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The Legends Behind the Comic Books

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Documentary

This new documentary film recognizes the comic book as a true art form, as indigenous to American culture as jazz. It presents comic books as reflectors of a changing America from the 1930's to today, and it hails comic book superheroes as modern-day mythological figures. “THE LEGENDS BEHIND THE COMIC BOOKS” captures for posterity the living artists and writers from The Golden Age of Comic Books (1938-1951) and The Silver Age of Comic Books (1956-1973). Insightful comments are provided by the creative geniuses who were there at the beginning, including…

04-05-2008

56 min

The Legends Behind the Comic Books

Main Cast

Movie Details

Production Info

Director:: Chip Cronkite

Production:: Stonebridge Productions

Key Crew

Executive Producer:: Michael Uslan

Locations and Languages

Country:: US

Filming:: US

Languages:: en

Main Cast

Stan Lee

Stan Lee

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber /ˈliːbər/; December 28, 1922–November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, expanding it from a small publishing house division to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries. In collaboration with others at Marvel—particularly co-writers and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—he co-created iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, and Black Widow. These and other characters' introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approach in superhero comics. In the 1970s, Lee challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980s, he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, Lee remained a public figurehead for the company. He frequently made cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel properties, on which he received an executive producer credit, which allowed him to become the person with the highest-grossing film total ever. He continued independent creative ventures until his death, aged 95, in 2018. Lee was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NEA's National Medal of Arts in 2008. Description above from the Wikipedia article Stan Lee, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Venom

Venom

2018

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Spider-Man

Spider-Man

2002

Andy Kubert

Andy Kubert

Known For

Generation X: The Comic Book Origin of X-Men

Generation X: The Comic Book Origin of X-Men

2006

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

2007

Joe Kubert

Joe Kubert

Joseph "Joe" Kubert is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. Kubert's other creations include the comic books Tor, Son of Sinbad, and Viking Prince, and, with writer Robin Moore, the comic strip Tales of the Green Beret. In 1976, Joe and his wife Muriel founded the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey.

Known For

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

2010

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

2007

Adam Kubert

Adam Kubert

Known For

Generation X: The Comic Book Origin of X-Men

Generation X: The Comic Book Origin of X-Men

2006

Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

2007

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

Sin and Salvation: The Comic Book Origin of Ghost Rider

2007

Unknown Actor

Unknown Actor

Known For

Unknown Actor

Unknown Actor

Known For

Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

2003

J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings

2002

Self

Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Return of the King

Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Return of the King

2003

Self

Dennis O'Neil

Dennis O'Neil

Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement. His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams. It was during this run that O'Neil co-created the Batman villains Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul. His other notable work includes runs on The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. He also sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee. Description above from the Wikipedia article Dennis O'Neil, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

2013

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

2010

Joker: Put on a Happy Face

Joker: Put on a Happy Face

2020

John Romita Sr.

John Romita Sr.

John Victor Romita Sr. (January 24, 1930 – June 12, 2023) was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man and for co-creating characters including Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, and Wolverine. Romita is the father of John Romita Jr., also a comic book artist and husband of Virginia Romita, for many years Marvel's traffic manager. His first comics work was in 1949 as a ghost artist for Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel, through which Romita met editor-in-chief Stan Lee. In 1951, Romita began drawing horror, war, and romance comics for Atlas Comics (previously Timely), and also drew his first superhero work, a 1950s revival of Captain America. He began working exclusively for DC Comics from 1958–1965 and was the artist for many of their romance comics. During these years, Romita further developed his ability to draw beautiful women, which he later became well-known for. Romita joined Marvel in 1965, initially drawing Daredevil comics. In 1966, Spider-Man artist and co-creator Steve Ditko left Marvel, and Romita was chosen by writer Lee as the new artist for The Amazing Spider-Man title. Within a year of Romita becoming the Spider-Man artist, The Amazing Spider-Man rose from Marvel's second-best-selling title to the company's top-seller. Romita brought a new romance style to Spider-Man comics that soon became the new house style for the character. In June 1973, Romita was promoted to Marvel's art director and heavily influenced the look of Marvel comics throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Romita Sr., licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story

With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story

2010

Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

2007

The Comic Book Greats: Compendium

The Comic Book Greats: Compendium

1992

Joe Simon

Joe Simon

Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics' most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon and Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys' Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s. Simon was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Simon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Stan Lee

Stan Lee

2023

Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee

Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee

2019

Kirby at War: La Guerre De Kirby

Kirby at War: La Guerre De Kirby

2017

Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas

Roy William Thomas Jr. (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E. Howard's character and helped launch a sword and sorcery trend in comics. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes – particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America – and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and The Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles. Among the comics characters he co-created are Wolverine, Vision, Doc Samson, Carol Danvers, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Ultron, Yellowjacket, Defenders, Man-Thing, Red Sonja, Morbius, Ghost Rider, Squadron Supreme, Invaders, Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Nighthawk, Havok, Banshee, Sunfire, Thundra, Arkon, Killraven, Wendell Vaughn, Red Wolf, Red Guardian, Daimon Hellstrom, Brother Voodoo and Valkyrie. Thomas was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2011 and into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in 2022. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roy Thomas, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Stan Lee

Stan Lee

2023

Marvel's Behind the Mask

Marvel's Behind the Mask

2021

Diagram for Delinquents

Diagram for Delinquents

2014

Michael Uslan

Michael Uslan

Michael E. Uslan was born on December 15, 1950 in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USA as Michael Elliot Uslan. He is a producer and writer, known for Batman Begins (2005), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) and National Treasure (2004).

Known For

The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

2013

Legends of the Knight

Legends of the Knight

2013

Batman & Bill

Batman & Bill

2017