Bob Batchelor's Blog, page 7
August 16, 2022
Young Readers Edition of Stan Lee Biography
Parents, teachers, and young adult readers have asked me to write a young reader’s edition of Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel since the book was published in 2017. With a full writing plate leading up to 2020, I never fit it into my schedule, despite the pleas I heard from teens and their parents.
That always kind of gnawed at me…it isn’t often that a writer hears so directly from fans!
Like the rest of the world, I was housebound during the Covid pandemic, so I stripped the original book down to its bones and rebuilt it. Revision is hardly the right word, since I basically rewrote the material from the adult version and added new material that expanded on Stan’s unique life story since he passed away.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel by Bob Batchelor, written for Young Adult Readers
When writing a definitive account of a figure that looms as large as any fictional superhero, such as Stan Lee, the chosen writer must know the subject beyond genial superlatives. … As a celebrated historian and author, Bob Batchelor expertly delves into the canvas of Stan Lee’s creations as well as the creator himself in a discourse that is matchless, an exemplary biography with heart that shares how Stan Lee helped to shape the comic book medium’s landscape as well as our contemporary understanding of the power of the individual.”
— Brian Hawkins, writer, Black Cotton, Devil’s Dominion, Van Helsing: Black Annis, Van Helsing: Beast of Exmoor
The team at Rowman & Littlefield and I decided that we wanted to give the book some special touches designed especially for teen readers. After searching the globe for the best partner, we brought in Jason Piperberg to create the cover for the YA bio, as well as its adult trade sibling, Stan Lee: A Life. Working with Rowman’s designers, editor Christen Karniski, and I, Jason illustrated nine key scenes from Stan’s life, using the same kind of imaginative spirit that Lee would have loved.
Stan Lee writing his first story "Captain American Foils the Traitor's Revenge," illustrated by comic book illustrator Jason Piperberg
We also increased the number of photographs in the book versus the original, drawing from important parts of Stan’s life, including comic book covers, photos of him in the Army, and images from his life as the iconic Stan the world grew to love.
To top off the YA-inspired aspects of the book, Tom DeLonge graciously agreed to write the Foreword for the book, bringing his interesting, insightful, and hilarious understanding of YA readers to the biography. In addition to being a world-renowned rock star (Angels & Airwaves and Blink-182) and founder of To The Stars* multimedia company, Tom has created his own YA character — Poet Anderson — a star of novels and graphic novels. DeLonge is also the executive producer of the animated series “Breaking Bear,” which will air on Tubi. His film Monsters of CA, which he directed and co-wrote, will also be released soon.
As a result, according to columnist and podcast host of The History Author Show Dean Karayanis: “Bob Batchelor captures his amazin’ tale, ensuring that Stan the Man will continue to inspire, guide, and entertain for generation to come.”
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel offers offers an in-depth and complete look at Lee as one of America’s great iconic visionaries. Focusing on his writing, editing, and business acumen over decades, I explore the context of Lee’s era and American history writ large to demonstrate how his life could be viewed as a lens for examining the American Dream.
Batchelor’s young adult edition of Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel vividly depicts the verve of Stan ‘The Man’ as well as the popular culture of the eras in which he flourished. A great next-step bio for kids who grew up with the Meltzer and Eliopoulos ‘Ordinary People Change the World’ series
— Jeff Massey, writer, Warlord of Oz, Reign of the Witch Queen, Grimm Fairy Tales
What we have heard so far from librarians and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. They are looking forward to getting this young adult biography into the hands of readers.
August 5, 2022
Stan Lee: A Life Explores American History through Lens of Creative Icon
Stan Lee would have been 100-years old on December 28, 2022. Celebrating his iconic life, award-winning cultural historian Bob Batchelor has written Stan Lee: A Life (Rowman & Littlefield, hardback, October 15 2022, adult trade, retail: $22.95).
