As I write this, I’m currently in the hotel room preparing for a SolarWinds User Group in Frankfurt, Germany. I heard the news about Stan Lee’s passing at the dinner table surrounded by coworkers and friends when in London and got to thinking about how a single person can have such a large impact. I think that we all would like to feel like we can have a similar impact.
Even for this trip, I packed four trade paperbacks to read on the plane and during downtime. I feel that without Stan’s influence, this serialized comic as an art form would have faded away before I took an interest. Growing up, I was never a person who frequented comic book shops. That all changed about four years ago when I was within a “dry” spell for things to read. I went to a local shop, picked up a few trades and read through them. Since then, every few months, I get an itch and need to go to the shop, flip through a handful of books and walk out the door with several.
Stan Lee is one of the fathers of the modern comic book medium. He, and his partner, Steve Ditko, created some of the most memorable comic book characters that are now commonplace to our daily lives.
For me, the most influential comic book character to come from Stan and Steve is Spider-man. Say what you will about the various movies and reboots, the character of Peter Parker is just a guy trying to do the right thing. Once more, he was young (in high school) when he received his powers. I remember what it was like to be a teenager. School, work, relationships, all of it seemed impossibly difficult. I had fallouts with longtime friends (like Harry Osborne), I had a crush (like Gwen Stacy), I had family that just didn’t get me (like Aunt May), but I didn’t have the added difficulty of dealing with superpowers and the temptation that arose to abuse those.
Those of us who love our comics frequently joke that we don’t need to see Uncle Ben die again, or Thomas and Martha Wayne being shot down in Crime Alley, but those events were catalysts in the lives of the characters. Hopefully, any catalyst in your life isn’t as traumatizing as those events, but there’s still something in your life that was a call to action for change.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” The words from his Uncle Ben resonate even today. It doesn’t matter if you have superpowers or if you are like me, an average guy trying to go about your life: the message is the same. Take responsibility and be true to yourself and your core beliefs.
Stan Lee was one of those people who was larger than life. He was always more than the sum of his parts. A few years ago, I saw him at C2E2 at the authors tables signing autographs for fans. Seeing him in person, made you realize this this was just a man, albeit a passionate one for his craft. Part of that passion was him involving himself in everything. There wasn’t a Marvel movie without a cameo from Stan Lee. He was the executive producer on many of them, and his was part of the original creation team for many of the iconic characters today.
The most recent place that I saw Stan Lee was in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Now, the Teen Titans are a DC Comics property, but the entire premise of the movie was mostly about calling out superhero movie tropes. And in short order, there was Stan Lee, on the grounds of the studio, grabbing the spotlight. This was perfect considering the tone of that film and his penchant for showing up in ever superhero movie over the past thirty years. In the movie, Robin said, “Not now, Stan Lee,” and I disagree, and that this was a perfect fit.
Like the Pizza Planet truck showing up in a Pixar film or THX 1138 showing up in a George Lucas movie, Stan Lee was someone to watch for over the years. His appearances in the Marvel movies was expected and well-loved.
He was everywhere, and he touched everything. He influenced pop culture today in ways that will ripple down through the years. Originally, his creations were his real passion, and then it moved onto the comics industry. He was with Marvel through the bad years (either financially or via storylines, take your pick) and he weathered the storm. He suffered through the days of the Comics Code Authority where the work was censored. Almost all other comic creators have worked only in a single age, but Stan worked during the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern age of comics. He was forced to grow and adapt with his industry. For that alone, he would gain my acclaim.
The loss of Mr. Lee will be felt for years to come, but thankfully several other members of the comic book community are there to pick up the baton. His light, enthusiasm, and passion are the reason that he, and comics in general, succeeded. The lesson that I can take from this is that if your job is your passion, you’ll do it better for the betterment of everyone around you.
Thank you, Stan Lee, for your commitment, your love, and your body of work. Excelsior!