A long time ago I was introduced to the wonder of American Comic Books, I came in through the back door, Marvel UK reprinted the original X-Men which opened the door to a greater universe, and much like the X-Men that universe was in many ways the co-creation of Stan Lee.
When you look back over his career the volume of his work is astounding, The Fantastic 4, The Avengers, Spider-man – and most of the individual members who make up those teams all came from his mind. Comics are a unique medium, the work is rarely just one person, and Marvel would not have grown into what it became if it was not for his collaborators too, but the one name that was linked to all those early creations was Lee. When you look at the massive success of the Marvel movies, it is not surprising to see that the majority of them are from this earliest eras of the comics giant.
When you look into the world of fictional characters very few grow beyond the page and worm their way into popular consciousness – Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Superman, Batman, Harry Potter, but the reknown that comes with this is generally lightning that strikes once, some how Lee managed to do it for an entire universe.
There was more to Lee and his comics than that, he had a unique talent for hyperbole, the way he wrote those comics made them larger than and unlike anything else on the market. He made the writers and artists were given nicknames, there was nothing like the way the comics were credited and nothing like way he wrote.
He even made the readers part of the comics, speaking to them on a more intimate level. Perhaps one his lesser creations was the way he made the creators more than just names. With the use of his Bullpen Bulletins columns, he gave a skewed insight into life at marvel comics, giving life to those creators in a larger than reality way.
It was part of who he was, from his signature comments and his soapboxes, from Excelsior to Nuff Said! Lee was more than a part of Marvel, he was Marvel.
Even when Lee cut back on his work, he was an integral part of every issue – each story starting with 'Stan Lee Presents'
And through his appearances on TV and in films (how many blockbusters has he appeared in?) he became a recognisable face.
And his work ethic?
He was working well into his nineties!
He was pretty much the last of his generation, and now he has gone, reunited with his wife Joan, with Jack and Steve, but the god of the Marvel Universe is gone and the world of colourful costumes and larger than life characters is slightly darker tonight.
Excelsior!