How do you encapsulate a generational influence in a blog? Legend is too provincial a word to cover everything that Stan Lee was. Writer, first and foremost, a colossal imagination, outsize personality, humanist...creator. To me, at one point, he WAS Marvel Comics...I later learned about "The Marvel Bullpen" that Stan presided over. They were all Co-Creators, of course, a fact Stan was a little slow to acknowledge admittedly, but ALL the stories were shot through with Stan's personality, his World view if you will.
He believed in the innate goodness of mankind, a fair shake for one and all and peace and tolerance for humanity. His stories broke brand new ground; from 1961 to date Marvel set the standard. Real life concerns were raised and reflected in Stan's prose; he encouraged artists to push the boundaries of what was possible. He, famously, took Spider-Man from Jack "The King" Kirby when he felt Peter Parker needed to be more "human" and less "god like", enter Steve Ditko. Stan harnessed imagination and talent like no other, Walt Disney would be an equivalent example, I suppose.
Stan, of course, adored the adoration, the limelight...and, perhaps, took too much credit for things. He was notoriously slow to acknowledge the artist input, but it's worth noting that (in his interview for his sketchbook collection) "Big" John Buscema, often credited as the Michelangelo of comics, said he felt Stan deserved his credit and had no problem with him.
As for me...when Stan passed the father of my imagination died. My earliest recollection of drawing is struggling to capture those four colour panels that Stan and the guys created. It's no exaggeration to say that I owe my career as a professional illustrator to Marvel Comics in general, and Stan in particular, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
To have US talk show host, Bill Maher, crap all over that legacy is more than I can bear, Maher's basic misunderstanding of what comic books are is breathtaking for a man of his, perceived, intellect. Comics are a gateway to literacy for children, they always have been, and Stan in particular recognised this. He always put literary signposts in his work, leading kids onto other writers work...Shakespeare in particular. Bill Maher would rather damn an entire cultural movement simply because he doesn't "get it" and, furthermore, to blame STAN for the dumbing down of America is RIDICULOUS. Donald J Trump was elected by a combination of lies, racism and misplaced anger...things that Stan Lee fought against for his entire life.
Having held a reasonably high opinion of Maher in the past...he, and his opinions, are dead to me now. As always...now, and forevermore, when I stand...I stand with Stan!
EXCELSIOR!!!!
