Stan Lee Shares Details About His First Illustrated Novel 'The Zodiac Legacy'

Stan “The Man” Lee might be best known for his work at Marvel but now he has a new way of mixing art with words. This month we will see Lee release ‘The Zodiac Legacy,’ a new series for younger readers. It is a new superhero title that he has co-written with Stuart Moore (‘Web of Spider-Man, Namor: The First Mutant’) with illustrations by Andie Tong (‘Tron: Betrayal’, ‘Starship Troopers’).

In the book we’ll see an eighth grader named Steven from Philadelphia who goes to Hong Kong on a class trip. Of course one can’t just go to Hong Kong without finding an ancient secret and we’ll see Steven learn how to become a superhero of mythological proportions.

It seems like many of the origin stories that Lee has written over the years but with a new twist. Why mess with a winning formula when you can tweak it for originality?

Lee is trying to still stay with his superhero roots but also branch out in a new direction. The first installment, ‘The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence’ sounds as if it will do just that.

“We really wanted to tell a modern, super-powered, action-adventure story, a story with a lot of classic themes—themes that have run through not only superhero stories, but in plays and fables and fairy tales for hundreds of years. So I wanted to be able to do that, while still bringing a new tone and a wider cast of characters than we often get to see.”

Lee always has a lot on his plate, so fitting in new projects can be difficult. What convinced him to sign on for this one?

“I haven’t worked on a series of illustrated novels like this before, and I always thought this would be a great way to bring a new world and a new set of characters to life.”

It sounds as if Lee crafted the overall plan and Stuart Moore and Andie Tong ended up running with the rest.

“Honestly, once Stuart and Andie were brought on board, my initial parts of the story were pretty much done! All three of us, of course, worked closely through the team at Disney Publishing, and we touched base on story moments and art throughout.”

How responsible does Lee feel with the thought of creating a new universe with how much impact he has had on society?

“You probably know how I feel about great responsibility—but I think that it’s a lot of fun to be bringing a new world of characters and super powers to readers everywhere.”

The target for the first installment is that of a younger audience. But what exactly does that mean?

“I’m glad you like it—and, frankly, I don’t think that any really good story is ever just for kids 8 to 12, or just for adults 24 or 38, or any particular age group. I’m hoping we’ve made a story that anyone who loves an exciting, fantastic tale will love.’

Well, it sounds as if Lee is once again up to something fun. If you want to hear him describe the book in his own words you can check it out below after these three shots from the first book!