Daily Comics Digression #32: The Great Stan Lee

Daily Comics Digression #32: The Great Stan Lee

Stan Lee has been in the news quite a bit lately. From altercations with body guards to nurses accusing him of making a pass, he just can't seem to avoid the headlines. In all honesty, I don't think Stan would have it any other way (well, maybe he'd want to avoid accusations of sexual assault). He's always been a consummate showman, loving the attention he could draw to himself and his works.To many mainstream audiences, Stan Lee simply is comics, at least as far as Marvel is concerned. He's the number one representative for fans across the globe, and his exclamations "Excelsior" and "True believers" have become second nature to many who grew up with a love of superheroes. 

Unfortunately, Stan Lee's time seems to be running out. He is currently battling pneumonia; and paired with the recent death of his wife, his health seems to rapidly declining. The situation is dire enough that his next few cameos for Marvel movies have all been filmed in advance. 

Although Stan Lee is one of the premier celebrities of the medium, the more you learn about what went on behind the scenes during the early days at Marvel, the more his legacy becomes complicated. Stan Lee seemed to have a tempestuous relationship with artists like Jack Kirby, the man who is largely responsible for the creation of the Avengers and many, many other comic book properties. While Stan bathed in the limelight, the artists who did the lion's share of labor in creating the comics themselves went unrecognized for years. 

Regardless, without Stan, it's quite possible that comics would never have reached the heights they have reached today. He may be like the P.T. Barnum of comics, but every circus needs a ringmaster. And Stan the Man was certainly one of the best in this regard.