Normally, I'd be getting prepared to take notes and write my reviews of tonight's installments of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, but I had to take time to use this space to pay my respects to a man who was just as much an inspiration to me as anyone. So I sit here on my laptop, trying to collect together my thoughts to pay homage to a man who's passing today leaves all of us sad, but wanting to pay tribute to a life well led...Stanley Martin Lieber. Or...as we know him the world over: Stan Lee. So, I hope, Stan, that you don't mind if I borrow your Soapbox for a little while, and talk about what it was that you meant to me---and the world at large.
What can be said---or rather---what hasn't been said about Stan Lee? Icon, An American Institution, writer/director Kevin Smith has referred to him as the modern day Mark Twain, and--of course---the name we ALL associated with him: The Man. His imagination and fantastic stories have entertained us for generations. What would this world be without our favorite webhead, shellhead, patriotic hero, green skinned monster, tribal hero from a foreign land, super spies, and cosmic beings? Wouldn't be as much fun. THAT is what made Stan Lee stand out above the rest: his ability to weave the seemingly impossible into a realistic trip through different realms, universes, and mostly New York City. He made you become what he'd always say during some of the cartoons produced by Marvel Productions...and that was a True Believer.
I'd like to say I had a pretty active imagination as a kid. I've often joked that once I opened the door to my imagination....it ran off and never came back. It has allowed me, over the years, to see things from different perspectives, and make my own conclusions about the world around me. I had a dream of being a comic book artist or writer when I was a kid---and actually drew my own comics, created my own characters (no, you can't have them!), and let my own imagination run wild. A lot of that was due to Stan. The the plethora of comics I got to read as a kid---first my brother's---then my own when I started collecting. Over the years, I found out I wasn't the world's greatest artist...but I LOVED to write. So, I'm just following Stan's inspiration, and doing something I love, and hoping I can pay the rent with it like he did when he got into this crazy business back in the late 30's.
Stan worked for the company called Timely/Atlas Comics. They really didn't do superhero titles, DC had the corner market on that gig---with Superman, Batman, and eventually Wonder Woman in 1940. Sure, Timely had a few....the Sub Mariner, the original Human Torch, and a character who was perfect for his time: Captain America. Now, Stan had written his share of comics, but they were fairly formulaic to the time. Then World War II came, and Stan did his duty, serving our nation through the war, and coming home with our boys in 1945. Stan went right back to work at the typewriter, but something was missing. This was a man who aspired to be the Great American Novelist...like Mark Twain, like Jack London. And by the time the 1950's came into swing, and McCarthyism was in full effect, the comics industry took a hit. And comics, who'd primarily had been geared towards children, were now being censored because some crazy psychologist wrote a book saying that comics were one of the leading causes of youthful deviant behavior. Superheroes were no longer needed (although, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman found ways to beat those odds for about another few years).
Then...things changed (as they say in the comics). DC Editor Julius Schwartz wanted to revamp the books by ushering in new versions of characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash, and giving a shot in the arm to their established 3. With that, DC began to usher in what is known as the Silver Age of Comics. Now...don't think this didn't get by Stan. Nope, Stan saw what they were doing, and thought that that was something Timely should be doing. Stan was frustrated at this time---didn't have that novel, just trying to support him and his wife Joan...and make ends meet. Stan had been ready to call it quits, when he sat down and had a chat with his editor, Martin Goodman. Goodman wanted to have Stan create more characters like they were doing at DC. Stan, at the behest of his wife, wrote stories the way HE wanted, since he'd thought of quitting anyway. Timely underwent a makeover, and in late 1961...Marvel Comics was born with the first issue of Fantastic Four, which had been inspired by DC's very own Justice League of America.
From there, Stan went to work. Along with artists such as Jacky Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many other legendary artists, inkers, letterers, and editors, the Marvel brand ushered in a new type of hero: the flawed one. The one we could ALL relate to...who had to not only fight the bad guys, but deal with making their own ends meet, being a part of THEIR emotional drama, seeing how they balanced real life problems with being the hero of the piece. It became known as the "Marvel Way". Stan drew from many archetypes to create rich and powerful new characters such as the Hulk, Iron Man, The X-Men, and his greatest creation of all: The Amazing Spider-Man. A character who, in editor Martin Goodman's mind, would NEVER work. Stan gave us the story of teenager Peter Parker, and with one radioactive bug bite, became, perhaps, THE most popular hero of all time.
Stan was relentless---always working, always writing. And Stan had a ringside seat to watching the world change around him...and not only observe it, but write about it in his own unique way. Stan took on not only the little everyday problems that we all have, but showed us the world we lived in---and all the hardships, prejudices, and harm the real world possessed---through our heroes having to experience them first hand. Stan didn't shy away from tackling a subject. Especially if it got the reader to think, and see things from a different perspective. He was, in many way, our eyes and ears---through the awesome universe to which he created. He always felt happy when he was working...never stopped creating...not even to the end. He inspired multiple generations with his stories, and every writer, artist, inker, editor, letterer, and so on...all owe a debt to Stan Lee. And the man never took himself too seriously. If anyone had an incredible sense of humor---especially about themselves---it was Stan. He said countless times, that he was just happy that people have enjoyed what he wrote. And he was always positive. He had boundless energy, and always had a smile on his face. It was part of his charm. That's why we loved him...because, regardless of all the fame and status he achieved, he was still just one of us---trying to pay the rent and keep food on the table.
So...to close, as saddened as I am that he is no longer here....I know that he is reunited with Joan...and plotting the next adventures of Spidey, the FF, the Avengers, and more with Jack and Steve...and everyone else from the Merry Marvel Family in the stars. Man, what fun THAT creative session is going to be. I'd love to the the spider on the wall for that!
So Stan---thank you, truly from the bottom of my heart---for all the inspiration and characters you have given me---and this world---many times over. For all the journeys into mystery, the tales of suspense, the tales that astonished, and the amazing fantasies...we love you, and we miss you, my friend. I will continue to use you as inspiration as I continue my own quest to be a writer. And with that, I will happily get off your Soapbox, and allow you to take it with you to the starts, awaiting another edition, from the Merry Marvel Bullpen above.
To you, Stan Lee...I have one more thing to say: Excelsior!!
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