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So I guess I need to share my Stan Lee story. I'm sure that any comic book nerd who has been to enough conventions has one like this, but here's mine. I met Lee around 1991 at a comic book convention in Fort Lauderdale. This was when Marvel 2099 was starting up and Lee wrote (okay, I'm not really sure if he actually did, but he had the credit) the first issue of justifiably forgotten Ravage 2099. In person Stan the Man was exactly the persona he presented. I know at this point that it was basically a character he was doing but he was there being Stan Lee for the fans. So after waiting in line almost an hour to meet him, I've got my copy of Ravage 2099 #1 for him to sign and I said something like, "I know from your Bullpen pages that you're working in Hollywood to get Marvel movies made. Could there be a Dr. Strange movie?" And Stan replied, "You betcha! That's one I want to see, too! And I'm working on something right now for it!" Oddly enough, though it took about 25 years for Stan to make good on that statement to me, I don't think he was lying either. Full Moon video was trying to make a Dr. Strange movie at the time though after a falling out they released it as "Doctor Mordrid". Basically, Stan Lee was as great in person as you'd think. It occurred to me that after this year the last person of Marvel's 1961 crew left is Larry Lieber. It's been a bad year for early silver age creators.
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Nov 12, 2018 23:54
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As a kid Stan Lee was my first real touchstone of what a writer was-- that there was a real person behind the texts in front of me, and that they weren't just spontaneously generated to of the air. That so much of his public persona was bluster and hype is obvious, but he put a face to the work (and, well, to the work of other people) that was mindblowing to a little kid. I remember his intro bits to those X-Men VHS types you'd get from Pizza Hut, little round-table interviews where he'd get into the process, what he was thinking with the characters, and realizing that putting words together was a thing you could actually do. I wasn't from a creative family, and it somehow didn't occur to me that writing and storytelling translated out of classroom exercises into "real life" until him. His superhero-as-allegory bits were broad, sometimes hamfisted, and not always (as with the X-Men) 100% coherent, but for an audience of children especially they were such a tremendous introduction to what stories could do, and how you could make the world better through them. I don't work anywhere near comics as such but still, I don't know where I'd be professionally without him as an early role-model.
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Nov 13, 2018 00:49
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My only experience with him was at last year's Awesome-Con. He was, by far, the biggest media guest for the weekend, and they had the typical photo ops and signings and such, but what most appealed to me was Bagels & Coffee with Stan Lee - a Q&A for 150 people with light breakfast available. It was pricy, but I did it, figuring there wouldn't be too many more opportunities to meet him, and it certainly sounded better than standing in line for hours to take a picture, and be shuffled off for the next person. And it was great! He was definitely the character I expected, regaled us with stories of his time in comics, his long relationship with Joan (who he clearly was still very much in love with), and so on. We were then shuffled quickly through a line to take photos with him. I'm glad I made it. Joan died about a month later, and from there, we all knew it was his time soon. It's a shame he was taken advantage of in the end of his life. Mark Waid wrote about Stan on Facebook: quote:A few more thoughts about Stan.
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Nov 13, 2018 01:17
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X-O posted:Rob was one of the creators that visited Stan frequently in his last few years. They actually had a really good friendly relationship. We give Liefeld a lot of poo poo- and he deserves 95% of it- but still from what I hear, he's a decent person at heart. It's just that his ego blew up to planet-sized proportions when all the cameras were pointed at him in the 90's.
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Nov 13, 2018 01:33
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In tribute to Stan Lee I am gonna find someone else's eulogy for him and claim I came up with it
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Nov 13, 2018 01:40
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Mel Mudkiper posted:In tribute to Stan Lee I am gonna find someone else's eulogy for him and claim I came up with it Yea, not today dude. Come back with your hot takes another day.
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Nov 13, 2018 01:56
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Man the Bendis tribute is pretty fantastic: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/my-moments-with-stan.html
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Nov 13, 2018 02:06
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He was such an indelible part of Spider-Man. Feels like part of the character is gone.
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Nov 13, 2018 02:06
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X-O posted:Man the Bendis tribute is pretty fantastic: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/my-moments-with-stan.html Yeah that was a great read.
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Nov 13, 2018 02:15
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X-O posted:Man the Bendis tribute is pretty fantastic: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/my-moments-with-stan.html That was really nice 
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Nov 13, 2018 02:46
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Random Stranger posted:It occurred to me that after this year the last person of Marvel's 1961 crew left is Larry Lieber. It's been a bad year for early silver age creators. Joe Sinnott's still around.
