Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee Reviews

• The Way It Began

  
  By A2JLGXN8LL3EYC on 2002-05-15
  4.5 stars, really, I wish there were more examples of his work.

  I am one of those people who loved the Marvel Age of Comics. While many people say they read Spider-Man, the Hulk or the Fantastic Four, even as a kid in the sixties, I would say I read Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko...and a few others. When they left, I left.

  Though the years I had heard about and read about many behind the scenes stories about Marvel. It was hard to give credence to many of them and I always wanted to find out Stan Lee's story. Here it is.

  Here Stan Lee tells his story. And what an enjoyable story it is. Mr. Lee tells of his early years, his years in the service during WW2, how he meet his wife and how he started working for Martin Goodman, owner of Timely (later Marvel) Comics.

  The major part of the story is the creation of the Marvel Age of Comics.

  Stan Lee, born Stan Lieber, describes how he almost left the occupation of writing comic books. An occupation that was not well respected. But Stan stayed and broke the conventions of book characters. Stan discusses such stories, how he "snuck" his first Spider-Man story into Amazing Fantasy #15 after the publisher turned it down. We learn what was in his mind when he created the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Thor.

  For me the most important parts involved the Marvel Method of creating comics and his relationships with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. For years I have heard stories that, frankly, cast Mr. Lee in a bad light. Here, Stan Lee describes how he came up with the character of Spider-man and, at first, gave it to Jack Kirby to draw. Dissatisfied with Kirby's take, Stan turned it over to Steve Ditko. Stan goes out of his way to give co-creative credit to the artist. But Ditko though that Stan just came up with an idea and that he, Ditko, came up with project. I also learned that Jack Kirby was offered administrative positions at Marvel, but turned it down.

  A reality to me is that nothing Lee, Kirby and Ditko produced separately equals what they did in partnership for those ten years.

  If you are a fan of the Marvel age, this book is a must read. I couldn't put it down. The parts that are not about Marvel are still entertaining and Mr. Lee does not dwell on anything for too long a time.

  `Nuff said
  
  

• Stan Loves himself with help from a ghostwriter

  
  By ABOTQXNUBA1MM on 2002-06-14
  Stan Lee could be portrayed by Mel Brooks on caffeine; likeable for short periods of "hey, true believers," but here, across 243 pages that reeek of a boring dinner party in which your drunken father-in-law to be endlessly winds down a memory lane that you don't give a damn about, Stan blows chunks... and the thing isn't even all his, but the editing of George Mair, a guy who probably is drinking heavily after this project.

  The entire book feels like it needed a better editor; written, or probably transcribed in chunks, Stan's tale is way to stretched with emphasis on his Rag-tag American dream veneer.

  I'm a 50 year old fanboy. I had those books, and still have many of them today. I disagree with a lot of Stan's claims to greatness: continuity that stretched for 8 issues was tough in those days for a kid with twelve cents and not a comic store in sight. I often didn't get all of the issues to complete a run. sorry, Stan, but as the books got more expnensive and the stories ran endlessly nowhere, your universe turned hack. Today, stan says that they were one thing, but to a kid on a budget, they were a way to [pull] extra coin out of my pockets; that's why I stopped reading them, and why people stop reading never got into this book. Lots of yak, but only one line about hoe Joe Quesada is bringing the line back to life. Huh? How about why Joe LEFT Marvel to begin with and how he rebuilt the company! Now, that's one killer story! Nowhere is there a mention of today's rockin' talent pool headed by Quesada; if Stan was the creator of the old Marvel Universe, Quesada is the new Lord of the Fantastic: incredible pairings of talent and wildly new directions with a tip of the Hatlo hat to the dawn of the electronic publishing age: Quesada's books look better and certainly are a lot more fun than ever in Marvel's history, even when they cost twenty times more than in Stan's days. The hacking is wiped clean; creatives now run the roost.
  
