While I'm on the subject of Lee and Kirby, I should mention that I just received my copy of Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book, a new biography of Guess Who by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon. I was sort of afraid to open it because I have way too many opinions and knowledge about Stan, especially with regard to his relationship with Jack, and…well, Jordan and Tom are good reporters but that's no guarantee. It could have been a book where I'd feel compelled to condemn its conclusions, issue corrections and challenge the authors to fisticuffs. Happily, that does not seem to be the case. After an (admittedly fast) read, I found my quibbles with their factual recital to be minimal.
There are a few minor facts that don't coincide with mine, and a number of minor value judgments, but it's beyond the realm of possibility that anyone could write about Lee and/or Kirby and not have that happen. I don't even agree with all that I've written about them in the past.
The book seems to be a well-researched, even-handed effort, with what strike me as some very perceptive comments about much of Stan's life and career. No one book could capture everything but I was pleasantly surprised with how much they crammed into a little more than 300 pages. They successfully avoided and even debunked a lot of nonsense that has been published and commonly believed in the past. I'll probably write a real review for somewhere once I have the time to give it a slow read, but I wanted to say it'll be a positive review. And I also wanted to post this link in case you want to order a copy from Amazon. (That's where I got mine. They promised delivery in 6-10 days and it was here in two. Your mileage may vary.)
And to answer those who keep asking me when my biography of Jack Kirby will be out: It'll still be quite a while. It's presently about the size of the Encyclopedia Americana (unabridged) and there are still questions being answered. I can't begin to think of publishing it until the trickle of data ceases, and it doesn't show any sign of drying up yet. So please be patient and in the meantime, read the book by Raphael and Spurgeon.