Lightspeed
Happyness
e-nigma
"Happyness" <no...@yaright3.com> wrote in message
news:lrydnb26MuIS-VXZ...@centurytel.net...
> Way to rip off the Flash, Stan!
>
Stan had quicksilver. So Flash was ripped way before this...
Dave Fain
>
Flash, hulk, spiderman, and bad conspiracy movies in general. Really bad
movie. Really bad acting. The six dollar man was especially bad. Over all
I had to watch Battlefield Earth to get the bad taste out of my mouth.
Stick to comics, Stan.
George Johnson
news:R92yg.2708$Wi....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
There have been a few speedsters in comics...
And other folks invented them FIRST.
Stan Lee will always be a rip-off artist, a hack, and a shameless
credit-thief. He is the Steve Jobs of the comicbook universe who takes
everyone else's efforts and signs his name to them. He shamelessly ripped
off DC COMICS "Solomen Grundy" and renamed it "The Hulk". He ripped off
ARCHIE COMICS "The Shield" and renamed it "Captain America". Those weren't
the first and they aren't the last that Stan "The Hack" Lee shamelessly
copied and repackaged.
List of fictional speedsters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_speedsters
======
DC COMICS
-------------------
(Now owned by DC COMICS)
MAX MERCURY - First appearance As Quicksilver: National Comics #5, (Nov
1940)
(DC COMICS)
Golden Age FLASH "Jay Garrick" (1940)
JOHNNY QUICK (September 1941)
Silver Age FLASH "Barry Allen" (1956)
MARVEL COMICS
----------------------------
(Created for Timely Comics now owned by MARVEL COMICS)
WHIZZER - First appearance (Frank) (historical) USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941);
(modern-day) Giant-Size Avengers #1 (Aug. 1974) Created by Al Avison & Al
Gabriele
QUICKSILVER First appearance Uncanny X-Men (vol. 1) #4 (1964)
Created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
WHIZZER (Stanley Stewart)
BLUR
SPEED DEMON
SPITFIRE
==========
(DC COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_(comics)
Flash (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Flash is a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist
Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940).
Once nicknamed the Scarlet Speedster, The Flash possesses "super-speed",
which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman
reflexes and violate certain laws of physics. Thus far, four different
characters, each of whom somehow gained the power of "super-speed", have
assumed the identity of the Flash: Jay Garrick (1940-present), Barry Allen
(1956-86), Wally West (1987-2006), and Bart Allen (2006-current).
The second incarnation of the Flash is generally considered the first hero
of the Silver Age of comic books and the superhero has remained one of DC‘s
most popular ever since. Each version of the Flash has been a key member of
either the Justice Society of America or the Justice League, DC’s all-star
teams.
[skipping down]
Publication history
Golden Age
The Flash first appeared in the Golden Age Flash Comics #1 (1940), from
All-American Publications, one of three companies that would eventually
merge to form DC Comics. This Flash was Jay Garrick, a college student who
gained his speed through the inhalation of hard water vapors (later
retconned into heavy water vapors), and who wore a winged metal helmet
reminiscent of the mythological Roman god Mercury. He is notable as the
first super-speedster in comics, and one of the first to have a singular
super-power as opposed to the multi-powered Superman.
Garrick was a popular character in the 1940s, supporting both Flash Comics
and All-Flash Quarterly (later published bi-monthly as simply All-Flash);
co-starring in Comic Cavalcade; and being a charter member of the Justice
Society of America, the first superhero team, whose adventures ran in All
Star Comics. With superheroers' post-war decline in popularity, Flash Comics
was cancelled with issue #104 (1949). The Justice Society's final Golden Age
story ran in All Star Comics #57 (1951; the title itself continued, as All
Star Western).
[edit]
Silver Age
In 1956, DC Comics successfully revived superheroes, ushering in what became
known as the Silver Age of comic books. Rather than bringing back the same
Golden Age heroes, as Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics,
unsuccessfully tried to do, DC reimagined them as new characters for the
modern age. The Flash was the first revival, in the aptly named tryout comic
book Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956).
This new Flash was Barry Allen, a police scientist who gained super-speed
when bathed by chemicals after a shelf of them was struck by lightning. He
adopted the name The Flash after reading a comic book featuring the Golden
Age Flash. After several more appearances in Showcase, Allen's character was
given his own title, The Flash, the first issue of which was #105 (resuming
where Flash Comics had left off).
The Silver Age Flash proved popular enough that several other Golden Age
heroes were revived in new incarnations. A new superhero team, the Justice
League of America, was also created, with the Flash as a charter member.
