Derf Backderf

@derfbackderf.bsky.social

Just reacquired, THE greatest issue of The Comics Journal, the one with the Kirby interview that rocked comicdom, when Jack finally blasted Stan for his lies and shameless glory hogging. “Stan Lee and I never collaborated on anything!”

Jun 22, 2024 at 17:03 UTC

19 replies 23 reposts 149 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 13:52 UTC

For those who want a deep dive into the Stan vs. Jack history-- and who doesn't?-- I highly recommend this book from TwoMorrows. It's a complete history, using each man's own words.

twomorrows.com/blog/tnt/the...

1 replies 0 reposts 8 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 12:40 UTC

As for Stan's writing, I point to two things he definitely DID write mostly on his own. One was the Silver Surfer 1968 series. Stan hoped to tap into the college crowd who were reading comics in big numbers for the first time. Here was his chance to be a writer of substance & tackle big issues.

3 replies 0 reposts 13 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 23, 2024 at 12:35 UTC

In 1990, I was still pissed off at Marvel for the appalling disrespect young Bullpenners showed Jack during his final unhappy period at Marvel. This TCJ interview rocked me. I'm not a Stan hater. He's one of the greatest figures in comics history. But he clearly didn't do what he claimed.

0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 22:02 UTC

Stan fanboys leapt on a few misstatements. Jack gets some dates wrong, forgets a few things. But Jack is 73 here. The most infamous was: "I created Spiderman." Well, Jack created *A* Spiderman. It wasn't good. Then Ditko created THE Spiderman. And Jack gives Ditko full credit right after that.

1 replies 0 reposts 8 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 21:53 UTC

Jack is pretty tough on Carmine here, too. "Well, although Carmine was nice to me, I wasn’t having a great time with him. He was an artist who didn’t know how to be an editor or a publisher." This is not inaccurate.

1 replies 1 reposts 7 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 21:48 UTC

ROZ KIRBY: "Jack created many characters before he even met Stan. He created almost all the characters when he was associated with Stan, and after he left, he created many more characters. What has Stan created before he met Jack, and what has he created after Jack left?" This is my argument, too.

2 replies 2 reposts 15 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:46 UTC

Groth: "What did (Stan) do to warrant his name being on them?" Kirby: "Nothing! I dialogued them. Besides collecting the editor's pay, he collected writer's pay. He took advantage of whoever worked for him." Jack wrote the books, Stan stole the pay. This is the 1st time this scam was revealed!

1 replies 0 reposts 15 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:38 UTC

AND, if that's not enough, this issue features an EPIC letters page throwdown between comics critic R. Fiore and Harvey Pekar, that started over Pekar's infamous dislike of Maus, and apparently of Art Spiegleman. They hurl insults, question each other's intelligence and literary cred. Oh, it's fun!

3 replies 0 reposts 17 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:33 UTC

There's also an interview with a very slippery Joe Simon, who only cryptically hints at secrets.

0 replies 0 reposts 11 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:31 UTC

This issue landed like a grenade in 1990! I remember the howls from the Marvel fanboys. I can only imagine Stan's reaction when he read this. Finally, the Myth of Stan Lee began to crumble. And this interview is the genesis of the Kirby Family winning their massive settlement from Disney-Marvel.

0 replies 1 reposts 22 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:26 UTC

"Stan Lee wasn't a guy that read or told stories. Stan Lee is essentially an office worker."-- Kirby "In all these years when Jack was still creating things, Stan Lee hasn't been creating things. When Jack left Stan, there wasn't anything new created by Stan." --Roz Kirby

0 replies 6 reposts 34 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:18 UTC

"You can't talk to Stan about anything. He's a very rigid type, and he gets what he wants when the advantage is his. I could never see Stan being creative. The only thing he ever knew was to say "Excelsior!"" --Kirby

0 replies 1 reposts 19 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:14 UTC

"I came up with the Fantastic Four. I came up with Thor, and the Hulk, and the X-men, and the Avengers." "I should have told Stan to go to hell." --Kirby

0 replies 1 reposts 22 likes

Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social
[ View ] Jun 22, 2024 at 17:07 UTC

"I've never seen Stan Lee write anything. I used to write the stories, like I always did. I would write out the whole story on the back of every page. I would write the dialogue on the back and a description of what was going on." --Kirby

1 replies 1 reposts 24 likes