Known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel Comics to its preeminent position in the comic-book industry, Stan Lee's singular co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, The Avengers, Silver Surfer, and Dr. Strange, among many others. Lee first became publisher of Marvel Comics in 1972 and is presently the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. and a member of the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics. In 1977, he introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper strip that went on to become the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips. Spider-Man now appears in more than 500 newspapers worldwide, still written by Stan -- making it the longest running of all super-hero strips.
 
Without question, Stan "The Man" Lee has exerted more influence over the comic-book industry than anyone in history. He created or co-created 90 percent of Marvel's recognized characters, which have been successfully licensed and marketed since 1965. The numbers are staggering: More than 2 billion of his comic books have been published in 75 countries and in 25 languages. In Europe alone, Stan Lee's name appears on over 35 million comics annually. Each year, X-Men sells more than 13 million copies. 
 
In 1981, Stan Lee transformed his Spider-Man and Hulk creations into Saturday morning and syndicated television cartoons. When Marvel Comics and Marvel Productions were acquired by New World Entertainment in 1986, Stan's horizons expanded even further, giving him the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the creation and development of filmed projects for both the big and small screen. He supervised such diverse animated series as X-Men, Spider-Man, and The Hulk. To date, Stan's characters have populated over 24 separate television series, all of which continue in syndication around the world. The 1998 hit movie Blade, based on a Marvel character, has inspired an upcoming sequel (the second to date) and plans are underway for another sequel to the mega-hit X-Men. Speaking of mega hits, the box-office records of the blockbuster sensations Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 speak for themselves.

Additionally, many of Stan’s other creations -- such as The Hulk, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, The Mighty Thor, and Silver Surfer -- are in development for motion pictures and TV series. Also, a number of Lee's classic animated series are also available on video, released globally by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The saturation factor is high: The X-Men series has a 90 percent recognition factor among the 30 million American children between the ages of 6 and 14.

During 2001, Stan formed POW! Entertainment, which has been very active in creating a number of new projects that are now in various stages of development.

Despite the incredible record of his past achievements, Stan -- with the characteristic enthusiasm of a teenager -- feels that his creative career is just beginning now as we enter the 21st Century.

Related Websites:

Marvel Enterprises: http://www.marvel.com/

Nick Simon's Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index: http://www.samcci.comics.org/

Animation World Magazine profile of Stan Lee: http://mag.awn.com/index.php?article_no=1806

Salon.com profile of Stan Lee: http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/08/17/lee/