Stan Lee Speaks Out About Banned Books Week

Posted on September 27, 2014

Legendary comic book creator Stan Lee made a video to share his thoughts about Banned Books Week. Stan, who has created some of the most iconic comic characters -- from Spider-Man to Iron Man to Daredevil -- is 91 years old and shows no sign of slowing down.

He built Marvel Comics into a powerhouse and has authored or co-authored some of the greatest comics and superhero stories of all time. Stan, as you might imagine, is no fan of censorship. He is passionate about comics and about literacy. He firmly believes that comics are great for children and that a love of comics has introduced many children to a love of books.

Stan says that he has had some parents say that comics aren't good for children because they can see pictures and that keeps them from developing their imaginations. These parents say children should simply imagine what they are reading. Stan says his answer to this criticism is always the same: "Why would anybody go to see a Shakespeare play? Because you see the characters on the stage? Maybe there should be no plays, movies or tv shows. Obviously that is ridiculous."

Stan says that comic books play such a valuable role in teaching children to read. So many times he's seen kids come across a word they don't understand. In order to understand what the villain was scheming to do, they'd need to go to a dictionary to look the word up. Comics maintain kids' interest in reading.

We agree with Stan. Some children are naturally drawn to books. But some are not. And comics, with their vibrant illustrations and accessibility, can sometimes be just what a child needs to realize the he -- or she -- really does like to read text on a page, and not just watch videos or play computer games. Take a look: