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The reviews of the new biography of Stan Lee ("True Believer") are all premised with the same hook: Stan Lee didn't actually create the Marvel universe. To which every comic book reader says, no duh 1/x https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/15/who-really-created-the-marvel-universe
I suppose it's not surprising that the perception of Lee is much more inflated in the larger world than it is among comic fans. He's the guy in the movies, he's the face of Marvel. Most civilians couldn't name another comic creator. 2/x
Comic fans, however, know Lee as just one of hundreds of creators, and mostly as a collaborator with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. He was an important, but probably not the most important, figure in the creation of Marvel (that would be Kirby) 3/x
Who did what at Marvel in the '60s has been debated, and litigated, for years. Fans know all that stuff. But the framing of these reviews (this one in the NYer and another in the New Republic) unfortunately suggest this is a big reveal. Stan isn't the Man! 4/x
It's unfortunate because it feeds a backlash against Lee that minimizes his contributions and paints him as a credit-stealing villain. As @accommodatingly notes in her review, Lee was more of a conductor, encouraging and supporting a team of writers and artists. 5/x
That's not to say Lee didn't enjoy the limelight, or that Kirby et al. weren't treated shabbily. Lee could have, and should have done more for his co-creators. But just as he doesn't deserve all the credit for Marvel's success, he shouldn't get all the blame for its failings. 6/6
