Why did the comic-book adaptation machine of Disney+ and Marvel struggle to deliver hits both critically and commercially? What happened to the seemingly invincible purveyor of pop-culture phenomena? Know in detail.
One of the earliest comic book retailers, comic art collectors and comic historians Bob Beerbohm (author of Comic Book Store Wars) set up the Californian
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 livracha”) 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 illustrator Jack Kirby, he was an attention-hungry self-promoter, a super-villain who screwed over his creative collaborators.