Although the revelation that Marvel's Iceman is gay has been widely covered in the mainstream media, it came as a surprise to the character's co-creator Stan Lee.

"Is Iceman really gay?," the 92-year-old writer asked BBC Radio 4 presenter Sarah Montague, who broke the news to him this morning.

"I don't read the magazines any more, because my eyesight isn't that good and the print is so small," Lee acknowledged. "As I say, this the first time I learned that Iceman is gay. Wow, I never knew that. I don't care what happens as long as they tell good stories, and they do."

The Iceman story arc began in April in All-New X-Men #40, when the teenage Bobby Drake -- brought through time to the present with the other original X-Men -- was confronted about his sexuality by teammate Jean Grey. In this month's Uncanny X-Men #600, teen Bobby broached the subject with his present-day counterpart, who conceded he's been closeted for all of these years.

Lee is making the interview rounds to promote his new graphic memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible, a collaboration with Peter David and Colleen Doran.