Is there anyone alive unaware that on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 2:26 PM the self-proclaimed King of Pop, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead in Los Angeles? There have already been countless tributes, career retrospectives, and the promise of many more to come. But there is an aspect of Michael Jackson, that’s not nearly as well known—that he was also a comics fan.
I remember arriving years ago at Village Comics in New York City minutes after Michael had just left. He had been there enough times that the cynical comic shop staffers were already acting as if it was no big deal that one of the most famous people on the planet was a semi-regular customer. I can only speculate what might’ve happened had I arrived just a little bit earlier. If I could’ve somehow got close enough, I would’ve introduced myself as the then-editor of Marvel’s Spider-Man comics, and as the editor that was involved with such titles as Marvel’s Alice Cooper, KISS, and Beatles comics. This would not have meant much to a non-comics fan, but to a True Believer…!
Yes, I admit I enjoy meeting celebrities, but my real interest then, as it is now, has always been to expand the audience for comics, and tapping into other existing audiences has long been a comicbook tradition. Yet, surprisingly, other than the Captain EO one-shot published by Eclipse Comics, there have been no Michael Jackson, Jackson Five or Jackson 5ive comicbooks. This is even more surprising considering that Michael liked comics.
During the time I was Senior Writer/Editor at Stan Lee’s short-lived dot.com, Stan Lee Media, Michael Jackson paid a visit to meet with Mr. Lee. Even though it seemed like world-famous celebs trooped in on an almost daily basis, not counting that George Hamilton worked there for a short time (he was to head Stan Lee TV), there was an electric charge that ran through the offices the day Michael came by. Everyone seemed excited and thrilled that Micahel Jackson was on the premises. This really seemed special to the SLM staffers.
I didn’t actually meet Michael Jackson, it was more like I happened to be near him a few times as he toured the offices. With so much in the media about how weird he had become physically due to countless plastic surgeries, my impression was that he seemed rather normal to me—he carried himself well, and had a slim, taut dancer’s body, and he looked, well, like Micahel Jackson. Certainly not at all like the more freakish photos that I’ve seen since.
Michael was meeting with Stan Lee and Peter Paul, and was with someone named John. Weeks later, I asked Stan what the meeting was all about. Stan revealed that they had met before, and that Michael was interested in buying Marvel Comics. Now, how many fans have wanted to do that over the years? But how many actually could? At their initial meeting, Michael had asked Stan if he would be staying with Marvel, and Stan assured him that he would, that he had a lifetime contract. Stan hadn’t heard anything more about it until he met with Michael again at SLM. Even though Stan then had a company of his own, he still was, and continues to be a Marvel employee, but one free to embark on new business ventures. At their second meeting, years later, again Michael expressed interest in buying Marvel and asked Stan if he would still be involved with the company. Again, Stan assured him that he would, and after that meeting, as far as I know, Stan never heard from Michael Jackson ever again.
Maybe it was for the best? Stan Lee Media was quite a bizarre chapter in the life of Stan Lee. Stan had hooked up with Peter Paul, a man with a mysterious past, and someone involved in various Hollywood non-profits. Through Peter, Stan was soon hobnobbing with likes of Jimmy Stewart and Ronald Reagan at various fundraising parties. Peter was exceptionally good at raising money, which is a great skill to have when you’re involved with non-profits. As valuable a skill as it may be, when you put together a for-profit company such as Stan Lee Media, you need to also know how to produce and market products. Unlike raising money for charities, investors expected a return on their money. So, while the company’s stock skyrocketed at first, based on many great proposed projects, when the dot.com boom started to go bust, combined with all sorts of dubious dealings at SLM, the company just as quickly went bust. Peter Paul was indicted for security fraud charges, for which he ultimately pleaded guilty. He also insists it was all Bill Clinton’s fault, but that another complicated story!
While I realize that Peter Paul was no saint, I did like the guy. In many ways, he wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the many CEOs that have brought this country to near-financial ruin, and were rewarded with humongous severance packages. I’ve always felt that if Peter had the kind of lawyers other ruthless CEOs have, he would’ve never seen the inside of a prison cell. If anything, I found him guilty of being incredibly naïve.
Stan Lee and Marvel seem to be doing well these days. Stan’s new company, POW! (Purveyors of Wonder!) has a development deal with Disney, and Marvel has become a major Hollywood film studio, that also publishes comicbooks. Unfortunately, Michael Jackson, who after years of shocking setbacks and horrendous allegations, seemed on the verge of a major comeback, tragically died last week.
I found the following video clip on Youtube. It’s supposedly posted by someone named “Dan,” who goes by the name “Scuzzler.” SCUZZLE was the name of the official Stan Lee Media fan club. And almost all the videos posted were filmed by– Peter Paul. There’re a few things I like to point out about the video…
Note how Peter Paul assures Michael that this video is for private use only and wouldn’t be used anywhere without Michael’s permission.. One wonders how this “Dan” fellow got a hold of Peter’s private videos and how it got posted on Youtube.
When Michael gazes at a poster of the 7th Portal Villains, Peter points out a character saying “That’s Slyme.” I won’t explain why that amuses me so.
I also assume that was a piece of candy, which Stan kept plenty of in his office, that Michael pops in his mouth.
Never shy, Peter must’ve persuaded Michael to say a few words about how great and wonderful Stan is. Michael obliges, but you can almost sense that right here what may possibly be the reason Michael never calls Stan again—despite the sincere praise offered, and talk of how working together would be a dream come true, his demeanor is like a hostage being forced to make a video. I’m positive that the last thing Peter wanted to do was alienate a superstar, but putting Michael on the spot—remember he was being video taped—to praise Stan was not the brightest idea. Especially when, you’re treating Michael not as an artist, not as someone Stan has any particular praise for, but as your next wealthy target. Look for a couple of more videos of Stan Lee and Michael Jackson posted by Scuzzler to get a better idea of what I’m talking about—especially the one in Stan’s vault, where they jokingly talk about kidnapping Michael.
The videos kinda remind me of an old Stan Lee/Jack Kirby story in which Dr. Doom steals the Silver Surfer’s cosmic power. Peter Paul, who you’ll see briefly, as he steps in front of the camera, has a Darkseid vibe going for him, and I suspect if he had that Dr. Doom’s power-sapping device, he would’ve used it on Michael. Assuming he hadn’t already used it on Stan.
Copyright © 2009 by Jim Salicrup. All rights reserved.
Tags: Michael Jackson, Stan Lee
Jim, I’ve got to thank you for posting this. I’ve grown to appreciate Michael a lot these past few days. You gave even more human insight into who Michael Jackson was.