'Stan Lee' Review: Disney Doc On The Marvel Legend Is A Lame Infomercial [Rolling Stone]

Probably the best article to be found re: the utter pablum of the new Stan Lee documentary by David Gelb- although unfortunately it recommends toxic hit-piece True Believer as an alternative.

Saying again: "It's a sign of the comic-book field's eternal immaturity that the debate-meme-choices are this extreme binary of essentially either Lee hagiographies doing 100% as claimed, or simplistic 50%-50%, or Lee was a craven parasite who did 0%."

The "I saw a fly crawling on a wall" groaner supposedly inspiring the creation of Spider-Man is in the first two minutes!

[Rotten Tomatoes] [IMDb]

Update: Jeet Heer: "Both Marvel & DC have documentaries out built on the same false premise: that comics are created by management (editors) rather than freelancers (writer/artists/cartoonists). Both documentaries are acts of class war on behalf of corporate power."

Update: Jeet Heer at The Nation: How Stan Lee Became The Face Of An Exploitative Industry

[26 June 02023]

John Romita, legendary Marvel comics creator, developed Spider-Man post-Ditko, romance artist who got Peter Parker laid, has died at 93

The Comics Journal obituary

Entertainment Weekly obit

LA Times obit

NY Times obit

An Interview With John Romita By Tom Spurgeon [Comics Journal, 02003]

Roy Thomas interviews John Romita [Alter Ego Vol. 3 #9]

Guardian obit
["When Stan Lee put Romita on Spider-Man in 1966, Marvel Comics- and its growing army of fans- really did hit the jackpot."]

John Romita Sr. [Wikipedia]

[18 June 02023]

Marvel's June and July 02023 solicits include Doctor Strange, Illuminati

Marvel's next event is Ultimate Invasion, a four-issue mini-series by Hickman and Hitch, that will feature elements/characters from the influential imprint Ultimate Universe/Earth-1610, The Maker (the alternate Reed Richards) and Miles Morales/Spider-Man, post-Secret-Wars. The solicit for #1 says, "The Illuminati must form once again to stop the Maker from his plans to destroy- or perhaps rebuild- the universe, with Miles Morales at the center of it all!" With the Illuminati getting back together, will Dr. Strange be (a) present and (b) competent and (c) not an Illuminasshat?

Jonathan Hickman And Bryan Hitch Are Teaming Up For A New Ultimate Marvel Comic [EW]

DOCTOR STRANGE #4
Jed MacKay (W)
ANDY MACDONALD (A)
Cover by Alex Ross
Clea Variant Cover by DERRICK CHEW
VARIANT COVER BY CHRISTIAN WARD
MEET WONG... AGENT OF W.A.N.D.!
Wong and magic super-spy Pandora Peters are reforming S.H.I.E.L.D.'s covert mystical organization. Their first mission? Find a supernatural serial killer who not only destroys magic but eats it! Who is this horrifying monster? And what future danger does it spell for Doctor Strange?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #5
Jed MacKay (W)
Pasqual Ferry (A)
Cover by Alex Ross
HELLFIRE GALA VARIANT COVER BY DUSTIN NGUYEN
VARIANT COVER BY LEINIL FRANCIS YU
DARK WEDDING BELLS RINGING!
Strange and Clea have been invited to an interdimensional wedding. But when the bride is Clea's own mother, Umar the Unrelenting, it's not exactly the family event the Stranges want to attend. Especially when the guests are mysteriously being murdered!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

WARLOCK: REBIRTH #3 (OF 5) (by Marz/Lim)
Adam Warlock and Doctor Strange must escape Soul World! But in order to do that, Adam will have to fight Eve head on! Without the Soul Gem, does Adam stand a chance?

[4 June 02023]