I had actually been given a copy of this book many years ago, by my mom, as a kid. Unfortunately, it was lost long ago. The book taught me a great deal about perspective, motion, anatomy (at least as far as super heroes are concerned) and "telling a story" through art. I found this book again by "accident," as it popped up while I was searching for something for my Spider-Man loving son. I bought it out of pure nostalgia, and I am so glad I did! If you or someone you love is interested in comic book art, this is a great book to get started and to help improve the budding artist's skill set. It is well worth the $.

I've owned and lost, destroyed, lent and given away many copies of this book over the years. It's probably the best resource out there for an aspiring comic-book artist. Or animator. Or filmmaker. Or illustrator. Repeat ad nauseam. Sure, you could read a book by its cover as merely a hero-book resource and keep walking but you'd be doing yourself a disservice. True, in HTDCTMW Stan and John's focus was on creating hero books. But they accidentally also created a veritably indispensable resource for animation, storyboarding, filmmaking and more. It teaches shot selection (close up, worms-eye-view, long shot), perspective, figure drawing, character dynamics, shot composition, and more. One of my favorite sections features a side-by-side comparison of a few 6-panel 'comic pages', but they could easily be film/animation storyboards. It compares a drab, 'nothing wrong with it' versions of the pages with slightly tweaked versions. By subtly altering 'camera position', composition and character dynamics a much stronger, far more interesting tone is achieved - even without the use of dialogue or sound. I can't think of a better way to teach how these factors can greatly enhance a comic, film or animated project. Have I mentioned I'm a professor of animation? Well I am. This book from 1984 does it better than anything else I've seen since. If you just want to draw comics, it is second-to-none. If you want to be a filmmaker, artist or animator, it's also hard to beat. It's not going to turn you into Jim Lee overnight. But it gives you the tools you need to get started. It's up to you to practice but I think you'll find, as I do, that I keep returning to it. A must for your artist/animator/filmmaker toolbox.

My grandson loves it

If you are trying to get into comic book art this book can help out a lot. This book gives the reader plenty of information on how comic book art is done with witty diulage from stan lee. This book duse a good job with showing the reader how to draw a heroic body for males and female's and dynamic poses for your character. This book also gives the reader great advice on how to make good comic book scene that will stand out to the reader. If you are someone who wants to learn about comic book art or how to draw a superhero than this book is great for you.

Got it for my son who is getting into making comics. He really seems to like this one, He’s picking up some good poses and techniques, too.

I bought this as a graduation gift for my 8 yr old son who absolutely LOVES to draw !!! We homeschool so I was looking for something that is very detailed with step by step instructions so it could also serve as an addition to curriculum . This was definitely it ! My son has not stopped drawing since getting it ! We have bought many how to books , but nothing quite like this one ! He is over the moon! He is a very eager little boy that has a natural passion for art ! I was worried about his age but this is definitely age appropriate for advanced beginners!

I am a former artist for Disney Feature Animation. Disney has their books “How to draw our Character. “. But this book Stan Lee did is that and much more!!!!! This little book is packed with character, perspective, and foreshortening etc.. So many trick of the trade and a great understanding of form, but done with a. simple approach, and a sense of fun. If you want to draw characters, for any thing including comics, films, animation or just for fun, this book will help you learn the rules and tools of how to start….. Truly remarkable!!!! Thank you Stan Lee for your time and effort in creating this book. It is forever a part of your huge legacy……..

The style of drawing I love the most is the style of 60s marvel comics. It's very precise, realistic in shapes and proportions, not overly stylized, and a lot of times it feels as if artists just drew over pictures of real life. Turns out the process is more like making a blueprint then simple drawing pictures from your mind of recreating photos. That's why it was so perfect. This book goes in depth about this art and gives plenty of examples too. There's not a lot of text, but it might just be better this way. Very easy to understand basic concepts, but of course it will take a lot of time and dedication to become as perfect as those artists were. Still, it gives you everything you need to create your own stories in style of golden classics.