True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 09:51:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Abraham Riesman
- ISBN：0593135717
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Summary
The definitive， revelatory biography of Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee， an artist and entrepreneur who reshaped global pop culture—at a steep personal cost。
Stan Lee—born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922—is one of the most beloved and influential entertainers to emerge from the twentieth century。 He served as editor in chief of Marvel Comics for three decades and， in that time， launched more pieces of internationally recognizable intellectual property than anyone other than Walt Disney: Spider-Man， the Avengers， the X-Men， Black Panther， the Incredible Hulk， Iron Man， Thor。。。 the list seems to never end。 On top of that， his carnival-barker marketing prowess more or less single-handedly saved the comic-book industry and superhero fiction。 Without him， the global entertainment industry would be wildly different—and a great deal poorer。
But Lee's unprecedented career was also pitted with spectacular failures， controversy， and bitter disputes。 Lee was dogged by accusations from his long-time collaborators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko over who really created Marvel's signature characters—icons for whom Lee had always been suspected of taking more than his due share of credit。 A major business venture， Stan Lee Media， resulted in stock manipulation， bankruptcy， and criminal charges。 And in his final years， after the death of his beloved wife， Joan， rumors swirled that Lee was a virtual prisoner in his own home， issuing cryptic video recordings as a battle to control his fortune and legacy ensued。
Abraham Riesman is a veteran culture reporter who has conducted extensive new interviews and research， turning up never-before-published revelations about Lee's life and work。 Lee's most famous motto was: "With great power comes great responsibility。" True Believer chronicles every triumph and every misstep of an extraordinary life， and leaves it to readers to decide whether Lee lived up to the responsibilities of his own talent。
Stan Lee—born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922—is one of the most beloved and influential entertainers to emerge from the twentieth century。 He served as editor in chief of Marvel Comics for three decades and， in that time， launched more pieces of internationally recognizable intellectual property than anyone other than Walt Disney: Spider-Man， the Avengers， the X-Men， Black Panther， the Incredible Hulk， Iron Man， Thor。。。 the list seems to never end。 On top of that， his carnival-barker marketing prowess more or less single-handedly saved the comic-book industry and superhero fiction。 Without him， the global entertainment industry would be wildly different—and a great deal poorer。
But Lee's unprecedented career was also pitted with spectacular failures， controversy， and bitter disputes。 Lee was dogged by accusations from his long-time collaborators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko over who really created Marvel's signature characters—icons for whom Lee had always been suspected of taking more than his due share of credit。 A major business venture， Stan Lee Media， resulted in stock manipulation， bankruptcy， and criminal charges。 And in his final years， after the death of his beloved wife， Joan， rumors swirled that Lee was a virtual prisoner in his own home， issuing cryptic video recordings as a battle to control his fortune and legacy ensued。
Abraham Riesman is a veteran culture reporter who has conducted extensive new interviews and research， turning up never-before-published revelations about Lee's life and work。 Lee's most famous motto was: "With great power comes great responsibility。" True Believer chronicles every triumph and every misstep of an extraordinary life， and leaves it to readers to decide whether Lee lived up to the responsibilities of his own talent。
Reviews
Jason Béliveau
，
Pretty goude， mais c'est plus un procès de l'homme qu'autre chose。 True Believer？ Pourtant Riseman établit d'emblée que Lee s'en foutait au fond des comic books。 Et DIEU qu'il avait des mauvaises idées Lee。 Faut être fêlé de la caboche de s'imaginer après la lecture qu'il a inventé seul les personnages les plus connus de Marvel。 Pretty goude， mais c'est plus un procès de l'homme qu'autre chose。 True Believer？ Pourtant Riseman établit d'emblée que Lee s'en foutait au fond des comic books。 Et DIEU qu'il avait des mauvaises idées Lee。 Faut être fêlé de la caboche de s'imaginer après la lecture qu'il a inventé seul les personnages les plus connus de Marvel。 。。。more
Bill
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Mr。 Riesman writes like an investigative journalist trying to solve the mystery of Stan Lee。
David
