Prospect Podcast

The Prospect Interview #143: The literature of Marvel Comics

How superheroes captured searing social divisions of the 20th century

August 19, 2020
article header image


They’ve taken over our cinemas screens (when cinemas were still open)—but where did the superheroes who now dominate our screens come from? Writer and Spectator literary editor Sam Leith joins the Prospect Interview to discuss the history of Marvel Comics and its legendary creative leader, Stan Lee. Lee’s creations—which include Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Black Panther—aren’t just crime-fighting men in tights, Leith says. They also speak to the social concerns of Lee’s time, and have made a remarkable American pantheon.

You can read Sam’s essay on Stan Lee and the Marvel Comics universe here



Find all episodes of the Prospect Interview here