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Unless you can show us somewhere that Stan stated this in so many words, we'll skip the mind reading, okay?

Without Ditko, there is still a Spider-man - which is what I said the fist time. Just not the same Spider-man that went on to such great popularity. It could very well have been the version Kirby drew.

The same could not be said of Stan's involvement, because without him, the idea would not have been there for the artist to work from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU8ddHXczU8

In this interview, when pressed, Stan does say that he feels the person who came up with the idea is the creator. At the same time, he regrets having said and says he also considers Ditko to be the co-creator.

I don't feel he's trying to diminish Ditko's contribution - he states pretty emphatically that it would not have been the great creation it became without Ditko.

Edit to add: I don't think he implies anywhere that the writer is always the creator in every case.

Edited by Mark McKay on 13 January 2010 at 3:39pm

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No way to say that with any certainty. There might have been a character called "Spider-Man", but can we say for sure that character would still be around? Maybe, but early Marvel was so much lightning-in-a-bottle it's hard to say. Even the Hulk failed on the first pass.

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I don't think he implies anywhere that the writer is always the creator in every case.

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Then your post is pretty much a waste of time, isn't it? Pascal stated that Stan believed the writer to be the sole creator. I challenged him to back that up, or stop reading Stan's mind.

Even if Stan DID believe the writer is the true creator, he would certainly not be alone. There are many writers -- some of whom I have worked with -- who maintain the old myth that the writer is "the only one who has to face the blank page." This is especially fatuous when the books are produced "Marvel style".

Yeah, I guess I can't say with certainty there would've been a Spider-man published - Stan's idea might've been shelved instead. But my point was that there very well could've still been a Spider-man, just not the one that's here now. And my feeling is that it was Ditko that made the extra magic out of Stan's idea that made it such a success.

QUOTE: your post is pretty much a waste of time, isn't it?

Yes, I agree, it was a waste of time! I posted it, realized that I had missed the point you were making, and edited that comment in rather than deleting the post. That's about ten minutes of life none of us will ever get back.

Pascal Lise wrote "Stan Lee himself said he got inspiration from a pulp character: The Spider."

And goodness knows, there is a WEALTH of similarity between Peter Parker/Spider-Man comic books and the apocalyptic pulps featuring Richard Wentworth/The Spider...

Pascal, the only inspiration that Stan Lee got from The Spider was the name: "It was the name that grabbed me," writes Stan in Origins of Marvel Comics. Beyond that, those two characters have absolutely nothing in common.

Have you ever read any of The Spider stories, Pascal? Bean Books has two volumes with three stories each in print -- sporting beautiful Jim Steranko covers -- and Ace of Aces as another three story volume available (which I should be getting in today's UPS shipment). Treat yourself. They are wonderful reads but beware: writer Novell Page makes The Shadow look like a bleeding heart liberal.