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Wasn’t bad but just didn’t seem to be an overly interesting read
Judy Santos
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Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you 。。。more
Brad
，
As a kid in the 60's I was a stone-cold Marvel fanatic。 I bought and read every superhero comic for， geez， 7 or so years。 I joined the Merry Marvel Marching Society， had a letter published in "Hulk，" and even won a "no-prize" （if you have to ask。。。）。 Boy， do I wish I had some of those comics today！！ Anyway， even though I haven't really followed Stan's career closely since the 60's， I found this book really interesting。 I guess I always knew that Stan Lee's major talent was being。。。"STAN LEE。" An As a kid in the 60's I was a stone-cold Marvel fanatic。 I bought and read every superhero comic for， geez， 7 or so years。 I joined the Merry Marvel Marching Society， had a letter published in "Hulk，" and even won a "no-prize" （if you have to ask。。。）。 Boy， do I wish I had some of those comics today！！ Anyway， even though I haven't really followed Stan's career closely since the 60's， I found this book really interesting。 I guess I always knew that Stan Lee's major talent was being。。。"STAN LEE。" And that he was in love with the sound of his own voice （or his own writings， especially in "Stan's Soapbox"）。 His messy relationships with people like Jack Kirby， Steve Ditko， Larry Lieber （his own brother！）， etc - really everyone except his wife Joan - are examined in gruesome detail。 Do I believe that Stan Lee took an awful lot of credit that he really wasn't due？ I can believe that in a heartbeat。 It sure seemed as though he just had one gear - moving forward， not regretting or hardly even acknowledging the past。 I guess I'm glad that by the end he really became a global icon， but I'm sad that his later years were plagued by a lot of questionable people getting their hooks in him。 If you ever cared at all about Spidey， the Thing， etc。 You'll appreciate （not sure "enjoy" is the right word， although this book is eminently readable and well-written。 。。。more
Robert Greenberger
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I always thought myself in the minority regarding the opinion that Stan Lee's creativity ended when he became Marvel's publisher in 1970。 Thankfully， I have learned I am not alone with no biography addressing this as pointedly as Abraham Riesman does in this fascinating biography。There is no question Riesman has an agenda， which seems to be debunking the Stan Lee Myth。 We may argue he goes too far in stripping Stan of his creative contributions to the Marvel Universe， but it may be a result of t I always thought myself in the minority regarding the opinion that Stan Lee's creativity ended when he became Marvel's publisher in 1970。 Thankfully， I have learned I am not alone with no biography addressing this as pointedly as Abraham Riesman does in this fascinating biography。There is no question Riesman has an agenda， which seems to be debunking the Stan Lee Myth。 We may argue he goes too far in stripping Stan of his creative contributions to the Marvel Universe， but it may be a result of trying to balance the scales in a debate that will never end since most of the primary sources are no longer with us。Riesman does a nice job on the early years， right up to Lee going into World War II。 But the post-war period， through FF #1 needed more。 First of all， many co-workers always said he was an excellent art director and developed a good commercial sense。 Al Jaffe recounted on time he attended a cover meeting， expecting it to last all day， but Stan generated a few dozen cover ideas in a matter of hours。 There were reports of him dictating full scripts during this period to secretaries so he seemed adept at the plot-first and full-script styles。We have anecdotal evidence that Stan and Jack did kick ideas around， both in the office and in the car rides back to Long Island （courtesy of driver John Romita）。 So， it wasn't as cut and dried as Riesman makes it out to be。I think Roy's role of mentee and creative contributor during the latter '60s got short shrift。But， the complete and utter failure of Stan to create original works on his own in new media （film， television， webisodes） is sad to contemplate。 Because we also know that in the right environment， he still could make valuable contributions。 As Mark Waid recently noted on Facebook， Stan read work with his name on it and would make editorial and art comments that seemed more often than not to be spot on。Not mentioned here is the series of How to books bearing Stan's name， packaged by Dynamite and published by Watson-Guptil。 I co-wrote the How to Write Comics volume and was handed an outline that Stan clearly had a hand in creating。 He answered emails from me about things he wanted to be covered or addressed so he was not always an absentee landlord of his name。The book is a must-read bio， but possibly the best critical analysis of Stan's written work probably remains the volume from Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael。 。。。more
