Let's Talk About Stan Lee6052

Originally Posted by Wraith
I'm still of the opinion they will devalue a book once we get past this crazy fad.

High quality, clean covers are getting more rare at every convention

Originally Posted by Tedsaid
Quote:

Originally Posted by conditionfreak
Does anyone really think Stan Lee thinks "I should go sign some books and stuff, because I want more money"?

Yes, actually! I do think this.

Stan is sometimes napping, sometime groggy, getting very frail. But he also grew up during the Depression at a very impressionable age. Reports are he still doesn't trust banks very much, and people think he has money hidden all around the house. (My grandmother did this.) I think it is very likely that Stan himself is the driving force behind the signature Assemble line. (Sorry, I couldn't help the pun.)

Here's the thing: in that video we see Stan sign about 5-8 comics in a minute. Conservatively, five comics a minute is 300 per hour. In a 12-14 hour day he might sign for 4-5 hours total. (Just guessing here, counting all the breaks and naps and such). And so that's maybe 1200 comics per day. For a three-day con, that would be some 3500 comics total. And he get's, what, $200 a pop? So just for signing his name Stan Lee can make, in a single weekend, over HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.

I don't think it's any kind of greed, but I do think Stan just hates the idea of leaving that money on the table, or not earning because he's weak, or passing up the easiest money he's ever made. Are you kidding me? He's telling himself: just an hour of this and I've earned $60,000 ... enough cash to buy an expensive car! After a day I can get a nice house anywhere but California; and after three days, I can buy a nice house in California, too.

Every comic that slides by on the signing table, he gets $200 just for scrawling his name. Forget the Depression, that kind of money would be hard for any of us to pass up. $200 in five seconds? Gimme, gimme, gimme.

So, what about the video? Here's what I think is going on: I think Stan instructs his people: "Keep it going. Keep it moving. Don't worry if I get droopy sometimes, this signing shit is boring, but I'll push through. I'm glad to do it and I need you guys to help me stay focused." They keep him on task because, I think, that is their job for Stan.

And the guy spelling his name for him? Well, first of all, some people request "Excelsior!" or "To Dave," or something else, maybe, even though most people just request a plain signature. So the guy stands there and his job is to convey the request with the comic. Over and over and over again. And that gets boring, too. So I think, just to break the tedium in a very minor way he sometimes spells it out, in a kind of sing-song way: S-T-A-N-L-E-E.

But the idea that Stan Lee can't spell his own name? Well ... extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence, I think.

I really hate the idea that Stan Lee is getting frail. And I hate the idea that people (like, reportedly, his daughter) are taking advantage of him, his money, and his good nature. I really hope that isn't true, because that would suck.

But I think most of this is two things: 1) Stan has ALWAYS been bad at details. That's what really caused the falling out with Kirby ... Stan just doesn't pay attention to even obvious gradients of distinction. I truly believe Stan Lee "took credit" for creating all those heroes because he didn't notice the difference between someone asking "Did you create the Fantastic Four?" and "Did you and Jack create the Fantastic Four?" (In his mind, the answer to both questions is indubitably "That's right!" ) So frail or not, old or not, he's an easy mark, I think, and hazy on the details of everything going on around him.

And 2) He'll never give up making $200 bucks in five seconds, if he can help it.