============
(DC DOMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Quick
Johnny Quick
Art by Kerry Gammill & Bruce Patterson
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance More Fun Comics #71 (September 1941)
Created by Mort Weisinger
=============
(Now owned by DC COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mercury
Max Mercury
Art by Greg LaRocque
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance As Quicksilver: National Comics #5, (Nov 1940)
As Max Mercury: Flash v2 #76 (May 1993)
Created by Jack Cole
Chuck Mazoujian
Revamped by: Mark Waid
Max Mercury is the name of a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is
based on the hero Quicksilver, who first appeared in Quality Comics'
National Comics #5; however, since almost nothing was revealed about that
character, save that he possessed super-speed and his secret identity had
the first name "Max", writer Mark Waid was free to reinvent the character in
The Flash, without contradicting anything. When the character reappeared in
early 1990s issues of The Flash, his name had to be changed from
"Quicksilver" to "Mercury" to avoid confusion with Marvel Comics'
Quicksilver.
In Waid's origin of the character, he was originally a scout with the US
Cavalry in the 1860s. A friend of the local Indian tribes, he was shocked
and dismayed to find them massacred on the orders of his commanding officer.
Enchanted by a dying Indian shaman, he gained superspeed. In the years that
followed, he became known to the Indians as "Ahwehota" ("He Who Runs Beyond
The Wind"), and to everyone else as Windrunner.
Mercury has repeatedly travelled through time, seeking to enter the
so-called Speed Force. He usually bounces off and finds himself decades in
the future. His first attempt left him in the 1890s, where he created a new
identity for himself as Whip Whirlwind. Later, he travelled ahead again, and
was active in the 1930s and 1940s as Quicksilver, where he acted as a mentor
to the fledgling Golden-Age Flash and Johnny Quick.
In 1948, he had an affair with the wife of a doctor who had saved his life.
When the doctor learned of this and his wife returned to her husband's side,
Max fled into the future once more. He then reappearing in the early 1960s
where he battled Savitar and was bounced still further forward in time. In
recent years, he has been the mentor of first Wally West and later Bart
Allen. While living with Impulse, Max learned that his earlier affair had
resulted in a child, a daughter named Helen Clairborne.
At present Max is missing in action, his body apparently possessed by the
spirit of Golden Age supervillain The Rival who managed to escape to some
unknown place in time.
===============
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_%28comics%29
Art by Roy Allen Martinez
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Uncanny X-Men (vol. 1) #4 (1964)
Created by Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Characteristics
Alter ego Pietro Django Maximoff
Previous affiliations The Avengers, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, X-Factor,
House of Magnus
Notable powers (Currently) Can achieve time travel by vibrating his
molecules at faster than light speeds, Can mutate other beings through use
of Terrigen Crystal formations on his body
(Formerly)Superhuman speed, agility and reflexes
==============
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whizzer
The original Whizzer
Art by Frank Robbins.
Publisher Timely Comics, Marvel Comics
First appearance (Frank) (historical) USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941);
(modern-day) Giant-Size Avengers #1 (Aug. 1974)
(Stewart) The Avengers Vol. 1, #85 (March 1970)
Created by Al Avison
Al Gabriele
================
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_Demon
Speed Demon
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Avengers #70
Created by Roy Thomas
Sal Buscema
=================
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_%28comics%29
Publisher Marvel Comics
MAX (comics) imprint.
First appearance as Stanley Stewart Supreme Power #1 (October 2003)
as the Blur Supreme Power #5 (February 2004)
Created by J. Michael Straczynski
Gary Frank
===================
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DP7_(comics)
DP7/Displaced Paranormals 7
Publisher Marvel Comics under their New Universe imprint
Schedule monthly
Format ongoing
Publication dates November 1986 to June 1989
Number of issues thirty-two
One Annual
Main character(s) See Main characters
Creative team
Writer(s) Mark Gruenwald
Artist(s) Paul RyanLee Weeks
Paul Ryan
Creator(s) Mark Gruenwald
Paul Ryan
Lee Weeks
Jeff Walters, nicknamed Blur, was a fast food restaurant manager whose body
vibrated so fast that he could not stand still. He required vast amounts of
food for his accelerated metabolism and could also move at superhuman speed.
