I first became aware of who Stan Lee was when he narrated Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and other Marvel cartoons in the 80's. I wondered who this guy was behind all of Marvel's greatest creations. Bob Batchelor answers this question well. Batchelor details Lee's life as a child, his parents struggling to make ends meet. Moving on, we find out about how he was hired as a gofer for Joe Simon and Jack Kirby at the age of 17 to work at Timely Comics. We see his years working at Marvel all the way through 2016 and appearing in his 29th superhero movie. It's a great look at the guy who "Made Mine Marvel".

There are very few people who have lived their lives more in the public eye than Stan Lee. He himself has never been shy about media attention and, from his teenage years has been involved in the publishing world, publicity and comics.

I grew up in a comics loving household. (My paternal grandfather taught himself English using comic books, a love he passed on to my dad, and to me). Since I lived near a major metropolitan city (Pittsburgh, Pa) and not impossibly distant from NYC, I got involved in the large and vibrant fandom in my area. I've met Mr. Lee on several occasions and every single time I met him I came away with an awestruck feeling at how much energy he has and how positive and gracious and accessible he is. I never fail to grin at his cameos in the comics films. I have never heard anyone say he had a bad day or was cranky or ungracious when they encountered him. He's a force of nature.

So, when I sat down to read this -meticulously- researched brick of a book (260 pages), I opened it with a little trepidation. Would the real man behind the phenomenon have feet of clay? Was he really just a man and not the cyclone of my formative years? He's a man who has never shied away from controversy, would the biography have an angle? An agenda?

Obviously there are many (many!) other biographies and biographical resources about Stan Lee. His life has basically been one continual open book, lived in the public eye. The question is really, does this particular book bring anything to the table in terms of new material or unique perspective? I believe it does. I don't recall ever reading much about his very early life growing up in the depression or his difficult early home life. The author suggests that as one reason for his incredible work ethic, it could be true. (Reminds me somewhat of the work-til-you-drop ethic of people in my grandparents' generation, which also had its genesis in the great depression).

There is a lot of content in this book. I think it will be a valuable resource for enthusiasts, students of ephemera, and future historians. I appreciated the incredibly detailed footnotes and reference sections. Amazingly thorough job.

Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

This certainly gives a fascinating insight into the life of Stan Lee and Marvel.
It brings to life the super heroes that are now so much a part of our lives.

Stan Lee is the real hero. I make us dream and for that I thank's him a lot. This book is very interesting and interesting. I learn a lot of things. Thank you for this.

I'm not going to lie -- I didn't know a lot about Stan Lee before I got this book, but I know so much more now and wow, what an extraordinary man! This book was captivating and engaging. Well written, well researched. If you're a fan of biographies or memoirs I would recommend this book. Or just a fan of comics or graphic novels in general! 4,5 out of 5 stars.

As a comic collector and reader I was interested in reading this book. I am glad I did as I learnt more about how Stan got into comics, his work during the war and his disagreements with other comic creators and artists. Bob Batchelor has done a really good job taking the reader into the life of a comic legend. I enjoyed this biography immensely.

Unfortunately, as this books was listed under the 'Comics & Graphic Novels' section was I expecting an illustrated biography to pay homage to one of Comic's greats. The book was well written, and informative, however I couldn't get over my disappoint with Stan Lee's biography being in a traditional format.

I cannot wait to be able to share this book with my sons! It was absolutely AWESOME! I loved finding out more behind the scenes info on the creator of my families favorite super heroes.... It would be a great read for someone who loves biographies even if they weren't a comic book fan.

Stan Lee is a household name, an icon, a hero for those in the comic world that once was seemingly relegated to ‘nerds’ before the global world the importance and power that the written word combined with vivid imagery can convey. Lee has never been one to shy away from self-promotion if it meant finding a new way to bring his work and message to the world so there is no shortage of books about this man who has changed countless lives.

Batchelor has provided another to add to that ever growing collection about the Father of Marvel a beloved figure of our childhoods who has allowed us to take those moments with us as we become adults. Considering the immense body of work out there already by him and about him you’re probably wondering if you need to spend more money on yet another book especially since Lee is still ever creating and changing the world.

That question I really can’t answer for you because it depends on your level of fandom regarding Lee. If you’re a super fan who has the man and myth memorized you’re probably not going to get a lot from this book because Batchelor doesn’t bring anything new to the table that veterans don’t already know and can recite while in a coma. He does a great job with the obviously meticulously researched information he provides so if you’re something of a newbie to Marvel or don’t recognize him beyond his name and the cameos he makes in his movies then this would be a good book for you.

Fifteen years ago Stan Lee published his own autobiography, Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee, which is considered THE definitive work by his fans. Though since it’s by the great man himself there’s going to be some bias, maybe even a bit of coloring, of certain areas of his life so a work by someone more impartial might help give a greater understanding to the later years when Lee wasn’t the great success we know today. In that sense Bachelor does provide more information and a detailed look into the darker times of Lee’s life, the criticisms, legal issues, etc but it is tempered with the artistry of his life as well.

Bachelor is well-known for his unbiased analysis in cultural studies of popular works and figures so you’d be hard-pressed to find a better work done.

Though full of interesting information about Lee's life and role in Marvel, the writing style of this biography fell very flat for me. I felt like I was slogging through the timeline of Lee's life, with occasional anecdotes being reduced to a couple relatively uninteresting lines. With a person as vibrant as Lee, I was disappointed to see so little of his personality shine through. Batchelor would have done well to really dig into interesting stories rather than this bland presentation.