The book’s foreword was written by multimedia superstar Tom DeLonge, the founder of award-winning vertically-integrated entertainment company To The Stars* and Grammy-nominated punk band Blink-182, called “arguably the most influential pop-punk band ever” by Alternative Press magazine. Blink-182 has sold more than 25 million albums.
“Stan Lee’s extraordinary life was as epic as the superheroes he co-created, from the Amazing Spider-Man to the Mighty Avengers,” said Batchelor. “His ideas and voice are at the heart of global culture, loved by millions of superhero fans around the world. Beyond the characters and film cameos, however, is a life that is uniquely American and representative of recent history.”
Batchelor offers an in-depth and complete look at Lee as an iconic visionary. Born in the Roaring Twenties, growing up in the Great Depression, living and thriving through the American Century, and dying in the twenty-first century, Stan Lee’s life is a unique representation of recent American history. Batchelor examines Lee’s fascinating American life by drawing out all its complexity, drama, heartache, and humor, revealing how Lee introduced the world to heroes that were just as fallible and complex as their creator—and just like all of us.
“Stan paved a path for artists like me to be creative and make a living from our creative energy,” said Tom DeLonge, founder of To The Stars* and Blink-182. “What a wonderful idea: legions of young people creating and imagining a better world, but one that might actually be a bit more on the nose than anyone would suspect…but minus the supersuits. Or not?”
Stan Lee: A Life takes an up-close look at a legendary figure. The Centennial Edition includes completely new material to give the full measure of a man whose genius continues to mesmerize audiences worldwide. For this book, Batchelor engaged with research and ideas over the five-year span since the publication of Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel debuted in late 2017. The result is a new, expanded book that brings the full man to life—his personal hopes and dreams, challenges, and how he became one of America’s most beloved icons over a career that stretched over parts of nine decades.
Candid, authoritative, and absorbing, this is the biography of a man who dreamed of one day writing the Great American Novel, but ended up doing so much more—revolutionizing culture by creating new worlds and heroes that have entertained generations.
For more information on Rowman & Littlefield, Tom DeLonge, To The Stars*, or Bob Batchelor, please visit the linked websites.
For an interview with Bob or to inquire about a contributed article on Stan Lee, Marvel history, or other cultural history topics, please contact the author: bob@bobbatchelor.com. For an Advanced Reader Copy of the book (pdf), please contact the author or the Marketing Department at Rowman & Littlefield: publicity@rowman.com. You can order a copy via the publisher’s NetGalley catalog at https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/258643.
Bob Batchelor is a critically-acclaimed cultural historian and biographer. He has published books on Stan Lee, Bob Dylan, The Great Gatsby, Mad Men, and John Updike. His latest, Rookwood: The Rediscovery and Revival of an American Icon, An Illustrated History won the 2021 Independent Press Book Award for Fine Art. The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius won the 2020 Independent Press Book Award for Historical Biography. Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel was a finalist for the 2018 Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction.
Bob’s books have been translated into a dozen languages and his work has appeared in Time magazine, the New York Times, Cincinnati Enquirer, and Los Angeles Times. Bob is also the creator and host of the podcast John Updike: American Writer, American Life. He has appeared as an on-air commentator for The National Geographic Channel, PBS NewsHour, PBS, and NPR. Bob hosted “TriState True Crime” on WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle television show.
Bob earned his doctorate in American Literature from the University of South Florida. He has taught at universities in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as Vienna, Austria. Bob lives in Raleigh with his wife Suzette and their teenage daughters.
December 18, 2021
"Spider-Man, Spider-Man"
Who's going to see the Spider-Man movie today? Who has already seen it?
I'm going today...First time back in a theater...
Superman launched comic book superheroes, but Spider-Man made them human. This nerdy teenager from Queens was full of complexities and angst, just like the rest of us. But, he still abided by Stan Lee’s immortal line: “With great power, there also must also come -- great responsibility.”
The film is taking the world by storm during a dark time — two years of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, political chaos. Will Spider-Man save the day?
December 17, 2021
50 Years Ago -- The Rawhide Kid!
In December 1971, a lesser-know Marvel hero tackled racism in Rawhide Kid #94.