=================
(MARVEL COMICS)
http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/s/spitfire.htm
Strength Level: As Spitfire Jacqueline Falsworth possessed superhuman
strength primarily in her lower body as part of her body's adaptations for
running at superhuman speed. She could leg press approximately 550 lbs.
under optimal conditions. With her upper body she could lift (press)
slightly more than an ordinary human woman of her age, height, and build who
engaged in intensive regular exercise could. Without her superhuman powers
Jacqueline Crichton today possesses the normal human strength of a woman of
her age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular: exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: As Spitfire, Jacqueline Falsworth possessed the
ability to move at superhuman speed and superhuman metabolic vitality. She
could run at her top speed of 50 miles per hour for up to a half hour before
fatigue impaired her performance. At lesser levels of exertion, she could
function optimally for hours.
Spitfire's entire body was oriented toward the rigors of high-speed running.
Her cardiovascular and respiratory systems were more efficient than a normal
woman’s. She metabolized an estimated 50% of the caloric energy content of
foodstuffs (normal human use is about 25%). The chemical processes of
Spitfire's body were so highly enhanced that her body did not generate
fatigue-poisons, the normal by-products of locomotion which force the body
to rest, as quickly as a normal human being does. Her tendons and bones
somehow became stronger in order to withstand the stresses of high speed
motion, and her joints were smoother and lubricated more efficiently than a
normal woman's. Spitfire's heightened metabolism afforded her great
resilience to impact related injuries. Her reaction time was about twice as
fast as that of a normal woman.
Atlas Bugged
> Stan Lee will always be a rip-off artist, a hack, and a shameless
> credit-thief.
Nonsense. Re-invention, borrowed concepts, and lots of other stuff is in
the nature of the beast called fiction. Stan borrowed plenty. But
sometimes there is someone who is first and revolutionizes some aspect. The
list of aspects where Stan was the originator is longer than anyone else in
comics, ever. There simply is no "prior art" for Spidey, the FF, and
especially Daredevil, possibly Stan's greatest-ever character.
You have every right to dislike Stan, but you are simply wrong to deny his
legendary status.
George Johnson
news:_V7yg.130793$tQ4....@fe01.news.easynews.com...
Stan "The Rip-Off HACK" Lee built his fortune on copying others and then
putting his name in big letters on a lot of talented artist's work. You
see, I wouldn't care too much if Stan Lee also didn't have a long history of
filing sham lawsuits against the folks he ripped off. Going to be a lot of
folks pissing on his grave when he's gone.
The Fantastic Four is simply a reuse of the classic elementals (used for
centuries in popular myth) with a slight variation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_four
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The Fantastic Four Vol. 1, #1 (Nov. 1961)
Created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Team status Active
Base(s) of operations Baxter Building (current)
Four Freedoms Plaza
Pier Four
Human Torch = Fire
The Thing = Rock / Earth (Stone-Like Body)
Invisible Girl = Wind (Invisibility + Force Fields)
Mister Fantastic = Water (Elasticity)
As for their powers... well...
(Going with the most obvious choices - I'd list more obscure ones, but these
are good enough and I see no reason to dig through my collection of DC
COMICS DIGESTS with reprints of these issues for the sake of proving a
point)
I will note that "The Original Human Torch" appeared in "The Invaders"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Torch
The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) is a Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the
Fantastic Four. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961 and
was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, although he was based
on the Golden Age character of the same name, created by Carl Burgos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Torch_%28Golden_Age%29
The Human Torch is a Marvel Comics-owned superhero. Created by writer-artist
Carl Burgos, he first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), published
by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics.
The "Human" Torch was actually an android created by a scientist. He
possessed the ability to surround himself with fire and control flames. In
his earliest appearances, he was portrayed as a science fiction monstrosity,
but quickly became a hero.
Along with Captain America and the Sub-Mariner, the Torch’s off-and-on foe,
he was one of Timely Comics' three signature characters. Like many
superheroes, he fell into obscurity by the 1950s and Marvel recycled his
name and powers into a new, unrelated Human Torch, a member of the Fantastic
Four, in 1961. Unlike Captain America and the Sub-Mariner, the original
Human Torch has had only a small presence in the post-1950s Marvel comic
books and is closely associated with the Golden Age.
***
STRETCHY + A DETECTIVE (no shortage of inventors in early comicbooks either)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_Man
Plastic Man #17 (May 1949) Cover art by Jack Cole.
Publisher Quality Comics (1941–1956); DC Comics (1957—)
First appearance Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)
Created by Jack Cole
***
INVISIBLE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_superheroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a DC Comics superhero team. Created by writer
Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the original Legion first appeared in
Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958).
