20/20 Special - Marvel 25th Anniversary 1986 (2/2)

This is part two of a special 20/20 did for Marvel's 25th Anniversary in 1986. The special has some great footage of Marvel's bullpen back in the day. Also, some insightful interviews with Jim Shooter and Stan Lee.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• 2020
• Marvel
• Anniversary
• Stan
• Lee
• Jim
• Shooter

[JeffGutman]

I actually felt like they did a pretty good job distinguishing what set Marvel apart from DC. Remember, ALOT of the stuff in this clip was not common knowledge at the time ie stuff about Stan's real name. The part I thought showed some real bias was when they come back from the segment and Hugh Downs says "They've come along way from the comics that had a brick falling and hitting someones head..." Remember at the time, most mainstream comic book coverage featured "BIFF BAM AND POW!" heavily.

[jedijones]

I don't know if it was purely by accident but that was a heckuvan epic issue Stan Lee was signing at 6:00. Probably a smart move to have Stan sign that one on the inside and not muck up a rare and classic cover.

[gothamite27]

Those kids certainly give the traditional pro-Marvel argument, but I don't think they were quite correct in 1986, when Frank Miller, Alan Moore and John Byrne were rebuilding the DC Universe with realism and credibility in mind.

[hydrolito]

@namelessronin eah well reading the new york times makes more sense for a teenager or an adult than reading bug bunny road runner type superheroes that don't make sense.

[hydrolito]

@HeyArnoldsspleen Cops or security guards don't generally ask people to grab someone carrying a gun because the guy with the gun would shoot them. If the Burgular shot spiderman and killed him there would have been no series and uncle Ben might still have ended up dead not a very good ending to a comic is it?

[davidsquall351]

Good stuff.

[HeyArnoldsspleen]

The golden age of Marvel. Shooter was an unmitigated GENIUS. It's a shame DeFalco, nice guy that he is, was not quite as cuthroat as Shooter. If it werent for public tastes currently, Marvel wouldnt be making any money, the only reason it's succesful is because it's pandering to low brow "shades of grey" tastes rather than stick to iconic morales and values of heroism.

[namelessronin]

For the most part, those kids are right. but currently, as a DC guy, that's not necessarily true. Both comic companies do that. My preference is still DC because its not grounded in reality. There's an inherent whimsy to the DCU that imagination becomes unbound and epic, while maintaining characterization and emotion. The medium is supposed to be a form of escapism, which allows for verisimilitude. Every time I read a Marvel comic, its feels like I'm reading the New York Times.

[winnslaw]

This is totally cool! Marvel Comics not only showed people that reality reaches its heroes but, it also showed many of its readers the simplicity of expanding their vocabulary!

[amaxamon]

Typical know nothing journalists.