His creations brought me immeasurable joy during my childhood, and continue to do so today.
In one of those old "Stan's Soapbox" columns he used to write for Marvel Comics, Stan mentioned how he was working hard to bring Marvel characters to TV and the "silver screen." I'm happy he lived not only to do so, but that he lived long enough to witness those creations become a worldwide phenomenon.
He was someone who you thought would live forever, as impossible as that would be. RIP. I still own my first edition hardcover copy of "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way". It's unabashedly egotistic and uncompromising in it's presentation. But the man lived up to his legendary status.
Rest in Peace. I can't even begin to quantify the amount of joy I have gotten from the characters and stories he helped create. Five or six years ago he visited my local comic shop and signed autographs and posed in photos. It wasn't cheap to get a ticket, but I went ahead and did it anyway. I am glad I did.
RIP to Stan the Man, the guy whose name constitured the first two words I saw every time I looked past the cover of the latest Daredevil, Avengers, Captain America, X-Men, Ghost Rider, etc.—"STAN LEE PRESENTS:"!
Let's not even try to list everything he did for comics. Stan was a luminary!
Am I glad I finally got to see him in a spotlight panel in a small venue a few years back. It was great to see him cruise by me in the hallway just a couple feet away!
I have never been a comic book fan but his works are nothing short of legendary, if there ever was one. I am glad he was around to see the fruits of his works in full glory - not many comic book artists have/had that privilege. God speed, "Excelsior".
He was someone who you thought would live forever, as impossible as that would be. RIP. I still own my first edition hardcover copy of "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way". It's unabashedly egotistic and uncompromising in it's presentation. But the man lived up to his legendary status.
I still own my first edition hardcover copy of "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way". It's unabashedly egotistic and uncompromising in it's presentation. But the man lived up to his legendary status.
I had the VHS!
I met Stan in the briefest way at his last NYC appearance. After a line of people having him sign brik-a-brak like Captain America Frisbees and Funko Pop figurines, he seemed genuinely happy I handed him a Marvel Masterworks to sign. "Oh wow, I haven't seen one of these in years!" He very gently shook my hand after, "Hey, thanks for coming!"
I've heard stories about how Stan could be a bit hard to work with and that he was kinda stuck in the 1960s when it came to telling stories, but as a human being, he seemed to be exactly what you saw. His favorite movie was The Adventures Of Robin Hood... which tells me a lot about the kind of guy he was.
Among everything he did for so many comics I love, I always think fondly of Stan's take on The Silver Surfer. Here's what he said about writing for him: "This character looked so heroic, and so noble, and so dramatic that I gave him the name The Silver Surfer. And instead of just a guy flying around finding planets, I made him a philosophical observer of the world and the universe. And I had him talk in semi-Shakespearean and biblical language, and… he became my mouthpiece for how I feel about a lot of things."
Here's the video excerpt about Stan and the Surfer.
He has a nice self-deprecating final line in this excerpt.
American comics were a big deal to me growing up in the 1960s and 70s, and I read both DC and Marvel, and while I liked the older traditions of Batman and Superman I loved the inclusivity the Marvel way offered. From the tv/movie style credits on the opening splash page to the Stan's Soapbox and other direct communication with the fans, you really felt that if you had the determination and skill, you too could end up drawing/writing and otherwise working in the very industry you were supporting.
And Stan Lee virtually created all of that. In the 70s the second and most successful Marvel wave of adapting to and joining the British weekly style of comics really felt like Stan and the gang were finally reaching out to us in the UK after years of reading the original US product. It was in this period I dutily sent off for both his 'Origins of Marvel Comics' book, and for the membership of FOOM (Friends of Ol' Marvel), tha fan club. And finally of course they gave us our own hero in Captain Britain reversing the trend of printing first in the US in a weekly mag before reprinting in the UK.
The last act of Marvel's as I drifted away from comics was to buy the rights to Doctor Who as a comic strip, starting as a weekly before aiming at the older readership of a monthly magazine with all the usual articles and interviews, which is still running to this day, albeit under another company.
Add to this various interviews, Stan really felt as if he reached out to his loyal readership. I always got a kick out of seeing his cameos in the movies. Too bad that won't happen anymore. R.I.P. indeed Stan the Man.
He was a good storyteller. Better than what he and his industry/brethren got credit for in their heyday. A long run to 95, and I agree he got to enjoy a culmination of film translation & success. That's a good way to live.
Among everything he did for so many comics I love, I always think fondly of Stan's take on The Silver Surfer. Here's what he said about writing for him: "This character looked so heroic, and so noble, and so dramatic that I gave him the name The Silver Surfer. And instead of just a guy flying around finding planets, I made him a philosophical observer of the world and the universe. And I had him talk in semi-Shakespearean and biblical language, and… he became my mouthpiece for how I feel about a lot of things."
He has a nice self-deprecating final line in this excerpt.
I've always loved Stan Lee - growing up the only comic I collected exclusively was Silver Surfer. Today I'm proud t own just about every issue, and hardcover. Some of my favorite releases are the Stan Lee Moebius collaboration 'Parable'.
In 1994 when Marvel released their cartoons for Iron Man and Fantastic Four, Stan used to do introductions for the episodes each week. That's when I first got to know the personality of Stan and witness his genuine enthusiasm for storytelling. I am happy that those intros were preserved on the release of the Fantastic Four cartoon series on DVD.
Good idea, Ryan - I'm going to pull out my copy of Parable and reread it this weekend in honor of Stan. I'm most drawn to the early Mephisto issue, I will have to find that one as well.
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