The Legion's popularity grew, and they appeared in further adventures in
Adventure Comics and Action Comics over the next few years. The ranks of the
Legion, only hinted at in those first two stories, were fleshed out with new
heroes such as Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid, Colossal Boy, Star Boy,
Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, and
Phantom Girl. They even recruited Supergirl as a member (Action Comics #267
and #276).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Kid
Invisible Kid I - Lyle Norg
The first Invisible Kid was Lyle Norg, an early member of the Legion who
gained his powers from a chemical serum he invented. He first appeared in
Action Comics #267. His scientific aptitude meant he got along well with the
super-intelligent Brainiac 5. His abilities made him a valuable asset to the
Legion Espionage Squad, of which he was a permanent member. Norg also served
one term as Legion Leader. He was killed by the monster Validus of the Fatal
Five in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #203 (July/August 1974).
+ PERSONAL FORCE FIELD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainiac_5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 made his first appearance in Action Comics #276 (May 1961). A
green-skinned, blond-haired teenager, dressed in a purple jumpsuit, he
claimed descent from the original Brainiac, a Superman villain. He wished to
join the Legion as atonement for his great-great-grandfather's misdeeds.
(When Brainiac 1 was revealed to be an android created by the Computer
Tyrants, Brainiac 5 "discovered" he was actually descended from Brainiac 2,
the leader of the rebellion against the tyrants, whom Brainiac had briefly
"adopted").
Brainiac 5's ingenuity led to the invention of, amongst other things, the
Legion flight ring (based on a metal discovered by Mon-El), the anti-lead
serum that allowed Mon-El to leave the Phantom Zone and the force shield
belt which became the signature device of the character.
****
(Actually quite a few "Fire" heroes and villains in that age)
FIRE CONTROL + FLIGHT RING (the ARCHIE COMICS character "The Comet" also
would work for the flight effect)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Boy
Publisher DC comics
First appearance Action Comics #276
http://www.mightycrusaders.net/handbook/inferno.htm
Inferno
Created by: Joe Blair & Paul Reinman
Real Name: Frank Verrano
Joined Mighty Crusaders: In an untold story prior to Archie's Weird
Mysteries #3
First Appearance: Zip #10, January 1941
Origin: Inferno is a circus fire-breather who fights crime by breathing
fire from his mouth; he can burn his way through steel doors and walls and
can melt bullets before they reach him.
History: Inferno is a fire-breather at a circus. Unfortunately, he's also
mixed up in some illegal doin's. Fortunately, Steel Sterling comes to town
and sets Inferno straight. Inferno then goes on to fight crime, first as the
circus worker, moving from town to town, and then later as a private eye. He
has the super-power of breathing fire from his mouth; he can burn his way
through steel doors and walls and can melt bullets before they reach him.
Powers & Weapons: Inferno can breath fire from his mouth; he can burn his
way through steel doors and walls and can melt bullets before they reach
him.
http://www.mightycrusaders.net/handbook/fireball.htm
Created by: Paul Reinman
Real Name: Ted Tyler
Joined Mighty Crusaders: In an untold story prior to Archie's Weird
Mysteries #3
First Appearance: Pep Comics #12, February 1941
Origin: Ted Tyler, a fireman, is knocked unconscious by an arsonist.
Inside the blazing laboratory he is coated with a chemical bath that gives
him the power to absorb and control flame. Fireball devotes his life to
fighting firebugs with fire.
History:
Powers & Weapons: Fireball has the power to absorb and control flame.
*****
STONE BODY
(Good enough page GOOGLE'd to pin a date on - ah well, this one came after)
"The Legion of Substitute Heroes" (Adventure #306, March 1963).
http://home.aol.com/mg4273/batman.htm
Legion of Substitute Heroes
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim from the planet Zwen. The people of Zwen gained the
power to turn into stone as a way of hibernation on a planet whose night is
six months long. At first Stone Boy would transform into an inanimate,
insensate stone statue; however, over time he was able to stay conscious
during his transformation.
============
The Daredevil is simply a blind Batman (with "Bat Sonar")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Historical:
Detective Comics #27
(May 1939)
Modern:
Batman #404 (Batman: Year One part one, February 1987)
Created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daredevil_%28Marvel_Comics%29
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Daredevil Vol. 1, #1
(April 1964)
Created by Stan Lee & Bill Everett
============
Spider-Man a rip-off of ARCHIE COMIC's character "The Web". Aside from
the spider design he did have webs under his armpits, though not as gaudy a
suit.
http://www.mightycrusaders.net/handbook/web.htm
Created by: John Cassone
Real Name: John Raymond
Joined Mighty Crusaders:
In an untold story prior to Mighty Crusaders (vol. 2) #1
First Appearance: Zip Comics #27, July 1942
Origin:
The Web was really noted criminologist John Raymond, whose brother, Tim, was
a criminal. After John helped the police capture his brother, he set out to
avenge evil as the Web.
