This book is an autobiography of Stan Lee. Many people don't actually know who this man is. Stan Lee is the man who created and wrote comic book characters such as Spider-man, Daredevil, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many other charcters. Stan was also the author of these comic book characters and the editor. Stan tells us about what kind of hardships he went through and even about his personal life.

I enjoyed reading this book because I always wondered how comic book creaters were able to create characters that were very descriptive. Stan even wrote a whole entire chapter on my favorite charcter, Spider-Man. In this chapter it tells about how Stan lee made Spider-Man. Stan says that he got the idea of Spider-Man by looking at a fly on the wall while he was typing. After he had seen the fly, he rushed to his artist, Steve Ditko and asked him to draw a man that had the characteristics of a spider and Spider-Man turned out to be a hit. Comic books back then cost around twelve cents, here is a quote that will amaze you. "Today, incidentally, copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 sell for up to $20,000 in the collectors' market, if anyone is lucky enough to find one."

Some parts that I did not like was that it told a lot about his personal life. When I first started reading this book, I thought his personal life was interesting, but after a while, it started to get repetitive. This book also informs me about what he published and how he did it. I think Stan should've not told us about his publishers so much. After reading about so many publishers, I had to skip some parts because I didn't want to read about it.

My favorite part of the book is when Stan talks about his creation of comic book characters and how he created them. It was interesting when he told me some of his stories such as being chased by a policeman that was on a horse. Stan tells stories very descriptive so I enjoyed reading this book very much. Stan writes his comic books so great that I have been influenced to read more about this great character. This book has taught me many great things about Stan Lee's life. I think this will be an enjoyable book for young adults and even adults!

"Comic Book Man"
I've always been a fan of comic books. These pulp collections of modern mythology helped me through a sometimes extraordinarily mundane childhood with my sanity intact. In fact, my closet has several large boxes filled with several thousand of them. Even at 32 year of age, I refuse to give them up.

Stan Lee is Marvel Comics. From the Second World War to today, he has given us a slate of unparalled heroes to adorn with wonder. He saw Marvel grow from a little pubisher called Timely in the 40s, survive attacks from parent groups in the 50s, the rebirth of the superhero in the 60s, and the emergence of a unique artform in 80s, 90s and today.

The book is so-so. Stan Lee has led an interesting life, to be certain, but there are no sex scandals, drug addiction, alcoholism, embezzlement or any of those other things that tend to make biographies best sellers today. In some ways, he is a goody-goody and he writes the book like one of his comic stories without the juicy material it needs to make it truly thrilling.

I don't want to turn anyone off, but if you are looking for things like Joan Collins rape at age 17 or Elizabeth Taylor's multiple stormy marriages,this isn't for you. Rather this provides a unique and invaluable historical record of the a part of history that is ignored by traditional outlets. Comic books are firmly entrenched in history, but are just starting to be realized as a legitimate art and literary form. Marvel has a colorful history, staring out as a private publishing company, being sold from company to company, going public after being taken over by buyout king Ron Perelmen in 1989. Financial mismanagement nearly destroyed the company in the mid-90s and it is just starting to recover. This is where the biography's true value lies.

Stan Lee always felt that Marvel had the potential to become the next Disney. With the success of Spider-Man in the movies, which has broken $800 million worldwide, as of this writing, that prediction may yet come true.

"A Must Read for All Comic Fans"
I could not put this book down. I was a fan of Marvel Comics growing up and have passed on to my son quite a collection of comics. I had read many of Stan's other works regarding comics (Origins of Marvel Comics, Sons of Origins, Bring On the Bad Guys). Each of those books were excellent. However, those books dealt with nothing prior to The Fantastic Four.

In this book we learn that Stan had a long career (about 20 years) in the comic book field, Marvel wasn't called Marvel until the 1960's, Stan used to churn out close to 80 titles a month in the 1950's, Stan actually wrote a few books in the 1950's that sold well, and Stan was actually going to quit the trade on the day he was told to create a superhero group (later called the Fantastic Four) for Atlas comics. And those are just of few of tidbits that are contained in this wonderfully written bio/auto bio.

"As Good As We'll Get?"
While this isn't an autobiography as such, Stan Lee does write the vast majority of the book and leaves his collaborator (George Mair) to fill in the gaps or provide continuity. There is some discussion of his personal life and his career, with a fair amount devoted to the creation of Marvel's glory days. For those who can remember, it is written in the 'Stan's Soapbox' style.

Most of the information found here won't be new to Stan's fans, as it is available in other interviews and articles. He admits to a terrible memory (all of his life, and he's now 80) so it is difficult to know whether the stories behind his famous creations are all that complete. Plus, there is not much more than can be found in his 'Origins of Marvel Comics' books. There are also significant gaps - why, for example, does he not mention Marvel's failed attempt to reintroduce super-heroes in the 1950s?

Yet, despite the quibbles, this is the best insight you'll get into the real Stan Lee. Forget any second-hand stories or biographies filled with speculation and guesswork - go straight to the source. He may not address things as precisely as you'd like, but there are interesting nuggets of information and a lot of gentle humour. Don't throw away your other references though, as he has addressed many topics in past interviews that simply don't get a mention here.

"A fun read..."
This is not an in-depth self analysis of the man and mind behind Marvel Comics. Rather, it is a light and fun journey through the life and times of one Mr. Stan 'The Man' Lee. I enjoyed it quite a bit. And I think most people who grew up on Marvel Comics, who also don't expect loads of controversial dialogue and introspection, will dig it too!