Martin Maenza
，
A well-researched account of the life and business dealings of one of comics’ notable figures。
Mark Adams
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Behind every great person is their true story casting a shadow。 One of the most detailed biographies I've ever read。 This book will make you an honest true believer。 Behind every great person is their true story casting a shadow。 One of the most detailed biographies I've ever read。 This book will make you an honest true believer。 。。。more
Rick Burin
，
This warts-and-all biography – which is mostly warts， to be honest – promises a lot but delivers only a fraction of that。 It’s pitched as a sort of Death-of-a-Salesman-meets-Kavalier and Clay， with a stunning title， a breathless blurb hinting at some epic exploration of the American Dream， and an opening section that finds the roots of this story in a Romanian pogrom。 I wish the book that I'd imagined existed， but I'm not sure Stan Lee could be the subject of it。 Perhaps I just wanted Kavalier a This warts-and-all biography – which is mostly warts， to be honest – promises a lot but delivers only a fraction of that。 It’s pitched as a sort of Death-of-a-Salesman-meets-Kavalier and Clay， with a stunning title， a breathless blurb hinting at some epic exploration of the American Dream， and an opening section that finds the roots of this story in a Romanian pogrom。 I wish the book that I'd imagined existed， but I'm not sure Stan Lee could be the subject of it。 Perhaps I just wanted Kavalier and Clay again。The first half of True Believer is hugely readable if curiously paced， skirting over entire decades then drilling down into a particular controversy for a dozen pages。 But while Riesman does about as good a job as possible of untangling the disputed genesis of certain Lee ‘creations’， there simply is no smoking gun， which can't help but leave you unsatisfied。 After that， the book becomes increasingly shapeless， resembling a rummage through Lee’s personal papers and financial records – augmented by some interviews – before climaxing with a lengthy depiction of the dying subject being held captive in his house by various malign forces。There are fleeting moments of excitement and scandal here， with the author neatly contrasting the cartoonishly avuncular image of Lee with the reality。 But that reality is ultimately not very interesting。 The portrait of Lee that emerges is of a dull man concerned largely with money and full to bursting with bad ideas。 。。。more
Sarospice
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The author would like you to know Stan Lee was a shameless self promoter。 O。k。 Whether he invented the Marvel Universe or not he created， in my opinion， the "fan boy"， by being always excited about the characters and universes in the comic book world。 It got other people interested in comics too， and that influence alone is invaluable to where the medium is today。 Who he was otherwise doesn't compare or matter now。。。 The author would like you to know Stan Lee was a shameless self promoter。 O。k。 Whether he invented the Marvel Universe or not he created， in my opinion， the "fan boy"， by being always excited about the characters and universes in the comic book world。 It got other people interested in comics too， and that influence alone is invaluable to where the medium is today。 Who he was otherwise doesn't compare or matter now。。。 。。。more
Jon
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'When I ask [Gerry] Conway for his general estimation of Stan， he pauses for a moment and replies， "He's a good guy。 He's just not a great guy。"' 'When I ask [Gerry] Conway for his general estimation of Stan， he pauses for a moment and replies， "He's a good guy。 He's just not a great guy。"' 。。。more
Merle
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A very interesting biography of the man the legend， the myth。 Stan Lee rose to fame and fell very far。This book really illustrates the rise and fall。 In the end it is a somewhat sad story of man who rose to the top on the backs of other cartoonists。 Then fell at the end of his life， with his own daughter being one of the worst abusers of him。 A very interesting book for anyone who know Lee and the Marvel comics superheroes。
Will Hines
