Stan Lee stayed mighty busy in San Diego.  “Stan Lee Comics” was announced in San Diego, a collaboration among A Squared Entertainment (A2), a full-service brand entertainment company; Archie Comics, and Stan Lee, founder of POW! Entertainment.

Stan Lee Comics is based on new Stan Lee creations, and the characters will be published in print and digitally, with plans for live action and animated entertainment, licensing and merchandising.  The first series, “Stan Lee and the Super Seven,” will also debut with an original made-for-video animated motion picture.

Three new superhero franchises from Stan Lee comics will be debuted in 2010.  In “Stan Lee and the Super Seven,” Stan Lee, as a comic book character, befriends seven aliens who find themselves stranded after their spaceship crashes. “Airwalker,” was seen in a recent “Entourage” episode featuring Lee.  The third title will be announced in October.

“For many reasons, Stan Lee Comics is an especially important venture for me,” said POW! Chairman and Founder Stan Lee in a news release.  “With this new line, I have the chance to be intimately involved with the creation of a new world of superheroes and the opportunities are limitless with the Web, TV, film and more. Although the mediums may change, this proves there will always be a place for superheroes in the world of entertainment.”

Of course, Lee created many of today’s best-known superheroes.  With Steve Ditko, he created the Amazing Spider-Man, and with Jack Kirby, he created Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the X-Men.

According to the news release, A2 will manage the animated and live programming, as well as the global licensing and merchandising of Stan Lee Comics. Archie Comics will be responsible for the publication of the comics, in both the print and digital formats. Lee will be involved with all creation and creative for Stan Lee Comics.

- Matt Price

SAN DIEGO — Stan Lee is presenting a new superhero line at Boom! Studios.   Three titles, set for release this fall, will present Stan Lee-style superheroes updated for the 21st Century.  In conjunction with Pow! Entertainment, the characters of “Soldier Zero,” “Starborn” and “Traveler” will roll out in consecutive months this fall.

Mark Waid, Boom!’s chief creative officer, said there is a certain style and tenor to a Stan Lee hero.

“This is a chance to work with a grandmaster that’s not a retro project, not a pastiche project,” he said. “There are sacrifices to being a Stan Lee superhero.  There are ways of doing that in a 21st Century environment.”

Lee kept the attending reporters laughing with witty repartee and one-liners, but did speak seriously at times about writing from the heart.

“If you do something you really like, chances are other people will like it too,” he said.

Boom! Studios’ descriptions of the books follow:

SOLDIER ZERO, written by DOCTOR WHO and ACTION COMICS scribe Paul Cornell with art by SUPERMAN artist Javier Pina, tells the story of a wheelchair-bound astronomy teacher who finds himself in a freak accident that bonds him with an alien weapon of war.

THE TRAVELER, written by Eisner Award-nominee and BOOM! Studios Chief Creative Officer Mark Waid with art by AMAZING SPIDER-MAN artist Chad Hardin, features a mysterious new superhero with time-traveling powers battling the Split-Second Men, super-powered assassins from the future.

STARBORN, written by iZOMBIE’s Chris Roberson with art by THE X-MEN’s Khary Randolph, tells the story of a regular guy who discovers he’s the heir to an intergalactic empire, putting him the center of a war between five alien races.

Boom! Studios CEO Ross Richie said no deals had been made for film developments of these properties, but Lee maintained, in a jovial manner, that the projects had that kind of potential.

“Well, if we’re lucky, any one of these will be a movie, and a television series, and a rock opera, and you name it!” Lee said.

- Matt Price

Amazing Spider-Man 634

Marvel Comics shared a preview of “Amazing Spider-Man” 634, which kicks off “The Grim Hunt.”

Writer Joe Kelly and artist Michael Lark are the creators of “The Grim Hunt,” as two women claiming to be the wife and daughter of Kraven target Spider-Man for extermination.  Issue 634 also features two new special features.  In one, Stan Lee and Marcos Martin team for a 2-page “Spidey Sunday Feature.” In the other, writer J.M. DeMatteis (who wrote the original “Kraven’s Last Hunt”) joins with artist Max Fiumara to explore a confrontation between Kraven and Spider-Man doppelganger Kaine, which Marvel promises will have ramifications on the Grim Hunt itself.

