RIP Stan "The Man" Lee

Stan Lee, proofreading in the 1960s

It was all over the news: Stan Lee has passed away Monday, November 12th 2018 in Californa, USA. I was deeply saddened by the loss but equally happy for him, that he has left so much for his fans to  remember him by. He has seen the first 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has made numerous cameo appearances in films all over. Stan was 95 years old.

Stan and Joanie Lee

Last year he had lost his wife, Joan, with whom he had been married for what seems now an eternity.

I will spare you the biographical details. You can find them everywhere now anyway. I will only say what Stan Lee meant to me. You see, I never had the chance to meet the man, but here was a man who had ideas. A man who had thoughts for a positive future, even if that would be with superheroes.

His stories were funny, upbeat, joyful and had a zest for life. 

Stan co-created Spider-Man (with Steve Ditko), The Fantastic Four (with Jack Kirby), Iron Man ( with Kirby), The Hulk (again with Kirby), Dr. Strange (with Ditko), Thor (with Kirby), the Avengers and so on, and so on. Due to his years as a Spokesperson for Marvel in all possible media ( he was always up for interviews ) he has become a celebrity himself and also fought for his artists to get the credit they were  due. After all, without Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and all those others, he would never have pulled all of this off. I think Stan would like us fans to be positive about his passing too. Yes, it is a great loss but Stan has seen how his superheroes made it to the big screen. He was part of that and will now forever be with his great love, Joan, up there in their afterlife. 

"Excelsior!"

So THANK YOU, Stan, for everything !!