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This book is really hard on Stan。 The thesis is clear: “Stan was a liar and not a good person。” Makes for clear lively writing。 Yet somehow I was not convinced to dislike Stan。 I WAS disillusioned by all of Stan’s peers。 Every single person seems to say “I invented everything myself with no valuable help from anyone。” If Stan was so lousy and unreliable —- then why did so many do their best work under his editorship？ Kirby and Ditko hated him —- but almost every other comics creator who worked w This book is really hard on Stan。 The thesis is clear: “Stan was a liar and not a good person。” Makes for clear lively writing。 Yet somehow I was not convinced to dislike Stan。 I WAS disillusioned by all of Stan’s peers。 Every single person seems to say “I invented everything myself with no valuable help from anyone。” If Stan was so lousy and unreliable —- then why did so many do their best work under his editorship？ Kirby and Ditko hated him —- but almost every other comics creator who worked with him loved him！ Anyway。 This book is hard on Stan。 It’s engaging and well researched but also it sure seems mad at him。 。。。more
Joe Kessler
，
Drawing on years of archive research and interviews with Stan Lee's closest associates， this new biography is probably the definitive account of the Marvel Comics editor-turned-Hollywood cameo superstar。 It also complicates if not contradicts a lot of our established ideas about the man， right down to the claim that he invented many of his company's most famous and beloved properties。 （Illustrators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko contend that their hands-off boss often had minimal input over his unde Drawing on years of archive research and interviews with Stan Lee's closest associates， this new biography is probably the definitive account of the Marvel Comics editor-turned-Hollywood cameo superstar。 It also complicates if not contradicts a lot of our established ideas about the man， right down to the claim that he invented many of his company's most famous and beloved properties。 （Illustrators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko contend that their hands-off boss often had minimal input over his underlings' creations， while Disney understandably favors the interpretation that all contracts stemming from his assertion of copyright are legitimate， but there isn't much solid evidence on either side。）Journalist Abraham Riesman does not flat-out conclude that the genesis of Spider-Man， the Fantastic Four， the Avengers， and the like owed little to Lee's mind， but he presents reasonable arguments to that effect and a mountain of other circumstances where his subject clearly twisted the truth to suit his ends。 Most previous biographers and chroniclers of comic history seem to have generally taken the legend at his word on everything， but Riesman is a diligent fact-checker who turns up case after case of verifiable falsehoods throughout the editor's long career。 He also stresses that these stories are important for understanding how Stan saw himself and wanted to be seen by others， and so should not be simply dismissed as lies。 In many ways， the biggest fiction that he sold to mass audiences was the packaged character of Stan Lee。Overall， this is a thorough and holistic piece of reporting， spanning from the Romanian Jewish roots of Lee's family and how he came to reject that aspect of his life -- a topic that does not appear to have attracted much serious attention before this work -- all through the rising fame to a bitter end amid allegations of betrayal， fraud， and elder abuse。 It's perhaps not a great book for those who revere this giant of the industry， but it is certainly an eye-opening experience for anyone who doesn't mind having their illusions shattered。[Content warning for racism， sexism， and antisemitism including violence and slurs。]Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter 。。。more
Ian
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This was way more interesting and complicated than I thought it would be。
Braulio Mago
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Un libro hecho para aquellos que admiran a Stan Lee。 Sin duda vemos los claroscuros de la vida del creador de personajes tan reconocidos como Los Vengadores。 Una biografía para conocer sobre lo que hubo atrás de las historietas y los problemas legales por la lucha de sus personajes。
Gene
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Well researched， well written and rather depressing
G H M
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Author almost seems to have an agenda against Stan Lee。 Overall， just a dull narrative that’s all over the place。 The audiobook reader was terrible。
Baker St Shelves
