By WILLIAM WRIGHT HEATLEY
Staff Writer
When Marvel Comics co-creator, cartoonist and illustrator Stan Lee passed away at 95 on Nov. 12, the world lost more than just an icon; it lost its own superhero. Lee’s work in providing us with some of the greatest superheroes was an inspiration to people across generations.
The stories and characters he helped to create and develop have left their mark across multiple media. The greatest thing he gave to us as a creator of superhero content was the realism, humor and ability to teach a valuable lessons through storytelling and art.
Lee’s greatest ideas came into fruition during the 60s and 70s, what many refer to as “The Golden Age of Comic books.” The most popular heroes that are topping the box office these days are just as good as they were then. The Avengers, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk etc… These characters inspired their readers, and fandom became a concept for the disenfranchised.
For many kids and teens growing up, comics as a medium were cheaper and more readily available than television sets. As a kid growing up in the ‘50s, ‘60s or ‘70s, the main entertainment options were reading books, playing board games, watching movies or going to the theatre. Comics were less than 75 cents, and every issue featured a different type of escapism. Every hero helped the community learn a lesson at the end or learned a lesson themselves, whether in a single issue or a multi-issue story arc. There was always a new lesson to be learned, because growth and understanding were big themes in Lee’s life.
I have a collection of old comic books that I have obtained over the years, and every single Marvel comic contains “Stan’s Soapbox” and “Bullpen Bulletins.” These were written by Lee and the other head writers themselves. I loved reading these columns because they allowed me and all the other readers an opportunity to directly hear from the man himself talk about various topics, sometimes humorous, sometimes serious.
The thing with Marvel comics as a media that I love, before Disney acquired all of the rights, was that they could take a break from the facade of putting superheroes on pedestals and make them just like us. They were human, just like us. They had to deal with some of the same human stresses of human life, just as we do. Spider-Man was, and still is, a great example of this. Peter Parker has to deal with being a student, having a part-time job, taking care of his family and friends, and be a hero all at once.
At some point in our lives, juggling all of those things has an impact on our ability to properly function. Lee allowed us to feel that with our heroes, to be able to relate to them, and in a way, it made us feel like heroes too.
Yet after all of what he already gave us in the comic book medium, he brought his life to the screen and his cameos are magnificent. He has portrayed fictitious versions of himself, security guards, pedestrians, DJs, alien planet surgeons, playboys, and many other things. In total through all of his film appearances (not including television cameos for this) he made over twenty appearances in films over the span of 20 years.
It became kind of a game with me to see when he would show up and who he would play in whatever Marvel movie I was watching, because it got to a point where I was so used to seeing him. I’m sure that the next few Marvel films will pay an incredible tribute to the man who started it all. My favorite Stan Lee cameo to this day that still brings a tear to my eye occurs in “Spider-Man 3.” In the scene, Peter Parker is watching footage on a screen of Spider-Man saving people in New York on a video billboard in Times Square, when suddenly Stan Lee walks up next to him. After staring at the footage for a second, over Danny Elfman’s fabulous score, Lee says to Parker “You know, I guess one person can make a difference… ‘Nuff said.” as he walks away smiling.
I’m sad that he’s no longer with us, but I’m incredibly thankful for what he gave us, and his full life of wonder, mysticism, art, humor, and storytelling will continue to live through not only his memorable characters, but through the fans that he has touched over the years. Thank you Stan, for inspiring millions with your art, and helping to teach us that we can all be heroes too.
