Stan Lee Stands Up for Videogames

In an open letter supporting the Video Games Voters Network, comic book grandmaster Stan Lee drew a parallel between censorship of comic books in the 1950s and new laws aimed at curbing videogame violence. Lee’s letter comes just weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the case of a California law, which would ban sales of violent video games to anyone under 18, levy fines against retailers for any infractions, and require a new violence rating code. The California law, which was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was declared unconstitutional by the 9th Circuit Court of appeals, but the 9th’s decision could be overturned by the Supreme Court.

In his letter, which is printed in full on the VGVN site, Lee recalled the excesses of the anti-comic book movement in the 1950s: “My memory has always been lousy and it’s not improving with age. But it’s good enough to remember a time when the government was trying to do to comic books what some politicians now want to do with video games: censor them and prohibit their sales. It was a bad idea half a century ago and it’s just as bad an idea now. Comic books, it was said, contributed to "juvenile delinquency." A Senate subcommittee investigated and decided the U.S. could not "afford the calculated risk involved in feeding its children, through comic books, a concentrated diet of crime, horror and violence." Comic books were burned. The State of Washington made it a crime to sell comic books without a license. And Los Angeles passed a law that said it was a crime to sell "crime comic books." Looking back, the outcry was — forgive the expression – comical…

“The more things change, as they say, the more they stay the same. Substitute video games for comic books and you’ve got a 21st century replay of the craziness of the 1950s. States have passed laws restricting the sale of video games and later this year, the Supreme Court will hear a case about one of those laws, this one passed in California. Why does this matter? Because if you restrict sales of video games, you’re chipping away at our First Amendment rights to free speech and opening the door to restrictions on books and movies.”

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Stan Lee’s ‘Iron Man 2′ Cameo Revealed

There have been a few interesting casting choices for Iron Man 2. Forget about the three-headed hydra of villainy comprised of Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Scarlett Johansson, and for the moment, don’t even consider the decision to dump Terrence Howard as Rhodey and replace him with Don Cheadle.

While those are all worthy of the many headlines they’ve received, consider, for a moment, the smaller roles: Garry Shandling as a senator, the hot-as-blazes geek girl Olivia Munn as a player to be named later, and now Stan Lee.

Yes, Stan the Man is a common sight in these Marvel movies; he appeared as Hugh Hefner in the first movie. But now he’s throwing on the suspenders and portraying Larry King.

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Marvel, Perlmutter, Lee and Arad Sued For $750 Million

Shareholders of an ill-fated Stan Lee venture are seeking more than $750 million in profits from films and other works based on Marvel comic characters such as “Spider-Man,”"X-Men” and “Iron Man.”

The lawsuit was filed Monday in a Manhattan federal court on behalf of shareholders of Stan Lee Media Inc. Defendants include Lee, his partner Arthur Lieberman, Marvel Entertainment Inc. and its chairman Isaac Perlmutter, and former Marvel Studios president Avi Arad.

The suit names four shareholders who live in Florida, California and Canada. Their lawyer, Martin Garbus, said the suit is aimed at reclaiming money for all Stan Lee Media Inc. shareholders.

The lawsuit claims profits from Lee’s comic creations belong to the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2006. The suit claims Lee, Marvel and others have violated Stan Lee Media’s copyright interests and that the firm is due profits from all properties, including blockbuster films that were made after 1998 and based on Lee’s creations.

The lawsuit’s allegations were immediately rebuffed, with Marvel issuing a statement that said the lawsuit is filled with “ridiculous claims.”

Lee’s attorney, Mark W. Williams, said: “We look forward to a positive resolution for Stan Lee and his family.”

Marvel also claimed the lawsuit features claims that have been pursued in previous cases.

Garbus said Monday’s suit differs in that it names Lee, Arad and Perlmutter. “It’s a very different lawsuit,” Garbus said. “It’s different money.”

He said he suspects that Lee, who once sued Marvel over profits from his creations, entered into an agreement that deprived Stan Lee Media of the windfall from blockbuster movies such as the “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” trilogies.

“He made a deal,” Garbus said of Lee’s confidential settlement that led to his reconciliation with Marvel. “That money should have gone to the corporation.”

