Any shortlist of American comic industry icons would have to include Stan Lee. The creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men (to name a few), “The Man” himself appeared at the New York Comic Con last weekend to promote a pair of new projects with his partners at POW! Entertainment and 1821 Comics.
First up is a new family-friendly multi-platform imprint called Stan Lee’s Kids Universe, which aims to release a series of new books, characters, and interactive games—all created for children.
“Our main purpose is we feel that there aren't enough comic books or books for kids that really hit the target, that gives them excitement and humor together and are filled with surprises,” Lee said in a press release. “We have a whole new group of new characters that the kids can call their own, just as the teenagers called Spider-Man their own so many years ago."
Romeo and Juliet: The War hits stores Jan. 25 as a deluxe oversized coffee table book available in both hard and soft cover formats. The War takes Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers and places them in the futuristic sci-fi/fantasy Empire of Verona, the most powerful territory on Earth. I spoke with the ebullient 88-year-old legend in this exclusive interview.
What do you like about animation as a medium?
Animation is a wonderful medium; everybody likes it. It has unlimited possibilities—you can draw things that you can’t do in real life. You can make them funny, you can make them exciting, you can make them frightening; whatever you want to do. And everybody loves looking at pictures; that’s why they like movies. Animation is pictures, but they’re pictures that move, and they’re very imaginative, because you draw them so they’re different than real life; they have their own look. I’ve always been a fan of animation ever since Walt Disney and his Snow White, and ever since Bugs Bunny and things like that.
I like the appearances you’ve made in the Marvel films.
So do I.
Do you have a cameo in the upcoming Spider-Man movie? What can you tell us about it?
I have a great, great cameo in the new Spider-Man; it’s very, very funny. I really do a little bit of acting in that, but they would kill me if I said what it was. And I have another one in The Avengers that’s kind of funny, too.
Anything else you want to say to your fans around the world?
I want to tell my fans around the world that this project that I’m doing with [1821 Comics CEO] Terry Dougas is one of the most exciting projects. I’ve been wanting to do things for young kids for the longest time, because comic books have been forgetting the younger kids, and we feel we’re taking comics back to their roots now, having things that the very littlest kids can enjoy, and that will make comic book readers out of them so that later on they’ll enjoy Spider-Man and the other stuff.
I’ll never stop believing thanks to you, Stan.
(Laughs.) Attaboy.
For more information on Stan’s latest projects, visit 1821 Comics at www.1821comics.com, POW! Entertainment at www.powentertainment.com, and http://twitter.com/TheRealStanLee.
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