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October 12, 2006
Stan Lee Invades the Marvel Universe
Stan Lee hasn't regularly written any Marvel Comic since the 70s. Sure, he's done one-shots or miniseries here and there, and if we overlook Ravage 2099, that statement is mostly true. Anytime there's been an announcement of Lee returning to write a comic, I usually shrug hopelessly, because Stan Lee usually writes like it's still the 60s: with exclamation points at the end of very sentence! Two weeks ago, the first in a series of Marvel anniversary specials appeared, Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man. In the lead story (written by Lee and drawn by Olivier Coipel) Lee appears as a character in the story and meets his greatest creation, Spider-Man. Spidey complains about his bad luck while Lee makes dinner. The dialogue between the two of them is funny, and I liked Coipel's 60s era depiction of Spidey's memories. The backup story, by Joss Whedon and Michael Gaydos, was also first-rate, about a comic convention taking place in alternate dimensions. Amazing Fantasy becomes Amazing Reality, while Fantastic Four become Normal Four.
The second issue in this series is on sale this week, Stan Lee Meets Doctor Strange. Alan Davis draws Lee's story and it's very funny as well. Doctor Strange has turned to merchandising to keep up with the high rent of his Sanctum Sanctorum, the expenses of cleaning his Cloak of Levitation, etc. I'm a big fan of Alan Davis as well, I think this man is incapable of drawing a visually dynamic story. He's talented at drawing both serious and light-hearted stories.
The backup story features the return of the Impossible Man, written by Bendis and drawn by Mark Bagley. IM can't go on a fun romp through a Marvel Universe torn to shreds by events like Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Civil War, so he eventually travels to Los Angeles to find Stan Lee. He finds a long line of characters waiting to see Lee, including Gwen Stacy, who is upset about having to sleep with Norman Osborne. It's a fun gimmick, one that allow Bendis to use IM as a stand-in for all the old, cranky fans (like us) who hate some of the recent developments in Marvel's continuity. Bendis uses his usual defense (Avengers V1 #16) against IM's cranky fan complaints, but I think this story ranks right up there with all the classic IM tales.
Stan Lee Meets Doctor Strange also features a reprint as a backup, one of my favorite Doctor Strange stories of all time, from Marvel Premiere #3. What makes this story special is the amazing artwork of Barry Smith. I imagine the younger crowd won't know Smith, but he was one of the dominant figures of Marvel's early 70s. His work on Conan the Barbarian turned that character into a megastar for Marvel. The detail and craftsmanship of his pencilling is evident in this story. Nuff said.
