Vent: That comic book fan who argued Stan Lee created every Marvel character

I ran into a guy at my local shop in Austin last Saturday who swore up and down that Stan Lee was the sole creator of every Marvel character from the Silver Age. He got pretty loud about it, even after I pointed out Kirby and Ditko did most of the heavy lifting on the art and concepts. Have any of you had to deal with someone who just won't accept how much collaboration goes into these books?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.joseph1d ago

Read a biography last year that said Kirby basically co-created like 80% of the early characters.

susan_adams1d ago

Oh great, so Kirby did 80% of the work while I can barely keep my houseplants alive for a week. Must be nice to have that kind of creative energy instead of just re-arranging my sock drawer for the third time. Guess that explains why all the classic characters have that same blocky, powerful look - Kirby was basically the one-man army of early comics.

moore.beth1d agoMost Upvoted

Right, the "blocky, powerful look" is exactly what happens when one guy is drawing everything at war speed. @carter.joseph's biography nailed it because Kirby's style literally became the house style of Marvel out of necessity. He wasn't just fast, he was inventing how to draw action on a deadline, and that brute force energy stuck.