Stan Lee in photos: The life and times of the most legendary man in comics

Rare pictures from the life of Stan ‘the Man’ Lee trace his dizzying career all the way back to the beginning

Stan surrounded by some of his most famous covers, 1968 (Marvel Entertainment)

Stanley Lieber began working at Timely Comics in 1940 at the age of 17 and found himself at the helm of the bullpen as its top editor just two years later.

As an editor and writer he guided the company through good times and bad – the Second World War and the Korean War, the threat of government censorship, and changing readership tastes – until 1961 when he ignited a revolution in comics, helped rebrand the publishing house as Marvel, and revitalised a dying industry with the “Marvel Age of Comics”.

With a legendary stable of art partners including Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and Jim Steranko, Lee unleashed a dizzying cascade of seminal comic book creations – the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, and the Avengers to name a few.

After moving to Hollywood in 1980, he did it again, developing TV and film projects that laid the groundwork for the “Marvel movie”, now a cornerstone of 21st century film. Stan’s constant cameo presence in these billion-dollar worldwide events is a testament to his influence.

As the man behind POW! Entertainment, he has become a master of all media – working with rock stars and professional sports leagues, movie mavens and reality TV shows – reinforcing his creative stature the world over.

Lee’s tale is told in Taschen’s collector’s edition by his successor at Marvel, renowned comics writer, editor, and historian Roy Thomas.

Featuring hundreds of treasures of comic book art, a novel-length essay by Thomas, a foreword written by Lee himself, and intimate photographs sourced straight from his family archives.

You can purchase ‘The Stan Lee Story​​​’, here