History:
Powers & Weapons: The Web is an Olympic level athlete, with a superior
intellect.
****
Or would you prefer webbing?
http://www.mightycrusaders.net/handbook/silverspider.htm
Created by: Joe Simon and C.C. Beck
Real Name: Tommy Troy
Joined Mighty Crusaders: The Silver Spider is not a member of the Mighty
Crusaders
First Appearance: Harvey Comics proposal February 8, 1954
Origin: Young Tommy Troy finds a magic ring, when he polishes it, a genie
appears and grants him one wish, to become a super hero.
History: Joe Simon prototyped the Silver Spider in the early 1950s. The
Silver Spider was Tommy Troy, a young boy who morphs into a full-grown
superhero after wishing on a spiderweb-covered mystical ring that he finds
in the attic of an old house. Note that the sketch you are viewing has been
dithered and altered so as not to be reproduced. The original is in our
library. Joe Simon plans to do a reproduction of this historic character,
this time in full color! The curious lineage of The Silver Spider, The Fly,
and Spider-Man makes for a mysterious thread of comic book history, weaving
among the talents of Joe Simon, CC. Beck, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko. For the full story on the Silver Spider and the birth of Spider-Man,
see The Comic Book Makers as well as Jack Kirby's interview in Will Eisner's
Spirit magazine.
Powers & Weapons: Web pistol
http://www.simoncomics.com/bigsil.htm
Before The Fly...Before Spider-Man....There Came —
The Silver Spider!
Joe Simon prototyped the Silver Spider in the early 1950s. The Silver Spider
was Tommy Troy, a young boy who morphs into a full-grown superhero after
wishing on a spiderweb-covered mystical ring that he finds in the attic of
an old house. Note that the sketch you are viewing has been dithered and
altered so as not to be reproduced. The original is in our library. Joe
Simon plans to do a reproduction of this historic character, this time in
full color! The curious lineage of The Silver Spider, The Fly, and
Spider-Man makes for a mysterious thread of comic book history, weaving
among the talents of Joe Simon, CC. Beck, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko. For the full story on the Silver Spider and the birth of Spider-Man,
see The Comic Book Makers as well as Jack Kirby's interview in Will Eisner's
Spirit magazine.
****
For more info click here
http://www.spiderfan.org/faq/spiderman.html
[clipped]
I, too, have heard these claims about Jack Kirby being the true creator of
Spider-Man. (And I am very sensitive to the lack of credit Jack has been
given at Marvel.) I contacted several sources trying to get the full scoop
but never got a satisfactory answer. Then I stumbled on an article in
"Starlog Movie Magic Presents Spider-Man and other Comics Heroes" (just
published in May in the wake of the movie madness) entitled "Strange Origins
of Spider-Man" and written by Will Murray. Here's what the article states,
in a nutshell:
Stan wanted to write a super-hero series starring a teen-ager. He asked Jack
Kirby to develop one. Jack came back with a concept that he and partner Joe
Simon had once discussed... a feature called "The Silver Spider" that Jack
thought should be called "Spider-Man". (And, actually, it sounds like the
idea predated Jack and Joe. According to the article, Jack Oleck and C. C.
Beck created a series called The Silver Spider that Harvey Comics rejected
in 1954.)
Anyway, in 1958 Joe Simon took his and Jack's Spider-Man concept and created
The Fly who was secretly orphan Tommy Troy who became the adult Fly when he
rubbed a magic ring. Simon later said, "Kirby laid out the story to Lee
about this kid who finds a magic ring in a spiderweb, gets his powers from
the ring and goes forth to fight crime armed with the Silver Spider's old
web-spinning pistol." Stan asked Jack to develop the Spider-Man idea but
along more realistic lines. Jack drew the first few pages but Stan wanted a
less "super-hero" approach so he brought in Steve Ditko.
Steve redesigned the costume, got rid of the web-gun. Steve also recognized
the similarity to Joe Simon's The Fly. He told Stan this and Stan told Steve
to redesign everything... only keeping the name Spider-Man. The article says
that "Ditko pencilled and inked the premiere Spider-Man tale from a verbal
plot provided by Lee." It concludes with prior quotes from Stan, Jack, and
Steve.
Stan: "I have always considered Steve Ditko to be Spider-Man's co-creator."