  Almost forgot: Don't look for illustrations; the only one is on the cover by John Romita and Stan is full center and larger than his characters.
  Skip 100 pages and go right into the Marvel mythology: whatever Stan says is preceeded by his real-life shoving of artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko away from the credit and certainly out of the gravy train. While we all respect the body of work that Marvel created, one book won't wash away the decades of efforts of a great team; that's something that still needs telling about.

  I was fortunate enough to not only ink (freelance for a Marvel inker) a Captain America graphic novel, but to have my family get "our story" told in MARVELS, that ground-breaking four issue series by Alex Ross. That's me, Phil, and the kids are my own daughters, now 20 and 15; true-believers, there are better stories about comics over a few beers with working hacks. In my very brief journey into comics, the trip wasn't what I'd expected: egos, bad editors, and back-stabbing artists. By the time that fateful call from an editor at Marvel came, I was back working full-time; it would take several years for me to even buy a comic again; those old Marvel books of the 1960s were long, long gone and Stan was nowhere except in front of media taking kudos.

  EXCELSIOR! is worth a look,if only to prove me wrong, but nowhere in this tome will you see a forward by old staffers, one of whom told me years ago that Stan's hairplugs reflected his vanity.

  So, go ahead and throw stones, true believers. This old no-prize winner and member of the MMMS has a a few stories, too, but it won't cost you [price] to hear them.

  -Mark Braun is a former Art Director, comic book illustrator, magazine production manager, Publisher of FANBOY! Magazine and currently Associate Publisher of FOOD INDUSTRY NEWS.
  
  

• Stan "the Man" Lee takes time to tell the story of his life

  
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2002-09-29
  "Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee" has a cover with Lee surrounded by some of his famous Marvel comics creations (or co-creations depending on where you stand on the whole Lee/Kirby debate), but you may be surprised and/or dismayed to find that only six of the twenty-one chapters are devoted to the glory years at Marvel. Much of what is contained within Lee has talked about before, which means that by now the stories of how the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men and the rest came to be born have been refined and polished to the point you really wish he would provide more of the details. "Excelsior!" starts from Lee's childhood in Manhattan to those early days when he stumbled into writing comic books, his work as a "playwright" in World War II, and then through the rise of the Marvel empire and beyond.

  The focus of the book is on the narrative recollections of Lee and if you have ever had an opportunity to hear Stan "The Man" Lee do a lecture or speak at a convention, then you are familiar with his conversational style (I liked it when Stan would pretend to be Clark Kent, take off his glasses and have people wondering where Clark went--plus, the man's autograph is always legible). One thing that struck me was how much Lee was affected by the Great Depression, especially since he often laments over the value of the comic books he created but never bothered to collect. Yet it is also clear that Lee is not driven by money but more by love of family and work, two subjects he talks about with equal passion. He does take pains to try and address the issues of his infamous rifts with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and whether you believe his side of the story or not he certainly bears no animosity towards either man. There is no denying that Lee was a self-promoter of the first order, but he certainly tried to take along everybody else in the Marvel Bullpen and it is equally clear that Kirby and Ditko were not especially outgoing types.

  George Mair provides a more objective view of Lee's life with historical facts and critical insights in his portions of "Excelsior!" which frame the lengthier excerpts from Lee. Mair is especially good when he points out how some example from the early year's of Lee's career translated into a principle he applied while running Marvel. Ultimately, Mair makes the case that Lee "created a new mythology for the twentieth century" by putting "the human in the superhuman." I rather like this approach, which allows a subject to tell their story in their own words and also provides a way for biographical assessments by another party. The book is illustrated with mostly family photographs, although rather sparsely at times, especially during the Marvel days.

