From the man that brought us iconic comic book characters such as Spider Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and the X-Men comes Stan Lee's personal story - written in no less than a graphic novel form. The writer's graphic memoir, "Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir," is set to be released on Oct. 6, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Lee, 92, first announced his intention to create his autobiography in celebration of the long and wonderful years of his work. "As Marvel just celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary, I thought maybe it's time for a look at my life in the one form it has never been depicted, as a comic book, or if you prefer, a graphic memoir," according to Lee, as reported by LA Times. He added that it took him a while to come up with the idea of a graphic memoir, calling it a "horrendous oversight."
The graphic memoir, to be published by Simon and Schuster, says in its official website that the autobiography will be filled with Lee's "stories-filled with superheroes struggling with personal hang-ups and bad guys who possessed previously unseen psychological complexity-added wit and subtlety to a field previously locked into flat portrayals of good vs. evil."
It was reported that Lee hand-picked comic book artist Colleen Doran to illustrate the graphic memoir. Doran is best-known for her work in Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" and her own comic book series "A Distant Soil." Lee is also teaming up with Peter David, a veteran in the comic book industry.
"I was surprised and thrilled that Stan wanted me on this project," Doran wrote in her personal blog. "It is drawn in a cartoonier style than I normally use, and it is quite fun. Wish I could show you some, but can't," she added.
Lee's professional career began before World War II as an assistant in Timely Comics. He eventually entered the United States Army working odd jobs, such as a telegraph pole repairman, when the war broke out in 1942. The later years of the 1950s saw Lee's success in writing and creating comic book superheroes and the rise of his Marvel universe. Nowadays, in between attending red-carpet premiers of the Marvel movies, Lee's fans would often catch his cameo appearances on-screen.
Speaking to ABC recently, the legendary comic book creator remains humble amidst his success, saying that he has "to pinch himself" to make sure everything is real and he's not just "imagining it."
"To write something and then talk to people who care about what you've written is a wonderful feeling. I can't even express how grateful I am to be in the position where I can meet fans, who enjoy the work I do," Lee admits.