Stan Lee is known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes
propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book
industry. His co-creations include Spider-Man, The Avengers, Iron
Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, as well as hundreds
of others. He introduced Spider-Manas a syndicated newspaper strip
that became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips
and has appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide. Stan
currently remains Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, as well as a member
of the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics. He is also the Chairman &
Chief Creative officer of POW! Entertainment, a multimedia
entertainment company based in Beverly Hills, CA.
Stuart Moore has been a writer, a book editor, and an
award-winning comics editor. His recent writing includes Civil War,
the first in a new line of prose novels from Marvel Comics, The Art
of Iron Man 3 (Marvel, with Marie Javins); and THE 99, a
multicultural super hero comic from Teshkeel.
Andie Tong has worked on titles for various franchises, including Tron: Betrayal, Spectacular Spider-Man UK, The Batman Strikes, Smallville, Wheel of Time, TMNT, Masters of the Universe, and Starship Troopers, working for companies such as Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, Panini, Dark Horse, and Dynamite Entertainment, as well as commercial illustrations for numerous advertising agencies including Nike, Universal, CBS, Mattel, and Habsro. When he gets the chance, Andie concept designs for various companies, and also juggles illustration duties on a range of children's picture storybooks for Harper Collins. Malaysian born, Andie migrated to Australia at a young age, and then moved to London in 2005. In 2012, he journeyed back to Asia and currently resides in Singapore with this wife and daughter.
When fourteen-year-old American Steven Lee wanders away on a class
trip through a Hong Kong museum, he uncovers a secret chamber where
scientists are embed- ding the mystical powers of the Chinese
Zodiac into maniacal military contractor Maxwell. Steven's
unexpected arrival derails the procedure, though, and when two
other intruders start a skirmish, the power of the Tiger finds its
way into Steven instead. At the same time, other mystical animal
energies manage to escape, and Steven is drawn into a battle to
stop Maxwell from recapturing them. Now Steven and his two new
compatriots are off on a worldwide adventure to discover other
young people turned superhero by the Zodiac energy, to convince
them to join the fight against Maxwell and his team of warriors,
and to save the world. Jam-packed with action scenes and characters
with imaginatively conceived powers, this addition to a growing
genre of superhero novels will garner a new generation of fans for
the venerable Stan Lee. The first in a planned series, the story
unfolds along conventional lines-teams gathered, powers explained,
battle lines drawn-but offers additional complexity as characters
choose which side to join. Steven is the only real kid in the
fairly large and diverse cast, and the story isn't always his; the
narrative always comes back around to him, though and readers will
likely appreciate seeing a teen holding his own against and
alongside adults. He's also an engaging hero to root for, equal
parts confused adolescent and born leader. Ultimately fun, and at
times funny, this is a strong superhero-team story for readers not
ready for the bleaker realities of Sanderson's Steelheart (BCCB
1/14) but who want something more complex than Disney's Big Hero 6.
Final art not seen. AM BCCB"
Fourteen-year-old Steven Lee considers himself an average Asian
American teen, so when he stumbles upon a mystical ceremony deep in
the bowels of a Hong Kong museum, he has no idea how to handle the
apparent superpowers on display. And once drawn into the ceremony,
Steven surprisingly discovers ancient powers-those of the tiger in
the Chinese zodiac-rising in himself. Fleeing the evil Dragon
Maxwell, Steven aligns himself with Jasmine and Carlos to seek out
others being captured by released zodiac superpowers. He persuades
them to Jasmine's side even as he questions her ability to lead.