  I do not know if readers of Marvel Comics who came to Spider-Man and the rest after Lee's tenure as writer/editor will be as interested in this as us old-timers, but I would think Lee's stories about how comics changed would be worth reading. His chapter on "Seduction of the Gullible," dealing with the efforts of Dr. Frederic Wertham that resulted in the creation of the Comics Code, provides a much different perspective on those times than you get from reading Bill Gaines's thoughts on it all. This is by no means a major look at the life and work of Stan Lee, but it does have its shares of worthwhile insights. `Nuff Said.
  
  

• A frequently hilarious look at the life of a creative titan.

  
  By AXFPFO28Y04BW on 2002-05-09
  Stan Lee, the world's most well-known comic book writer, is truly one of the most inventive minds of the 20th century (and shows every sign of being so in the 21st!). And now, at last, we get a look into what shaped that inventive mind into the force it is today.

  "Excelsior!" is peppered with Stan's trademark wit as he relates humorous stories and anecdotes from his life, such as the way he single-handedly won World War II. Sandwiched inbetween are factual paragraphs by George Mair, professional biographer. Mair is quick and to the point, knowing that what readers really want is more of Stan (it's almost impossible to refer to him by his last name), so he gets the facts out there and then he gets out of the way as fast as he can. Very professional.

  This is a must-read for any comic book fan, anyone who wants to see how a "bio-autography" (as Stan calls them) should be written, or for anyone who's just looking for an amusing tale of a creative genius's life.

  Highly recommended!
  
  

• Mostly a Good Bio of the Marvel Comics Guru

  
  By A1IBC9XP2LICQL on 2002-09-09
  `Excelsior!' chronicles the life of Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and many other characters from the Marvel Universe. Lee takes the reader on a guided tour of how he came to be a writer of many of the comics that millions of readers still can't live without. Lee describes how many of his greatest creations became not only great comic book titles, but also animated cartoons, live action television shows, motion pictures, and more.

  As you might imagine with any autobiography (Lee calls it a "bio-autography"), the author spends a lot of time talking about how he got involved in his line of work, how he met his wife, friends, etc. I wanted to read more about the creative process and how Lee interacted with his artists. (He does spend time talking mostly about Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.) Lee pinpoints a couple of important events in Marvel's history, most notably the three Spider-Man issues from the late 60's dealing with the drug problem, issues that did not carry the Comics Code Authority seal of approval. The book needed many more such interesting stories. While Lee's friends and social contacts are important to him, few of them had anything to do with the comic book world, and I thought he spent a little too much time focusing on them.

  `Excelsior!' works best when Lee describes the struggles and victories, the highs and lows, and especially his own perseverance in the comic book world and the publishing industry. It works the least when he spends too much time on people not directly connected to the world of Marvel Comics.

  246 pages
  
  

• Comic Book Man
  By A1KTSCNH90LPIP on 2003-11-24
  I've always been a fan of comic books. These pulp collections of modern mythology helped me through a sometimes extraordinarily mundane childhood with my sanity intact. In fact, my closet has several large boxes filled with several thousand of them. Even at 32 year of age, I refuse to give them up.

  Stan Lee is Marvel Comics. From the Second World War to today, he has given us a slate of unparalled heroes to adorn with wonder. He saw Marvel grow from a little pubisher called Timely in the 40s, survive attacks from parent groups in the 50s, the rebirth of the superhero in the 60s, and the emergence of a unique artform in 80s, 90s and today.

  The book is so-so. Stan Lee has led an interesting life, to be certain, but there are no sex scandals, drug addiction, alcoholism, embezzlement or any of those other things that tend to make biographies best sellers today. In some ways, he is a goody-goody and he writes the book like one of his comic stories without the juicy material it needs to make it truly thrilling.

  I don't want to turn anyone off, but if you are looking for things like Joan Collins rape at age 17 or Elizabeth Taylor's multiple stormy marriages,this isn't for you. Rather this provides a unique and invaluable historical record of the a part of history that is ignored by traditional outlets. Comic books are firmly entrenched in history, but are just starting to be realized as a legitimate art and literary form. Marvel has a colorful history, staring out as a private publishing company, being sold from company to company, going public after being taken over by buyout king Ron Perelmen in 1989. Financial mismanagement nearly destroyed the company in the mid-90s and it is just starting to recover. This is where the biography's true value lies.

