Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95 (hollywoodreporter.com) 199
Stan Lee, who wrote and published a comic book legacy that spans from the Depression Era to the present day, who created Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Thor, has died. He was 95. Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York City in 1922, the son of Romanian Jewish immigrants, and at the age of 17, he began work as an assistant at Timely Comics, the company that would become Marvel Comics. Filling inkwells and fetching lunch, Lee's career began just in time for Superman's 1930s debut in Action Comics #1, kicking off the history of superhero comics. From a report: Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, X-Men, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man and other characters, died early Monday morning in Los Angeles, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. (Joan Celia Lee, Stan's daughter, confirmed the news to TMZ.) Lee's final few years were tumultuous.
[...] On his own and through his work with frequent artist-writer collaborators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world's No. 1 publisher of comic books and later a multimedia giant. In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time -- led by The Avengers' $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 -- featured Marvel characters. An exchange from one of Stan Lee's last interviews, which appeared last month: Interviewer: Do you feel like your legacy is secure?
Stan Lee: Absolutely.
Interviewer: What's on your wish list?
Stan Lee: That I leave everyone happy when I leave.
Interviewer: You won't leave anyone happy.
Stan Lee: Well, I don't mean happy that I left. Happy that I took the right path.
Interviewer: You always do, pop. It was just the people around you. It was never you. You were always the good guy, and there were just creeps around you, and it was this town. Never you.
[...] On his own and through his work with frequent artist-writer collaborators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world's No. 1 publisher of comic books and later a multimedia giant. In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time -- led by The Avengers' $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 -- featured Marvel characters. An exchange from one of Stan Lee's last interviews, which appeared last month: Interviewer: Do you feel like your legacy is secure?
Stan Lee: Absolutely.
Interviewer: What's on your wish list?
Stan Lee: That I leave everyone happy when I leave.
Interviewer: You won't leave anyone happy.
Stan Lee: Well, I don't mean happy that I left. Happy that I took the right path.
Interviewer: You always do, pop. It was just the people around you. It was never you. You were always the good guy, and there were just creeps around you, and it was this town. Never you.
R.I.P. (Score:5, Interesting)
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God just thinks he's Stan Lee.
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And you wonder why you can't get laid.
Re:R.I.P. GOOD RIDDANCE - PC SJW SNOWFLAKE LOSER (Score:5, Interesting)
Apparently Stan Lee made your life miserable.
Well, here's an opportunity for an empirical test. See if your life is any less miserable now that he's gone.
If your life never seems to get better, no matter who dies or who ends up in office, maybe your problem isn't what you think it is.
Re:R.I.P. GOOD RIDDANCE - PC SJW SNOWFLAKE LOSER (Score:5, Insightful)
You see: it never stops. If you like feeling this way, by all means carry on, but to me at least you don't sound happy. In fact, you don't sound like you feel safe, which is actually more important.
I am not a threat to you. Stan Lee was not a threat to you. Comic books with plotlines you don't like can't hurt you. None of the people you rail against are likely to harm you. And you will never feel content by trying to change everyone else. As Marcus Aurelius said, "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself."
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Dude, please read what you just posted. Imagine someone else wrote that. Is that really the person you want to be?
It looks to me like you've got some serious problems, and screaming at people on the Internet is not going to fix them. Please consider some form of counseling or therapy or something where you can get that hate out of your system.
It's fine if you don't like Marvel comics. Just ignore them. But don't let your dislike for something turn into such destructive hate. That's not healthy for you.
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Re:R.I.P. GOOD RIDDANCE - PC SJW SNOWFLAKE LOSER (Score:5, Insightful)
Stan Lee has always been on the forefront of the fight for social justice. Whenever Marvel was critical of the USA, it was because the US was shitting on justice.
Stan Lee was one of the good guys. (Unlike the army of trolls that's so eager to puke all over this thread.)
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A ledgend (Score:5, Insightful)
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Stan Lee has been fighting racism and bigotry for decades, as his article from 1968 proves. [inverse.com]
Your ignorance leaves you without a leg to stand on. Your cowardly kind is vanishing from the face of the Earth. Good-Bye!