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Nov 13, 2018 03:54
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https://twitter.com/Criterion/status/1062090922048004096
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Nov 13, 2018 04:00
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Wasn't Stan still writing the daily comic strip? Wonder how many were in the can and who will take over?
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Nov 13, 2018 04:04
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mallratcal posted:Wasn't Stan still writing the daily comic strip? Wonder how many were in the can and who will take over? Well, his name was on it. I don't think anyone is under the illusion that hem was actually writing it. Newspaper lead times are something like six weeks.
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Nov 13, 2018 04:07
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El Gallinero Gros posted:Pretty sure without Stan intervening, Martin Goodman was gonna close up shop at one point. Stan talked him out of it. The story in Howes book is that they were about to move the furniture out and they convinced him to stay open another year and let them try this new book about a family that went into space
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Nov 13, 2018 04:08
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Endless Mike posted:Well, his name was on it. I don't think anyone is under the illusion that hem was actually writing it. I figured he was dictating the story to someone.
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Nov 13, 2018 04:10
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At most he suggested who he wants as guest star or something, but no, I honestly don't think he had anything to do with it.
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Nov 13, 2018 04:22
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One of the best things about Stan Lee were the titles to his stories... "Lo, There Must Be An Ending!" That's the good stuff right there...
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Nov 13, 2018 04:24
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Holy poo poo, I really want to see that monster movie. Too drat bad it never got made. Sounds fun.
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Nov 13, 2018 04:34
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Principal Hellmann posted:One of the best things about Stan Lee were the titles to his stories... Will never forget if This Be My Destiny...!
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Nov 13, 2018 04:43
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This Man This Monster imo
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Nov 13, 2018 04:43
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BENGHAZI 2 posted:This Man This Monster imo Well not as good I also like "This Monster Forever!"
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Nov 13, 2018 04:59
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literally the only comic con I've been to I got to get a poster signed by Stan Lee and do the typical fanboy gush thing. I said something dumb about Spider-Man being my favorite hero because he was smart and funny as well as actiony (extremely hot take to share with Marvel's writer, I know) and he just grinned and said 'hey that's why I like him too'. I know like said the whole ~Stan The Man~ thing was a persona but he was just really good at it and had probably been dealing with nerds like me all day so it was just kinda cool to get my own silly Stan Lee Quip Story out of being an awkward starstruck dingus.
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Nov 13, 2018 05:28
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RIP Stan Lee, hearing him in one of the spiderman tutorial levels was what made me read comics at all.
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Nov 13, 2018 13:35
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Spider-Man really was Stan's best writing work in my opinion. He wrote the first one hundred consecutive issues, and they hold up so much better than the very early runs of the other heroes from that era. Not just hold up, they're grand. Hell, writing one hundred issues of anything is a feat by itself, but this was while he was simultaneously writing, editing, and co-creating how many other funny books? The boy was a goddamn machine in the '60s.
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Nov 13, 2018 13:40
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An insane mind posted:RIP Stan Lee, hearing him in one of the spiderman tutorial levels was what made me read comics at all. I remember that well. "Welcome, true believers and newcomers alike! Stan Lee here!"  RIP Stan.
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Nov 13, 2018 13:40
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Press 'E' to pay Excelsior.
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Nov 13, 2018 14:12
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I was gonna ask how much actual comics writing he had done after the 70s but if I'm reading this right he had been writing newspaper Spider-Man for over 40 years? Is that true?
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Nov 13, 2018 14:16
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Hakkesshu posted:I was gonna ask how much actual comics writing he had done after the 70s but if I'm reading this right he had been writing newspaper Spider-Man for over 40 years? Is that true? He’s credited, but no.
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Nov 13, 2018 14:40
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Parkingtigers posted:Spider-Man really was Stan's best writing work in my opinion. He wrote the first one hundred consecutive issues, and they hold up so much better than the very early runs of the other heroes from that era. Not just hold up, they're grand. Hell, writing one hundred issues of anything is a feat by itself, but this was while he was simultaneously writing, editing, and co-creating how many other funny books? The boy was a goddamn machine in the '60s. Fantastic Four is the better overall work, but for just Lee it absolutely is Spider-Man. Hakkesshu posted:I was gonna ask how much actual comics writing he had done after the 70s but if I'm reading this right he had been writing newspaper Spider-Man for over 40 years? Is that true? He was occasionally credited with an issue here or there. Ravage 2099 #1 I mentioned above. There was a surprisingly decent Daredevil story in the 90's that he did, too. A lot of what he did after founding Stan Lee Entertainment as a separate thing from Marvel is just pitch odd ideas that credit him as "creator" and then fizzle out. drat, I had to rewrite my sentences to be past tense. 