“Amazing Spider-Man” #634 goes on sale June 16.  Click past the cut for a full preview.

- Matt Price

Los Angeles publisher Every Picture Tells a Story have created a new line of upscale fine art prints, including some signed by Marvel Comics Chairman Emeritus Stan Lee.

“I don’t know the definition of fine art,” Lee said in a news release, “but I always felt what we were creating was art. It’s fantastic to see it represented this way.”

Included in the latest release are images from Steve Ditko’s Amazing Spider-Man 19; Gil Kane’s Iron Man 47; Jim Lee’s X-Men 1 and Alex Ross’s Earth X.

- Matt Price

Click past the cut for the full release.

“This was meant to be!” exclaimed Marvel Comics Chairman Emeritus Stan Lee. He was commenting on the unveiling of the new Marvel ArtWorks fine art prints created by Los Angeles-based publisher Every Picture Tells A Story.

The co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four and so many other classic characters was pleased to be signing the new, limited edition reproductions of artwork by his longtime associates Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. “I don’t know the definition of fine art,” Lee continued, “but I always felt what we were creating was art. It’s fantastic to see it represented this way.”

Ranging from classic Spider-Man covers to dramatic contemporary portrayals of Iron Man and the X-Men, Every Picture Tells A Story has introduced a series of eye-popping giclée prints that offer collectors and fans an opportunity to see comic book art as it has never been viewed before. In addition to icons Kirby and Ditko, among the artists represented are Jim Lee, Alex Ross, Todd McFarlane and Gil Kane.

The exclusive art series grew out of a mutual passion shared by Every Picture Tells A Story’s Lee Cohen and executives at Marvel Comics. “We were representing the art of special effects master Ray Harryhausen, Tim Burton, Greg Hildebrandt and others. It was always our dream to produce giant-sized reproductions of the Marvel classics,” says Cohen. “Coincidentally, Marvel saw our exhibit at the San Diego Comic Con and mentioned they were interested in creating fine art editions of their characters. They opened their archives of 70 years of art to us.”

Included in Marvel ArtWorks’ newest release are classic Marvel images like Steve Ditko’s Amazing Spider-Man 19, Gil Kane’s Iron Man 47; art from newer illustrators like Gabrielle Dell’Otto and Simone Bianchi; and modern favorites like Jim Lee’s X-Men 1 and Alex Ross’s Earth X.

Over 30 galleries, gift shops and comic book stores have signed on to carry the Marvel ArtWorks series of prints — including the Disney Theme Parks (owned by Marvel’s new parent company).

Always looking forward, the 86 year old Stan Lee was pleased to come on board, adding his signature to the characters and comics he had helped to bring into the world. Admiring the gallery of Marvel art displayed before him, he stated enthusiastically, “I can’t wait to see more!”

Every Picture Tells A Story… is located at 1311-C Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403, by phone at (310) 451-2700 and online at everypicture.com. Marvel ArtWorks can also be viewed at marvelartworks.com.

“The Spectacular Spider-Man” is moving to a new network, but the show’s co-creator says the new episodes will retain the same contemporary but classic feel of the first season.

The animated series “The Spectacular Spider-Man” will move to Disney XD (151 on Cox Digital Cable, 174 on Dish Network, 292 on DirecTV).  New episodes will debut on the network in summer 2009.

“The Spectacular Spider-Man” animated series is based on the Marvel Comics superhero “Spider-Man,” and is set during his junior year of high school. Spider-Man was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko in 1962.

Greg Weisman, the supervising producer of the series, talked about Season Two of “Spectacular Spider-Man,” and the inspirations for the series, in a recent phone interview with The Oklahoman.

“When I first got the job, I went back and bought all the big, ‘Essential Spider-Man’ volumes and reread all the Lee-Ditko and Lee-(John) Romita Sr. issues,” Weisman said. “It wasn’t that I hadn’t read them before, but I wanted to have them all fresh in my mind.”

Weisman wanted to take those original tales and make them resonate for a modern audience.

“What we were going to try to do is take 1962 and reboot it in 2008,” Weisman said. “And really try and capture the magic of the character, the thing that had made us fall in love with Spider-Man when we were kids.”

