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 Lee, 91, the creator of comic book franchises and box-office
behemoths such as Spider-Man, Avengers and X-Men, is focusing on
Stan Lee's Kids Universe and publishing new content across
books, television and digital platforms for young children.
The latest character to join the Kids Universe roster is Dex
T-Rex, a cheeky little blue dinosaur who likes to wreak havoc
but learns a serious lesson when his actions become harmful to
others. He appears in a book titled "Dex T-Rex: The Mischievous
Little Dinosaur" written and illustrated by first-time
illustrator Katya Bowser and aimed at children under 10.
"Children that age enjoy any story with interesting things
happening, but if you can insert morals into the stories, how
much better that is," said Lee at a signing for the book in Los
Angeles over the weekend. "You try to do it in an amusing way
and not in a lecturing way."
More than a hundred people, both old and young, lined up among
narrow bookshelves to see Lee. New fans have been won over by
Disney-owned Marvel's films such as "Captain America," "Thor"
and most recently, "Guardians of the Galaxy," in which he has
cameo roles.
"Because of the success of those movies, a lot of people know
me, so if I do books like these, they're willing to give them a
try," Lee said.
Many of the Marvel films are male dominated, and both critics
and fans have been pushing for more female characters to be
included from the Marvel Universe. While Lee's books for
children often use animals, he said, "We will of course have
representatives of every different type" of person.
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In October, Marvel will introduce a female Thor to its stable of
characters in an effort to bring new readers and appeal to women and
girls.
Lee's company POW (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment partnered with
newcomer artists and illustrators for his Kids Universe, producing
books such as "Monsters vs. Kittens," "Hero Petz" and the upcoming "Rockstar
Super Diva," aimed at girls.
Lee believes the characters can be transitioned to film and TV, and
he has a live-action project in the works for next year.
"The stories that I've always tried to do have been interesting,
provocative and exciting enough to hold someone's interest," he
said.
As for the upcoming Marvel movies, slated by Disney through 2019,
Lee said he is excited to see more characters from the Marvel
Universe appear on the big screen, such as Doctor Strange, Black
Panther and Ant-Man.
(Editing by Eric Kelsey and Cynthia Osterman)
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