Truth in Comics
Providence journalist Abraham Riesman digs for life ’ s secrets in the world of superheroes and their creators . By Tony Pacitti
Abraham Riesman discovered the Marvel universe through the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons of the early ’ 90s , but what hooked him on comics was the baffling final issue to one of X-Men ’ s many convoluted , era-defining storylines while in the sixth grade .
PHOTOGRAPHY ( THIS PAGE ) COURTESY OF ABRAHAM RIESMAN / BOBBY DOHERTY PHOTOGRAPHY ; ( OPPOSITE ) COURTESY OF ROAM LOUD .
“ That ’ s really a crossroads with superhero comics ; you either go ‘ I shouldn ’ t have to do this kind of homework to read an individual story ,’ or , like me , say ‘ I must know everything about this . Clearly the truth of the universe can be found in these comics ,’ ” he says .
Now Riesman , who moved to Providence in 2020 , is the author of True Believer : The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee ( paperback out on February 15 , 2022 ), an honest , unvarnished look at the life and career of one of the titans of the comics industry .
By his own admission , Riesman comes from a long line of noncomics “ geeks .” He continued that tradition of focused enthusiasm by frequenting comic shops as a teenager , including Thayer Street ’ s long-gone Two Million Year Picnic , whenever he would visit his grandparents . In his twenties , as the Marvel movies became a dominating force in entertainment , Riesman directed his comics knowledge toward covering the industry for New York Magazine ’ s pop culture site , Vulture . His fascinating profile of the reclusive Steve Ditko ( co-creator of Doctor Strange and Spider- Man ), an exploration of the origins of Magneto ’ s Jewish identity , and a 2016 profile of Stan Lee which ultimately led to True Believer are all examples of the kinds of conversations about superheroes and their creators that Riesman was interested in having .
“ What I aim for every time I write is how can I make this intelligible for somebody who has absolutely no idea about any of this , but how can I also make sure that I have new information for an expert ?” he says .
That ’ s how he tackled Lee in
True Believer , by trying to show the fans who only know him from his cheeky movie cameos who he was behind the scenes , and by getting diehards to think about him differently . Not easy when your subject was a man who cultivated his own myth and dubious claims of authorship over decades . The result is an eye-opening biography that presents Lee , who died in 2018 , as every bit as flawed and complicated as the heroes he ’ s associated with . It certainly gives fans a lot to think about as his most iconic co-creation , Spider- Man , swings back into theaters this month . For Riesman , that examination has been a blessing and a curse , not unlike a certain kid from Queens getting bit by a radioactive spider .
“ I don ’ t know that I could write the kinds of articles I used to ,” he says . “ I have an even bleaker view of human nature than I did previously , but I think that through that you find real truth . It ’ s how you end up finding your way , as opposed to getting lost in your illusions and saying ‘ I ’ m content with that .’ ” abrahamriesman . com
16 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l DECEMBER 2021