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Having read a lot of comic book history and quite a bit revolved around Stan Lee， this book was a big eye opener even for long time fans of Marvel。Now， much of Stan’s life has been thoroughly documented for years， and much of this is commonly known such as how he got into the comics business， co creating much of the world’s well known superheroes。But this book goes deeper into the very flawed and complicated man that you don’t see in the cameos and interviews。He was a businessman and no business Having read a lot of comic book history and quite a bit revolved around Stan Lee， this book was a big eye opener even for long time fans of Marvel。Now， much of Stan’s life has been thoroughly documented for years， and much of this is commonly known such as how he got into the comics business， co creating much of the world’s well known superheroes。But this book goes deeper into the very flawed and complicated man that you don’t see in the cameos and interviews。He was a businessman and no businessman ever became this famous entirely above board。 From multiple scandals， lies， contradictions and broken promises that are all too common in the world of comics。 Even in his later time in life， he still couldn’t escape fake friends and family members that used him for his fame and money。 It’s a sad story but it’s a fascinating look at a big figure in Marvel。 。。。more
Melyssa
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My review for True Believer is live on my blog。 https://theaphantasiabookworm。com/rev。。。I truly recommend that everyone and anyone with any interest at all in the comic industry read this book。 My review for True Believer is live on my blog。 https://theaphantasiabookworm。com/rev。。。I truly recommend that everyone and anyone with any interest at all in the comic industry read this book。 。。。more
Robert
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A comprehensive biography of the main man behind Marvel Comics。 Unbelievable depth。 You may believe a man can cry。
Lynn
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Stan Lee led a very interesting life but it’s hard to be interested in this book。 I found the writing to be clunky and distracting， and didn’t pull me in to be interested。 It was a chore to read this biography and not fun。 I hope there will be another biography that’s more interesting。
Josh Friers
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Wow。。。。。I knew some things but this really changes your perception of stan lee
Eric Haas
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Abraham Riesman’s True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee was an interesting read about the life of Marvel’s Stan Lee。 You can tell that the author was a life-long fan of the comics and knows the ins and outs of Stan Lee’s time with Marvel。 This led to a biography crafted more for those initiated into the drama of Stan Lee’s life - especially those who have a deep familiarity with the comics that shaped his narrative。 The author had access to a lot of information tied to the end of Stan Lee Abraham Riesman’s True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee was an interesting read about the life of Marvel’s Stan Lee。 You can tell that the author was a life-long fan of the comics and knows the ins and outs of Stan Lee’s time with Marvel。 This led to a biography crafted more for those initiated into the drama of Stan Lee’s life - especially those who have a deep familiarity with the comics that shaped his narrative。 The author had access to a lot of information tied to the end of Stan Lee’s life， which makes for a heartbreaking ending to the work - as you realize that Stan Lee was surrounded by vultures。As someone that did not know much about the Jack Kirby / Stan Lee divide， I found the back-and-forth about who was the creator of the iconic Marvel characters a little dull， especially since it never really gets answered satisfactorily。 Since both individuals are now dead it will most likely remain one of the great mysteries。 Unfortunately， the author does not feel the need to go into the more philosophical ideas that collaborative comic creation makes。 Specifically， does the Marvel Method， inherently create conflict， as one person has the story seed that others then create around。。。potentially taking it into new and better directors than initially presented。 However， it still goes to the final editor to has the responsibility if the product succeeds or fails。 I recommend this book for those already familiar with Stan Lee’s life and are interested in the torrid tales of the last decade of Stan the Man。 。。。more
Gary Shapiro
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An investigative journalist approach to the life of Stan Lee which calls into question Lee’s role n the creation of the Marvel Universe。
Jeremy
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This is a sad story from top to bottom。 There’s no denying Stan hogged all the credit， but those 60s books wouldn’t have worked as well without his dialogue。 It’s his run of creative failures post-Marvel age prove that he wasn’t the fount of creativity he claimed to be。 He was the perfect pitchman， though。 Professionally he was a captive not only of his own success but also that of his collaborators。 In the end he paid a heavy price。
Brett buckner
，
