RSS
 
Bringing Superheroes to Life on Multiple Screens

By Cristina Clapp, April 14, 2010


Iconic comic book creator Stan Lee joins the NAB Show today during the General Session “In Conversation With: Stan Lee,” 9:00 a.m. Enjoy a conversation about his life, career and constant creativity.

Stan Lee
“I’m really looking forward to being on the bill at the NAB show,” says Lee, “and talking about the one subject on which I’m something of an authority — me!”

Known to millions as the man whose superheroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry, Stan Lee’s co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange.

Now the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Media, Lee first became publisher of Marvel Comics in 1972. He is recognized as the creative force that brought Marvel to the forefront of the comic publishing industry.

In 1977, he introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper strip that became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips and now appears in more than 500 newspapers worldwide, making it the longest-running of all superhero strips.

In November 2001, Lee formed POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, an advanced media and entertainment company that allows Lee to create intellectual property for POW! and start the development of various POW! projects.

The company now specializes in franchises for the entertainment industry, including animation and liveaction feature films, plus television, DVDs, video games, merchandising and related ancillary markets.

“A key theme of this year’s NAB Show is transmedia: developing, integrating and monetizing content for multiplatform distribution,” explains Chris Brown, executive vice president, conventions & business operations for NAB Show. “Stan Lee has epitomized the concept of transmedia with his amazing creations, which have been turned into smash hit feature films, television series and innovative digital content.”

One of the best examples of POW! crossplatform entertainment ventures was last year’s “Time Jumper.” For this project, POW! Entertainment, together with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, released an original motion comic strip series, available exclusively from the iTunes store.

Freed from the constraints of the traditional print comic book format, consumers were able to enjoy this experience through a variety of popular media formats, including online, mobile, DVD, publishing and more.

“Time Jumper” was first released as a 10-part series of 5- to 8-minute digital episodes available for retail on iTunes. Digitally produced using motion graphics technology, “Time Jumper” combines the traditional print look and feel of a comic book with current, more cutting-edge multimedia elements, including edgy visuals, effects, music, voiceovers and fast-paced storyboards, making it perfect to watch on the widescreen of an iPod touch or iPhone.

“Time Jumper” was an original series with illustrations and music created specifically for this all-new story, but remains true to the panel-by-panel comic book narrative — bringing a new dimension to more familiar print storytelling.

Iron Man: Courtesy of Marvel Enertainment ©2010 MVLFFLLC & ©2009 Marvel Entertainment
“While still dreaming up new projects at POW! Entertainment, I get a kick out of watching my comic book heroes take on a new life in every form of media,” Lee explains, “… and now in 3D!”

Most recently, A Squared Entertainment and Archie Comics announced their collaboration with Lee to create a new print and digital comic book line. Scheduled for release first is a new, original multimedia series called “Super Seven,” that will be distributed in print, online, on air, and at retail venues.

“Super Seven” is the story about seven aliens who find themselves stranded on Planet Earth after their spaceship crashes, only to be befriended by none other than Lee. Taking them under his care, Lee becomes their leader and enables them to resume their lives as superheroes on Earth.

“My career has been a wild ride,” Lee concludes, “and it will be fun to relive some of the great moments on stage at the NAB Show.”

SPONSORED LINKS
 
 
 

TOP STORIES
REPORTING FROM
More stories..
Home About Us Advertising Terms of Use Privacy Policy Subscriptions Contact Us Careers Reprints Licensing RSS