Stanley Martin Lieberman, better known to his fans as Stan Lee, passed away on November 12th 2018. And though there will be tons of in memory tweets, videos and posts flooding the internet I want to take a moment and say what he meant to me and why he will always be special to me.

Have you ever read a comic book? Have you ever noticed the differences between Marvel and DC heroes? And if you noticed them have you ever asked why are they so different? The answer is simple a man wanted to change the face of comic books forever, and he did.

Before Stan said he wanted to write a comic that was a bit more sophisticated and complex than the current slate of comics in 1961, comics were strictly considered for kids. Comic books were considered a throw away medium. No one was going to collect them, and the publishers recycled storylines every 5 years because the understanding was small kids read them, so when they grow up you retell the stories to new kids. That was it, nothing about them was ever taken seriously.

That was until one man by the name of Stan Lee decided he wanted a change. He had been working in the comic industry for some time and underneath it all was a frustrated writer. He always told the story why he used the pen name Stan Lee in comics, it was because he wanted to save his real name, Stanley Lieber,  for when he finally wrote the great American novel. So at the age of 38, frustrated with the comics industry, he decided he needed a change.

He told his wife Joan, he was going to quit comics and not look back. But his wife gave him a better idea. Why not write a comic the way you want to was the advice she gave him. If you are going to quit anyway the worst they can do is fire you, but at least you got to write one your way first. And from that the Fantastic Four, and the rest of the Marvel Universe, was born.

He created a world where the heroes were not perfect gods among men, but flawed individuals with real problems and issues. Dealing with these issues, they still fought for good despite their setbacks, and that’s what makes his characters true heroes. This is why they are still so popular today.

So now flash forward to the 1980s, I was picked on as a kid, a lot. I was bullied tremendously. Life was a living hell for me, that was until I discovered a character known as Spider-Man. Peter Parker was high school kid that was smart, and picked on by everyone. Seemed like he didn’t have a friend in a world. I was Peter Parker, and Peter Parker was me.

But Peter could put on a mask and swing through the city on a web. He could take his frustrations out by punching out a bad guy, and I could escape into his world anytime I wanted by grabbing the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man. Some of the happiest memories I have as a kid is actually lying on the couch in the living room and reading Marvel comic after Marvel comic.

I was lucky enough to not only meet him, but work with him at a con. They say don’t meet your heroes, but they were wrong when it came to Stan., I was working a little one day con in NY where my friend was the coordinator. Funny, he Asked me who I wanted at the show, and jokingly I said Stan Lee, the next thing I knew Stan was there. I’m not saying my friend did this for me, but I like to think he did.

On the day of the convention he takes me aside and says I have a special job for you. He takes me over to a table with a giant line in front of it and puts me right next to Stan Lee, he said this is your spot for the day and gave me a smile. And I have to say it was everything I ever hoped it would be. He was a gentleman, always smiling and seemed to always be happy to talk to fans. And here is a little known secret about Stan, whenever he went on break he grabbed his phone and called his wife.

Everyone working with him said he dis that all the time. He traveled a lot, and he loved his fans, but his heart was alway with Joan. That made me love the man even more. And when I finally got my moment with Mr. Lee, we were waiting in the lobby together for his ride to arrive. I just took that moment to tell him how much his work to me, I told him how Spider-Man helped me through my child hood because I was bullied and he looked at me, but his hand on my shoulder, smiled and said I bet you wish you had spider powers too. Then he hugged me. It was all I needed him to say to me, and he new it, it was perfect.

Stan also inspired me to do this podcast. I was thinking I was too old to start something new in my life like a blog or a podcast and then I thought of Stan throwing caution to the wind and it turned out pretty well for him, so I thought why not me?

I hope these stories help you to understand what the man really meant to me, and why he meant so much to so many fans. He was more than a legendary comic creator, he was a good man. And if you’re hurting because of his passing I hope they help you through the pain a little bit as writing them helped me. Stan Lee was more than a man, more than a writer, even more than the creator of the Marvel Universe. He was friend to all and loved everyone. He changed the world with a few words and a smile. He will be missed, but what he helped build and create will live on for many years to come.

Rest in Peace generalissimo, your brigadiers will keep watch for you. Excelsior!

Don’t forget to check out Super Hero Speak’s tribute episode to Stan Lee here: http://superherospeak.com/wp/283-a-tribute-to-the-true-believer/