Stan Lee

Branden Chickering

Thompson

High School English: Period 2

30 January 2019

Hero Essay: Stan Lee

Stan Lee after an Interviewhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee#/media/File:Stantheman.jpgIn the comic book industry, there were two companies that reigned supreme. Marvel and DC. These two companies’ fans both argued that their comics were better and that their characters were more creative. But one side would eventually grow beyond the other. There was one man who led to the creation of characters who helped shape the company Marvel into what it is today. Even possibly surpassing the likes of legendary comic book characters and companies such as Batman from DC. That man’s name is Stan Lee. Stan was born in Manhattan and was hired into comics by his relative by marriage, Martin Goodman (“Stan Lee.”). After 2 decades after being hired in 1939, he wanted to quit and branch out into actual writing but his wife, Joanie suggested that he write something he wanted to write before. That conversation led to the creation of the Fantastic Four (Cavna). which Led to the creation of more Marvel superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk which then caused Stan to keep going in comics (“Stan Lee.”). A hero must possess persistence and innovations. Persistence is being able to stand back up even in hardships and innovation is a concept or idea that has never been thought of before and one that can change the world. Stan Lee has both persistence and innovative ideas, and because of that, he’s a hero.

In Stan Lee's life, many things have happened to him and even with the good the bad still came with it. But even in the bad times, he still persisted and helped make the world a brighter place for others. According to Tom Spurgeon, Stan went through gaining a reputation, but in the 40s he had it challenged as; “Success never came easily to Lee despite appearances to the contrary. His reputation was repeatedly challenged over the course of a long career. In the '40s and '50s, many of his contemporaries in the magazine publishing world considered him a lightweight.” Even early on, when success for him was rare. He still kept trying and eventually started to become known, and finally become a legend among many fans. Even when his reputation was challenged many times throughout his career he still persisted. In the 40s and 50s Stan struggled to secure his reputation, but 58 years later in 2017, it got worse for him because; “In July of 2017, his wife Joan--whom he had been with for 69 years--passed away. Joan's death greatly impacted Lee, and he would later go through more than just grief” (“Stan Lee.”). He still tried to stay positive even in grief of his Wife’s passing and he still tried to entertain his fans in as many ways as possible. He still made cameos in Marvel movies and he still tried to go to fan conventions even after she died. After his wife passed, Stan was still going through other things such as; “In early 2018, news outlets reported Lee was the subject of an elder-abuse investigation. Lee's family claimed the comic book creator was being manipulated and swindled by his former manager Keya Morgan and an attorney named Tom Lallas who claimed to represent Lee. Lee's family accused the pair of elder abuse and took them to court to reassert representation over Lee and his estate. In July of 2018, Lee's daughter and a new lawyer successfully filed an elder-abuse restraining order against Morgan and Lallas. The court also restored legal authority to Lee's family and their attorney” (“Stan Lee.”). Stan still couldn’t get a break after his wife and him being a suspect for elder abuse left him more stressed. But even when all those things were happening, he still managed to find time to entertain his fans and make cameos that were coming out at the time, such as Black Panther. Stan Lee’s life got harder and harder as the years went by, but he held his own and became what he wanted to be. Stan Lee’s persistence even at his worst led him to being a better person and it made him a hero.

Marvel Logohttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Marvel&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go#/media/File:Marvel-Comics-Logo.svgStan’s innovative ideas led to Stan being one of the most influential people in the comic book world. Stan didn’t just have innovative ideas, but he also had an innovative style; “Becoming something at times corny and at times self-lacerating, but always inexplicably lovable. A master of personal branding, he remained instantly identifiable from his catchphrases ("Excelsior!") and his signature look, featuring oversized sunglasses and a Members Only jacket that he sported well into his 90s”(Spurgeon). Stan’s look, his orange tinted sunglasses, and his iconic mustache is a look that no one has ever worn before, and yet it looked fitting on Stan. You couldn’t imagine him without his signature look and along with his catchphrase, “Excelsior!” which is Latin for superior, although Stan meant it as “ever upward” which means that something great can be even greater. Stan Lee’s innovative creations is also what led him to become famous when; “Lee responded in late 1961 with the Fantastic Four, a superhero quartet bound together by family and romantic relationships as well as by their super powers” (“Stan Lee.”). His writing style was innovative and appealed to almost all audiences and he knew what that audience wants. No one had ever thought of a ¨family¨ of superheroes before but Stan made the comic about it anyways and it sold millions of copies. Glen Weldon said that it wasn’t just the ideas of his creations that led him to fame, but it was his character’s personalities and their appeal to the general audience; “His true talents — the secret to his uncanny success — were closely tied to his company-man understanding of what his audience wanted. In 1961, he noticed that the young children at whom comics had historically been aimed were now teens, even young adults. The superheroes of the 1940s had appealed to their childish hopes and whims — to fly! to be the strongest! to be the smartest!” Stan’s writing style almost always appealed to the general audience and his style made superheroes relatable to average people. Such as his most famous creation, Spider-Man. Spider-Man was just an average high school student, Peter Parker and although he was smart, he was still relatable to the people who read his comic. Out of the suit he was an awkward shy teen, but in the costume he became witty and always taunted his opponents with quips and insults as any kid would if they had super powers and fought crime. The way he got his powers were also completely by coincidence, this furthered the idea that anyone could’ve been bitten by the spider, that anyone could be Spider-Man. This style of writing was innovative and many other people tried to make superheroes relatable but they mostly all failed but Stan managed to do it time and time again. His life was filled with high points and his innovation was the thing that led to most of those high points. Stan Lee’s Innovative ideas and creations is also why he’s a hero.

My Spider-Man DrawingMyselfStan Lee’s impact on the world, with his persistence to keep moving on even when life kept pushing him down and his Innovative ideas on comic books and stories overall, made him a hero. Even with his struggles to become a writer in the 40s to the 50s, his wife’s death in 2017, and his struggles of elder abuse in 2018 he still persisted and became loved by millions. His innovative ideas including his looks, his creations, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man to name a few, and his unique writing style and ability to make super heroes relatable and to appeal to the general audience. Stan Lee inspires me because of his creations, especially Spider-Man. Spider-Man taught me and many others to always do the right thing and to keep on going no matter how much is pushing you down. His creations gave me motivation to keep drawing and to draw those characters. Even though it was Steve Ditko who created the designs of these characters, Stan molded their personalities into what they are today. Overall, Stan’s Ideas and creations led to inspiring millions of people and his persistence led to the creations of super heroes that people wouldn’t have even thought of creating such as a family of superheroes, or a man who can climb walls like a spider. Stan Lee was just one of many people who made the world brighter and because of his creations, we will remember him forever.