files/pictures/picture-35.jpgStan Lee Media, Inc. (SLM) has signed a deal with R&B superstar Mary J. Blige to create a new series portraying the multi-platinum singer as an original Stan Lee Hip-Hop Super Heroine. The Web series will be based off an animated short, featuring the Blige super persona, which shows before each of Blige's concerts. The short, created by Blige and SLM, has garnered a tremendous fan response. The agreement is modeled after Stan Lee Media's partnership with the Backstreet Boys (
www.backstreetproject.com ) with joint ownership of the superhero franchise. Blige will voice the lead character in the series and both parties are looking to grow the project into other media platforms. "Mary's super heroine alter ego, a cross between Cleopatra Jones and Barbarella, is an inspirational character and self-described 'Protector of the Hood,'" said Stan Lee. "I'm delighted to co-create a new Internet based global franchise with Mary J. Blige, whose international stardom has reached superhero proportions." Blige said, "I am thrilled to be working with Stan Lee and his talented staff. Having been raised on the hard streets of the city, in my case Yonkers, the chance to be transformed into a 'Protector of the Hood' sends a powerful message to my fans that your community is what you make of it, that you can be a superhero everyday." In eight years, Mary J. Blige has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. In 1992 her debut album "What's the 411?" generated the #1 single "Real Love."
