#TributeTuesday: The Marvel Universe — and ours — remember Stan Lee

Today flags in the Marvel Universe are flying at half-staff.

The superheroes, superheroines and and maybe even the supervillains who inhabit that vibrant, graphic universe are surely reflecting on the passing of the mortal who helped bring them to life...and who made our lives a lot more enjoyable in the process.

Indeed, the Marvel Universe and Planet Earth may never again see the likes of Stan Lee, the artistic force behind Marvel Comics, who died Monday, November 12, at the marvelous age of 95.

If you’ve been exposed to American culture at all you probably know the forces of good Stan Lee and his collaborators have brought to life throughout the years : Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, just to name a few.

Perhaps the Afterword in “The Marvel Vault-A Visual History” said it all:

“...it was Stan and his collaborators--particularly Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko-- who revolutionized American comic books in the 1960s. They demonstrated that comic books could address serious themes, delve deeply into characterization, and serve as a medium of artistic self-expression. They reached out to an older, more discerning audience. They showed the way to the generations of comics creators who followed, who kept pushing the artistic envelope….

“...The classic Marvel heroes have proved to be enduring icons of American popular culture and show no sign of slowing down. As long as there’s crime to be stopped, and super villains to hold at bay, why should they?” (*)

Stan Lee would have it no other way.

Sources: (*)“The Marvel Vault - A Visual History” by Roy Thomas, Peter Sanderson and updated by Matthew K. Manning, published 2007/2016 by Titan Books. Available for checkout at MidPointe Library.Check out MidPointe Library’s vast catalog of graphic novels featuring the Marvel Universe and others at: http://encore.middletownlibrary.org/iii/encore/home?lang=eng

Titles are also available digitally through our eLibrary:
https://www.midpointelibrary.org/index.aspx

Photo of Stan Lee, the Incredible Hulk and the Silver Surfer from “Creating the X-Men--How Comic Books Come to Life” by James Buckley, Jr. Published in 2000 by Dorling Kindersley Publishing. Available for checkout at MidPointe Library.

Painted image of Stan Lee as “Mr. Marvel” by Arnie Sawyer. Copyright 1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. Marvel Comics: TM Marvel. Exclusively distributed by Impel Marketing Inc. The image is one of several items from an inside-cover packet of the book, “The Marvel Vault - A Visual History” (see reference above).