“It Was a Dichotomy that Made No Sense”- Reexamining 2011’s ‘Lee & Kirby: The Wonder years’

I’ll admit to being a bit conflicted upon reviewing Mark Alexander’s sentimental study of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four run from 2011, ‘Lee & Kirby: The Wonder Years‘, published by TwoMorrows Publishing (and doubling as the 58th issue of The Jack Kirby Collector, albeit in a deluxe, trade paperback format) for what I’d […]

“You Sort of Believe It Actually Happened”- Examining Roy Thomas’s Comments On ‘The Great Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Debate’

At the time of this writing, Roy Thomas has just turned 83. And, in reaching another milestone in his Eighth decade I’d argue one of the more significant ones is the bestowment of the glorious nickname “The Forever Boy” by his own personal Scott Thorson/Manager/Leech John Cimino. Honestly, when this was brought to my attention, […]

“I Always Had So Many Outside Interests”- Stan Lee’s Love of Comics

We often see Stan Lee described with sobriquets such as the “Geek Godfather” and “Comics Maestro” and it’s truly understandable that the general public would keep up their association with this collective image of the man. But what occurs to me as someone who has spent years and years reading through nearly every article and/or […]

“Selfy With God”- A Look At The Banal, Misguided & Nauseating Tribute Art After Stan Lee’s Death

It’s now been half a decade since the untimely passing of Stan Lee, creator and co-creator, editor and art director, modern Mark Twain and/or Shakespeare– surely, there won’t be a dry eye in the house once we get through this highly moving selection of tribute art that arose in the days after Lee’s death in […]

“The Following May Be of Interest to Stan Lee Historians…” – The Pathological Needs of Mark Evanier

Patrick Ford at The Marvel Method group brought something to my attention: a blatantly untrue statement by lifelong grifter and sociopath Mark Evanier regarding the syndicated Spider-Man newspaper strip. This in itself is nothing worth writing about- Evanier is a repeat offender when it comes to tilting towards the side that best suits him at […]

“I Guess Ditko and Jack are The Only Two Guys Who Know That…” A Brief Oral History of Stan Lee’s Responses To Kirby’s Creator Claims

(This has been compiled for the purposes of research; it is by no means complete. However, it contains the bulk of Stan Lee’s recorded public statements/responses to Jack Kirby’s claims of being the primary creator of the Marvel Universe. You will see at times that Lee is consistent in his narrative and repeats talking points. […]

“I’m From a Generation You Fellas Know Nothing About” – Revisiting The Kirby Artwork Struggle, The Most Important Comics Story of The 1980s’

The story of Jack Kirby’s fight to regain his original artwork from Marvel Comics during the first part of the Eighties is one that is well known to most fans and one that has routinely been covered, albeit in passing or in context as part of a larger piece devoted to Kirby, Lee, or Marvel. […]

“Stan Lee is God”- Reviewing Tom Scioli’s Same-Old, Same-Old “I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of The Legendary Stan Lee”

This is a review of the newest in a long list of Stan Lee biographies, the second Lee bio which is in graphic novel format as well as the second creator biography done by the truly talented Tom Scioli. Scioli had already made the right choice with his first endeavor, the well-received “Jack Kirby: The […]

“…Created By The Most Successful Creator of Intellectual Property of Our Time.” – Digging Deeper Into The Post-Mortem Fake Creations of Stan Lee

It’s been barely two months since we commented on the exciting announcement of Stan Lee Comics, an upcoming publishing venture consisting of apparently unreleased original Stan Lee creations headed up by his acolyte and sometimes ghost writer Michael Uslan. If you tragically missed that glorious post, you can read it here, o frantic one: https://fourcolorsinners.wordpress.com/2023/07/15/to-a-global-audience-as-never-before-the-endless-fake-creations-of-stan-lee/ […]

“Par for the Course for The Kirby Family”- A Look Back at 20/20’s Marvel Anniversary Special

When the long-running television news program 20/20 aired on ABC the evening of July 24th, 1986, it had to be a rather exciting event for comic fans and professionals alike. In 1986 the cultural assimilation of Marvel into pop culture was still over two decades away; being featured on “mainstream” news was another step forward […]