In Season Two, new villains will be introduced from the pages of the comic book, including Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter. And Weisman hopes there’s more to come.

“For a big-time geek like me, this is a dream job,” he said. “I have been working as a professional superhero writer since 1983, when I was a sophomore in college.”

Weisman said he and his team on “Spectacular” want to get to the core of the “Spider-Man” character and do something definitive for this generation.

“I hope we’re doing this for another decade, because I’ve got 10 years worth of stories to tell; there’s just that much material. And I’m loving it.”

– Matthew Price
A version of this story ran in Friday’s The Oklahoman

In honor of Stan Lee’s 85^th birthday, here are my 85 favorite comic books by “The Man.”

1. Avengers No. 4 — My favorite for sentimental reasons, as Captain America is revived by the Avengers. Historically, this issue is important as Lee directly tied the Marvel of the 1960s to the Timely heroes of the 1940s, making Marvel continuity all the more intriguing.

2. Fantastic Four No. 48 — Stan Lee kicks off the “Galactus trilogy” with the introduction of the mysterious Silver Surfer.

3. Fantastic Four No. 1 — Stan Lee introduces a new kind of superteam in the first issue of “Fantastic Four.”

4. Amazing Fantasy No. 15 — Stan introduces the everyman hero of Peter Parker, who becomes Spider-Man.

5. Fantastic Four No. 5 — The Fantastic Four’s nemesis, and one of the greatest villains in comics, Doctor Doom, is introduced.

6. Captain America No. 100 — Captain America leaps into his first solo series since the 1940s in No. 100, spinning out of “Tales of Suspense,” which featured both Iron Man and Captain America in half-issue stories.

7. Amazing Spider-Man No. 5 — Spidey faces off against Doctor Doom, and Flash Thompson is mistaken for Spidey.

8. Fantastic Four No. 50 — The conclusion of the Galactus trilogy.

9. Amazing Spider-Man No. 50 — Peter Parker quits being Spider-Man (he later reconsiders). First appearance of the Kingpin.

10. Amazing Spider-Man No. 33 — Trapped beneath rubble in an underwater tunnel, Spider-Man must summon all his strength to escape.

11. Fantastic Four No. 49 — The first full appearance of Galactus has the Fantastic Four scrambling like never before.

12. Fantastic Four Annual No. 1 — Namor invades the surface world in this classic battle.

13. Amazing Spider-Man No. 3 — The first appearance of Doctor Octopus.

14. X-Men No. 1 — Stan introduces the X-Men: Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Marvel Girl and Angel — and the villainous Magneto.

15. Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 — Spider-Man graduates into his own
series, and faces off against the Fantastic Four

16. Silver Surfer No. 1 — The first series featuring the sentinel of
the spaceways.

17. X-Men No. 14 — The Sentinels, mutant-hunting robots, are introduced.

18. Fantastic Four No. 4 — Namor the Sub-Mariner is discovered
amnesiac and homeless by Johnny Storm. This revived the popular 1940s
character into a longtime Fantastic Four foil, sometimes as an ally
and sometimes as a nemesis.

19. Tales of Suspense No. 39 — Tony Stark, arms dealer, becomes Iron
Man to save his life.

20. Hulk No. 1 — The man-monster Hulk is introduced.

21. Fantastic Four Annual No. 3 — Reed Richards and Sue Storm become
one of the first married superhero couples (second only to Aquaman and
Mera).

22. Amazing Spider-Man No. 14 — First appearance of the Green Goblin.

23. Journey into Mystery No. 83 — Stan reworks Norse mythology to
create Marvel’s version of Thor, God of Thunder.
24. Fantastic Four #52 — First appearance of the Black Panther, Marvel’s first black superhero.

25. Fantastic Four 51 – “This Man, This Monster” features a criminal trying to take the place of The Thing in one of Stan’s most memorable stories.

26. Captain America No. 109 — The origin of Captain America.

27. Daredevil No.1 -- The blind lawyer Matt Murdock is secretly the adventurer Daredevil.

28. Silver Surfer No. 4 – Silver Surfer faces off against Thor.

29. Fantastic Four No. 44 – First appearance of the Inhumans.

30. Tales of Suspense No. 39 — The amazing archer Hawkeye is introduced.

31. Fantastic Four No. 12 — the first battle between the Thing and the Hulk.

32. Fantastic Four No. 67 — “Him,” the character who would become Adam Warlock, is hatched from his cocoon.

33. Avengers No. 1 — Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Wasp and Ant-Man join forces to face off against Loki, Thor’s evil brother.
34. Tales of Suspense #58 – Captain America battles Iron Man before co-starring in the series.

