SUPERHERO

As the creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and X-Men, Stan Lee is the McCartney of comic books alongside his own Lennon, psychedelic frequent collaborator Jack Kirby. But just because they invented some hugely enduring characters in colourful style back in the 60s, that’s not a cue to go acclaiming what Lee does nowadays as genius. After all, if someone claimed one of Sir Paul’s recent albums as better than Revolver, you quite rightly wouldn’t listen.

So this animated tale of annoying teenage actress wannabe Maggie Nelson (voiced by the X-Men movie’s Anna Paquin) acquiring chameleon-like powers and investigating her secret agent dad’s disappearance is rather frighteningly dull, I’m afraid. Created by Lee but scripted by sometime Marvel scribe Scott Lobdell, it’s high on cliché and short on tension, and mirrors the desperately-craving-hipness style of those duff old 70s Marvel cartoons. Stan should stick to cheeky cameos in Spider-Man films in future . . . ‘Nuff said, as his favourite quote goes.

(David Pollock)