VOA英语2010年-Greatest Comic Super-Heroes Came Alive in On

Stan Lee is the creative force behind some of the world's greatest comic-book super-heroes. He created iconic characters such as Spiderman, the X-men, Incredible Hulk and Captain America.

For 70 years, Lee has led fans into a world where heroes with super-human powers fight crime and evil.

Getting started

As a teenager working at part-time jobs in New York City in 1939, Stan Lee never expected to become a legendary¹ talent behind some of the world's most memorable² super-heroes.

"I never looked that far ahead," says Lee. "In fact, I never thought I'd get into the comic book business. I applied³ for a job at a publishing company and I thought they published regular magazines, which they did also. But the one place they had an opening was in the comic book department, so that's where I went. I guess I've been there ever since, practically."

And what a tenure⁴ it was. Lee, whose given name is Stanley Lieber, was quickly promoted at Timely Comics, from office assistant to writer to editor. By the time the company became known as Marvel⁵ Comics, in the 1960s, he was art director and about to revolutionize comics.

 
? 2010 by Dynamite⁶ Entertainment/ Used with permission of Watson-Guptill
Spiderman - drawn⁷ here by Francesco Francavilla - remains⁸ Stan Lee's favorite creation
Revolutionary talent

Unlike the perfect, invincible⁹ comic book superheros of other companies, Lee made Marvel's new characters flawed, more human.

"And I tried to show that even though they had super power, everything wasn't perfect in their lives. They still had to worry about earning a living, about their relationship with other people, about their families and their health and so forth," Lee says. "And I tried to make them real people who happened to have super powers. And apparently¹⁰ that little shade of a difference was the main thing that made the characters as popular as they became."

The characters that Lee and the Marvel artists created are so popular, more than two billion comic books based on their adventures have been published, in 75 countries and 25 languages. For fans interested in creating their own characters, Lee has published a book called "How to Draw Comics," which covers all the elements of the comics art form, including tools - like computers - which were unimaginable in the industry's early days.

With his new book, Lee hopes to draw more creative artists into the world of comics.
Looking back over his 70 years in comics, Lee sees other changes, too.

"When we did the comics years ago, we tried to make them so they were suitable for every age. They were sort of G-rated. We had a lot of action, but we didn't really have what we'd call violence," he says. "I tried to write them so they were intelligent enough for an older reader, but a young kid could also understand them and enjoy them. Today, sometimes they become a little more gritty, a little more dark than they had been."

While comic book artwork has become much more sophisticated, Lee - who is primarily a writer, not an artist - says that's not enough to hold an audience.

"Story is everything. You could have the greatest artwork in the world, but if the artwork is depicting¹¹ a story that nobody's interested in, you've got nothing."

Hollywood comes calling

Interest in stories about Marvel's superheroes is growing, especially in Hollywood. Next year, Captain America and The Mighty¹² Thor will bring their adventures to the big screen, following in the super-footsteps of The X-Men, Ironman, the Fantastic Four and, of course, Spiderman.

Lee, when pressed, picks Spiderman as his favorite superhero, because he's become the most popular...

"But I really love them all, I love Ironman, I love the X-Men. I could go down the list. It's like asking a parent who his favorite child is.

Lee is no longer surprised at the popularity of the characters he helped create. "Now I expect it. In fact, if people talk about some of the great characters in the world today and they don't mention Marvel's characters, I get very upset."

As chairman emeritus¹³ of Marvel Entertainment, the 88-year-old keeps a loving eye on his classic characters, even as he continues to create new heroes and comic universes. He supports the not-for-profit Stan Lee Foundation, which promotes literacy, writing and the arts. And next year, he'll reach an entertainment pinnacle¹⁴ of sorts -- his name will appear on one of those coveted¹⁵ brass¹⁶ and stone stars set into the sidewalk on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

3 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

6 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

12 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

13 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

14 pinnacle   

n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰

参考例句：

• Now he is at the very pinnacle of his career.现在他正值事业中的顶峰时期。
• It represents the pinnacle of intellectual capability.它代表了智能的顶峰。

15 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。