Spiderman creator spins 10 more comic book heros, at 85

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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Spiderman creator, Stan Lee, whose comic book heroes have dominated US culture for more than half a century, plans to unleash another 10 characters on the world in 2009, Variety reported Tuesday.

Now aged 85, Lee's fertile imagination has also spawned such super heroes as "The Fantastic Four," "Hulk," "Iron Man" and the "X-Men," all creations and franchises which belong to Marvel.

Lee, who recently set up his own company Pow! Entertainment, now intends to unveil a host of new characters thanks to a contract with Marvel's competitor, Virgin Comics, the industry insider magazine Variety said.

Ten new comic books will introduce new heros to the world, which will then be developed into short cartoons or even longer animated films.