Stan Lee - Asterix and Obelix in the News

NEW YORK, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Wham!, bamm!...doubleclick! Stan Lee, the creator of comic book super hero Spider-Man, is taking to the Web.

The 76-year-old founder of Marvel Comics has dreamt up a team of Internet superheroes that will bust onto computer screens this summer. They are his first new characters in 30 years.

Lee, who created figures like The Incredible Hulk and The Fantastic Four, has teamed with Web design company Organic to build a comic book site known as StanLee.net. The Internet site is part of Stan Lee Media Inc., a company that intends to cast Lee's new characters in electronic games, movies and cartoons.

The six or seven new super heroes will each come from different parts of the globe. The characters, which include an Egyptian superhero, derive their powers from the Internet.

"The Internet is going to be the biggest thing in the world," said Lee, with his charismatic grin and swept back mane. "Here is a chance to tell new stories."

Lee helped found Marvel, the world's largest comic book publisher, in 1961 and has been creating comics since 1940. In the last 30 years he says he has filled three filing cabinets with ideas for superheroes.

Lee's Internet venture will for the first time afford him the chance to own his creations. Marvel Enterprises Inc. owns the rights to many of his other characters. Marvel emerged from bankruptcy in Oct. 1998 as part of Toy Biz Inc.

Lee's Internet hub - www.stanlee.net - will be aimed at 10 to 20 year-olds and will offer free web pages, e-mail, games and areas to buy, sell and trade comics and merchandise.

Stan Lee Media intends to become a public bulletin-board company within the next six months.

Lee, whose name and image have appeared in an estimated two billion comic books in over 100 countries, said his new superheroes will have similar traits to those he created three decades ago.

"People are interested in interesting colorful people and it was that way in 1492 and it'll be that way in the Year 3000," he said.

Asterix and Obelix Now a Movie

PARIS (AP) - Asterix and Obelix, the Gallic warriors loved by comic book fans worldwide, are about to come to life in the most expensive film in French history.

While the word "blockbuster" is not usually associated with French movies, with a $48 million price tag, "Asterix and Obelix Versus Caesar" could redefine this country's cinema.

"Asterix"' has all the blockbuster ingredients in abundance: plenty of money, big stars and state-of-the-art special effects.

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