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The "Smilin' Stan" persona may have been invented as late as 1966 Patrick Ford 1 October 2016 "Scowlin' Steve Ditko" "Smilin' Stan Lee." The Stan Lee described by Steve Ditko is anything but "Smilin'." Ditko's accounts of his meetings with Lee depict Lee as frequently annoyed and eventually Lee cut off all communication with Ditko. Ditko very clearly sees the "Smilin' Stan" persona as a device Lee uses to manipulate people. Interestingly it does not seem that Ditko ever interacted with the Smilin' Stan personality. Based on accounts from Ditko, Kirby, and Wood it may be the persona was developed around the time of the Jan. 1966 Nat Freedland article for the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE.

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