It was always my job to fire the staff while he ducked away somewhere. That was certainly a low because these were people I worked with. These were friends. I had to let them know there would be no work for the foreseeable future. But luckily we were able to build the company back up again and start over again and give these guys work once more.

Cargill: Poll after poll ranks "Iron Man" as the favorite Avenger. Do you have another character in the works that will rival his popularity?

Lee: Here at POW! Entertainment, with my partner Gil Champion, we're working on quite a number of new movies, television series and even a live action show. Three of the new superheroes, and I can't say too much right now, but the working titles are "The Prodigal," one is called "The Annihilator," and one is called "The Retaliator." And each one of them, I say in modesty, is better than the others! (laughs)

Cargill: You can't tell me anything about them?

Lee: I will say that "The Annihilator" is a Chinese superhero, probably the first one done by an American studio, and it's not a Chinese film. It's a film for the entire world. It's got an angle we've never seen before and it's written by Dan Gilroy, one of our top writers.

"The Retaliator" has a different angle and the element of ecology is important in that story. But he's the kind of superhero with a power that nobody has seen. "The Prodigal" is really two superheroes that are part of the same family, but they become ultimate enemies! Those are just the three movies we have in the works. We also have a number of comic books coming that will probably end up as movies or television series or so forth.

Cargill: Are you talking about "The Mighty 7" and "Titanic 10"?

Lee: Oh, you are so hip!

"The Mighty 7" is being published by Archie. There are seven characters. Two of them are police officers from another planet. The other five are fugitives that they were bringing back somewhere and they all land on Earth through an accident and they meet me!

We refer to this as the world's first reality comic book, because it has real people, starting with me. But it's still very much a superhero story. Also, like "The Avengers," we also have "The Titanic 10." This is 10 superheroes living in today's world, faced with the same problems that you and I are faced with, and suddenly something happens that has never happened before in any superhero story. I am incredibly proud of this and you'll be hearing a lot more, because it's the type of thing when people see it they'll say, "Of course, why didn't I think of that!" If that doesn't whet your appetite, I quit!

Cargill: There comes a time in all our lives where we select someone to speak on our behalf. Of all of your characters, who would you have speak on your behalf and what do you imagine them saying?

Lee: Wow. Maybe Iron Man, maybe Tony Stark. Only because of all of them, I think he has the best sense of humor and he's the cleverest, probably. And what would he say? God knows! (laughs) Maybe I shouldn't pick him. Maybe I shouldn't pick a guy that smart! Maybe I should pick a guy I could fool a little better. But, at first blush, I think Tony Stark would be the guy.