Now back in print and timed for its 50th anniversary—the landmark book Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee! A deluxe, collector’s edition of the original Origins of Marvel Comics including a new cover, essays, and more. Originally published in 1974, Origins of Marvel Comics features the first appearance of characters who have dominated the pantheon of Marvel’s modern storytelling mythology—Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, and Doctor Strange—along with a second Silver Age tale featuring these special heroes, all hand-picked and introduced by the one and only Stan Lee, and serving as an essential showcase for writers and artists such as Stan himself, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and Marie Severin. Whether viewed as a historical artifact that launched an industry of presenting Marvel Comics to a broad audience of fans or a collection of the best in Silver Age comics by many of the greatest creators to ever put pencil to paper, Origins of Marvel Comics highlights both the lasting greatness of these iconic characters as well as the monumental contributions of the talented creators who launched an entire storytelling universe.

Stan Lee--whose wildly creative imagination gave life to such Super Heroes as Spider-Man, The X-Men, and Daredevil--presents his 50 favorite MARVEL-ous moments. An exclusive book and digital audio collection that's a must-have for every comic book fan.

The Amazing Spider-Man. The Incredible Hulk. The Invincible Iron Man. Black Panther. These are just a few of the iconic superheroes to emerge from the mind of Stan Lee. From the mean streets of Depression-era New York City to recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Lee’s life has been almost as remarkable as the thrilling adventures he spun for decades. From millions of comic books fans of the 1960s through billions of moviegoers around the globe, Stan Lee has touched more people than almost any person in the history of popular culture. In Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel, Bob Batchelor offers an eye-opening look at this iconic visionary, a man who created (with talented artists) many of history’s most legendary characters. In this energetic and entertaining biography, Batchelor explores how Lee capitalized on natural talent and hard work to become the editor of Marvel Comics as a teenager. After toiling in the industry for decades, Lee threw caution to the wind and went for broke, co-creating the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and others in a creative flurry that revolutionized comic books for generations of readers. Marvel superheroes became a central part of pop culture, from collecting comics to innovative merchandising, from superhero action figures to the ever-present Spider-Man lunchbox. Batchelor examines many of Lee’s most beloved works, including the 1960s comics that transformed Marvel from a second-rate company to a legendary publisher. This book reveals the risks Lee took to bring the characters to life and Lee’s tireless efforts to make comic books and superheroes part of mainstream culture for more than fifty years. Stan Lee: The Man behind Marvel not only reveals why Lee developed into such a central figure in American entertainment history, but brings to life the cultural significance of comic books and how the superhero genre reflects ideas central to the American experience. Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, this is a biography of a man who dreamed of one day writing the Great American Novel, but ended up doing so much more—changing American culture by creating new worlds and heroes that have entertained generations of readers.

The Avengers, comics' greatest super team, burst onto the scene in 1963 at the forefront of the revolutionary Marvel Age of Comics. Iron Man, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp joined together to face the menace of Loki and set off on a streak of tales that nearly 50 years later still sets the trend for super hero epics. From Captain America's return fromthe icy depths of the Atlantic, to the debut of classic enemies like Kang the Conqueror, and the game-changing introduction of a trio of villains into their ranks--Avengers was a bona fide comic book blockbuster! Written by Stan "The Man" Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck, you'll experience every story, every villain, even every letters page in this painstakingly restored Omnibus collection. It's a must-have for every Marvel fan's collections, so reserve your copy today, True Believer! COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) 1-30

Face Front, True Believers, and treasure this super-sized celebration of the incredible career of Stan Lee! More than 70 years of stories, featuring dozens of Lee's beloved co-creations - including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, Daredevil and Nick Fury - all in his signature, senses-shattering style! These astonishing tales of suspense, horror, fantasy, romance, comedy, cowboys, super heroics and more prove beyond doubt that Stan is "The Man!" Excelsior! COLLECTING: INCREDIBLE HULK 1; AVENGERS 1, 15-16; X-MEN 4-5; SGT. FURY 8; FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL 2-3; DAREDEVIL 7, 47; CAPTAIN AMERICA 109; THOR 146-152, 179-181; AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 96-98, 365, 634-645; SAVAGE SHE-HULK 1; SILVER SURFER: PARABLE 1-2; CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS 3, 16; AMAZING FANTASY 15; TALES TO ASTONISH 35; TALES OF SUSPENSE 39; STRANGE TALES 135; SILVER SURFER 3; AND MORE