Remembering Stan Lee

By Sheena McNeil
December 3, 2018

In the passing of Stan Lee on November 12, 2018, we wanted to share our thoughts about the man and his creations, as well as thoughts on the industry with him, and moving forward. We decided to open this up to our readers, as a public way for any fan who wanted to, to share their own thoughts (all published with permission).

Wolfen Moondaughter

Art Director and Assistant Reviews Editrix

I don't remember a world without Spider-Man in it.

Watching the old cartoon from the sixties, taking baths with my Spider-Man bath-mitt, seeing his appearances on The Electric Company -- these are some of the earliest memories I have. And it was through the animated series Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends that I first became aware of Stan the Man. I didn't know about the comics back then; to me, Lee was just the guy who talked to us at the start of the show. When ten-year-old me finally started reading some Marvel comics -- specifically, their media tie-in books, like Star Wars, Transformers, GI Joe, etc. -- I saw Lee's Soapbox column, and basically just thought of him, fondly, as "Uncle Stan, the Marvel boss-guy".

I don't remember when exactly I'd learned about the characters I loved that he'd actually had a hand in creating, but I suspect it was when I was 17 (if not sooner). At that point, thanks to the X-Men cartoon of the 90s, I started also reading the X-Men comics, including looking up back-issues, which in turn included a collection of the original issues done by Lee and Kirby. Those comics and that show were a perfect source of solace for the ostracized and bullied, like myself; those characters were my friends, people I could relate to (in a way that I could never relate to Superman), when I couldn't relate to many of my peers. Even though they were fiction, they helped confirm for me that there were others out there who knew how I felt (else, how could they be written?) -- and others still who might not know, but who would still accept me (real-life people which the human allies of mutants were analogs to); I just had to find them (and in art school, I did). And thanks to other cartoons, like Iron Man: The Animated Series, Fantastic Four (1994), and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and to the many live-action Marvel films and shows (especially those of the Cinematic Universe), full of characters, no matter how inhuman, with relatable problems, I have found even more comfort and inspiration -- as well as made even more friends through fandom!

I've always loved how Lee has worked himself into the Marvel Universe, making friends with all of us, and this bringing us all a step further into that universe with him. With the 1994 animated Spider-Man series, he upped the ante with the final episode: to my great delight, it featured an animated Stan Lee guest appearance! I had always been a fan of crossovers and 4th-wall-breaking, and this was more than what he'd ever done before. And then there was his cameo in the first X-Men film (and perhaps preceded by in other Marvel live-action films, like the campy original Captain America and Fantastic Four films? I don't know), followed by dozens more in other films -- by multiple studios, no less, tying them all together, after a fashion! My favourite of his cameos? When he was a janitor in The Amazing Spider-Man, working with headphones on, oblivious to the battle between Spidey and the Lizard raging behind him.

Now, on and off through my life, I've harboured a dream of working in comics, and so have of course read books on the subject of making them. Obviously I've read the classic How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way; Uncle Stan may not have been an artist, but he knew how to talk about art, and make the study of it both comprehensible and engaging. Even better, though, were the later, more thorough tomes: Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics, Stan Lee's How to Write Comics, and Stan Lee's How to Draw Superheroes.

I've also read the novel series Stan Lee's Riftworld, which Lee conceived of (and was written by Bill McCay) -- a series which demonstrated Lee's ability to poke fun at himself (as it tells of a comics publisher eager to sign on superhero-like giants from another universe).

Lee's semi-autobiographical Excelsior: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee (partially written by himself, and partially written by George Mair), too, is a captivating read, while the recent Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel tells a fuller (and a little bit less biased) account.

I had read Excelsior in preparation to interview Lee at a convention years ago, in my early days here at Tart, but he was sick that weekend. I was nervous as hell about it (and my boss didn't want to give me the time off, so I would have had to quit to go), so it's probably just as well, but it remains one of the greatest sadnesses of my life. I did at least get to see him on a panel at Dragon Con a few years ago, which alleviated that sadness a bit, and I'm very grateful that I at least got to see him that way (and recorded the panel), but, alas, I never did get to meet him face-to-face and thank him.

In hindsight, I might almost call Lee an evangelist to little "True-Believer" me: I may not have read the comics until later, but I was always a Marvel devotee (as are many others who have watched Marvel-based material without necessarily reading the comics). Even after I finally started reading their comics, there have also been maaaany Marvel-based cartoons and films that I have much enjoyed throughout my 40-plus years on this planet. Lee may not have created all the characters or written all the stories (and I readily admit that the other people he'd worked with deserved better than many of them got), and he may even have had an ego the size of Galactus (we're none of us perfect), but I defy anyone to say that Marvel (and the comics industry in general) would be as ingrained in our culture as it's become without his direction, and his enthusiasm, and his ability to sell a concept (including to himself).

Now, I admit I am not the biggest fan of Lee's particular depiction of Loki, but I can still recognize and appreciate that the version of Loki I have come to love dearly (having recently written the 91st installment of a column dedicated to the character) very probably would not exist if Lee hadn't brought him from mythology into the Marvel Universe all those years ago. Loki has become an even bigger part of my life now than Spidey has ever been. I thank Stan the Man for both of those characters -- and for every other Marvel character besides, because even the ones he didn't create wouldn't likely be there for me to enjoy now without his work for the company as a whole, and his inspiring many of my favourite creators.

Rest in peace, dear sir; you are missed already. Excelsior!

