On November 13th, 2018, news swept the internet and lit social media abuzz when the news of Stan Lee’s passing was made public in the early hours of the day. An ensuing outpouring of tribute and support from comic creators, celebrities and legions of fans dominated the web as he influenced so many people with his seemingly unending passion for the industry and how he shaped the modern landscape for the Superhero genre we know and love today. Today, we remember the man, Stanley Martin Lieber, also known as Stan “The Man” Lee.

It’s difficult to remember the exact moment I was attracted to comic books as a medium. However, when I comb my childhood memories, one particular moment stands out. In my younger days I often accompanied my mother on trips to the local drug store. In order to entice me for what would be a considerably boring outing for any child yet alone one with mild to heavy A.D.D., my mother would allow me an item to carry around the store until check out and then purchase for my amusement as a gift to more or less acknowledge my patience in going with her. Probably not necessary seeing as I didn’t deserve a gift for simply being there, I was too young to be left alone at home regardless. But one day, something changed. I frequently passed by the comic rack (a staple in those days for marketing comics in stores) and was always fascinated by the different covers and characters shown. Some appeared distressed, sad and distraught. Some appeared heroic, kind and lifesaving. I was attracted to the emotional spectrum explored in comics. The vulnerability of a superhero. The conflicted villain’s having sympathetic backstories that made them the hero in their own eyes. Most importantly, the exploration of who these masked crusaders and super powered beings when they weren’t saving the world but attempting to live a normal life within it. The book I grabbed from the rack, 1991’s X-Men Vol 2 #1 as illustrated by the now legendary Jim Lee grabbed me immediately. Its eye popping visuals, the extremely superb detail of the characters and how the action seemed to jump off the page. Not to mention, this book was printed with five different covers by Lee that interconnected to create a portrait of the team facing off against Magneto. According to Guinness World Records, this issue is still the best-selling comic book of all-time, with sales of over 8.1 million copies. From that point forward, I knew exactly what I wanted as my bribe for going on errands with my mother, Comic books!

Admittedly late to comic reading and collecting, I was on a journey of self discovery because I was enthralled with each new character my brain processed. Like any overactive imagination of a child, I wanted to make my own adventures and stories with these unique beings. I began asking my parents to purchase the Toy Biz line of Marvel action figures. Before I knew it, I was staging battles between smaller characters like Avalanche, Omega Red, and Cable. Every action figure included a bio on the back which I had only read once I purchased the toys. I didn’t much care to know about who they were until after the fact, generally making my purchase on how cool that toy may have looked. But, as time went on, and I had a deeper understanding of the characters who inhabited this universe, I was to become a fan for life. This was something that really interested me. It was like someone created a world populated by extraordinary beings doing heroic things just for the sake of doing the right thing. When I couldn’t get my hands on a new comic, I was fortunate enough to be able to learn much of what I came to know about these characters through their various television incarnations. Most notably, the Spider-man & X-Men animated series. Show’s so high concept and serialized for someone my age, it truly felt like I stumbled on a gem. Characters died, real world discrimination was examined, and villains crafted real consequences for our heroes.

I spent much of my youth scribbling these characters on folders and anything that one could consider a slate for covering in amateur artwork. It had an undeniable effect on my creativity as a child and made the idea of reading more accessible to a younger generation. As I matured and moved up through and out of grade school, I became enamored with another medium, Film. I was introduced through a friend of mine to who would become my first ‘favorite’ filmmaker, Kevin Smith. I hardly agree with that sentiment now but it can’t be understated what those early films he directed meant to me. I saved the little money I’d acquire to purchase a new VHS of a Kevin Smith movie any chance I could. In those days, you couldn’t simply stream a film you felt like watching. It had to be tracked down, located, and either purchased or rented at your local hobby shop. Starting with Clerks, then viewing his output up to the release of Dogma, it truly felt like Kevin’s voice was the same raunchy, goofy, and geeky one that’s been in my head since I was a wee child. But there’s one film that sticks out for me. That film is Mallrats. Mallrats explored the day in the life of a couple slackers looking to spend the day at their local Mall to win back the women they love and lost. Brody (played by the excellent Jason Lee) played a character well versed in the mythology of comics. This trait played an important role in the film as the comic shop at the mall was hosting a autograph signing by someone named Stan Lee. I had no idea why this was such a big deal to the title character and why it meant the world for the opportunity to meet him. As the film reaches its third act, Brody is conflicted about winning Rene, the love of his life back. When suddenly a gentleman frequenting the food court abruptly stops to speak with him. That gentleman, you guessed it, was Stan Lee. Through the exposition provided in the dialogue, its made quite clear that this is the man responsible for the mediums most famous characters. Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four (the reference he makes to The Thing and his man-parts still make me laugh today) and of course Spider-Man to name a few. His spot in Mallrats was memorable enough to put Stan on my radar for the rest of my life. Heck, in 2016, Stan himself expressed during a panel at Denver Comic Con his own admiration for that role saying:

“Gee, that’s a hard one. I got a big kick out of Mallrats. But it wasn’t a cameo; I really had a role in the movie. Funny thing about that: in the movie, I’m talking to the boy who was the lead, who was very unhappy because he was having trouble with his girlfriend, and I mentioned to him, ‘I remember I once had a girlfriend and I lost her but I’ve never forgotten her, and I think about her all the time,’ something like that. Now, I went home, and my wife said to me, ‘Now what is this about that girlfriend?’ And I learned you have to be very careful about how you explain movies to your wife.”

