Vale: Stan Lee
Legendary comic book creator, best known for Spiderman, Thor, Hulk, & the Fantastic Four has died.
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Legendary comic book creator Stan Lee, best known for Spiderman, Thor, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four has died, aged 95.
Lee was reportedly rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he later died. The cause of death has not been immediately released.
Lee began working in 1939 with Timely Comics, the company changed its name to Marvel Comics in 1961 when Lee and artist Jack Kirby co-created the Fantastic Four and saw it go on to become a hit.
In the the 1960s he created including Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men. Lee co-created Daredevil with Bill Everett, and Doctor Strange and Spiderman with Steve Ditko. The characters all lived in a shared universe that mirrors our own, with most heroes residing in Lee’s home of New York City. The common factor that proved to be Lee’s key to success was giving superheroes relatable flaws as opposed to making them perfect, infallible beings.
Movies, TV shows, video games, action figures, statues, and all manner of merchandise followed. They are the foundation of Marvel Entertainment, which is now a multi-faceted company of which Marvel Comics is only one aspect of the business. Such was Stan’s loveable fandom that it wouldn’t be uncommon for fans to applaud in the cinema when he makes his brief on-screen appearances.
Lee also prided himself on having a friendly rapport with fans and would answer questions in the letters pages with a personable and exuberant style, signing his correspondences with his signature phrase, “Excelsior!”
“Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created. A super hero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart,” said Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.
Source: IGN
3 Responses
Cornwall, late ‘80s.
My best mate would bunk off most games period to listen to music. And read lots of Marvel comics.
Here was a form of storytelling so vibrant and colourful. Chris would warn me away from certain graphic arachnid laden pages of Venom or Carnage. Cloak & Dagger romanced and inspired with their bold inter-racial love affair. The Watcher posed the question “What If…?”. I was shown you can be an individual but still work as a team, just like the Fantastic 4…
At the end of each title, was Stan’s Bullpen Bulletin using a slightly peculiar American vernacular, his messages always of kindness, of tolerance, of not being afraid of adventure, but also of humble gratitude for anyone who chose to read.
Stan Lee’s world was so inviting to escape to and despite how fantastic or unbelievable, it was a world that gave me a lot of inspiration and comfort.
Excelsior, true believers.
I’ll miss his cameos in the Marvel films.
Besides comics and movies Stan Lee was very prominent in the Big Bang Theory and Simpsons. ??