The man behind Spider-Man, The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and a legion of other superheroes tells his own amazing story in a book packed with punch, humor, anecdotes, and a gallery of never-before-seen photographs. Stan Lee is the most legendary name in the history of comicbooks. The leading creative force behind the rise of Marvel Comics, he brought to life some of the world's best-known heroes and most infamous villains. His stories, featuring super- heroes who struggled against personal hang-ups and bad guys who possessed previously unseen psychological complexity, added wit and subtlety to a field previously locked into flat portrayals of good vs. evil. Lee put the human in the super-human. In the process, he created a new mythology for the twentieth century. In this treasure trove of marvelous memories, Stan tells the story of his life with the same inimitable wit, energy, and offbeat spirit that he brought to the world of comicbooks. He moves from his impoverished childhood in Manhattan to his early days writing comicbooks, followed by military training films during World War II, through the rise of the Marvel empire in the 1960s to his recent adventures in Hollywood. The story of a man who earned respect by blazing new creative trails in a storytelling form once dismissed as just for kids, Excelsior! is an inspirational story about following one's vision, no matter the odds. Yet it's also the story of how some of the most exciting and memorable characters in the pop-culture universe came to thrill a generation.

Few artists have had as much of an impact on American popular culture as Stan Lee. The characters he created-Spider-Man and Iron Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four-occupy Hollywood's imagination and production schedules, generate billions at the box office, and come as close as anything we have to a shared American mythology. This illuminating biography focuses as much on Lee's ideas as it does on his unlikely rise to stardom. It surveys his cultural and religious upbringing and draws surprising connections between celebrated comic book heroes and the ancient tales of the Bible, the Talmud, and Jewish mysticism. Was Spider-Man just a reincarnation of Cain? Is the Incredible Hulk simply Adam by another name? From close readings of Lee's work to little-known anecdotes from Marvel's history, the book paints a portrait of Lee that goes much deeper than one of his signature onscreen cameos.

By overwhelming demand, Roy Thomas has compiled all the material on the founders of the Marvel Bullpen from three sold-out Alter Ego issues--plus over 30 new pages of content! There's the Steve Ditko issue (#160 with a rare '60s Ditko interview by Richard Howell, biographical notes by Nick Caputo, and Ditko tributes)! The Stan Lee issue (#161 with Roy Thomas on his 50+ year relationship with Stan, art by Kirby, Ditko, Maneely, Everett, Severin, Romita, plus tributes from pros and fans)! And the Jack Kirby issue (#170 with Will Murray on Kirby's contributions to Iron Man's creation, Jack's Captain Marvel/Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work, Kirby in 1960s fanzines, plus Stan Lee and Roy Thomas on Jack)! Whether you missed these issues, or can't live without the extensive new material on Ditko, Lee, and Kirby, it's sure to be an Amazing, Astonishing, Fantastic tribute to the main men who made Marvel!