David Doub

Guest Contributor

Stan Lee was ever the showman, the hype man, so I don't think it's disrespectful to utilize his passing to start talking about the end of an era and the hopeful start of a better tomorrow for comics.

The long past of the comic industry is filled with mistakes and transgressions, but the important part is to not make the same mistakes as they did while we celebrate all those stories and accomplishments.

Too many creators and fans think that turning back the clock, while their vision is clouded by rosy nostalgia, will fix perceived issues with the comic industries.

Comics needs to continue to move forward, to be innovative as it always has been. Comics needs to continue telling the important stories in the way comics can only tell them.

The old gods have all gone away, so it's now time for us to strive for greatness and to shine brighter than they ever did and challenge the next generation to gloriously supplant us when our time comes.

Anita Olin

Staff Writer

What do you say when a titan falls?

Stan Lee was a storyteller, a showman, and a charismatic advocate for comics, reading, and acceptance.

He made fans feel like part of the crew with Stan's Soapbox, and he even managed to sneak several life lessons into those columns. He taught us about heroism and tolerance, spoke out against bigotry and hate, and made being imperfect and trying anyway an act of courage.

He redefined comic book superheroes in the 1960s with The Fantastic Four's flawed characters and challenged the Comics Code Authority (CCA) in the 1970s with Spider-Man's friend's drug addiction. Comic books would not have been the medium they are without his stories and advocacy. I'm so glad I got to hear him speak at a convention a couple years ago. My infant niece slept quietly though the whole thing, but Stan had the rest of the audience mesmerized with his tales.

Stan Lee's legacy is complicated, but there's no denying it's a legacy. His gentle grandiosity was infectious and endearing. His creations and co-creations will be with us forever.

Although his wildfire of imagination is gone, all the lights it set aglow still blaze in an eternal flame of inspiration and compassion. What an inheritance he gave us all — even beyond the bounds of the Marvel Universe.

Sheena McNeil

Editrix-in-Chief & Reviews Editrix

Spider-Man was a childhood favorite of mine. X-Men became my go-to during my transition into teenage years. The versions I was reading and watching were not (or no longer) being directly co-created by Stan Lee, but I was able to enjoy them and be influenced by them at least partly due to him. Also, I really enjoy when creators cameo in movie versions of their works (Stephen King being a similarly big example), and Stan Lee's have mostly been humorous additions that increase enjoyment of a particular scene rather than just being "in" a scene.

I can't say that I know enough about Stan Lee to comment on him directly; I never met him, and anything I heard was mixed reviews, though mostly positive. I can't even say that I've read much in the way of the comics he's written or been directly on the creative team for. I am, however, familiar with enough comic book history to know he gave us many of the characters we love. It may not always have been the stories we hoped for or twists we approve of, but they have influenced us through pop culture. He has inspired so many, and we are fortunate to get to go back and enjoy his works as well as the works by those he inspired. May his works continue to inspire us as well as push us to be our own heroes.

Suzette Chan

Staff Writer

I first started reading Marvel and DC comics when I was 8 or 9, too young to care about the difference between comic-book companies. As I grew older, I realized that certain heroes hung around each other, while other heroes had their own clique. I eventually noticed the distinct creative teams and the different corporate banners (DC was formally National Comics, but no one called it that). Batman was obviously a DC book; he even starred in a title called Detective Comics. Meanwhile, I could tell that the X-Men was Marvel. It wasn't just because they were complicated teens (DC had their own dramatic adolescents in The Teen Titans); it was the letters page, which featured Stan's Soapbox.

DC Comics had letters pages, too. They were like letters pages in the daily newspaper, where serious-minded people wrote in, and an editor or assistant editor would answer questions. But the Marvel letter pages were different. They featured Stan Lee's Soapbox. Instead of being administered by a faceless editor, Marvel letters pages were like a party hosted by Lee. I'd never heard him speak, but on the page, he sounded to like a quintessential New Yorker, part beat poet, part huckster: he alliterated and rhymed and spoke directly to the reader.

If his tone didn't engage you, he had quizzes for which he gave No-Prizes, one of the most sought-after honours in the history of fandom. He signed off with a single, obscure word: "Excelsior!" I didn't really know what that meant, but it sounded grand, like the perfect thing to say as you took off in flight.

I also didn't know what was going on behind the scenes. I had no idea how Marvel Comics were made. If pressed, I might have guessed that someone wrote a story and gave it to someone else to draw. But I didn't know that at Marvel, a plot was hatched, the artist built out the story with layouts ad drawings, and the dialogue was added later. It wasn't until years later that I learned about the Marvel method and the role that artists played in comics storytelling. Subsequently, I learned that collaborators and superstar artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko had left Marvel acrimoniously, accusing Lee of appropriating or ignoring their work.

In a long career, Stan Lee tried to reinvent himself after leaving behind day-to-day duties at Marvel. His comics and multimedia projects didn't really take off, but he found his greatest success in being Stan Lee. In his latest incarnation, he was a hit on the circuit of massive fan conventions, drawing thousands of people. His late-found pop culture fame was helped by his cameo appearances in movies and television shows featuring Marvel characters. By his 80s and 90s, Lee was an avuncular old-school comic-book guy, whose presence harkened back to simpler and more idealistic times. This was one of the biggest secrets to his success in movie cameos.

Stan Lee often played himself or innocent bystanders, but my favourite cameos were ones in which he played bartenders, security guards, and Federal Express men — the kind of working class New York heroes in a genre he'd had a hand in creating.