Jack Liebowitz.
(Jack Liebowitz 900-2000, Pulp Artists)
An Idea
When Stan Lee was editor, Martin Goodman went to a golf game with the publisher of National Comics, Jack Liebowitz. Liebowitz casually mentioned how a comic was doing surprisingly well. This comic book was The Justice League of America, a superhero team. This got Martin Goodman thinking. Maybe Timely Comics could make a superhero team too.
"But, as so often happens, a tiny, almost unnoticed pivotal event can change the course of a person's life. This particular pivotal event was a chance golf game between Martin Goodman and Jack Liebowitz, the publisher of National Comics."
~ Stan Lee, (Pg 112) Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
The Justice League.
(The World of No Return, Fandom)
A Team
Once Goodman got back, he went to Stan Lee. He asked Lee if he could make a team like the Justice League. Lee areed, this could be an opportunity to make something new. After the Code, he felt most comics made at the time were simplistic. Lee wanted to change that. He wanted to make a comic that was for everyone of all ages. Stan Lee wanted more characterization, realistic dialogue, and depth to the story. He succeeded in adding these things in The Fantastic Four, published in 1961.
"For once I wanted to write stories that wouldn't insult the intelligence of an older reader, stories with interesting characterization, more realistic dialogue, and plots that hadn't been recycled a thousand times before. Above all, stories that wouldn't hew to all the comicbooks cliches of year past."
~ Stan Lee, (Pg 114) Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
The Fantastic Four.
(Fantastic Four (1961) #1, November 8, 1961, Marvel)
Comicstrip from the Fantastic Four.
(The Fantastic Four, Monkeys FIghting Robots)
A Spider
After the Fantastic Four, Lee wanted to create something new. He knew he wanted the character to be an everyday teenager. One that would deal with everyday problems as well as superhero problems. Stan Lee also decided on a name, Spider-Man. Once Lee came up with Spider-Man, he went to Martin Goodman. Goodman was skeptical about the idea, saying a superhero could not be a teenager. But Lee, with the help of artist Steve Ditko, featured Spider-Man in one of their other comics, Amazing Fantasy. The public loved Spider-Man so much that Stan Lee made Spidey’s own comic in 1962.
"I told Martin I wanted to feature a hero who had just a touch of super-strength but his main power was that he could stick to walls and ceilings. I also mentioned that our hero, whom I wanted to call Spider-man, would be a teenager, with all the problems, hang-ups, and angst of any teenager."
~ Stan Lee, (Pg 126) Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
The Amazing Spider-Man issue #1.
(The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #1, 1963, Marvel.).
Steve Ditko. The artist behind the Amazing Spider-Man.
(Artist and co-creator of the Marvel superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, The Guardian).