  Stan Lee always felt that Marvel had the potential to become the next Disney. With the success of Spider-Man in the movies, which has broken $800 million worldwide, as of this writing, that prediction may yet come true.
  
  

• See how he thought up Spider-Man, Iron Man, others
  By A3UCJD17GS387I on 2002-07-08
  This book provides the story behind Stan's ideas for many of comics most famous characters, such as Spider-Man, The Hulk, and others. It also provides a good look into his personal and private life. Very good reading for anyone that is a fan of Marvel Comics...
  
  
• As Good As We'll Get?
  By A2XPISA98NT8LG on 2003-06-06
  While this isn't an autobiography as such, Stan Lee does write the vast majority of the book and leaves his collaborator (George Mair) to fill in the gaps or provide continuity. There is some discussion of his personal life and his career, with a fair amount devoted to the creation of Marvel's glory days. For those who can remember, it is written in the 'Stan's Soapbox' style.

  Most of the information found here won't be new to Stan's fans, as it is available in other interviews and articles. He admits to a terrible memory (all of his life, and he's now 80) so it is difficult to know whether the stories behind his famous creations are all that complete. Plus, there is not much more than can be found in his 'Origins of Marvel Comics' books. There are also significant gaps - why, for example, does he not mention Marvel's failed attempt to reintroduce super-heroes in the 1950s?

  Yet, despite the quibbles, this is the best insight you'll get into the real Stan Lee. Forget any second-hand stories or biographies filled with speculation and guesswork - go straight to the source. He may not address things as precisely as you'd like, but there are interesting nuggets of information and a lot of gentle humour. Don't throw away your other references though, as he has addressed many topics in past interviews that simply don't get a mention here.
  
  

• A Must Read for All Comic Fans
  By A1CDNTB7377YH2 on 2003-11-20
  I could not put this book down. I was a fan of Marvel Comics growing up and have passed on to my son quite a collection of comics. I had read many of Stan's other works regarding comics (Origins of Marvel Comics, Sons of Origins, Bring On the Bad Guys). Each of those books were excellent. However, those books dealt with nothing prior to The Fantastic Four.

  In this book we learn that Stan had a long career (about 20 years) in the comic book field, Marvel wasn't called Marvel until the 1960's, Stan used to churn out close to 80 titles a month in the 1950's, Stan actually wrote a few books in the 1950's that sold well, and Stan was actually going to quit the trade on the day he was told to create a superhero group (later called the Fantastic Four) for Atlas comics. And those are just of few of tidbits that are contained in this wonderfully written bio/auto bio.
  
  

• Peter Parker and his Foster Brother Peter Paul
  By A17312I9T8GMHM on 2002-05-10
  I am a student of Stan Lee's life and accomplishments as the founding creative force behind Marvel Comics. While DC was lucky with warner Bros. Marvel has been plagued with mismanagement by company executives who never understood what made Stan the greatest writer for teens in history. When he finally got the chance to run his own company, Stan Lee Media, his success at creating the best super hero animation studio on the internet was again sabotaged by the inevitable corporate types.Mr Mair captured the biographical information admirably but didnt do as well on the limitations Stan faced with the companies that employed him. The saddest chapter so far has been the destruction of his internet company by the same malevolent company types that hampered the deserved success of his House of Ideas. Stan's original character,Peter Parker (aka Spider Man) has carried the day for Marvel,while Stan's partner, real life character Peter Paul, who helped get him creative freedoma nd control away from Marvel, has become the roadkill of Stan's efforts to keep expressing his genius for story telling and super hero creating for teens everywhere using all the new technologies. The continually unfolding story of Stan's amazing life will continue to amaze millions well into his 80's.
  
