![]() ![]() But more importantly, it laid the foundation for a career on the speaking circuit. The experience would become part of Lee’s lore (he was known to brag, tongue firmly in cheek, about his honorary membership in “the Cliosophic Society”). One junior told The Trentonian that he thought of Marvel books as “20th century mythology,” while a sophomore told the Star-Ledger that comics are “as much of an art form as pop art.” But until it does, it seems to be doing pretty well.”Ī handful of newspapers covered Lee’s visit and quoted reactions from students in the audience. I think everybody kind of felt, ‘Gee whiz, we haven’t read this before.’ When the novelty wears off, we might have to start getting cliché-ridden to keep our readers, because after a while, this realism kick may become dull. “And I think this is the reason that the books caught on. “Let’s write stories where the whole idea would be, ‘What would you do if you had super powers?’” Lee said. As a result, he’d come to the realization that heroes would be more interesting if they were regular people with extraordinary powers. Responding to another question, Lee credited his wife, Joan, with encouraging him to improve on the standard superhero tropes. “He’s new to the speaking game, and they’re asking him things that he’s never had to think about, but he’s glad to hear the kind of questions that they’re asking - and he’s handling it well.” “That’s actually the charm of it,” Tom Tulenko said. Soon after, when a student asked him to explain how Norse and Greek gods could coexist in the same universe, Lee deadpanned, “Sometimes these question-and-answer periods go on too long.” Lee, who was new to the speaking circuit, gave initial remarks that lasted a mere two minutes and then opened the floor to questions. The visit went so well that the students invited Lee to speak, on behalf of Whig-Clio, and Lee accepted.Ī partial recording of the Whig-Clio event is available online, courtesy of author Sean Howe. Later that year, the Tulenkos and two friends, Bob Keener ’68 and Clayton Lewis ’66, returned to New York for an afternoon visit and a mock-serious discussion of mythological structures in Marvel books. But soon after the visit, he wrote a letter in reply, explaining that the backdrop was selected by artist Jack Kirby, another Marvel legend, from the pages of Life magazine (see below). Lee wasn’t quite sure what to make of the query Marvel was publishing a dozen titles at the time, so it was hard to remember the story behind a single page. “He was amusedly confused,” Tim Tulenko recalled. ![]() ![]() A handful of Princetonians formed their own “chapter” of the Marvel fan club, the Merry Marvel Marching Society, and Tim, emboldened by this quasi-official status, stopped by Lee’s office in New York to ask about Blair Hall’s Fantastic Four cameo. Lee, the face of the Marvel franchise and creator of Spider-Man and scores of other beloved characters, was an admired figure on campus. Marvel titles were known for “gently mocking the formula” set in place by Superman and his D.C. Like many undergrads in the mid-’60s, the Tulenkos grew up reading the formulaic hero comics of the ’50s. Class of ’67 sophomores Tom and Tim Tulenko and their comics-loving friends flipped through the pages and wondered what Mister Fantastic was doing stretching out his elasticized arms in front of their dorm. The talk was more than a year in the making, sparked by a 1965 issue of the Fantastic Four that prominently showed Blair Hall on the title page. Lee, who died last month at age 95, came to campus in March 1966 for a visit that helped to launch his secondary career on the speaking circuit. Title page of Fantastic Four #35 (1965), featuring Blair Hall in the background ![]()
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