Abraham Riesman

It's a well-researched, well written book, and does a good job of portraying Lee's character. I'm a bit bothered, though, by Riesman's apparent inability to imagine that it's very likely that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby collaborated on, well, almost everything they worked on jointly. There's really no reason to assume only one of them came up with all those ideas. That they each claimed complete credit does not mean that exactly one of them was the creator.

That said, this book is well worth reading if you're interested in Lee, or comics, or New York's publishing industry during the pulp era.… (meer)

I received a copy of this book as a part of the Hugo Voter's Packet. And I am so glad that it was included.

Stan Lee was an interesting man. He was famous, but famous in the way that certain comedians or Adam West were famous. The star was not necessarily the person. Instead, it was the persona that they put on, the mask that they wore. For my generation, Stan Lee was the good-natured, funny cameo in every Marvel film. He was the voice that yelled "True believers!" and "Excelsior!" Yet, Riesman shows us the Stan Lee behind Stan Lee (TM).

What a fascinating story to hear. Warts and all. I loved this book, not because it confirmed my beliefs or condemned Stan Lee, but because it revealed. It turned Stan Lee into someone real. I highly recommend this to any Marvel fan.… (meer)

This biography of Stan Lee is exhaustive, gripping, and thorough. Stan Lee made Marvel Comics, but more than that, he made himself... and then, in the long run, unmade himself. The portrait that emerges from this book is of a smart man and a hard worker who was unafraid to exploit others for his own gain, and always felt that he was due more than he had gotten, and willing to do almost anything to get it. I knew a lot of this in broad strokes, especially Lee's days as a Marvel editor co-creating a lot of iconic characters—ones that really owe more to his co-creators than him—but Riesman provides a lot of detail and supporting evidence, and crafts an engaging tale. I knew less about Lee's post-Marvel career, and Riesman offers a pretty damning portrait of financial malfeasance and empty promises at Stan Lee Media. Later in Lee's life, he was surrounded by vicious people willing to exploit them, and it's a tragedy... but a tragedy of Lee's own making in some ways, as he would invite into his circle anyone willing to tell him how he could make it big. It's moving, in the sense that you really feel like you're watching something genuinely horrible happen.… (meer)