Collection: Stan Lee (1922-2018) Artist Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922, in New York City to poor beginnings who is now perhaps the most well known names in the world of Comic Bookss and Superheroes.  He is an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, television host, actor and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. In collaboration with several artists, including Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Stan Lee created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, and many other fictional characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. Stan Lee subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Stan Lee's career in comics began when he was 16 by becoming an assistant at Timely Comics, which would soon evolve into Marvel Comics. Lee quickly worked his way up the corporate ladder to become writer and eventually editor-in-chief. In the late 1950's, Lee was given the task to come up with a superhero team to rival the popular Justice League of America. Always preferring stories of heroes with flawed pasts and obvious humanity, Lee, with the help of artist Jack Kirby, created the Fantastic Four, which proved to be an instant success. Stan Lee and freelance artist Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, reminiscent of the non-super powered adventuring quartet the Challengers of the Unknown that Kirby had created for DC in 1957, originated in the Cold War culture that led their creators to revise the superhero conventions of previous eras to better reflect the psychological spirit of their age. The artwork of Stan Lee is currently credited in 5,137 separate comic book issues.

Stan Lee's contribution to Marvel helped expand Marvel Comics into the entertainment giant that it is today. In his later career, Lee's contributions continued to expand outside the style that he helped pioneer. An example of this is his first work for DC Comics in the 2000's, launching the Just Imagine series, in which Lee re-imagined the DC superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. Manga projects involving Lee include Karakuridôji Ultimo, a collaboration with Hiroyuki Takei, Viz Media and Shueisha, and Heroman, serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan with the Japanese company Bones. In 2011, Lee started writing a live-action musical, The Yin and Yang Battle of Tao. This period also saw a number of collaborators honor Lee for his influence on the comics industry. In 2006, Marvel commemorated Lee's 65 years with the company by publishing a series of one-shot comics starring Lee himself meeting and interacting with many of his co-creations, including Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Thing, Silver Surfer, and Doctor Doom. These comics also featured short pieces by such comics creators as Joss Whedon and Fred Hembeck, as well as reprints of classic Lee-written adventures. At the 2007 Comic-Con International, Marvel Legends introduced a Stan Lee action figure. The body beneath the figure's removable cloth wardrobe is a re-used mold of a previously released Spider-Man action figure, with minor changes. Comikaze Expo, Los Angeles' largest comic book convention, was rebranded as Stan Lee's Comikaze Presented by POW! Entertainment in 2012.

Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018, six weeks before his 96th birthday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, after being rushed there in a medical emergency earlier in the day. Earlier that year, Lee revealed to the public that he had been battling pneumonia and in February was rushed to the hospital for worsening conditions at around the same time. The immediate cause of death listed on his death certificate was cardiac arrest with respiratory failure and congestive heart failure as underlying causes. It also indicated that he suffered from "aspiration pneumonia." His body was cremated and his ashes were given to his daughter. Roy Thomas, who succeeded Lee as editor-in-chief at Marvel, had visited Lee two days prior to his death to discuss the upcoming book The Stan Lee Story, and stated "I think he was ready to go. But he was still talking about doing more cameos. As long as he had the energy for it and didn't have to travel, Stan was always up to do some more cameos. He got a kick out of those more than anything else.