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Stan Lee, Even the Comic Book Great Ones Have
Problems
Dave Gieber
Stan Lee, in my mind, has to be one of the all time most
recognizable individuals in the "Comic Book Industry". Most
lovers of comic books have known his name all their collecting
lives. For those of you who don't know his name, I am sure you
have heard of his creations. The X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the
Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and the very well known Spider-Man
are all from the mind of Stan Lee. For the last forty years or
more and as an employee of Marvel Comics, he has entertained us
through the art of comic book imagination.
Well, by now you would think that an individual of this caliber
would be taken seriously and treated with respect from his
employers. Apparently not! In 2002 Stan Lee decided he had to
file a lawsuit against the comic giant, Marvel. It appears the
agreement between Lee and Marvel was that 10% of the income
generated from TV and movies using Lee characters, was to be his.
Seems Marvel didn't see it that way. Typical of conglomerates,
isn't it? The boys in the suits seem to want to make all the
rules. Stan at one time had even been a suit. Among other
positions held at Marvel, Lee had even been president of the
company for a while.
Years ago when Stan Lee had created most of his characters, he
had done it through a write-for-hire agreement, so he doesn't own
the characters. Stan was then, just a "meat and potatoes" kind of
guy, trying to put meat and potatoes on the table. But over the
years, he was very instrumental in putting Marvel Comics on the
map.
When the 10% deal was formally put together, apparently most
individuals involved didn't realize the windfall that comic book
character movies would become. Now is that any reason to hold
back Stan's piece of the pie? I think not. Just corporate bigwigs
trying to increase their lot in life. Now this is just my opinion
so don't rant back at me as being unfair.
As luck would have it, a federal judge agreed and ruled in favor
of Lee. How much monetary compensation does this mean? Well to
put it in perspective, the two Spider- Man movies thus far, have
reaped on the order of 800 million dollars apiece, in world wide
ticket sales. This settlement could mean tens of millions of
dollars for Lee, but the battle is not over. Marvel, will quite
probably appeal the verdict and the case may be tied up in the
courts for years.
Now don't go feeling too badly for Stan Lee. He is still pulling
down a salary from Marvel on the order of a million dollars.
Still not to shabby in my mind. And Lee has mixed feels because
he has been loyal to Marvel for 60 years. To have his lifelong
employer trying to, shall we say, stiff him, for being so loyal,
I'm sure, does hurt. Had it not been for Lee, Marvel may not have
been in the financial position they are today.
At 82, Stan Lee does have a comfortable and successful life. And
if even his settlement is held up in the courts for years, Stan
won the first round. He didn't bow down to the corporate hammer.
Just another "Joe working class hero" yelling out, hey guys,
let's play by the rules.
Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer, has decided to take up
residency on the Internet. He is the owner and editor of several
websites, one of which was built around one of his childhood
passions;
www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com . You can visit
here to keep up to date on the world of comic books and comic
book collecting. Feel free to sign up for my comic book ezine.
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