Written and drawn by Larry Lieber (yes, Stan Lee’s kid brother and a fine comic book creator in his own right), the Rawhide Kid is little known outside comic book historian circles, but the series was popular for Marvel for many decades. The Rawhide Kid sprung to life in the mid-1950s when Marvel was called Atlas and a young editor named Stan Lee needed to find exciting (yet wholesome) heroes in the wake of the national hysteria regarding comic book indecency, including nationally-televised Senate hearings on the subject.
The singing cowboy actors, like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, were perfect for comic books. They presented a generally wholesome image, but could mix it up with fistfights and gunfights, thus providing some action. And, people never seemed to get tired of celebrating America’s (complicated) history of the West.
[image error]The Rawhide Kid #94
Larry Lieber talked to Roy Thomas about his motivation for writing Rawhide Kid, explaining, “I wanted people to cry as if they were watching High Noon.” A famous 1952 film starring Gary Cooper, High Noon won a handful of Academy Awards and was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Film Registry.
Like so many of Marvel’s famous superheroes, Marshal Will Kane (Cooper) has to choose between upholding his honor and fulfilling his duty to others or putting his personal happiness first. Fitting that such a conflicted character was Lieber’s inspiration and that his mental map was of a film, considering how cinematic Lee and others viewed Marvel comic books.
In Rawhide Kid #94, the cover is misleading, because the Kid actually helps Rafe Larsen the Black gunfighter shown shooting at him. After solving the mystery of a frame job against Larsen, the Rawhide Kid helps him to freedom, but Larsen knows that he will continue to confront racism, no matter the small town and “the next passle of haters!” Although Lieber and Marvel should be lauded for putting a Black character on its cover (rare in those days), race is treated simplistically with tried-and-true tropes, like the Kid stating: “Every man, white or black, is entitled to his day in court!” All the Whites in the story (except the hero) are trying to kill Larsen, but he is still berated for not trusting any of them.
We can’t go back in time to fully understand the historical context of why Lieber would pull his punches on race and racism, but from contemporary eyes, it seems he could have been more provocative.
On a separate note…I wonder if a Rawhide Kid MCU film will someday make its way to the screen…
December 16, 2021
50 Years Ago -- The Amazing Spider-Man #100!
In a style reminiscent of the psychedelic concert posters of the era, The Amazing Spider-Man #100 features a rogue’s gallery of black-lit supervillains, while Spidey seems to crawl right out of the frame into into the reader’s lap.
Written by Stan Lee and penciled by Gil Kane, The Amazing Spider-Man #100 promises “the wildest shock-ending of all time!” And, it delivers…
…But first, the tale centers on Peter Parker’s desire to be a “normal” person and for Spider-Man to not be viewed as a criminal. He wants to live a simple life with Gwen Stacy, without the responsibilities of being the might Web-Crawler.
Peter creates a serum that will strip him of his extraordinary powers, which in his darkest moments he views as a burden too heavy to bear. The potion causes Peter to slip into an action-filled fever dream! While in the spell, he must address his guilt over Uncle Ben’s death and the other “feet of clay” challenges that made the character so interesting to readers (and iconic).
The Amazing Spider-Man #100
What The Amazing Spider-Man #100 demonstrated (without an spoilers) is how — to use a 21st century term — “relatable” the character was within the realm of American culture (then and now) . Via Stan’s voice, the reader learns how deeply conflicted Peter has become because he is a hero, but also an outsider. This notion is one that people have been dealing with forever — how to fit into one’s own shoes.
While that is the essence of Peter/Spider-Man, let’s not forget the twist ending — a Stan Lee specialty. What a doozey!
December 15, 2021
50 Years Ago -- The Avengers!
Avengers #94, December 1971
-- I used to love the way the colors popped on the covers, like a breath of fresh air. That feeling of walking into a comic book shop (though for me, it was initially hand-me-downs and two interesting places to buy comic books…a pharmacy/magazine shop and a hyper-local hardware store!!).
