RIP Stan Lee 1922 – 2018
A few hours ago, I learned that Stan Lee passed away. He lived to the ripe old age of 95, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. I never met Stan, but I can definitely say that I’ve been influenced by his work. I became a Marvel comics devotee in 1987, starting with comics like GI Joe and TRANSFORMERS before dipping my toes into the Marvel Universe proper. But I had definitely heard of Stan Lee before then.
Up through the 1980’s, there was very little in the way of instructional books on making comics. Somehow, through a chance encounter at a book store in the early to mid 80’s, I found myself as the proud new owner of a copy of “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way”, written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Buscema. For an anxious teenage artist who was starved of art instruction, the book was a revelation – as it was the only one of its kind to really show a behind-the-scenes peek of how comics were made. While I was enthralled with the book, it would be a few more years before I would read my first Marvel super-hero comic book.
At the age of 14, I finally got it. Through comic titles like The Silver Surfer, The Punisher, and Power Man and Iron Fist, I became fascinated (obsessed?) with the entire Marvel Universe. I’ve been a fan of super-hero comics since my teenage years, with a preference for Marvel characters. What I liked most about Marvel comics back then was how relatable the main characters were. Character like Peter Parker, Ben Grimm, and the Silver Surfer had flaws, despite their heroic powers. I could relate to them. This aspect of Marvel comics was the formula Stan Lee had developed from the very beginning as he ushered in the Marvel Universe in the early 1960s.
He will be missed. Thanks for all the wonderful comics, Stan.
Krishna
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