True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee
 | |
| Author | Abraham Riesman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | 2021 |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-13571-6 |
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee is a biography of Stan Lee written by Abraham Riesman.
Content[edit]
Lee, who died in 2018, was a comic book writer, editor, and publisher. Riesman, a comic book fan, had previously written a number of articles about comic books for Vulture.com,[1] and her profile of Lee went viral. The article concerning, in part, the degree of input Lee had in the creation of Marvel Comics superheroes during the Silver Age of Comic Books.[2]
True Believer was written as a followup and is a full biography of Lee's life. For the biography, Riesman interviewed Lee's surviving family members, former coworkers and business partners, and assistants who worked with his collaborators.[3] Riesman said the book was not intended to be a hatchet job but instead examines controversies in the comic book business, many of which have no proof either way, such as who created which characters.[4] This is partly because the history of early comic book companies was not preserved, and partly because the Marvel Method of comic book creation left authorship murky.[5]
Reception[edit]
Media interest[edit]
Publishers Weekly called it a "detailed, clear-eyed examination" of interest to general audiences.[6] Stephanie Burt of The New Yorker described it as a künstlerroman that tackles a story that has become increasingly relevant to mainstream audiences who are not comics fans because of the billions of dollars involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[7] Andy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times said it is "a well-researched, engrossing and compulsively readable book" but felt it focuses too much on scandalmongering and criticizing Lee.[2] Writing for USA Today, Barbara VanDenburgh said that the book "doesn't read like a takedown" and is an "absorbing read" even for non-comics fans.[8] Mike Avila of IGN wrote that it "offers an illuminating and often harsh look" at Lee,[9] and Glen David Gold of The Washington Post called it an "excellent dig below the geniality that shows casual fans who he really was".[5] Jillian Steinhauer wrote in The New Republic that the book is "well-researched and thorough" but "feels like it's missing an emotional core".[10]
Response by Roy Thomas[edit]
Roy Thomas, a former editor-in-chief at Marvel and protégé of Lee, commented on the biography in an opinion piece. Thomas described it as "95% true", but containing lies of omission. He cited the existence of partial outlines written by Lee, for Fantastic Four #1 and #8, respectively, which go over the plot-lines for the stories in some detail. (Thomas dismissed the idea that Leee might have written the outlines after, not before the outline, in order to claim false credit.) Thomas also faulted Riesman for taking Kirby's statement at face value but not Lee's. Thomas considered the flaws, together, rendered the book untrustworthy.[11] Thomas published a revised and expanded critique in issue #171 of Alter Ego, a publication which Thomas edits. Here, Thomas went into more detail regarding the biography's perceived inaccuracies.
References[edit]
- ^ Pacitti, Tony (2021-12-27). "In Conversation With Abraham Riesman, Stan Lee's Unblinking Biographer". Rhode Island Monthly. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b Lewis, Andy (2021-02-16). "Review: Stan Lee: Genius or huckster? A new biography of the Marvel creator weighs in". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Grisar, P. J. (2021-02-11). "Stan Lee was his own favorite superhero - that was his downfall". The Forward. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (2021-02-18). "How 'True Believer' Untangles Stan Lee's Complicated Legacy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b Gold, Glen David (2021-02-18). "'True Believer' tries to capture Stan Lee. It isn't easy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Burt, Stephanie (2021-02-08). "Who Really Created the Marvel Universe?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ VanDenburgh, Barbara (2021-02-17). "'The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee': Absorbing bio details dismantles myths surrounding Marvel comics icon". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Avila, Mike (2021-02-20). "Stan Lee Biography Reveals the Darker Side of a Marvel Icon". IGN. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jillian (2021-02-09). "The Unheroic Life of Stan Lee". The New Republic. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Thomas, Roy (2021-02-23). "Roy Thomas, Former Marvel Editor, Pushes Back on New Stan Lee Biography (Guest Column)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-03-15.