It seemed in the 1970s that teen collectors were willing to swap and trade regularly. I got early 1970s comic books from these older kids.
And, check out Vision standing watch as part of the logo!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: John Buscema, Neal Adams
Cover Artist: Neal Adams
Avengers #94
December 13, 2021
Conversations with Jerome Charyn, edited by Sophie Vallas
Conversations with Jerome Charyn provides a fascinating and insightful look inside Charyn's work through his own words -- arguably the most interesting writer alive today. There is no one quite like Charyn -- the depth of the work across several genres is unparalleled.
Yet, while he is a bestseller in France, he is not widely known among American readers, which is pitiful. This is an American artist that should be heralded and studied -- his work transformed historical fiction, detective fiction, and the memoir.
Editor Sophie Vallas should be recognized for pulling the Conversations book together and her diligence in studying Charyn. Her interviews with the author contained in the book demonstrate a deep commitment to understanding this important writer. I appreciate the University of Mississippi publishing this series. I look forward to this book coming out in paperback, which will make it more affordable and widely available.
Sergeant Salinger by Jerome Charyn
If you love great literature, do yourself a favor and pick up a book by Charyn. I recommend Sergeant Salinger, his latest.
May 13, 2021
John Updike: Pennsylvania Roots on the Updike Podcast
John Updike was born in Pennsylvania in 1932. Much of his early work, including the famed Rabbit novels and many critically acclaimed short stories were set in the state. Examining Updike's PA roots is important in understanding his development as a writer and how that output shaped his "writerly" life.
I share snippets of a 1983 Updike speech in which he discusses many of these Pennsylvania connections and why he chose to dedicate his artistic life to "middles."
On another note...
I am incredibly honored to feature the fantastic piano piece, called "Swing Of The Hip," written and performed by Evan Palazzo. Evan is the band leader and pianist of The Hot Sardines, the group he and front woman, singer extraordinaire Elizabeth Bougerol created to play the great jazz classics of a century ago, as well as their own original recordings. If you love jazz, you should be listening to The Hot Sardines. Or, once live music kicks off again, see them at one of their many global tour stops. I guarantee seeing THS live is a concert experience you will never forget! For my money, The Hot Sardines are simply the best jazz band playing today!
For more information about The Hot Sardines, visit them online at www.hotsardines.com or at Facebook or Instagram where many thousands of followers gather to get the latest news, music, and information about the band.
March 17, 2021
New Podcast -- John Updike: American Writer, American Life
Over the course of his six-decade career stretching from the 1950s to 2000s, great American writer and novelist John Updike received praise from countless critics, including Christopher Hitchens, who called his scope “rather breathtaking,” and from Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times, who said that Updike “established himself as a major and enduring critical voice; indeed, as the preeminent critic of his generation.”This Anchor podcast tackles many of the most urgent questions facing literature and pop culture in contemporary America and where culture goes from here. Some episodes will feature interviews with readers, critics, scholars, academics, and other interested in the life and times of John Updike.Sometimes the show will be funny, other times, sad, but across the board, it will be informative as we interrogate, examine, and analyze the great American author John Updike.Click on the URL to listen to “John Updike: American Writer, American Life” 
March 7, 2021
"Tristate True Crime" on "Cincy Lifestyle" and WCPO
Cultural Historian and Biographer Bob Batchelor on the “Cincy Lifestyle” television show, airing M-F at 10 a.m. on WCPO
“Tristate True Crime” on WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle Join cultural historian Bob Batchelor as he presents “Tristate True Crime” bi-monthly on WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle, airing weekdays at 10 a.m. The segment by the award-winning author airs on Tuesdays. Batchelor’s first segment — The Rookwood Mad Man — debuted on February 23, 2021. The episode featured a 1888 true crime mystery at Cincinnati’s famous Rookwood Pottery, the art studio that birthed art pottery in the United States. Please share with other true crime, mystery, history fans! And, look for future episodes on WCPO 9's Cincy Lifestyle!