Jack: "Steve was the one who, in my estimation, developed Spider-Man, kept
him going and kept him selling."
Steve: "No one person did or could do it all or claims to be the creator. No
one mind or hand created the Marvel-published Spider-Man."
Steve's quote is true but when you consider that Spidey does not get his
powers from a magic ring, does not have a web gun, does not have the costume
Jack designed for him and that all of the subsequent additions to his
character and history (for the first three years) were developed by Stan and
Steve, I think it is safe to give Jack props for his input but credit Stan
and Steve as the co-creators of Spider-Man.
[end clip]
***
(Can you say, "HHHHHH----AAAA---CCCC----KKKKK"?)
(Can you say, "PERJURY!", "FRAUD", and "RIP-OFF ARTIST"?)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2458083.stm
Wednesday, 13 November, 2002, 09:33 GMT
Lawsuit filed by Spider-Man creator
Stan Lee with Spider-Man
Stan Lee created Spider-Man in 1962
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee is suing comic book company Marvel after
claiming they shut him out of "jackpot" profits from the recent blockbuster
film.
The Spider-Man movie has taken more than $800m (£500m) at worldwide box
offices and millions more from video and DVD sales - but Mr Lee says he has
not seen a penny.
The 79-year-old - who worked for Marvel for more than 60 years - said he had
an agreement with the publisher to get 10% of their profits from films and
TV shows based on his creations.
Marvel has reported millions of dollars in earnings from the Spider-Man
film - but no profits as defined by their contract.
As well as Spider-Man, Lee created the Incredible Hulk and X-Men characters.
He also wants a judge to ensure he gets a share of the takings from upcoming
movies based on his characters, including a Spider-Man sequel, due in 2004.
The next film based on a Lee creation will be Daredevil, starring Ben
Affleck. A Hulk film and X-Men sequel are also in the pipeline.
"Despite reaping enormous benefits from Mr Lee's creations, defendants have
failed and refused to honour their commitments to him," the lawsuit says.
Marvel was "built on the wings" of his creation, the suit says, and Mr Lee
put his trust in them.
Marvel executives have received "enormous windfalls" from the X-Men and
Spider-Man films and merchandise, according to the lawsuit, which was filed
at Manhattan federal court.
But Marvel said Mr Lee continued to be "well compensated" for his past
contributions to the company and the comic book industry.
"Marvel believes it is in full compliance with, and current on all payments
due under, the terms of Mr Lee's employment agreement and will continue to
be so in the future," a statement said.
On Saturday, Lee was given one of the inaugural Golden Panel Awards by The
New York City Comic Book Museum.
***
http://www.out-law.com/page-5238
Spider-Man creator wins Marvel lawsuit
OUT-LAW News, 21/01/2005
Stan Lee, the creative force behind Spider-Man and the X-Men, has won a
lawsuit against Marvel Enterprises over the company's failure to pay him a
share of the profits due from recent successful superhero movies.
According to the ruling, from Judge Robert Sweet of the US District Court
for the Southern District of New York, Marvel broke an agreement to pay Lee
10% of any profit it receives from movies, television, or other uses of his
characters. Marvel had argued that the 10% figure should be calculated after
significant deductions.
"I am very gratified by the Judge's decision although, since I am deeply
fond of Marvel and the people there, I sincerely regret that the situation
had to come to this," said Lee yesterday.
Stan Lee began working for Marvel in 1939 and remained there for over 60
years, ultimately becoming chairman emeritus for the company after his
retirement. He is now 82.
Lee was instrumental in the creation of many successful characters,
including The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Daredevil and Spider-Man –
creations that breathed new life into the comic book format, portraying the
characters as not simply superheroes, but also as people grappling with the
everyday difficulties of family, work and friends.
In 1998 Lee entered into a profit-sharing venture with Marvel. This allowed
the company to use his characters and name in return for a 10% participation
in the profits derived from productions using the Marvel characters,
including the Spider-Man films and television shows.
However, according to the suit filed by Lee in November 2002, Marvel failed
and refused to honour its commitments to him, despite reaping enormous
benefits from his creations. Spider-Man 2 alone has taken over $780 million
at the box office. Accordingly, Lee sought damages for breach.
Marvel argued that accountancy rules meant that Lee was only due 10% of the
profits after the costs of production and distribution had been deducted.
Ruling for Lee on 17th January, Judge Sweet said that Marvel must pay 10% of
its profits from the productions since November 1998. He declined to rule on
certain merchandising rights, an element of the dispute that may go before a
jury.
