Stan Lee: A Life

Review
Batchelor’s excellent biography of Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man and other classic comic-book characters who revolutionized the comic-book industry, was published in 2017 as Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel. Now updated with new material, it’s being republished to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Lee’s birth…. [A] respectful, well-sourced biography of a cultural icon. It’s not the only Lee biography, but it may be the best of the bunch, primarily because it’s skillfully written and because the author clearly feels a great deal of affection for his subject. Will those who read the 2017 edition want to read this one? Yes, because the book now covers the entirety of Lee’s remarkable life and career. ― Booklist
The definitive biography of Marvel legend Stan Lee, celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Stan Lee’s extraordinary life was as epic as the superheroes he co-created, from the Amazing Spider-Man to the Mighty Avengers. His ideas and voice are at the heart of global culture, loved by millions of superhero fans around the world.
In Stan Lee: A Life, award-winning cultural historian Bob Batchelor offers an in-depth and complete look at this iconic visionary. Born in the Roaring Twenties, growing up in the Great Depression, living and thriving through the American Century, and dying in the twenty-first century, Stan Lee’s life is a unique representation of recent American history. Batchelor examines Lee’s fascinating American life by drawing out all its complexity, drama, heartache, and humor, revealing how Lee introduced the world to heroes that were just as fallible and complex as their creator—and just like all of us.
An up-close look at a legendary figure, this centennial edition includes completely new material to give the full measure of a man whose genius continues to mesmerize audiences worldwide. Candid, authoritative, and absorbing, this is the biography of a man who dreamed of one day writing the Great American Novel, but ended up doing so much more—revolutionizing culture by creating new worlds and heroes that have entertained generations.