Patt Morrison Asks: Comics genius Stan Lee

My comic book tastes ran to Classics Illustrated. Seriously, what's scarier than the graphic images of "Crime and Punishment" and Raskolnikov -- the existential "superman," not the caped one -- whacking the pawnbroker with an ax? Can I, then, hold my own with Spider-Man's spiritual father, Stan Lee, a genius of comics for 70 years? The progenitor of scores of graphic heroes and villains, "starred" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year, he's huge at the summer box office, with "Thor," then "X-Men: First Class" and, due out in July, "Captain America: The First Avenger." Twentysomethings may be kings of entertainment, but Lee is the emperor. He's chairman emeritus of Marvel, the venerable comics company that's grown multimedia and merchandising wings; he works with Disney through his POW (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment company. He's crafting a Chinese feature-film superhero, and he searches for real people with superhero powers on the History Channel. Biff! Bam! Boom! "I don't want anyone to think I'm retired," Lee says.

Patt Morrison

June 11, 2011