Source: ComingSoon.net

Stan Lee talks Thor #600

The patron saint of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, has spoken with the House of Ideas regarding his story in the landmark 600th issue of Thor!

Explaining his inclusion in the project, Lee replied that Thor editor Warren Simons gave him a call and asked “if I’d write a story for THOR #600. How can you say no to something like that? I guess all the other writers were busy,” he laughed.

When asked about the longevity of the character, Stan replied:

He’s a great character. And again, the way Kirby drew him he’s unforgettable. He just looks so heroic and the other characters are so colorful. And of course you have Loki, the villain. I mean one of the most important things for any super hero is to have a great super villain, and how do you do better than Loki.

This incarnation of Thor was created by Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962. Meanwhile, in Thor #600, Stan will be teaming up with superstar artist David Aja to examine Thor’s temptation to go back to a simple mortal life.

Source: Newsarama

Stan ‘The Man’ Lee Receives National Medal of the Arts Award

George W. Bush recently announced the nine recipients of the 2008 National Medal of the Arts, managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Among the recipients of this prestigious award was comic book legend, Stan Lee, creator and co-creator of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and the X-Men.

Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Source: ComicNews.info Read more

Stan Lee Talks About His Marvel ‘Soapbox: The Collection’

The Hero Initiative, in conjunction with Stan Lee, has a new book coming out titled Stan’s Soapbox: The Collections, consisting of his old Marvel Soapbox columns that were published in the back of the comics between 1967-1980. Here’s a video of Stan Lee promoting the new book which will be available on November 19th.

Here’s more about the book.
Stan’s Soapbox: The Collection, our 144-page tome collecting ALL Stan Lee’s kickass “Soapboxes” from 1967-1980, will be in stores on November 19. It’s available in softcover at $14.99.

Or, if you’re more of a hardcover nature, please be advised: A special limited edition hardcover will be available at $35 as well. The hardcover is limited to ONLY 250 copies, so we suggest you preorder NOW at Atomic Comics. Or if ya like your books signed, a mere 100 of the 250 hardcovers will be available autographed by Stan the Man himself at $99 per. Eat ’em up like candy. Read more

Could David And Victoria Beckham Be The Next Comic Super Heroes?

Comic book mogul STAN LEE wants to turn former SPICE GIRL VICTORIA BECKHAM and her soccer superstar husband DAVID into a crime-fighting cartoon duo.

The Spider-Man creator is currently transforming socialite Paris Hilton into a comic-book character, and is adamant he could do the same with the Beckhams.

And Lee believes the attractive couple’s good looks makes the Beckhams the ideal candidates for an undercover superheroes strip.

He says, “There are so many ways to do it.
“We could make them a crime fighting team where the soccer is just a facade. Or we could make them spies or we could make it a comedy where one of them wants to be an adventurer?
“He’s a very attractive, personable guy and she’s a very attractive, interesting looking girl. I haven’t met the Beckhams yet but I think we could do a great show.”

Source: ContactMusic.com

Stan Lee Pumped Over Return Of ‘Incredible Hulk’

Let’s face it: no superhero movie based on a Stan Lee Marvel comic book wouldn’t be a smash hit without a cameo appearance of “Stan the Man.” Whether it be the playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) calls “Hef” in “Iron Man” or his super-charged turn in “The Incredible Hulk,” the appearance of Lee on-screen — no matter how big or small — is certain to inspire applause from the audience.

“I was very upset with (director) Louis Leterrier about it because I only say one syllable — the only thing I say is ‘Wow,’” Lee joked in an @ The Movies interview Tuesday. “I wanted to stretch the role, so when I first said the line, I said, ‘Wooowww,’ and Louis said, ‘No, Stan, a simple ‘wow’ will suffice.’”At 85, the POW! Entertainment chief is clearly having the time of his life. He’s served as executive producer of all (and cameo actor in nearly every one) Marvel-based movies produced since 2000 — and for the uninitiated, that includes such hits as “Iron Man,” the “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” trilogies, “Daredevil,” “Fantastic Four” and its sequel “Rise of the Silver Surfer,” and the 2003 version of “The Hulk.”

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