35. X-Men No. 12 -- First appearance of the Juggernaut.

36. Amazing Spider-Man No. 6 –first appearance of the Lizard

37. Captain America No. 117 — First appearance of Captain America’s sidekick the Falcon

38. Daredevil No. 7 — With artwork by Wally Wood, Daredevil’s red costume is unveiled as he battles Namor the Sub-Mariner.

39. Silver Surfer Graphic Novel – Stan Lee and Jack Kirby team up on the Silver Surfer for the final time.

40. Strange Tales 114 — The Human Torch battles a character calling
himself Captain America in this tryout for the revival of the 1940s
icon.
41. Amazing Spider-Man 96 - Marvel defies comics code with anti-drug message

42. . Strange Tales No. 110 — Dr. Strange first casts his spell, with art by Steve Ditko.

43. Captain America No. 113 – The so-called ‘death’ of Captain America, with outstanding art by Steranko.

44. X-Men No. 3 -- The first appearance of the Blob.

45. Amazing Spider-Man 12- Peter Parker is unmasked by Doctor Octopus.

46. Strange Tales No. 151 – Jim Steranko’s art enhances Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD.

47. Tales of Suspense No. 59 — Captain America’s solo tales begin.

48. Amazing Spider-Man 9 – First appearance of the villain Electro.

49. Iron Man No. 1 – Tony Stark gets his own series.

50. Captain America No. 110 – Another Steranko issue, as Captain America faces the Hulk.

51. Amazing Spider-Man 2 – First appearance of the Vulture.

52. Avengers No. 16 – Captain America leads a new Avengers lineup.

53. Amazing Spider-Man 13 – First appearance of the special effects master, Mysterio.

54. Fantastic Four 45 – The Inhumans storyline continues.

55. X-Men No. 4 — The introduction of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

56. Amazing Spider-Man 97 — The antidrug storyline continues.

57. Amazing Spider-Man 4 - First Sandman.

58. Avengers 9 — Wonder Man introduced.

59. Fantastic Four 46 – Black Bolt and the Inhumans appear.

60. Amazing Spider-Man 15 – first Kraven, the Hunter

61. Fantastic Four 57 — Silver Surfer and Doctor Doom face off, with the Fantastic Four in the middle.
62. Hulk 102 — Hulk again gets own series.

63. Fantastic Four 47 – Inhumans storyline conclusion.

64. Amazing Spider-Man 10 – Spider-Man vs the Enforcers

65. Strange Tales 107 - Human Torch vs Namor

66. Amazing Spider-Man 39 – Spider-Man vs Goblin; first John Romita art.

67. Silver Surfer Parable No. 1 – Lee teams with classic European artist Moebius for an innovative series.

68. Amazing Spider-Man 98 — Antidrug story concludes

69. Fantastic Four 100 — The Fantastic Four against all of their villains.

70. Amazing Spider-Man 8 — faces off against Human Torch, battles
living robot inside high school

71. Tales to Astonish No. 27 — First Ant-Man issue

72. Journey into Mystery 85 - First appearance of Loki

73. Thor 126 — First of his own title, vs Hercules.

74. Hulk 115 – Hulk vs the Leader

75. Journey into Mystery 112 –Thor vs Hulk

76. Daredevil 16 — Daredevil vs Spider-Man with art by John Romita.
77. Amazing Spider-Man 20 – 1st scorpion

78. X-Men #2 — first appearance of the Vanisher

79. Strange Tales 101 – Human Torch solo series begins.

80. Tales to Astonish 100 – Namor vs Hulk

81. Amazing Spider-Man 40 - Unmasked by the Green Goblin.

82. Strange Tales 159 - Fury vs Cap

83. Amazing Spider-Man 41 – first Rhino

84. Sub-Mariner 1 - Namor gets his own solo series.

85. Amazing Spider-Man 16 – Spider-Man faces off against Daredevil.