'The Winds Of Winter' Author George R.R. Martin, Major Marvel Fan? 'Game Of Thrones' Writer Goes Fanboy For Stan Lee
George R.R Martin might be a celebrity in his own right but the author of "The Winds of Winter" was once a young boy who loved comic books. Martin has recently revealed that he was (and still is) a huge Marvel fan when he was growing up. In fact, the "Game of Thrones" writer once wrote Stan Lee to offer his review on "Fantastic Four #17" and his letter became Martin's first original work published back in 1963.
Fans of George R.R. Martin are well-aware of his book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" which would later inspire the HBO show "Game of Thrones". However, the author had actually started writing short stories and novellas back in the 70s, a long time before he started randomly killing off characters and making people wait for the sixth "ASOIAF" novel "The Winds of Winter". Interestingly, Martin himself has revealed that his first published work was not a fantasy tale but a fan letter to Marvel icon Stan Lee.
George R.R. Martin will be featured in History Channel's upcoming superheroes documentary, where the "Game of Thrones" author shared the fan letter he wrote to offer praise for "Fantastic Four #17" (via YouTube). Martin's message mentions The Thing falling into a hole as his favorite part of the issue and even comments on the comic book being the greatest one ever. The best part of the revelation is Stan Lee's response to the future author of "The Winds of Winter", which may have led to Martin deciding to become a writer.
There is little doubt that George R.R. Martin wouldn't be where he is right now (killing characters and not writing "The Winds of Winter") if his fan letter wasn't published in a comic book. Luckily, Stan Lee thought his review on "Fantastic Four #17" was worth a response. The sixth "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel is expected to be published later this year. Catch the documentary "Superheroes Decoded", which premieres on the History Channel on April 30, as per io9.