According to reports, Marvel intends to appeal.
Atlas Bugged
> Stan "The Rip-Off HACK" Lee built his fortune on copying others and
> then
> putting his name in big letters on a lot of talented artist's work. You
> see, I wouldn't care too much if Stan Lee also didn't have a long history
> of
> filing sham lawsuits against the folks he ripped off. Going to be a lot
> of
> folks pissing on his grave when he's gone.
>
> The Fantastic Four is simply a reuse of the classic elementals (used
> for
Your collection of facts are mostly well-known to me. I know all about the
original human torch, how he was an android, and nearly all the rest of your
endless exposition.
The basic problem with your arguments, nearly all of them, is you don't seem
to understand what Stan did. No one suggests Johnny Storm was important
because he was the first guy to be on fire. That's merely your shallow
understanding of what was unique in Stan's portfolio.
Prior to Stan, the state-of-the-comic-art consisted of one-dimensional
"perfect" heroes like Superman. That all changed completely with Stan.
This is all well-known industry-wide, and I am not going to waste much time
getting you caught up.
Daredevil wasn't just a "blind Batman," and characters like Peter Parker
(Spidey) were unheard of prior to Stan. Although some characters like
Captain America were somewhat standard stuff, Tony Stark (Iron Man) had a
crippled heart and later turned to alcohol. And also later, Stan addressed
drugs for the first time in Spidey and told the "Comics Code," a ridiculuous
censorship organization, to stuff it.
And more: Stan insisted on college-level vocabulary in all his titles
(along with classic Greek and Shakesperian themes,) thus educating readers
as young as 5 to 10 years old. I am fairly confident I'm a lawyer today
because of Stan. The public school I attended was no fucking road map,
believe me.
You arguments are all of the form, "Well, there was a guy who could fly
decades before Stan developed Angel (X-Men guy with wings) or Thor." That
betrays a complete failure to understand what Stan was doing.
And even in that department, you underestimate Stan's brilliance. We see
the the Hulk fly all the time. But the Hulk cannot fly; instead Stan
thought through what it might mean to have such great strength. What the
Hulk actually does is jump long distances.
jay
<matr...@voyager.net> wrote:
> Stan Lee will always be a rip-off artist, a hack, and a
> shameless credit-thief. He is the Steve Jobs of the
> comicbook universe who takes everyone else's
> efforts and signs his name to them. He shamelessly
> ripped off DC COMICS "Solomen Grundy" and
> renamed it "The Hulk".
Complete crap. Solomon Grundy was a zombified
swamp monster without a single similar feature to the
Hulk, except for the fact that he was a big monster.
> He ripped off ARCHIE COMICS "The Shield" and
> renamed it "Captain America".
Cap was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in
1941. Stan neither had anything to do with it nor
ever claimed to have had anyhing to do with it.
> Those weren't the first and they aren't the last
> that Stan "The Hack" Lee shamelessly
> copied and repackaged.
You haven't named one, yet. Do yourself a favor;
before you again make an idiot of yourself in public,
do a little research.
jay
<atlasbug...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The basic problem with your arguments, nearly all
> of them, is you don't seem to understand what Stan
> did. No one suggests Johnny Storm was important
> because he was the first guy to be on fire. That's
> merely your shallow understanding of what was
> unique in Stan's portfolio.
By exactly the same logic, virtually all superheroes are
variations on either Superman or Batman. A being with
superhuman powers, or a normal human who, via
extraordinary skill, gadgets, etc. performs superheroic
feats. To call this "understanding" shallow is to do a
disservice to the merely shallow.
> Prior to Stan, the state-of-the-comic-art consisted of
> one-dimensional "perfect" heroes like Superman.
In the early Justice League, you couldn't even
differentiate the characters by reading their dialogue.
> That all changed completely with Stan. This is all
> well-known industry-wide, and I am not going to
> waste much time getting you caught up.
He isn't interested in the facts, anyway. He jumped
into this thread claiming Stan ripped off the Hulk from
Solomon Grundy (the full extent of the two characters'
similarities are that each are big monsters) and ripped
off Captain America from the Shield (Cap wasn't even
created by Stan).
jay
<matr...@voyager.net> wrote:
> Stan "The Rip-Off HACK" Lee built his fortune on
> copying others and then putting his name in big
> letters on a lot of talented artist's work.
Still waiting on those examples, bright boy.
> You see, I wouldn't care too much if Stan Lee also
> didn't have a long history of filing sham lawsuits
> against the folks he ripped off.
