—
Growing up, I was always a huge comic book fan. To me, it was this massive narrative walking me through what is right versus what is wrong. I learned that people with power, with abilities, had responsibilities to other people, to help them, and make their lives better. I learned about loyalty and about making hard decisions and about relying on friends and being the kind of person they could rely on.
Comic books, the way they were done at Marvel, were a mirror held up to show you what YOU would look like as a hero. That was Stan Lee’s skill. The Fantastic Four was a family that fought, just like yours. But here is what they looked like as heroes. Spider-man was a teenager, just like me, but this is what he looked like as a hero. As time went on, the mirror got bigger and bigger. People of color, women, quirky people, people in unusual populations, ex-convicts, people who were differently abled, even entire nations in his books were mirrors held up to show people- this is you as a hero.
I’m so grateful to have been alive when he was, to see those mirrors, to read those books, and to say that I was a comic book reader from the start, loving what he did. Stan Lee made me more creative, made me a better artist, made me a better person who actually THOUGHT about right and wrong as real things worth considering. He gave me some of the most satisfying parts of me and I’ll always remember him for that.
There is a family of people out there today who have lost a mentor and I’m one of them. But we’ve also learned from comic books that no one ever really stays dead. So, until we see him again, Love always to you, Stan Lee.
—
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
◊♦◊
Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
—
Photo credit: Flickr