ZIP
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Jesus fucking Christ, what is it with all the hate here? Yeah yeah lock her up, send Trump to prison, blah blah blah SHUT THE FUCK UP.
This man was a legend, at least wait until he's cold in the ground before using his death as a platform for your bullshit.
Will be missed (Score:5, Interesting)
The thing that I always liked personally, regardless of all his other accomplishments, was spot Stan Lee in any movie with any of his characters.
He seemed like a great character himself.
Re:Will be missed (Score:4)
> He seemed like a great character himself.
I met him once in the guest suite at Dragoncon in Atlanta, where I was also a guest speaker. His personality in real life was exactly the same as he's featured in the Marvel films.
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I found his appearances in the movies quite amusing and that will truly be missed.
I hope that his creations and legacy lives on in his spirit. I think that's the important part - never forget the spirit of the characters.
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> He seemed like a great character himself.
I met him once in the guest suite at Dragoncon in Atlanta, where I was also a guest speaker. His personality in real life was exactly the same as he's featured in the Marvel films.
Thanks for posting this, I've only seen him in movies and it is nice to know the impressions from the movies were of Stan Lee himself, rather than a character for the movies.
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The thing that I always liked personally, regardless of all his other accomplishments, was spot Stan Lee in any movie with any of his characters.
He seemed like a great character himself.
Nice post. RIP, smilin' Stan.
'nuff said...
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You mean his fanbase?
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Re:Will be missed (Score:5, Insightful)
RE: Doctor Who and Jodie Whittaker:
I think, if given the right writers and directorship, Jodie would make a great Doctor Who. The problem really is the stories this season are horrible. They do nothing but pander to the current political ideology.
Some alien broke out of prison to travel in time to stop Rosa Parks from not moving on the bus because of...racism? That's what they came up with? Future racism?
Genetically engineered spiders attacking people because of an American who used the basement of his hotels as a dumping ground for all kinds of stuff?
Doctor Who has always had hits and misses but this season has been ALL misses so far. Bring back Stephen Moffat or Russell Davies and we can see what real writers can do for Jodie Whittaker. Chris Chibnall hasn't written a good episode yet...
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I have to agree. I have liked Jodi Whittaker in everything I've seen her in. Was excited to see her and hoped she did a great job. This season has just been terrible plot wise. Marketing wise they couldn't just have a female doctor, they've had to turn it into a 'I am woman hear me roar'. So progressive she can't even have companions, they are 'friends' as if its been taken over by peta. Every episode has been a struggle not to channel surf through.
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Can you cite an example of 'I am woman hear me roar'?
I've seen every episode and don't recall any. In fact the only time it's been mentioned is as the odd one liner joke.
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Some alien broke out of prison to travel in time to stop Rosa Parks from not moving on the bus because of...racism? That's what they came up with? Future racism?
The whole plan is pretty dumb as well. What was it supposed to change? What would have happened had Rosa Parks been prevented from moving on the bus? We might have had a slightly different name in the history books, but everything else would have been about the same. It magnifies the importance of one person, when it was millions who were being oppressed at the same time. If not her, it would have been someone else.
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Some alien broke out of prison to travel in time to stop Rosa Parks from not moving on the bus because of...racism? That's what they came up with? Future racism?
The whole plan is pretty dumb as well. What was it supposed to change? What would have happened had Rosa Parks been prevented from moving on the bus? We might have had a slightly different name in the history books, but everything else would have been about the same. It magnifies the importance of one person, when it was millions who were being oppressed at the same time. If not her, it would have been someone else.
Thing is that in reality it already had been someone else, months before Rosa Parks even, but the earlier woman didn't have a clean enough image to serve as a spokesperson for the civil rights movement so they didn't back her up at all. (Yeah, can't remember her name either.)
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I guess the premise is that it had to be Rosa for it to have the impact it did. That's why the time traveller needed to prevent it.
You can certainly question the premise, but as premises for Doctor Why episodes go, it makes more sense than most, and everything beyond the premise was excellent.
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Has anyone else noticed that Rosa Parks looks like Benjamin Sisko?
