Thursday night, they ran the episode of Identity with Stan Lee as one of the "strangers" whose identity a contestant had to guess. It wasn't a toughie. By the time they'd gotten around to him, they'd eliminated Break Dancer, Opera Singer and Sushi Chef as options, and somehow, I can't see Stan doing any of those things. Well, maybe the break dancing. The other choices were that he was the Youngest person up there (nope), an Alligator Wrestler (also nope), a Bouncer (ha), a Fitness Model (double ha), a CSI Investigator (slight maybe), a Kidney Donor (possible), a Vegas Showgirl (well, he does have great legs) or the World's Fastest Man (likewise).
And…oh, yeah: Created Spider-Man. I think I'd go with that. None of the other strangers looked anything like Steve Ditko.
Stan's appearance got me to thinking: The late Harvey Kurtzman used to speak of his "reward" and how the financial and employment situation in comics, back when he launched MAD, did not allow him to claim it. He had created something of enormous value…but in a system that compensated him as if he hadn't. In books, movies, television or practically any other entertainment medium, if you created something lucrative — or even if someone else created it but you were a major contributor — you could share in the gold mine. But not then in comics. Not for most of the great creative talents of comics' first forty years.
Now, in some cases — and Kurtzman was arguably one — the creators may have mishandled the business/contractual side of their working arrangements and made it easier or even quite legal for the publishers to stiff them. And there were folks like Bob Kane who did a lot better than others.
Still, the general dynamic was just what Harvey lamented; that you could create something worth millions…and the next day, they could pay you the same as someone who'd created zip, or even fire you and take your name off your creation. There are some pretty ugly stories of this kind of thing occurring and they're a source of great discomfort and sadness for so many of us who follow the history of the business. There are also, happily, stories of some who got their "rewards" in other ways. These include doing cover re-creations (if they're artists), signing collectors' prints or editions, and getting other, better-paying projects due to the reputations they achieved from their poor-paying comic book creations.
Stan Lee did not do badly at Marvel. He worked his way up to a salary of a million dollars a year from them plus a nice percentage of current film revenues. He is also receiving other "rewards" via other means because he is famous as the creator (or more correctly, co-creator) of Spider-Man, The Hulk, The X-Men and so many more.
It's fascinating how far-famed Stan has become. Last week, GSN ran a 1970 episode of To Tell the Truth. Marvel Comics were pretty popular in '70 but Stan himself was still "unknown" enough that he could appear on that show, along with two impostors, under the presumption that none of the four panelists would know which one was the real Stan Lee. As the kids of that era have become the adults of today, that anonymity has gone away. A few years ago, he appeared in the same capacity on a revival of To Tell the Truth. This time, Stan and the two impostors had to all wear masks or there wouldn't have been any game.
And now, here he was the other night on Identity…and when the live audience realized who he was (a bit ahead of the contestant), there was a decided "ooh" and a murmur of excitement. He's a superstar, as famous as any of his second-string characters. The other day, I had an electrician in here and when he found out I did comic books, he immediately asked me, "Have you ever met Stan Lee?"
There are a number of reasons he's receiving all this when others haven't and one, of course, is that others made the mistake of dying. Someone said to me the other day that if Jack Kirby had lived to see how wealthy and celebrated Stan has become, it would have killed him. I think not…because if Jack were alive today, he'd be getting his share in both categories. Or at least, he'd have the chance to exploit his credits the way Stan has wisely exploited his stature as the co-creator of those properties. (This is another way of saying Jack would not have done what Ditko has done, becoming a near-hermit, refusing all offers and opportunities.)
Stan will be (mumble, mumble) years of age next Thursday. I'll post some more thoughts on this topic then when we wish him a Happy Stan Lee Day. I just think it's interesting that the comic book industry has so rarely made its giants rich or famous…and that the fans have had to assume that responsibility.