IN MEMORIAM: STEVE SHERMAN

INNERVIEWs Lee/Kirby: Beta

with thanks to Barry Pearl (http://forbushman.blogspot. com) and Nick Caputo for unearthing this

From the G. William Jones Film & Video Archive at Southern Methodist University

(above) One of Stan Lee’s earliest attempts at becoming a media celebrity—his introduction for the 1966 Marvel Super-Heroes animated television series produced by Grantray-Lawrence. (below) The published cover of Strange Tales Annual #1 was a vast improvement over its beta version. [This interview, conducted circa Fall 1964, originally appeared in the fanzine Crusader #1 (Winter 1964-65, published by David Castronuovo), long before Stan became the polished media icon he eventually became. Its mimeo cover art (right) was by Vince Colletta.] EDITOR: Before we start, is there anything you’d like to say to fandom? STAN LEE: I love you all! ED: Which Marvel super-hero to do you consider to be your favorite? STAN: Well, really, I like all of them. It’s like your own children—you like all of them. ED: Where do you get your ideas for story plots? STAN: I just sit down—and think! ED: Have you ever worked for any other company in the past besides Marvel/Atlas/ Timely? STAN: No. ED: How did you get started in comics? STAN: They needed a writer. I started writing captions for a mag. ED: Where did Marvel Comics Group get its name? STAN: Well, there was a book long ago called Marvel. We liked the name so we called it “Marvel.” ED: Do you study any background information for writing stories for your super-heroes? STAN: No, unfortunately, I

haven’t got the time. ED: Are you planning to bring back Captain Marvel, as you did Captain America, or don’t you have the rights to revise him? STAN: Actually, it’s up for grabs. However, we don’t like copying, and we like to stick to our own work, so probably not. ED: Is there any reason behind the fact that you are always changing the Wasp’s costume?

STAN: We really aren’t satisfied yet!

ED: Do you consider any one of your heroes to be the worst of the group?

STAN: No, not really.

ED: Do you mind being interviewed?

STAN: No, not if it is by mail. I don’t like to give in-person interviews too much, because it isn’t really fair to other ’zine editors, who could not come to New

York for an in-person interview. (Editor’s Note: The above shows one more reason why we are greatly in debt to Stan Lee for letting us interview him.

Also, we are very grateful to Vince Colletta for making the interviews possible.)

ED: Do you mind it when a satirical strip is done on one of your super-heroes?

STAN: No, because it means that they read the comic.

ED: Are you planning to start any new super-heroes in the near future?

STAN: Of course. One of them will be (censored at Mr.