On screen, Stan Lee, the front face of Marvel Comics and largely the subject of David Gelb’s chipper documentary of the same name, is an astronaut, general, strip club host and beauty pageant. made cameo appearances as a judge and letter carrier. An intergalactic barber, a psych ward dweller, a hot dog vendor, and many unfortunate walkers. He was never a superhero. But Lee believed that his success was due to the superheroes’ neuroses, flaws, and ego trips, making each superhero a little more like himself.
Of course, Ree lived a different life than most mortals. He looked younger with age (helped by sunglasses and a wig). From joining Timely Publishing as a clerk in 1939 until his death in 2018, Lee’s decades in the comics industry moved at a pace that seemed to bend the space-time continuum. . According to his own archived audio recording of the film’s narration, he didn’t honor his career until 1961, but probably assumed his real name, Stanley, when he wrote this great American novel. Maybe he still had hopes of getting Martin Lieber back.
It’s unfortunate, but inevitable, that Lee’s creation story will be replaced by the characters he helped create. The document clumsily alludes to an ownership dispute between Lee and star illustrators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, whose heirs are battling copyright with the company. (Marvel is also producing the film.) It’s about as bleak as Gelb wants or can get — albeit on the side of DC and Marvel’s cultural cockfight. Fans will light up like human torches in the old DC clip editor Julius Schwartz claims readers “don’t want an education” but Lee clearly snorted ing.
Stan Lee
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes. Watch on Disney+.
