A smart journalist I know named Abraham Riesman has written a probably-controversial book about Stan Lee and it's being released this weekend. It's called True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee and you can order a copy here.
Full disclosure: I was interviewed for the book and answered a number of the author's questions but I haven't seen a copy of it and have no idea what I'm quoted as saying in it. I may not for a while. I'm waiting, as I often do with books for which I supply some help, to see if they send me a free copy. You might be surprised how often they don't. I certainly am.
I have however read this excerpt which is about the Stan Lee Media company, a firm for which I briefly worked. I've also read this article which summarizes what the book says about Stan's problems with his daughter and certain business associates, especially in his last years. I did not have the good sense to stay away from Stan Lee Media but I was smart enough to stay away from Stan's last years.
Anyway, stop writing to ask me if you should be a true believer in True Believer. I haven't read it yet.
As I've said on countless occasions, I have had an enormous range of mixed feelings about Stan Lee since I first met him in person in 1970. I almost felt like I knew him even before that from reading those comics. Not all of these feelings were/are positive. Some are but a few are sadly quite negative. And yes, I am still working on my huge book about Jack Kirby and no, I don't know when I'll be done with it.
But my conclusion is that the comics we know to be created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, not necessarily as 50-50 efforts and certainly not with Jack supplying only the visuals. I think Jack did a lot more than Stan — at least on the pages — and until fairly recently, got a lot less credit; likewise, Stan and Steve Ditko, Stan and Don Heck, Stan and Bill Everett, etc. The disparity in financial reward was even greater.
But that doesn't mean Stan did nothing or did nothing well. I have witnessed way too many Stan/Jack debates in my life and I think all are dead wrong if they lead to the conclusion that either contributed zero. This view has occasionally made me feel unwelcome on Stan Lee forums and in Jack Kirby chat groups. And just as I reject that notion, I reject the argument that neither would have amounted to anything post-1961 without the other. They were two men of extraordinary skills…just not the same skills.
A lot of folks don't want to hear about the battles and the quarrels and the screwings. They just want to enjoy the body of work…and I sometimes wish I could stop there. Instead, I think I'll stop here…for now.