“Comic books to me are fairy tales for grown-ups.”
Stan Lee as… Stan Lee. Groo N°50. 1989. Marvel. US.
It’s hard to imagine there is anyone who hasn’t been touched, thrilled, excited or inspired in some way by Stan Lee’s work during his long and distinguished career. In collaboration with artists like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Bill Everett and Larry Leiber – Stan Lee co-created a magnificent universe of fictional characters that included Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Daredevil, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Iron Man, and Thor. He was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, later its publisher and also chairman, before becoming the public figurehead for the company following his retirement. He continued working into his 90s and made many cameo roles in Marvel films.
Beyond his influential writing and energy, Stan was a good advocate for humankind; asking us all to be a little more tolerant and kinder as human beings. The Stan Lee Foundation was founded in 2010 to focus on literacy, education, diversity and the arts.
Below is a gallery of print adverts featuring some of the co-creations of Stan Lee. Take a moment to consider the thousands upon thousands of people who have worked on these characters over the years – either in print format, animation and movies, toys, games and household goods. It all comes back to one man’s writing skills coupled with a handful of artists who shared his same vision. RIP Stan Lee, who died today aged 95.
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- Spider-Man Annual. 1979. UK.
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- Spider-Man Annual. 1978. UK.
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- 1974. Herb Trimpe. UK.
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- Corgi Toys. 1980. France.
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- Mego Elastic Hulk and Elastic Spider-Man. 1979. US.
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- Marvel Bop Bags. 1977. UK.
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- Spider-Man and Power Pack. 1985. US.
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- Corgi. 1979. France.
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- Marvel Superheroes Role Playing Game. 1985.
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- Spiderman vinyl record story book. Power Records. 1974.
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- Spider-Man comics. 1985. UK.
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- Hulk Smash-n-Go Tank. 2003.
Stan Lee. 1922 – 2018.
The Vintage Toy Advertiser 
Head the sad news about Stan Lee while I was in hospital recently. We’ve lost a comic book legend.
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Rest in Peace Stan Lee! Thank you for your imagination and creativity.
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I was brought up on watching the Spider-Man animated series back in the 80’s and have loved the character ever since. I don’t think any other writer has ever tapped into the ethos of what makes a person a hero and the responsibilities of power the way Mr Lee did. Mr Lee just wrote fantastic characters that we all could relate to as they weren’t perfect (and if you didn’t relate to Spidey then there were so many other characters he created that you might relate to in stead.) I can’t thank him enough for what he gave me over the years. R.I.P. Mr Lee….EXCELSIOR!
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Well said. Those Saturday morning cartoons seemed to be the gateway. I remember having Spider-Man and Hulk annuals each Christmas, and the Marvel Corgi toys were very popular.
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Hello again, yes I too own the Spider-Man annual (the one with the Vulture and Khan the Hunter stories) and still have it to this day. I did also have the Corgi Spider-Man Jeep with the Green Goblin net catcher. But I never got a set of Spidey Web Blaster wristbands from those classic adverts on the back cover of comic books, maybe one day!
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I found my way to Stan Lee and his characters via animation. Hulk and Spider-Man were my favourite growing up… I only ever had a handful of comics that I picked up from a secondhand place at the weekend when visiting my gran. But man, those pages were great… and it’s no surprise that he is as recognised and cherished as the characters he created.
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Same here, the animations were my first exposure, with an annual at Christmas time and the odd comic throughout the year. The Corgi Marvel vehicles were also popular as kids, along with a fair few other toys.
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