  
• The King of Comics
  By A3P04FMMRQJ2ME on 2002-10-06
  Like the Hulk and Spider-man
  Read about their creator Stan!
  If you are a comic fan,reading this should be your plan!
  Buy it as quickly as ypi can-
  you'll agree that Stan's the Man!
  
  
• If you like comics
  By A1VLVWTLV3LVHR on 2002-10-24
  As they say, Stan is THE MAN. He is a little low-key here, but this is a fun, easy read. If you are into comics, you will enjoy this one.
  
  
• Sadly Superficial Stan
  By A2HF4QJJO5VONB on 2003-01-08
  Yep, I'm a big fan of Silver Age Marvel comics and yep, I'm a big fan of Stan himself - his liberal humanist philosophy, his corny sense of humour and his frequent self-deprecation.

  However, the problem with this autobiography is that it doesn't shed any further light on Stan beyond what you knew from reading his Soapbox. He's just the kind of guy you expected him to be, but he's giving away scant insight into his life beyond the bare facts. There's little self-examination in these 200 pages and what little there is reads like Peter Parker thought bubbles. The "amazing" ups and downs of Stan's life seem to have caused no mental struggle or anguish and the rumours of feuds with Kirby and Ditko are dismissed in a couple of paragraphs. Apparently Stan didn't know they were upset!

  All in all, more a coffee table book or an extended self-promotional essay rather than a genuine autobiography.
  
  

• BETTER THAN NOTHING
  By A6IKQOVUT6AI4 on 2003-01-09
  At last, comic book fans get the opportunity to explore the life of comicdom's greatest creator and promotor, Stan Lee. Stan, along with his writing side kick George Mair gives us an "inside" glimpse of his life and the world of Marvel Comics. His wit, spicy sarcasm and brilliant style comes through the pages except for one thing; you get to know little about Lee and a lot about the comic book industry and even at that the book falls short on providing the reader with the intrigues of the comic mongols.

  For those looking for a definitive biography or autobiography of one of comic's greatests masters, Excelsior comes as a big let down. Sure Stan gives us the tidbits of his life and hard times but there is very few lines of introspection about his work and the impact it had on his life. Side kick George isn't any better in providing the reader with a historical context and interpretation of the forces which shaped Stan.

  Okay is the book all that bad? No. If you know nothing about Lee, Marvel Comics or the evolution of the comic industry, Excelsior is a fair book for initiation into the realms of comicdom. Younger readers would certainly appreciate its style that will immediately captivate their attention. Collectors of comics and its assortment of memorabilia certainly need this book as part of their collection.

  For those who want a detailed and historical analysis of the life of Stan and the world he created, forget it. Excelsior won't feed your need. Yet in spite of that it is better than nothing so by all means give it a reading.
  
  

• A fun read...
  By ARI6FCIG7NJMI on 2003-01-15
  This is not an in-depth self analysis of the man and mind behind Marvel Comics. Rather, it is a light and fun journey through the life and times of one Mr. Stan 'The Man' Lee. I enjoyed it quite a bit. And I think most people who grew up on Marvel Comics, who also don't expect loads of controversial dialogue and introspection, will dig it too!
  
  
• Great Book!
  By AOFGWO6BLF5O5 on 2004-03-26
  Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
  Stan Lee and George Mair
  C. Cho
  P. 5

  This book is an autobiography of Stan Lee. Many people don't actually know who this man is. Stan Lee is the man who created and wrote comic book characters such as Spider-man, Daredevil, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many other charcters. Stan was also the author of these comic book characters and the editor. Stan tells us about what kind of hardships he went through and even about his personal life.

