Stan Lee’s legacy is complicated. This new book casts a shadow on it. Stan Lee poses in New York, June 15, 1978. (Santi Visalli/Getty Images)
Advertisement
(JTA) Stan Lee, arguably the most famous American comic book creator, died at age 95 in 2018. Honoring his Jewish identity, many evoked the phrase “may his memory be a blessing” (coming from the Hebrew “zichrono l’bracha”) when reporting on his passing.
Just what this memory looks like, however, and what it should look like, is a topic that is increasingly up for debate.
To most people with a passing knowledge of comic books, Lee who may be best known to the general public for his 30-plus cameos in the many Marvel superhero movies is believed to be one of the most creative figures in American popular culture. He’s considered the Walt Disney of superheroes, so to speak. But for a small, increasingly vocal faction of comic book aficionados, many of them fans of the legendary Jewish illustr
The Bat is Out of the Bag February 4, 2021|
There has never been a time in the entertainment business when there has been such a saturation of comic book characters on the screen – Hollywood blockbusters, network TV, and cable TV. Superheroes are hot. Whether it’s the sexy bodies in tight spandex or the need for us to escape our social and political roller coaster with some heightened fantasy and the belief that there are good heroes out there, the demand for more caped content is high. Though entertainment critics and die-hard comic book fans might not love all the filmed content, there is no denying that the box office doesn’t care.