Also, in hindsight, the dialogue Smith wrote for Lee was also informative. Those that have dug deeper into Lee’s past know that in 1971, Lee along with Gil Kane & John Romita Sr published ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ issues #96-#98 which are best known for being the issues responsible for the formation of the CCA (Comic Code Authority) after their depiction of Peter Parker discovering that his roommate and friend, Harry Osborn had become addicted to popping pills following his break-up with Mary Jane. This cemented Lee’s attitude for the comic medium, nothing was off limits and that problems in the real world should crop up anywhere they are relevant to a story he was telling.

As the years went by, my interest in Comics never dwindled. I had begun to amass a collection of comics from my childhood again, trying to get my hands on first appearances and key issues from the past. By early 2016, I had met the CEO/owner of Investcomics.com (Now known as TrendingPopCulture.com), Jay Katz. Investcomics.com pioneered comic book speculation in 2003 by being one of the first outlets on the web discussing investing in comics they way one would with stocks. We had a chance meeting while working at the same establishment in Boca Raton, FL. After becoming fast friends with Jay, I started attending shows with him and doing the celebrity interviews for his website. Jay had previously met Stan and told me tales of his kindness. He even got Stan to do a bumper for the site while attending New York Comic Con.

Stan was in attendance at many of the shows Jay and I attended upon developing our relationship. Jay had acquired Max Anderson’s (Stan’s then personal assistant) phone number in previous years working press at shows. He was able to even interview him while in New York to. He’d always contact Max about setting up a time for Stan to give us 5-10 minutes for a short-form interview, however to no avail. We’d meet Max at Stan’s signing booth and be arms length from the legend, yet his crowd of fans looking to get their collectibles signed dominated Stan’s time moreso in his later years making it difficult to get the time we wanted with him. I can recall numerous times where it seemed like hundreds of people were lined up and hours later, that same line looked like it hadn’t moved. It was clear to anyone who witnessed Stan at a show, he would sign until the very last fan left the building if he had to. While I may have been disappointed that I never got that interview with Stan, I was always appreciative of the fact that it was only because of his dedication to make everyone happy who was there to see him. More often then not, when he was done signing, he would casually exit the convention hall with his entourage while waving and smiling to fans the entire time. This was a man who worked tirelessly for the readers and certainly not above his celebrity status.

By summer of 2017, Megacon Orlando and Fan Expo had announced its first tier of guests for the event. Stan Lee was on the list and it was billed as his last convention appearance at Megacon Orlando (a show he became a guest staple of over the years). His final panel at the show would take place on May 25th, the first night of Megacon. I knew this would be my final opportunity to see Stan in person and enjoy his always humorous personality and banter for one last time. He spoke about all aspects of his career including his days getting into the business, his preferences for who his favorite characters were and answer the questions fans young and old alike had for him. He talked up his wife Joanie of 60+ years like he loved her the same as the day they met (she would pass away only weeks later). Max (as seen in the photos to the left of Stan above) and Stan had not yet had any conflict with one another yet (this would change in the latter end of Stan’s life). This was Stan at his absolute happiest! After this day, things began to take a turn for the worst for Stan’s health and personal life. Check out our detailed look at these events here in a previous article we wrote about Stan.

Fast forward to February 23rd, 2018. I create and obtain the domain name ‘www.TheVariantNewsSource.com’ and publish my first article , my review of the film Black Panther (A character ironically also created by Stan Lee). That night I remember something Stan said when asked by a young fan during that same panel. The fan asked “How do you break out in writing and make it big?”. A question I imagine he’s been asked over a thousand times in his very long career. A smiling Stan looked back at the fan and just simply replied “Write, write, and write some more.” So Stan, I did just that. I took a chance and I wrote. Now surpassing 150+ written pieces since the sites inception, I realize now that Stan’s words made alot of sense really. I wrote and wrote and wrote until I sharpened that skill like a worn out knife. While some may argue Stan’s legacy in some circles as being over embellished or lacking in giving the proper credit to his peers. I saw a Stan that brings me to where I am today. This is how I’ll choose to remember him.

REST IN PEACE 12/28/22 – 11/13/2018

– Josh O.