This is legendary Stan Lee's first novel (the initial title in a
proposed trilogy for middle-schoolers), and he has created an
intriguing new set of superhuman-both good and evil-who are
empowered by the creatures in the Chinese zodiac. What the story
lacks in character development will likely not be missed by
readers, who are pulled along with Steven from one confrontation to
the next. Enhances by Tong's punchy illustrations, this novel will
be in high demand from graphic-novel readers and movie fans alike.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: What's hotter right now than comic book
superheroes? The myth of Lee, a Marvel Comics icon, speaks for
itself, and the promotional engine for this is already at light
speed. Melissa Moore Booklist"
Lee, the famed co-creator of such Marvel superheroes as Spider-Man
and the X-Men, presents his first novel. Kicking off the Zodiac
Legacy series, this action-driven outing is very much what his fans
might expect. Chinese-American 14-year-old Steven Lee, on an
educational tour of Hong Kong, stumbles on a secret plot to control
the super powers of the Chinese Zodiac, perpetrated by Maxwell, a
mercenary general seeking world domination. Steven accidentally
gains the power of the Tiger and is immediately drawn into an
emerging group of zodiac-powered young heroes dedicated to stopping
Maxwell and his band of similarly zodiac-enhanced thugs. As the two
sides race around the globe to corral the remaining powers and
their wielders, Lee and Moore deliver desperate chases, bombastic
banter, and increasing spectacular confrontations, albeit with a
tendency toward over- description ("Maxwell reached out and
backhanded her across the face. His hand swept through the air,
leaving a trail of Dragon fire in its wake"). This frenetic light
adventure should please readers who already love the Marvel
universe and nurse their own dreams of superpowered glory. Final
art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12. PW"
3Q 5P M After the death of his beloved grandfather, teenager Steven
Lee is sent to Hong Kong by his parents who want him to become more
knowledgeable about his Chinese-American heritage. Here, during an
unexceptional class field trip to the New China Heritage Museum,
something extraordinary happens when he breaks away from the group
to investigate an unusual sound. There, in the museum's
sub-basement, he witnesses the frightening transformative power
created by the combination of ancient artifacts and modern
technology. This discovery initiates Steven's inclusion in an
international group of young people who have been recruited to stop
the power-hungry Maxwell and his manic mercenaries from
accomplishing world domination. Using the fascinating mythology of
the Chinese zodiac as the plot device that drives the story, the
authors have created a world in which the powers of twelve unique
animals can be transferred to a select group of people. The
characters that are destined to use the powers are extremely
stereotypical; however, instead of being offensive and off-putting,
this heavy-handed typecasting comes across as familiar and comical.
This is understandable, as the text reads like a verbal description
of a detailed visual. Basically, the narrative is a running
description of the characters, setting, and action that would be
found in each illustrated panel of a comic book. Action-packed and
heavily illustrated, this first book in a projected series should
appeal to middle school students who are fans of Stan Lee, anime,
graphic novels, superheroes, and the works of Rick Riordan.-Lynne
Farrell Stover. VOYA"
Gr 4-7 In legendary comic creator Lee's first prose novel, two
factions, each comprised of people who harness animal power from
the Chinese zodiac, fight to control the fate of the world. While
visiting a museum in China, Steven Lee's life changes forever when
he follows his mysterious tour guide's screams for help, leading
him to a secret room where Maxwell, a power hungry war contractor,
accidentally releases an ancient zodiac power into the world. Now
equipped with the aggressive fighting prowess of the Tiger, Steven
teams up with Jasmine, the fake tour guide who has been fighting
Maxwell's group for years, to travel the world and find the other
hosts. Along with a feisty singer, a brawler from Ireland, a
techie, and an extremely shy girl, Steven must learn to control his
powers in order to defeat Maxwell. The first installment in a
planned trilogy, Zodiac has everything readers would expect from
Stan Lee: plenty of action, a fast-paced plot, a villain who is
driven more by misguided ideals than pure evil, and a group of
young, ordinary people trying to make sense of their newfound
powers. Illustrations by Tong, known for his work on superhero
comics in the UK, add to the book's appeal. A cliff-hanger ending
leaves readers wanting more. Give this to superhero enthusiasts and
fans of adventure stories; it will fly off the shelves. Marissa
Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ SLJ"
In this series opener that marks Marvel comics legend Lee's debut
for kids, 12 people-some heroes, some villains-receive superpowers
based on the signs of the Chinese zodiac. The heroes, of course,
are the youngest characters in the book. The descriptive prose is
as spare and unambiguous as an old-fashioned interactive computer
game-think "Zork," from the 1970s. "[The stairway] was made of
wood, with a creaky old railing beside it. The walls were worn
metal, stained and weathered by time." But the book contains enough
fight scenes for several issues of a Marvel comic, and they're
joyously inventive. People reveal their characters by the way they
fight. A tiny girl with the ability to teleport wins fights by
running away, over and over again, until the other person is
exhausted; she's the Rabbit. These confrontations aren't described
with the clarity Lee and Moore use to talk about the settings.
Readers may have to look at a few passages twice to figure out just
who hit whom. Fortunately, Tong loves drawing battle scenes. Pages
and pages are crammed with energetic black-and-white drawings of
people bounding around the room. But the characters are so engaging
that the scenes where they're joking around and telling ridiculous
stories are more entertaining than the battle sequences. The prose
may be too bare-bones for some readers, but the surprises are
genuine, and the cliffhangers will bring people back for the next
adventure. (Adventure. 8-12) Kirkus"
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