For anyone who may be confused by this poor fool,
no, it isn't true that Stan has "a long history" of filing
such suits, or even ANY history of filing such suits.
That's why the only lawsuit he cites is one where
Stan had to sue Marvel for attempting to screw him
out of money it owed him, a lawsuit he, in fact, won.
Lio Convoy
news:87pic2t29o3pfc2ec...@4ax.com:
> He isn't interested in the facts, anyway. He jumped
> into this thread claiming Stan ripped off the Hulk from
> Solomon Grundy (the full extent of the two characters'
> similarities are that each are big monsters) and ripped
> off Captain America from the Shield (Cap wasn't even
> created by Stan).
Solomon Grundy was actually created AFTER The Hulk, and I believe was a
Jack Kirby creation (co-creator of the Hulk)
The Shield was a little under a year before Captain America debuted,
I just checked the Wikipedia, and boy did they leave a lot of information
about the Shield out of it. There's also no mention of the return of the
Original Shield (ala Captain America style) to modern days, well, the early
90s. I think there was a Character called ThunderBunny who worked with the
Crusaders around that time.
Lio Convoy
news:am3yg.20426$ZH1....@bignews4.bellsouth.net:
That's what your boyfriend said too.
jay
<lioc...@iwonttellyou.com> wrote:
>> He isn't interested in the facts, anyway. He jumped
>> into this thread claiming Stan ripped off the Hulk from
>> Solomon Grundy (the full extent of the two characters'
>> similarities are that each are big monsters) and ripped
>> off Captain America from the Shield (Cap wasn't even
>> created by Stan).
>
> Solomon Grundy was actually created AFTER The
> Hulk, and I believe was a Jack Kirby creation
> (co-creator of the Hulk)
No, Grundy was an Alf Bester character from the old
Golden Age Green Lantern book, so he definitely
precedes the Hulk, but, as I said, other than both being
large monsters, they have absolutely no similarity.
> The Shield was a little under a year before Captain
> America debuted,
Cap was originally sort of a Shield rip-off, but he was
created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby--Stan Lee had
nothing to do with it.
> I just checked the Wikipedia, and boy did they leave
> a lot of information about the Shield out of it. There's
> also no mention of the return of the Original Shield
> (ala Captain America style) to modern days, well, the
> early 90s.
If you're talking about the DC Impact version of the
Shield from the 1990s, that was, as far as I know, a
completely different character wearing the armor of
the original Shield, and only lasted about a year.
Wouter Valentijn
LOL.
All this talk of one guy ripping off another.
Most of these type of stories have precursors in old mythology.
Think Gilgamesh.
Or the old Greek gods (Mercury anyone?).
As for Stan and his little group, they did not just make use of costumed
people with special powers, but gave these characters also a solid life. A
more coherent world.
Okay, later on they all meet the ugly retcon devil, but character wise they
remain great.
Excelsior!
--
Wouter Valentijn
www.wouter.cc
www.nksf.nl
www.zeppodunsel.nl
liam=mail
"The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank."
Mister Scott, 'A Taste of Armageddon', Star Trek.
Atlas Bugged
news:44ca24f1$0$4525$e4fe...@news.xs4all.nl...
> LOL.
> All this talk of one guy ripping off another.
> Most of these type of stories have precursors in old mythology.
> Think Gilgamesh.
> Or the old Greek gods (Mercury anyone?).
> As for Stan and his little group, they did not just make use of costumed
> people with special powers, but gave these characters also a solid life. A
> more coherent world.
> Okay, later on they all meet the ugly retcon devil, but character wise
> they remain great.
>
> Excelsior!
'nuff said! Well, a little more.
There is simply no way to overestimate the contribution of Stan Lee and Jack
Kirby to the world of comics.
I was shocked, actually, to find some fans later on in the '80's who simply
disliked Kirby's artwork. For me, Kirby's work was as revolutionary and as
fundamental as Stan's, the only difference being that he wasn't *completely*
singular as was Stan; there were other bright lights such as Romita,
Steranko, et al.
Nevertheless, I could accept that there was tremendous and obvious
innovation and evolution in the visual department, and a particular
individual might see Kirby's work as dated or cliched, or somehow inferior.
None of that detracts from Kirby's legendary status.
But with Stan Lee, there is simply nothing to discuss. He is the most
significant individual in the history of comics, bar none.
Lio Convoy
news:58ajc2pnelk27matk...@4ax.com:
There were actually TWO Shields from that era. The first one was supposedly
the son of the first Shield, and after they revived #1, #2 left because #1
said he never had a son.