On November 12th, 2018, it was announced that legendary comic book writer and icon Stan Lee has died at the age of 95. A family representative confirmed the news. Lee is widely known as the creator or co-creator of beloved comic book characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. He spent all of his writing career with Marvel Comics, and has become somewhat synonymous with the company.
This was a tough thing to wake up to as a comic book fan. I usually spend a few minutes every morning before getting out of bed combing through headlines on social media, and this was the one that greeted me today. We’ve been losing legends in the entertainment industry the past few years, and those loses feel the same level suckiness.
I am a known DC Comics and Batman fan, but my first exposure to comics was from Marvel books. If I recall correctly, the very first comic book story arc I’ve read as a kid was the (much-maligned) Spider-Man: Clone Saga.
It’s not the best storyline, and many comic fans will tell you how terrible it is, but as a child, watching Ben Reilly (a Peter Parker clone) take over as the Wall-Crawler because the original (Peter) decided to retire to focus on his pregnant wife, Mary-Jane Watson was a cool experience. Reilly’s costume was, for me at the time, way better than Peter’s and the overall art of the books was eye-popping and was way more fun than the textbooks and encyclopedias I was used to then (weird flex, but okay!).
Stan Lee created a fascinating universe that will captivate any young child even they don’t fully understand the concept of the multiverse just yet. I will always attribute my current love for comic books and nerdy things in general to Stan Lee and Spider-Man. They’ve opened my eyes to this medium of literature as a young boy, and that led to memorable experiences as an adult.
So, thank you, Stan Lee, for a having an impact in my life. I may not be biggest Marvel follower, and I regrettably have not followed much of Spidey’s adventures recently (too busy with Bats), but you have laid the foundation of this lifestyle that I’m leading. I forever appreciate that. Excelsior!
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