Happy Birthday Stan Lee!

At an age when most people would be taking it easy, Lee is anything but pedestrian. It is impossible to overstate the impact Lee has had on millions of children both young and old through his magically escapist creations.

Born in New York City on December 28^th, 1922, Stanley Martin Lieber was heavily influenced as a child by books and movies, particularly those with Errol Flynn in heroic roles. Growing up in the Bronx wasn't easy, especially during the period of the Great Depression, and Lee harboured dreams of one day writing the great American novel.

Lee got his first break when, with the help of his uncle, he became an assistant in 1939 at the then newly created Timely Comics. "In those days [the artists] dipped the pen in ink, [so] I had to make sure the inkwells were filled. I went down and got them their lunch, I did proof reading, I erased the pencils from the finished pages for them". The young Stanley Lieber's writing ambitions were to take a leap forward with his debut contribution to the third Captain America Comics issue, where he first used the pseudonym 'Stan Lee' (which he later adopted as his legal name).

By his 19^th birthday Lee had been promoted to interim Editor. In the 1960's, Timely Comics would evolve into Marvel Comics, and thus an empire began.

Stan Lee has been responsible for co-creating some of the most memorable superheroes in Marvel Comics history; with Jack Kirby he created The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and X-Men; with Bill Everett he created Daredevil and with Steve Ditko he created Doctor Strange and the hugely successful Spider-Man.

A handful of Marvel Comics' most celebrated comic book covers have been launched as a limited edition collection of artwork. Featured works include Spider-Man, The Hulk and The Avengers which have all been personally signed by Stan Lee. Works are available for acquisition from Gallery Rouge in St Albans.

The appetite for superheroes continues to rise, especially with the transfer of characters into blockbuster film creations, opening up Marvel to a whole new generation of enthusiasts. Demonstrating his fun side, Lee is well known for making cameo appearances in those films. When you're next watching, see if you can spot him!