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Stan Lee's use of superlatives
Patrick Ford
30 June 2016
Kirby inked by Vince Colletta, THOR #150.
The irony of Dickens was completely lost on Lee and his sub-literate audience.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age
of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was
the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter
of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that
some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for
good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
Very poor inking by Colletta on this page. The page also contains an
example of Lee's continuous use of ultimates. In Lee's text things are
almost always either the best or the worst. No pain has ever been felt
so deeply. No fire has ever burned so hot. No defeat has ever stung so
bitterly. No victory has ever been so cherished.
Patrick Ford: Since I have actually read (at least recently) more
comic books where Lee credits himself as the writer than most of Lee's
most ardent fans, I can say with confidence that phrases like "Graver
than any" are as common in Lee's text as sand-dollars in the trashline
after a high tide.
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