Pretty much everyone over the age of 5 is at least vaguely aware of who Stan Lee is， if it's just being familiar with his iconic mug appearing in every Marvel movie。 But WHO Stan Lee really is， is a much more complicated。Stan Lee is the face and the cheerleader for Marvel。 He's the voice of a galaxy of superheroes who's names are as well known as his own， but what actual role did Lee have in creating those characters？Therein lies the question that Riesman attempts to unravel along with trying to Pretty much everyone over the age of 5 is at least vaguely aware of who Stan Lee is， if it's just being familiar with his iconic mug appearing in every Marvel movie。 But WHO Stan Lee really is， is a much more complicated。Stan Lee is the face and the cheerleader for Marvel。 He's the voice of a galaxy of superheroes who's names are as well known as his own， but what actual role did Lee have in creating those characters？Therein lies the question that Riesman attempts to unravel along with trying to understand the Man behind the likes of Spider-Man， The Fantastic Four， Incredible Hulk and The X-Men。 Lee's life， especially the last few years are sad and desperate， a man who never really liked the genre that he - according mostly to himself - all but created。True Believer is a must-read for anyone who loves comics， superheroes， Marvel movies or a good ol' mystery。 。。。more
Nick Hansen
，
When my wife saw this book on our kitchen table she remarked， “I didn’t know Stan Lee had ‘fall。’”As someone who had viewed Stan Lee as the lovable godfather of the Marvel Universe， this book made my jaw drop。 It’s a tale of backstabbing， lies， deceit， fame， fortune， and flops。 Only about 1/3 of this book actually deals with the creation of the superheroes。 The final 1/3 of this book deals with the tumultuous final decades of Stan’s life。 It’s a sad tale that will make you feel all sorts of thin When my wife saw this book on our kitchen table she remarked， “I didn’t know Stan Lee had ‘fall。’”As someone who had viewed Stan Lee as the lovable godfather of the Marvel Universe， this book made my jaw drop。 It’s a tale of backstabbing， lies， deceit， fame， fortune， and flops。 Only about 1/3 of this book actually deals with the creation of the superheroes。 The final 1/3 of this book deals with the tumultuous final decades of Stan’s life。 It’s a sad tale that will make you feel all sorts of things towards Lee。 Not to mention the sordid cast or characters who took advantage of Lee in his later years。Ultimately， Riesman does an excellent job of trying to separate fact from fiction with Lee， but the task is a sisyphean one。 There is a scene near the end of the book that will shock the reader more than any Marvel plot twist and cements the fact that Lee’s legacy will always be shrouded with an air of mystery， deceit， and secrets。 。。。more
James
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A thoroughly researched biography of comics legend Stan Lee， starting with his grandparents' lives in late 19th-century Romania and running all the way to Stan's death a few years ago， it is the complete story。 I am a sufficiently well-read nerd to have known that Stan's role in the creation of Marvel Comics' most famous characters is somewhere between overstated and outright fraudulent， but it remains sad to read the way Stan profited from these creations way more than others who were at least A thoroughly researched biography of comics legend Stan Lee， starting with his grandparents' lives in late 19th-century Romania and running all the way to Stan's death a few years ago， it is the complete story。 I am a sufficiently well-read nerd to have known that Stan's role in the creation of Marvel Comics' most famous characters is somewhere between overstated and outright fraudulent， but it remains sad to read the way Stan profited from these creations way more than others who were at least his partners in their creation， and maybe even their sole creators。 Yet it's impossible to have read countless stories under the banner "Stan Lee Presents。。。" and full of Stan's Bullpen Bulletin columns and seeing him performing as a goofy and enthusiastic mascot of comics and not have affection for him， even if I have a hard time justifying those feelings。The most new-to-me stuff in here is the details of Stan's last few decades， where he pursued increasingly ill-conceived get rich quick schemes with increasingly unscrupulous （and outright ridiculous） business partners， leading to lawsuits and SEC investigations。 And Stan's final years， with claims of elder abuse and the 95 year old man being wheeled out to comic conventions while having to be reminded how to sign his own name， are just incredibly grim。I kind of wish there had been more happy stories to balance out the sadness and negativity of this biography， which I think gets at why Stan remains beloved: he was a charming pitchman who had a sense for what people wanted to be told， and who was unburdened by the need for it to be true。 。。。more
Dan Schwent
，