Stan Lee, an icon and the blinding star of the comic book world, has passed away at the age of 95. This headline shocked the world, as friends, family, and millions of fans flocked to pay tribute to the creator of Marvel comics.
Marvel comics, started by Stan Lee in 1961, was the comic book of choice for millions of superhero fans from all over the world and all walks of life. Mr. Lee had made a niche for himself in the comic book industry rather quickly.
Stan Lee bore some of the most iconic superheroes of all time. Heroes like:
- Spiderman
- Iron Man
- The X-Men
- The Avengers
- The Black Panther
- The Incredible Hulk
And many, many more.
The Man
Born on December 28, 1921, Stan Lee was a superhero in his own right, just like the ones he created. Stanley Martin Leiber, as he was known to his parents, created a successful life for himself.
As the creator of Marvel Comics, he breathed life into the comic book craze of the late 60s, 70s, and beyond. He was a director, actor, writer, and producer. He led quite a busy life and touched the hearts of many fans.
Mr. Lee was completely focused on his characters. He would think of something, jot it down on paper, and watch that character come to life on the big screen! Working alongside Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, the Marvel Universe came to life with his creations.
With the invention of special effects, Stan brought his heroes to life on the big screen. He became an American superstar during a time in the United States when prosperity was extremely hard to come by.
Stan Lee’s claim to fame was his ability to stir a crowd. His storylines and underlying subject matter were always appropriate and true to the point. His comics addressed the mess in the world and really got to the reader on a personal level.
The Myth
Stan Lee was a larger than life human being. He gave his all on every single project that he ever took on. Starting out as a runner for the old Marvel Comics office, he slowly made his way up the food chain.
He eventually worked his way out of the mailroom and straight into stardom. He pitched idea after idea to the company. As his comics grew, so did his fame. The company realized his popularity and offered him the CEO position at the company.
The Legend
Stan Lee showed audiences that having an imagination was definitely not a bad thing. Here are some highlights of this incredible man’s journey to stardom.
- In 1939, Lee enters the Timely Comics business.
- In 1941, Lee starts on his journey by getting paid comic strip gigs.
- Due to a conflict in the interim of the Marvel company, Lee was promoted to Editor when he was only 19.
- He worked for Marvel as Editor-in-Chief for thirty-one years.
- He made cameo appearances in all of the Marvel movies.
- In 1942, Stan joined the Army and stayed stateside, writing training manuals and guides for the military.
- In the 1950s, he started a newspaper comic strip called, “My Friend Irma”.
- In the late ’90s, Stan started developing software and games for his comics.
The list is simply staggering of all the entitlements that Stan Lee had accomplished over the years.
As his journey continued, Stan made his way to Hollywood and never looked back. He wrote books and traveled the world. Stan won numerous awards over the years. Awards like the coveted Saturn Award and the prized National Medal of the Arts. Other awards were:
- Scream Awards
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Producers Guild of America
- Visual Effects of America
There were many other awards, as well.
The secret side of Lee
Stan enjoyed reading the classics. His favorite author was Mark Twain. He admitted that these old classics inspired him in a way. Other authors that he admired were, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and the like.
He was a huge fan of Bruce Lee. In fact, he was such a big fan that he adopted the name “Lee” for himself. He had many hobbies as a child but was known to be a complete bookworm.
In early 2012, Lee underwent open-heart surgery to have a pacemaker put in. He suffered from heart arrhythmia. This didn’t slow him down though. It only fueled him to do more. However, because of his health issues, he had to make some life changes for the better.
Stan Lee, we salute you! You will live in history…forever.