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Nov 13, 2018 14:49
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Samuringa posted:Let's also remember him for being giving some absolutely savage punches: The greatness of this clip aside, I think it highlights just how much the entire culture of comics changed because of Lee's involvement. I'm not really up on my comics history, but... did anyone think about the way superheroes changed their clothes before he came along? From the smattering of goldenage DC I've read, no one really seemed to; Batman was a millionaire who had a secret cave and a legion of people to run interference and answer awkward questions, and Superman was Superman. Nobody thought about how superheroes maintained their secret identities, they just did... but then along came Spider-man, who never actually stopped being Peter Parker when he put on the mask. Being neither a rich dilettante, a CEO, or a god, he can't actually shirk his responsibilities as a student, so when he goes superheroing, everyone wonders where Peter is- his peers think he's standoffish, potential employers think he's lazy or shiftless, and loved ones just wonder where he is. There is a great sacrifice to being a hero that Spider-man has to make, and he wanted absolutely no part of it until it was shown to him how ignoring crime affected him personally. What once seemed like a legend is rapidly brought down to earth... I wonder if anyone would have thought about the "being human" part of superhuman if he had not raised these points in this comic. I have no personal anecdotes to share, I only saw Stan from afar a couple of times, at conventions and such. His enthusiasm for the art was clear, and he just came off as this charming, delightful old man... Rest beyond pain.
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Nov 13, 2018 15:16
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resurgam40 posted:The greatness of this clip aside, I think it highlights just how much the entire culture of comics changed because of Lee's involvement. I'm not really up on my comics history, but... did anyone think about the way superheroes changed their clothes before he came along? From the smattering of goldenage DC I've read, no one really seemed to; Batman was a millionaire who had a secret cave and a legion of people to run interference and answer awkward questions, and Superman was Superman. Nobody thought about how superheroes maintained their secret identities, they just did... but then along came Spider-man, who never actually stopped being Peter Parker when he put on the mask. Being neither a rich dilettante, a CEO, or a god, he can't actually shirk his responsibilities as a student, so when he goes superheroing, everyone wonders where Peter is- his peers think he's standoffish, potential employers think he's lazy or shiftless, and loved ones just wonder where he is. There is a great sacrifice to being a hero that Spider-man has to make, and he wanted absolutely no part of it until it was shown to him how ignoring crime affected him personally. What once seemed like a legend is rapidly brought down to earth... I wonder if anyone would have thought about the "being human" part of superhuman if he had not raised these points in this comic. There's a very brief moment at 1:26 that also shows they forgot this. He asks if the character has a secret identity or who he is when he's not wearing his suit, what he does when he's not super-heroing and they just fumble going "Do you think he ever takes off the suit" and carry on with drawing that mess.
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Nov 13, 2018 17:07
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I never met Stan at a con, but when I was a kid I played that ancient “How to Draw the Marvel Way” PC game for hours on end and Stan’s narration was fantastic as he begged you to fix all the Liefeld legs and arms. I’m really shocked I can’t find any videos of the game online.
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Nov 13, 2018 17:39
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https://twitter.com/f_francavilla/status/1062395657875546113
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Nov 13, 2018 18:25
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Samuringa posted:Let's also remember him for being giving some absolutely savage punches: I like how even though there's a somewhat tense undercurrent of very different aesthetic and storytelling sensibilities clashing, and the ribbing about drawing hands and what not, you still get the sense that everyone (at least Lee and Liefeld) are legitimately having a pretty good time being around each other. I honestly love the adolescent energy of the Image guys here-- "he has three different cannons that are facin' ya... for the large ka-plooey, PF PF PF!"
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Nov 13, 2018 19:09
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That character actually became a real thing and even had a hideous toy!
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Nov 13, 2018 19:37
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Feet cropped out of photo, 10/10 for authenticity.
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Nov 13, 2018 19:43
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He even showed up in the Spawn Cartoon. EDIT: Also this is your friendly reminder that Spawn is still a thing that exists.
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Nov 13, 2018 19:49
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X-O posted:That character actually became a real thing and even had a hideous toy! Actually, if look closely, they are drawing their new creation Overkill, while you have posted totally unrelated original character Overtkill.
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Nov 13, 2018 20:00
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Fresh Air reran an interview with Stan Terry Gross did in 1991. He was talking up the James Cameron Spider-Man film as the next big blockbuster.
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Nov 13, 2018 20:42
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