For nearly two decades, I met Stan Lee for lunch about once every month or two. In the 1990s and into the 2000s I was writing for Wizard magazine, which at the time was kind of a catch-all, 800-pound gorilla in the comics business. And Stan, as we all learned from his many MCU cameos, knew the value of publicity. He liked seeing his name in print, which meant he was happy to sit down with a reporter—especially if I picked up the tab. So in 1999, we started meeting regularly for mid-day meals.

There was rarely an agenda during a lunch with Stan, who passed away today at age 95. It was just a semi-regular catch-up, very friendly and collegial, although it’s hard to consider yourself a colleague to one of the most prolific creators in all of comics.

We all know “Stan the Man,” the showman persona Stan first created during Marvel’s ascension in the 1960s and maintained throughout his long life and illustrious career. But once every few weeks or so, I got to see glimpses of Stan the man, lower-case “m.” During those years, I learned a great many truths about Stan Lee.

Stan had a standard lunch order

Stan’s office at POW! Entertainment was at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. We’d usually meet and just tumble down the street, heading south-ish on Beverly to the deli Nate ’n Al or the Cheesecake Factory. Usually the Cheesecake Factory. Stan hated to wait for a table, so we’d usually try to scope out where we could get seated quickly.

Once seated, Stan rarely deviated from his standard order: two eggs over easy, toast, bacon, sliced tomatoes, and black coffee. Starting about a decade ago, he’d sometimes skip the bacon in deference to his doctor and cholesterol.

Stan had a second standard lunch order

In 2014, Fatburger opened a franchise right across the street from Stan’s office. Stan was in heaven. A Fatburger and a vanilla shake became his second go-to lunch.

Stan loved to work

I always asked Stan when he was going to retire. For years, I got variations of the same answer:

“I’m not going to retire. Most people retire so they can go do what they want. I’m already doing what I want. I like to write. I like to work with creative people. If I retired, I’d be giving up my fun.”

And so it remained. Stan was in the office every day at 9 am.

Stan wasn’t much for the social ramble

Stan loved to work. We’ve established that. He also loved to leave the office at about 5:30 pm with the sole purpose of heading home to spend time with his wife, Joan, who passed away last year.

Lunches were one thing, and Stan could justify that as “business”—but beyond that, during many years of what I can accurately describe as a friendship, I got Stan to socialize with me outside of business hours exactly once. I practically had to bribe him. Which leads us to:

Stan’s favorite movie of all time was Fantasia

He loved the different segments, the music, and generally thought the whole damn package was brilliant and imaginative.

In 2000, Disney released Fantasia 2000, an ever-so-slightly remastered version of the original. A large IMAX screen was set up on Howard Hughes Parkway in Los Angeles, and an impromptu outdoor theater was established for the purpose of screening the flick. I got tickets, and invited Stan to see the premiere screening. He accepted.