  I enjoyed reading this book because I always wondered how comic book creaters were able to create characters that were very descriptive. Stan even wrote a whole entire chapter on my favorite charcter, Spider-Man. In this chapter it tells about how Stan lee made Spider-Man. Stan says that he got the idea of Spider-Man by looking at a fly on the wall while he was typing. After he had seen the fly, he rushed to his artist, Steve Ditko and asked him to draw a man that had the characteristics of a spider and Spider-Man turned out to be a hit. Comic books back then cost around twelve cents, here is a quote that will amaze you. "Today, incidentally, copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 sell for up to $20,000 in the collectors' market, if anyone is lucky enough to find one."

  Some parts that I did not like was that it told a lot about his personal life. When I first started reading this book, I thought his personal life was interesting, but after a while, it started to get repetitive. This book also informs me about what he published and how he did it. I think Stan should've not told us about his publishers so much. After reading about so many publishers, I had to skip some parts because I didn't want to read about it.

  My favorite part of the book is when Stan talks about his creation of comic book characters and how he created them. It was interesting when he told me some of his stories such as being chased by a policeman that was on a horse. Stan tells stories very descriptive so I enjoyed reading this book very much. Stan writes his comic books so great that I have been influenced to read more about this great character. This book has taught me many great things about Stan Lee's life. I think this will be an enjoyable book for young adults and even adults!
  
  

• On Excelsior
  By A2JUPNC7WNPESX on 2005-10-03
  For my first independent reading project I read Stan Lee's autobiography,
  Excelsior. Actually, it is a bio-autobiography, because it was written by Stan Lee and a man named George Mair. Since it was written by two people, we get much more information, and can understand Stan's life even better. That's why I think this autobiography has been the most enjoyable of any that I have read.
  
  With Stan's words printed, and George's words in italics, they slowly wrote about Stan's life from when he was born to what he is doing now. While Stan wrote about his early childhood dreams and fascinations with movies and fantasy, George puts in important facts about what events are going on in the world during the time Stan is writing about. George also tells us about important points in Stan's life that Stan forgot to write down, while Stan write marvelous (no pun intended) descriptions of his feelings, thoughts, and actions throughout his long career, Stan even mentions, since he can't even remember on most days what he had for breakfast, that there will probably be another, more complete, edition of his bio-autobiography coming out at a later time. If you want to learn more about the intriguing life of Stan Lee, or even about Marvel Comics itself, you should pick up Excelsior, The Amazing Life of Stan Lee.
  
  
  
• STAN IS THE MAN - 'NUFF SAID!
  By AYKEN16NIUW9M on 2006-05-14
  The bio-autography (as it's called) on Stan Lee is one of the quickest reads I've torn through in along time. First off, if you're not a comic book fan then there's no reason to look into the book as Lee's life is a tame one free from most scandals. He grew up, spent time in the military, got married, had a daughter, and helped build Marvel Comics into the empire it is today (as well as creating some of the greatest hero characters of all time). Frankly it's the kind of life I'm sure most people would like to have.
  
  That said, it may not be the kind of life that most people would want to read about. However if you are a Marvel fan and want to learn about the trials and tribulations of the creation of Spider-Man, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, et. all then this book is for you. Stan Lee (with George Mair) writes the book in his electrifiyng eloquence extrodinaire that made his Old Stan's Soapbox so fun to read. I found myself smiling quite often at the unique perspective and choice of words that Stan placed on the paper.
  
  I recommend the book and if you're ordering it on Amazon then do yourself a favor and attach one of the Marvel Essentials that reprint some of Stan Lee's finest writing, they're the most cost friendly comic read on the market).
  
  
• Stan LEE
  By AEAI2OC7X1L6B on 2007-09-10
  My son is a Stan Lee Fan and is grown. He loves the book it is very informative.
  
  
• Excelsior!
  By A2DHFOHWQHOCW1 on 2008-02-19
  An interesting look into the life of Stan Lee, Marvel Comic Master!
  It was a detailed and insightful read...I would recommend it to all Marvel fans (would also make well received gift).
  
  

• Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book
• Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution
• Stan Lee: Conversations (Conversations With Comic Artists Series)
• The Comic Book Makers
• Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America