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You forgot the first episode that was a rip off of the Predator Sci-Fi movie, even so far as collecting teeth. And then they kill off one of the only good characters, the old lady that was more willing to do anything to hep and make changes and seemed quite smart, unlike her weak wimpy son..
But yea, all the stories have a topical political bent.
I want original good thinking sci-fi...I guess I should send in some of my stories..
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Oh and good By Stan Lee. All matter and energy are conserved, so maybe someday we will be able to re-construct you..
Thanks for all the memories Stan.
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It started out as Predator, but then subverted it. I loved that. Dangerous alien predator is actually a loser who needs to cheat to win. It's an interesting subversion of a common trope.
The gran who died was sad, but also now inspires the other characters. She didn't just vanish. It wasn't a fridging either; she chose to do what needed to be done.
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I strongly disagree. I love this new season. Rosa seems universally praised and loved, but I also really like the other episodes (haven't seen this week's yet).
On the whole, the Doctor can't just barge in and explain who she is to chase aliens away anymore; she actually has to work at it. Puzzles and mysteries need actual solutions, and they make more sense than they ever did. The spiders had a few loose ends, but it still made more sense than most monster spider infestation stories.
She always looks a few s
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This is Who going back to its roots. It was originally supposed to be educational, which is why they had time travel. The Doctor could visit all sorts of historic events and teach kids about them, as well as doing some future stuff to look at some Star Trek style moral issues that reflect the issues of the day.
They are also going back to shorter story arcs, with more self contained episodes, because that's better for viewership. Moffat was terrible for that - often there was a little hint at something towar
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Weak? I love the new season. Rosa is universally praised, but other episodes also promise a much more interesting Doctor. None of this stuff where the Doctor's name alone is enough to strike fear in entire enemy battle fleets, but actual problems that need to be figured out, and make some sense once they have been figured out. Previous seasons relied far too much on Deus Ex Machina or incomprehensible solutions. This season seems a bit more grounded in reality and logic (despite the obvious fantasy of cours
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I was extremely concerned about Whittaker taking over the role, especially as Capaldi seemed to hold so much promise but failed to deliver on almost every level, including a stream of stories on the evil of capitalism.
I have been pleasantly surprised. Whittaker has the Doctor nailed. She's the best modern Doctor since Tennant in my opinion.
Rosa was great. Alabama in the 50's might as well be another planet. There was no preaching. They just showed how it was. Have a problem with that? Those who forget histo
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So, does this mean more superhero movies or fewer? (Score:1)
I get it, y'all want to relive your childhood, but can we have some proper movies again?
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Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can... be prepared for another spiderman reboot... and perhaps a hulk reboot too... for good measure, gotta sell those toys you know.
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Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can...
You're right, of course, but really that's been happening since the mid-1990's with Marvel and DC stuff.
They have found a formula that works, so they just change the suit the protagonist wears but nothing else.
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Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can... be prepared for another spiderman reboot...
Who? Sony owns the motion picture rights to Spiderman, and they're clinging to those rights for dear life. Spiderman's recent appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe only happened after extended, painful negotiation.
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Yeah, it seems like they intend to stick with Tom Holland for a while.
And honestly, I think Disney is doing an excellent job taking care of the MCU. I had no idea there even were people who disagreed.
Sad (Score:5, Insightful)
I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie. I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.
He did what he loved, was successful, and touched many lives.
Re:Sad (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, they did. I live about one town north of Pinewood Atlanta Studios, where many of the Marvel films are done, so we get a lot of movie news. Due to his age, they would do Stan's scenes for three or four films at once, so he didn't have to travel as much. His home was in Los Angeles. Also, the live-action shooting is typically 8 months to a year in advance of theater release, because all the special effects take time to do. The live-action has to come first, so they can synchronize the CGI around them. So they may have several more films "in the can" with his scenes.
Note: "in the can" is archaic since reels of film in metal containers aren't used any more. It's all digital now, so I guess "on the hard drive" is more correct.
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I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie.
Not trying to rain on the parade of commemorating the passing of Stan Lee, but he did not appear in every Marvel movie. See Which Marvel movies have NOT included Stan Lee cameos, and why? [stackexchange.com]
That link lists at least 17 Marvel movies he didn't have a cameo in.
