Mego Stan Lee!!

[warlock664]

Same. People saying Jack doesn't deserve as much as Stan sadden me, especially when Stan had nothing to do with a lot of the characters he gets credit for.

This again?
Jack was an extremely creative, talented guy, but without Stan Lee to smooth the rough edges and provide direction, you get the unfocused ADHD work that characterized Kirby’s post-Lee work. New Gods? Tons of great ideas and characters there, but have you ever tried to read it? Just an unfocused mess.

[MRP]

This again?
Jack was an extremely creative, talented guy, but without Stan Lee to smooth the rough edges and provide direction, you get the unfocused ADHD work that characterized Kirby’s post-Lee work. New Gods? Tons of great ideas and characters there, but have you ever tried to read it? Just an unfocused mess.

And Stan was good at polishing other people's creations, but how many imapctful or lasting characters/ideas did he create in his post-Kirby/Ditko work? The Marvel Universe was a synthesis of the collaboration and wouldn't have happened without all the parties involved, but the creative engines in the collaboration were Kirby and Ditko, and Lee was the one who focused them and made them work. Both Ditko and Lee supplied dialogue ideas in the marginalia on most pages that they drew that Lee polished up, and both did most of the heavy lifting of the plotting and pacing of the stories, but they wouldn't have had that Marvel magic without Lee, but without Kirby and Ditko, Lee wouldn't have had the raw material that became Marvel and he would have continued to churn out second rate monster, western and romance comics for his uncle Goodman or quit and tried to be a novelist and Kirby and Ditko would have kept churning out pages for various publishers in obscurity or gone into animation or advertising. Their coming together was a confluence of necessary ingredients, but Marvel happened because all three were there and any one of them not being there would have drastically lessened that confluence and made something less.

-M

[B-Lister]

And Stan was good at polishing other people's creations, but how many imapctful or lasting characters/ideas did he create in his post-Kirby/Ditko work? The Marvel Universe was a synthesis of the collaboration and wouldn't have happened without all the parties involved, but the creative engines in the collaboration were Kirby and Ditko, and Lee was the one who focused them and made them work. Both Ditko and Lee supplied dialogue ideas in the marginalia on most pages that they drew that Lee polished up, and both did most of the heavy lifting of the plotting and pacing of the stories, but they wouldn't have had that Marvel magic without Lee, but without Kirby and Ditko, Lee wouldn't have had the raw material that became Marvel and he would have continued to churn out second rate monster, western and romance comics for his uncle Goodman or quit and tried to be a novelist and Kirby and Ditko would have kept churning out pages for various publishers in obscurity or gone into animation or advertising. Their coming together was a confluence of necessary ingredients, but Marvel happened because all three were there and any one of them not being there would have drastically lessened that confluence and made something less.

-M

Thank you.

[Your pal, Jim]

This again?
Jack was an extremely creative, talented guy, but without Stan Lee to smooth the rough edges and provide direction, you get the unfocused ADHD work that characterized Kirby’s post-Lee work. New Gods? Tons of great ideas and characters there, but have you ever tried to read it? Just an unfocused mess.

Thank you.

When you read a Stan book that he did with Jolly Jack, Sturdy Steve, Jazzy Johnny or whomever, it all has the same feel. A fun, soap-opera'y comic book in the Mighty Marvel Style, Effendi!

When you read a Jack book without Stan, or a Steve book without Stan (if you dare!), it's... kinda difficult.

That's what Stan brought to the table.

And!

To the people saying Stan hogged the credit: look at comic book credits before Stan and after. They barely existed before. Stan made sure you knew all the Bullpen and made you feel like they were 1) your pals, and 2) titans that graced the earth with their work!

There's an old interview with Time or Life that is reprinted in The Comics Journal's dedicated volume to Kirby. Now, TCJ was totally #TeamKirby and is largely responsible for the "Stan stole credit!" nonsense that endures to this day. But they uncovered this interview, and the interviewer is in the Marvel Bullpen in the 60's heyday, and Stan is literally BEGGING Jack to talk. And Jack can't do it. It wasn't his thing. Stan has to cover for him and hype Jack up RIGHT IN FRONT OF JACK.

My whole kidhood was spent reading Bullpen Bulletins of Stan hyping his artists and co-creators. Not just himself. Stan's favorite character is the Silver Surfer. Go find Stan talking about this. He and Jack plotted The Galactus Trilogy and Jack went off to draw it. Jack brings the pages back and there's a gleaming figure on a flying surfboard. This was not something Stan had talked about, he was surprised to see it. Stan gives Jack full credit for the Silver Surfer, his favorite character (for example). And how do we know Jack created this? Did Jack tell us? Nah, once again it was Stan.

So! You can stick to the same trendy narrative and say Stan sucks! Or you can literally go read any interview Stan ever did where he is tripping over himself to give praise to his co-collaborators.

NUFF SAID

[thunderbolt]

Uh oh, the Stan & Jack can of worms has been opened again!



I agree with this (that's a great line about Stan Lee's best created character being Stan Lee!). Making Stan Lee & Jack Kirby figures is like making figures of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. Maybe it's not the best analogy, but if I am the general public, I probably will buy Elton John and Google Bernie Taupin.

Interesting that Mego is hitting on more and more figures already done by FTC. First KISS, then DC and now Stan Lee. I have one of the FTC Stan Lee's which is nice. There is a good chance that I guy Mego's Stan Lee too.

I kind of scratch my head with all the retreads that seem to be coming from Mego. Twilight Zone too. At least those will be color instead of b/w for some distinction.

[B-Lister]

I'll always be Team Kirby, and I do think he doesn't get his due. But I just thought it might be a good idea to do a figure of Jack. Nobody knows who he is, and it isn't fair. But nobody's GONNA know who he is if we don't talk about him.

[thunderbolt]

CTVT doesn't have the Lee figure at all on its site. Guess they lost the rights.

[warlock664]

... for his uncle Goodman

I can’t tell you the number of times over the years that I’ve read this factually incorrect reference. Goodman was NOT Stan’s uncle: he was married to Stan’s cousin. But it’s been repeated so often that most people who read it assume it’s true.

[MRP]

I can’t tell you the number of times over the years that I’ve read this factually incorrect reference. Goodman was NOT Stan’s uncle: he was married to Stan’s cousin. But it’s been repeated so often that most people who read it assume it’s true.

Same can be said for most of Stan's anecdotes about how certain characters were conceived. The stories that get repeated are what is remembered and assumed to be true, even if the truth lies along a different path. It's the Liberty Valance conundrum.

-M

[VulcansFury]

CTVT doesn't have the Lee figure at all on its site. Guess they lost the rights.

Long ago. They had leftovers for awhile. I bought my set on clearance at BBTS. Then after Stan departed us, they all sold out (except for the autographed expensive-as-all-getout ones on FTC's site). I will DEFINITELY be buying a Mego Stan.

As for Kirby, I'd be down for one. He'd be a separate license from his estate, and would honestly make for a great SDCC exclusive. Same for Ditko, but I don't see that one happening.