky details (e.g., about his ancestry), bits of history about the comics and society of the times, and plot synopses of comic books created by Lee and his cohorts. He points to decisive periods when Lee questioned being “only” a comics writer, and when he deviated from his publisher’s wishes and moved into new directions. Lee and Marvel’s downsides, such as his professional squabbles with Jack Kirby and others, and the company’s financial woes of the nineties, are not spared, but what is lacking is a picture of “the man behind Marvel” in a non-professional, out-of-the-company light. Stan Lee is a well-researched, lucid addition to superhero comics history and comics biography more generally.
Meet Stanley Lieber: movie fan, adventure-story fan, budding writer. Young Stanley started in the comic book business as an assistant to Timely Comics’ head writer, Joe Simon, and to artist Jack Kirby. Along the way, as he graduated from assistant to writer, he became known as Stan Lee and wound up revolutionizing the comic-book business: in partnership with some of the great artists (Kirby and the legendary Steve Ditko, among others), he created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and other familiar superheroes. What made Lee’s creations special was his insistence on giving them recognizable human traits and flaws; these weren’t idealized superheroes but real people with special abilities. This is a solidly researched and written biography of Lee (who is in his mid-nineties now).... [Lee] is a hugely entertaining story, and the author tells it well.
Stan Lee—who created Marvel Comics' most famous characters, including Spider-Man, Hulk, and The Avengers—thought his work had little value. His biography reveals his belief that the comics he wrote beginning in 1940 were just junk fiction. He dreamed of writing real novels and of working in Hollywood. Ironically, all that did happen, and it was because of comic books. Narrator Kevin T. Collins does a professional, if unanimated, job narrating the audiobook. His lack of emotion is ironic considering how manic Lee was when he wrote the comics that changed the literary world. Lee would act out his characters, climbing up on his desk and shouting at nonexistent super villains. The audiobook is a fascinating detailed look at the 95-year-old creator, who is still creating new characters and stories. M.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Stan Lee—who created Marvel Comics' most famous characters, including Spider-Man, Hulk, and The Avengers—thought his work had little value. His biography reveals his belief that the comics he wrote beginning in 1940 were just junk fiction. He dreamed of writing real novels and of working in Hollywood. Ironically, all that did happen, and it was because of comic books. Narrator Kevin T. Collins does a professional, if unanimated, job narrating the audiobook. His lack of emotion is ironic considering how manic Lee was when he wrote the comics that changed the literary world. Lee would act out his characters, climbing up on his desk and shouting at nonexistent super villains. The audiobook is a fascinating detailed look at the 95-year-old creator, who is still creating new characters and stories. M.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