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Even a DC movie, he was in Teen Titans Go to the Movies, it was a cheeky but cute way to honor him
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I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie. I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.
Maybe they'll make a Marvel Zombies movie?
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I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.
Don't be ridiculous. Dead? Fix it in post! Seriously, it doesn't matter if people are dead or not because CG makes anything visually possible.
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They could always CG him in. Oh wait...
His life was but a cameo... (Score:1)
Despite his catchphrases, there was never 'nuff said.
Excelsior and farewell.
Holy run-on sentence, Batman! (Score:2)
“In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time -- led by The Avengers' $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 -- featured Marvel characters.”
Thanks for so many filling so many of my childhood days with fun and adventure, Stan. You put so much thought and imagination into your characters... I just wish this obit-piece writer had put at least a few seconds into proof-reading this.
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This isn't a run on sentence. The first independent clause is "Walt Disney co. bought," and the second independent clause is "most of the top [...] featured." The two independent clauses are joined by a comma+and, which is fine.
Perhaps "led by the Avengers [...]" confused you? But it's just a standard appositive modifying "films," although a comma is more common than an em-dash. Still it's fine. Similarly, I could say "Breakfast - the most important meal of the day - is becoming too expensive."
Excelsior! (Score:5, Insightful)
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Godspeed my man - you're the Watcher in the sky now.
I've always though of him as the One-Above-All (the ultimate god of the Marvel multiverse). After all, the most powerful entity in an comic book story is the writer. He has ascended back to his realm.
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Jack Kirby took that role when shown in the comics
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I've always though of him as the One-Above-All (the ultimate god of the Marvel multiverse). After all, the most powerful entity in an comic book story is the writer. He has ascended back to his realm.
Jack Kirby took that role when shown in the comics
Both now in the Kirby-Lee nebula.
RIP STAN (Score:2, Insightful)
Rip Stan
I hope your post credit scenes in life are as special as the ones we all loved to see
A good life for a good man (Score:5, Interesting)
F
I can't say I was ever interested in Stan Lee's creations, but the man did save more lives than any doctor I know of. I have countless nerd friends who found refuge in his creations, finding a reason to enjoy the written word and a good role model when the world around wasn't kind or welcoming. I know that several of my friends would not have made it through a rough puberty without his comics. He prevented many school shootings and suicides.
Stan Lee was one person that left the world a better place than he found it. And that is a quality that brings our entire society forward.
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That was the best description I believe anyone could have used for him.
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Stan Lee's brilliance was bringing a human aspect to his characters. There were lots of other Animal Man type characters, lots of guys in spandex out there, but Lee gave them everyday problems. Spiderman is probably he best example, a nerd with love problems and family problems and an endless supply of one-liners, trying to balance his school/work life and superhero life.
As well as making great stories and compelling characters, he helped a lot of young people process their own emotions and relate to those
Right Person at the Right Time (Score:5, Insightful)
The Comment Subject is a bit trite and doesn't really reflect what Mr. Lee brought to comics and popular culture. He was a genius in his field and he had many, many amazing creations.
The world will be less for him not being in it.
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I think he would have been the Right Person most any time.
Always wished I could win a Mighty Marvel No-Prize when I was MUCH younger. Would definitely have been on my resume if I had succeeded.
Depressing Linked Article/Look at things +ly (Score:2)
The linked article is somewhat of a downer - I don't really want to think of the troubles Mr. Lee had at the end of his life but rather look at his accomplishments throughout it: https://www.cbr.com/stan-lee-i... [cbr.com]
RIP, ERB (Score:3)
oh wait =P
.
Stan Lee (Score:4)
Stan Lee did good work and made the world a better place.
He also stole a lot from other good writers. Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, to name the most well known. But that does not affect the good he did. The joy he brought to others.
Stan had a good life, except for his last years, which were painful and horrible. Not pleasant and he did not deserve it. He deserved better.
The world is just a bit less Marvellous than it was last week. God speed, or perhaps Superhero Speed.
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3-4 months (Score:5, Funny)
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They'll show him doing crossfit.
Worse (Score:2)
The Thing (Ben Grimm)... (Score:2)
So sad... (Score:2)
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No, George Lucas still alive and well.
