SINGAPORE - When bookseller Kenny Chan heard of the passing of his hero, Marvel comics creator Stan Lee, the cry that came to mind was: "Excelsior no more!"

"Excelsior", a Latin word meaning "ever upward", was the catchphrase of Lee, the man behind Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and countless other superheroes, who died aged 95 on Monday (Nov 12).