Last month, Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. Lee was likely the most famous comic book creator in the history of the medium and he was the Editor-in-Chief for Marvel Comics for a remarkable three decades stint from the Golden Age through the launch of the Marvel Age of Comics. Working with iconic creators like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Joe Maneely, John Buscema, Don Heck, Wallace Wood, Dick Ayers, Gene Colan and many more, Lee either co-plotted and scripted or simply scripted some of the most famous stories in the history of comics. We asked you to vote for your picks for the top comic book stories that Lee either scripted or co-plotted and scripted. Here are the results!
20. "The Avengers Take Over!" Fantastic Four #25-26 (1964)
Fantastic Four #12 was the first time that the Marvel Universe had a crossover (tied with Amazing Spider-Man #1 that came out the same week), but a year later, they really exploded with this team-up of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four as they each take on the Hulk. The story (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and George Roussos) opened up with the Fantastic Four first taking on the Hulk by themselves and getting beaten terribly. The Avengers stepped in the next issue, but even the combined might of the heroes was not enough...
It is especially nice how they highlighted how the superheroes don't necessarily get along during their fight with the Hulk.
19. "Prisoners of Doctor Doom!" Fantastic Four #5 (1962)
It's kind of cool to note that the introduction of the greatest villain in the history of the Fantastic Four happened to debut in an issue where Joe Sinnott did fill-in inks. So the debut of Doom was done by the classic Fantastic Four creative team of Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott.
It is amazing how many over-the-top ideas were thrown into this one issue, with the introduction of not just the great villain, Doctor Doom, but also Doom's time machine!
You have to love those early FF stories that just went all over the place. There's this whole tangent with the Thing as a pirate! Amazing.
18. "The Origin of the Silver Surfer!" Silver Surfer #1 (1968)
It's interesting just how little we knew about the Silver Surfer before his origin. Stan Lee launched the Surfer's own ongoing series with artists John Buscema and Joe Sinnott by showing the tragic origin of Norrin Radd, the man who sacrificed his own freedom for the safety of his world. Check out this stunning sequence...
The issue is deflty intercut with Surfer today, trapped on Earth, bemoaning his lot in life.
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17. "The Battle of the Baxter Building" Fantastic Four #39-40 (1965)
What's really fascinating looking back at this classic era of Fantastic Four stories is how they just went in and out of storylines without every really closing or starting a story cleanly. Fantastic Four #38 saw the Fantastic Four defeated by the Frightful Four and their powers taken away from them. They then had to team up with Daredevil to fight their way through their own headquarters, as Doctor Doom had taken control of the Baxter Building.
In the final battle, after Reed found a way to bring everyone else's powers back, he finally had to do the same to Ben Grimm, who was loving the loss of his powers and the fact that he was finally human again. However, only the Thing could stop Doctor Doom. Check out this awesome sequence by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Vince Coletta...
Wow. This then leads into an epic fight between the hero and villain that shows the Thing's strongest ability - the ability to persevere!
Stunning ending.
16. "The Peril and the Power!" Fantastic Four #57-60 (1966-67)
Throughout Marvel history, one of the most interesting storylines has been when supervillains gain ultimate power and that's just what happened in Fantastic Four #57 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott), when Doctor Doom tricked the Silver Surfer into Doom capturing him and absorbing the Power Cosmic...
In an amazing bit in the next issue, Doom is powerful now that he doesn't even bother to kill the Fantastic Four!
But don't worry, Doom has his comeuppance coming and its a brilliant twist of fate. Kirby and Sinnott have rarely been better than they were on this storyline (which also worked the Inhumans in there for good measure).