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An interview with Stan Lee

Stan Lee is an ageless wonder. At 85, he's busier than most guys half his age, and his mind is as sharp as ever, too, still cranking out ideas for comic books and films, and still capable of recounting stories about his remarkable career. SCI FI Weekly recently caught up with Lee in advance of the May 2 release of Iron Man, the latest would-be blockbuster based on one of his comic-book creations. In this wide-ranging conversation, Lee talks about being an action figure, contemplates the differences between a good comic book and a good film, discusses his cameo appearances in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk and reveals that he doesn't plan to retire anytime soon.

Do you see much difference between a good comic book and a good movie or television show based on a comic book?

Lee: Wow. Well, a good comic book, like any form of literature, should have characters you care about and a story that holds your interest. One thing that helps a story hold your interest is it should be replete with surprises and the characterization should always be interesting and realistic. Even if you're doing superheroes, the characterizations should be believable and realistic. And I don't think there's any difference between a good comic book and a good movie or TV show, because they're both for the purpose of entertaining. If a good movie or TV show can hold your interest and entertain you and, when you leave the theater, make you say, "Wow, I enjoyed that," that's what you hope a reader will say who's read a good comic book or a good novel or hears a good opera or sees a good stage show or a ballet. They're different media, but it's all the same. We're in the business of entertaining, and we have to entertain the reader, the viewer or the audience.

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