Stan Lee’s Youtube channel targets the geek in all of us
More than 125,000 fans flooded San Diego for their annual four-day geek-out as Comic-con, which ended Sunday, hosted stars and creators parading the latest and greatest in TV, movies, games and, of course, comics. Here and on 4D, USA TODAY’S Bill Keveney
World of Heroes launches new shows this week. “The best way to reach your fans,” Lee says, “is on the Internet.” Interview,
At age 89, Stan Lee shows no signs of slowing. The co-creator of such iconic characters as SpiderMan, the Incredible Hulk and the X-Men this week officially launches a YouTube channel, Stan Lee’s World of Heroes (http://www.youtube.com /worldofheroes). It’s targeted to the geek in all of us, with new characters and Lee talking to the camera and interviewing guests. The channel has been in a soft launch, but new shows arrive this week. Two of the biggest box office hits of the year —
The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man — feature Lee’s characters. We met with him at his POW Entertainment offices in Los Angeles shortly before his weekend appearances at the big Comic-Con convention in San Diego.
The new channel
“If you’re living in today’s world, you’ve got to have your own digital channel, don’t you? The best way to reach your fans, the best way to keep them in touch with your projects, is digitally, because everybody now is on the Internet. We do not wish to left behind.”
Rants and heroes
“I wax very emphatically about all the things that upset me about today’s world. Serious things, like the fact that the Motion Picture Academy has no award for cameo of the year (Lee regularly makes appearances in his comic book films). We also have Cocktails with Stan Lee, because a guy like me gets thirsty, so I interview various interesting people. We have our World of Heroes, which explores the various heroes in the world today.”
Thought balloons
“I love communicating with the fans. One of the things I do, that I love doing: We take a lot of photos when I’m with people. Then I put funny dialogue balloons over our heads saying things that we couldn’t possibly be saying,” and show them on the channel. “I think in dialogue balloons. While you’re talking to me, I hear the words, but I see them appearing in that little balloon with a pointer pointing at your head.”
Being digital
Lee has an iPhone and iPad. “I recently went to Australia, and was able to set it (iPhone) so I could see what time it was in Australia and Hollywood at the same time. To me, that’s a miracle.”
He uses the iPad on flights to “play chess with myself. I’ve managed to beat the computer at least 25% of the time, but I’m still in the elementary stage.” He uses the computer and primarily AOL for e-mail.
On superpowers
“If I were a guy who could fly, I’d get air sick. If I could run fast as hell, I’d be bumping into things. How do you stop quickly when you’re running 1,000 miles an hour?”
Retirement?
“I don’t work hard. I play hard, because what I do is play. Other guys like to go out drinking with their buddies or playing golf. I come to the office and work on projects. . . . It’s the most fun you could have.”