SUP E RH E RO E S
STAN L E E
b. 1922
Stan Lee is an iconic American comic book writer, editor and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. Born Stanley Leiber in New York city December 28th 1922, he signed his name as Stan Lee when he wrote his first comic book script ‘Captain America Foils the Traitors Revenge’, in 1941. Stan Lee had a gift for inventing plots with more depth and substance than the distinguished competition. He created characters with interesting personalities, who spoke like real people. They suffered personal hang-ups and the bad guys possessed previously unseen psychological complexity. Lee’s first creation alongside Jack Kirby, launched under the Marvel brand, made history in November 1961. Lee added wit, subtlety and hidden morals to a genre that was previously locked into flat portrayals of good versus evil; a style of story writing that endures to this day. He collaborated with several comic book artists, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and went on to co-create Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Silver Surfer, The Avengers and many more fictional characters.
Stan Lee’s Marvel Revolution also extended beyond the characters and storylines, to the way in which comic books engaged the audience and created a community between the readers and the creators. Additionally, he pioneered and advocated the use of comic books to comment on social issues of the time, including bigotry, injustice and discrimination. This got him into some hot water with the rather conservative Comics Code Authority but Lee wouldn't yield, he continued to pursue what he believed in and what he knew his audience craved; thus the code changed. In summary, Stan Lee and his collaborations with some of the greatest comic book artists ever to have lived, changed the game. In 1984, Stan Lee was awarded The National Medal of Arts by the United States Congress, the highest honour awarded to an individual artist in the United States. Previous recipients include Georgia O'Keefe, William de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Bob Dylan.
Washington Green is proud to present the third deluxe editions collection of ‘Superheroes’; iconic comic book covers, created, orchestrated and masterminded by the legendary Stan Lee. These super-size deluxe editions of nine pay homage to the original large scale art, penned and inked by some of the greatest artists to emerge from the comic book industry. These ten classic covers feature some of the most influential characters that have dominated our society over the many years of Stan Lee’s reign at Marvel. We present Captain America, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Invincible Iron Man and Wolverine. Flying in the face of the universally accepted maxim that warns us not to “judge a book by its cover”, the cover of a comic is considered the most significant artwork within the book. A cover, much like a comic strip itself, tells a story, and sets the scene of imminent action and adventure. Working like a movie director,
the artist manipulates the viewer’s experience via his or her vision and art direction. Each iteration of the cover art can entirely transform the viewer’s understanding of the character and plot. The artist's use of composition, lighting and colour can help focus a reader’s attention to the important art on the cover. However, as any Marvel aficionado will know, cover art can be as much a tool of misdirection as a glimpse into the ensuing narrative within. Whether the cover seemingly shows one or more of our heroes on the brink of death, or indeed the comic world as we know it coming to an apocalyptic end, the chances are that the inner pages will right the wrongs shown on the cover, and good will once again triumph over evil. Therein lies the delicacy of touch needed by the revered Marvel cover artists; the balance of messaging for the reader must be enticing yet elusive, with just enough of the plot played out on the cover to be not just a head-turner, but a page-turner also.
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