George R.R. Martin’s first published work was a fan letter to Stan Lee
By Corey Smith
As it turns out, A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin has always had a knack for writing. Case in point: at the tender age of 15, in the early 1960s, Martin wrote legendary comic creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby a gushing fan letter about a run of Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Lee and Kirby printed the letter in a later issue, and it became Martin’s first published work.
For those unaware, Kirby and Lee are responsible for creating everyone from Captain America to the X-Men. Throw in a young George R.R. Martin and you’ve got quite the literary gathering. Martin revealed the contents of the letter for a new History Channel special titled Superheroes Decoded, which airs Sunday, April 30 as well as Monday, May 1. Take it away, Martin:
It seems Martin did not earn the second “R” until he was older.
Either way, its great to see Martin’s obvious enthusiasm for the comics, and to see a 15-year-old use words and phrases like “ergo” and “by gumbo.” Obviously he was always going to become a writer.
Martin says that Stan Lee’s response “changed my life.” We’re all thankful for that, by gumbo.
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