20th Century Danny Boy: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby et al...The Birth Of The Marvel Universe
I doubt there’s been a more polarizing figure in the history of comic books than Stan Lee. Depending on whom you believe he’s a shyster, a creator, a fraud, a visionary, a liar, misunderstood or an opportunist. It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have a strong opinion of the man and there are distinct camps, those who believe that Stan Lee had no input into the creation of the Marvel Universe as we know it and that he took credit for the work of Jack Kirby. There are those who believe that both Stan and Jack collaborated, and those who feel that the Kirby camp continually try to dismiss Stan’s role and place in the history of comic books. Stan, self-admittedly, has a shockingly poor memory; however this is nothing new – he’s been stating that for decades now. Stan doesn’t remember things as well as people would want him to, but then, for some, it matters not – unless Stan were to come out and state that Jack Kirby created, wrote and edited everything that Marvel produced in the Silver Age, then they’ll refuse to believe anything he says. However some of what Stan says has remained consistent over the years and the bulk of the following was taken from his 2010 depositions, as submitted in the Marvel vs Kirby court case. What is important to remember is that a deposition is taken under oath – if Stan was lying, and was found out, then the penalties would be severe. Call Stan what you want, but I don’t believe he’s an idiot, nor do I believe that he’d be foolish enough to lie under oath. It’s a pity that Jack Kirby was never placed under oath to detail the creation of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man and others.
