New ‘Serious Fun’ Explores the Complex Legacy of Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee

There is no question that Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee occupies an outsized role in our contemporary popular culture, whether as the credited “creator of the Marvel Universe” or as the aviator sunglasses-wearing friendly comics grandpa who appeared in just about every movie based on Marvel’s output. But how much of Lee’s legacy is true, and how much of it is fiction? Did he really steal credit for the characters that bore his name? What was Lee like when the spotlight wasn’t on? Are there some legends so big they defy easy categorization at the same time they encourage deification? Serious Fun is back, and in this episode Communication/Information Science Associate Professor Bryan Carr sits down with journalist and author Abraham Riesman about his new book “True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee”. Download the episode now for a thought-provoking discussion about the fraught relationship between Lee and co-creators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, the role of copyright in maintaining celebrity mythology, and the elusiveness of a person’s true nature (among lots of other things). The episode is available now in your favorite podcast aggregator apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify (just search “Serious Fun”) and SoundCloud.