Sean Howe’s forthcoming book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story promises to disclose all sorts of fascinating stories about the history of the publisher, but perhaps the most revealing detail arrived earlier today, courtesy of the book’s associated Tumblr: A circa 1983 nude photo of Stan Lee, with only a copy of the Treasury-sized Batman vs. Incredible Hulk comic covering his, uh, midsection.
According to a quoted section from the book, Howe relates that the photo originated from a comic that “consisted wholly of photos of intra-office hijinks.” Though the then-60-year-old Lee was eager to drop trou for the photo, shot by Eliot R. Brown, his assistant phoned the Marvel office to tell them not to use the photo, and a Hulk costume was subsequently superimposed onto the photo.
The Marvel Comics: The Untold Story Tumblr page, just launched earlier this week, is full of equally compelling (albeit less naked) bits of history; old photos, panels and house ads . Also, there’s a shirtless photo of Jack Kirby at his drawing board. The book is scheduled for release on Oct. 9.
August 23rd, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Welp! I won’t be sleeping well tonight.
August 23rd, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Nudists usually place a towel underneath them before sitting on a sofa, otherwise…well, just trust me on this.
August 23rd, 2012 at 3:53 pm
If anyone had any foresight, they would have saved the couch (or comic) and sold it on eBay…
August 23rd, 2012 at 3:54 pm
“Now HERE is a No-Prize!! Excelsior!!”
August 23rd, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Fear the Stan-aconda!
August 23rd, 2012 at 4:13 pm
“Wanna see what I really named the Hulk comic after….hhmmmmmm?”
August 23rd, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Sadly…I can never unsee this.
August 23rd, 2012 at 4:53 pm
The horror…the horror…the horror…the horror…
August 23rd, 2012 at 5:14 pm
He really should have used an issue of Giant-Sized Man-Thing.
August 23rd, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Wow, he has shapely legs!
August 23rd, 2012 at 8:14 pm
Oh god no Stan you just ruined another comic, and quit calling me True Believer
August 23rd, 2012 at 11:32 pm
“Face front, true believer!”, said the creepy guy with no clothes
.
August 24th, 2012 at 7:01 am
On a barely-related note, I read an ARC of that book a month or so ago, and it was excellent. Very well researched (and fortunately, the digital ARC didn’t have the Stan Lee pic in it).
August 24th, 2012 at 8:05 am
“Exclesior!”
August 24th, 2012 at 9:00 am
I very much doubt he’s nude. In the early 80s, most guy wore briefs that revealed more skin than boxers and boxer briefs.
August 24th, 2012 at 9:07 am
there ‘s no bat gag git , no hulk gone a smash , but maybe my spider-sense is a tingling.
hello true believers !
August 26th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I don’t wanna live on this world anymore. heh. Stan the Stud Lee
August 28th, 2012 at 9:43 am
This is why some people mistake him for Hugh Hefner.
However… Stan has a beautiful British wife for over 50 years… and Hugh probably can’t count all of his!