Neither:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Wonder what will become of his latest work? (Score:3)
https://m.webtoons.com/en/supe... [webtoons.com]
https://therealstanlee.com/ori... [therealstanlee.com]
Stan Lee's final creations... ...that we know of...
Who's got some vibranium? (Score:1)
His characters all died and came back a few times. Surely we can make it work in real life just this once?
Re:Who's got some vibranium? (Score:5, Funny)
Surely we can make it work in real life just this once?
I'm not going to stay it is impossible but it will be a bitch. Re spawning in Real Life is not as easy in comic or video games. Last guy who done it took 3 days and he had to be in god mode.
Thanos got him (Score:2)
Heartbreaking news ... (Score:5, Interesting)
I started reading - and actually wound up subscribing to - Fantastic Four when I spotted issue # 8 on the magazine rack at a local convenience store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1961 (the issue that introduced the Puppet Master and his blind, sculptress stepdaughter Alicia, who would swiftly become Ben Grimm's beloved). I was 9 years old, and utterly captivated by this bold, new take on the superhero genre. DC comics had become tiresomely formulaic, thanks to the Comics Code Authority and the generally-repressive social atmosphere, and the quarrelsome, wisecracking FF was a welcome anodyne to the tepidity of Superman, and the campy, cartoonish Batman of the time.
Plus Jack Kirby, the most exciting artist in comics, did the pencils!
I continued to follow the FF throughout the 1960s, until Kirby abruptly decamped to DC. For my tastes, the title never recovered from his departure - oh, and rock'n'roll, girls, and marijuana had captured my attention by then, anyway, so I turned away from comics for the next three decades. (The death of Superman brought me back - but it was the Batman titles that kept me colllecting.)
In the new century, when digital effects technology finally made it possible to make comic book superhero movies look convincing, I was pleased to see Marvel jump in with both feet - and Stan Lee always made a cameo appearance, which was a custom of which very I much approved.
When, he made a couple of guest appearances on Kevin Smith's reality series Comic Book Men, Stan the Man seemed to be in surprisingly good health for a man fast approaching a century of existence. He walked under his own power, and his speech was that of a man in possession of all his marbles. And his gentle humor, enthusiasm for life in general and comics in particular, and his great personal warmth were all still in full evidence, more than 5 decades after I first encountered his work.
Much like the man himself, both Stan's editorials in the end pages of the comics he wrote and his replies to letters from readers were always relentlessly positive and aspirational. I admired that. He always encouraged creativity in those around him - and I admired that, too. Most importantly, he spent his working life doing what he loved.
I mightily envied him that.
Just half an hour ago, when I read about his passing, I couldn't help crying. It was inevitable, of course, but that didn't lessen the blow for me.
Sooner or later, we all die. I just hoped the Universe would make an exception for Stan ...
He was a good editor but he is overappreciated (Score:1)
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You're an asshole. Full fucking stop.
Uncle Stan (Score:2)
One of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and 21st Century.
Like a modern day Greek god, he created vast numbers of heroes...
Even better, he INSPIRED even MORE heroes out here in the real world...
Excelsior.
Re: Just a cartoon artist (Score:5, Interesting)
As an artist who has worked for years on various Marvel movies, I find your remark amusing in its naievity.
Farewell Stan, thank you for opening the door for me to do what I enjoy doing for a living.
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Not sure what "naievity" means. Fail.
Please help me here. Are you saying that you don't understand the GP's comment and thus have "Fail"'d yourself in an incredible display of self awareness?
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I must be the only person who didn't read comics as a child.
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No, I grew up in the '60's, when newsstands with paper newspapers, magazines, and comics were all over the place. But comics were too short for me, I preferred reading paperbacks.
Re:Just a cartoon artist (Score:4, Interesting)
Still, one has to respect and admire Stan Lee. He did what he loved, was good at it, and turned his creations into widely beloved cultural icons.
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Mad Magazine!
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Just a cartoon artist
Says a person who can't even bother using a pseudonym. You may consider him just a cartoon artists, but we don't even know if you're a human. I personally think you're Cortana gone rogue, I do imagine Cortana to be a DC fan.