30 December 2017

An End To Secrets

We return for the conclusion of Stan Lee's 1947 booklet on Secrets Behind The Comics-


That offer underscores an often overlooked aspect of Stan Lee's genius. Folks may at times have called him a huckster and slammed him for his self-promotion, and i'm not going to start any defensive arguments. But, while doing so he taps a very real need/desire. It would be decades before budding creators could take their work to conventions for evaluation and review. The only hope in those days was to bus or train to a publishing hub and carry your portfolio from office to office, hoping someone might take a look. An expensive and time consuming affair if one didn't live in New York or Chicago or the like.

Self promotion? Sure. But it takes a special brilliance to sell yourself in a way that makes others happy, and can even be an amazing gift to the buyer. And i can scarcely imagine how cool a look behind the scenes of production must have been in those days when the industry was a complete unknown to the readers.

70 years later, The Man is making folks happier than ever with his unique brand of self promotion. It's hard to imagine a Marvel movie after Stan's not here to make his cameo, so hang in there Mr. Lee!

pages from Secrets Behind The Comics (1947)

More Secrets With Stan

We continue with part 2 (of 3) of Stan Lee's Secrets Behind The Comics from 1947.

One thing i've found particularly interesting about this book is how Stan is already trying to form a relationship with the readers and draw them deeper into comics. This tendency would become the hallmark of the Marvel age, setting them apart from the competition every bit as much as the new trends in characters and story telling.

Picking up where we left off...






Was this the first time that Captain America's origin didn't include Jack Kirby and Joe Simon? It certainly wouldn't be the last. It's also interesting to note that 9 years had passed between 1941 and 1947. Maybe that 6 got pasted on upside down?

We'll be back one more time with the third and final part of this unique book from early years of comics.

continuing from Secrets Behind The Comics (1947)