Black Panther is a movie about the heir to the throne of a fictional African nation who wears the hereditary mantle of both monarch and protector of his realm “The Black Panther.” Is it possible to ignore or separate his blackness and his unique Afrocentric culture or world view from this character? Should every narrative he’s a part of ignore the plight of black people that do not enjoy the privilege of Wakandan citizenship?
Of course not.
– Remember When We Were Sidekicks -Black Panther and Comic Book Politics
The passing of Stan Lee took everyone by surprise. Realistically, this was a man well into his 90’s. But somehow, I assumed he was part Watcher and would outlive us all!
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, and publisher, active from the 1940s to the 2010s. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business, becoming Marvel Comics’ primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry.
Marvel publisher and creator of the Marvel Pantheon, characters like Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the X-Men, Captain America, and Spider-Man that shaped our childhoods and touched our lives. But, some don’t realize that this skinny Jewish kid of Romanian immigrants was a passionate anti-racism advocate long before it became popular for white men of influence to do so. In his “Stan’s Soapbox” written after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And RFK assassinations, very explicitly states what he thought of bigotry and racism. At the time Lee didn’t specify which act of bigotry and hate he was writing about, but it was a turning point in American Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was enacted and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated months apart. It was a time of social unrest and Lee, who lived through the second World War, wrote this piece condemning the hateful views of white supremacy groups. His audience were the kids he knew read and loved his comics. He knew that they were the hope for a brighter future.
But Stan gave the world, Black Panther. And for that, he was a champion for me and now, my kids. (T’Challa) was the first mainstream black comic book character. He wasn’t a caricature or sidekick. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #52, which was published by Marvel in July 1966. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who also created Spider Man, X-Men, and The Fantastic Four, were the ones created him. Black Panther was a member of the Avengers, Defenders, Fantastic Four and X-Men (all major Marvel Superhero groups). He partnered up and eventually married Storm of the X-Men. He’s got the pedigree. and he had me from that moment I read my first Black Panther comic so many years ago.
The film I’m most excited about is Black Panther. He’s our first black superhero. And boy I think he’s going to be a big hit. At least I hope so. I’ve got my fingers crossed.
I like the Black Panther because, first of all, he’s not the typical way you’d write about a black guy. He seems like a regular African native, but he’s really the head of a nation which is hidden underground. They’re all scientific geniuses. And this guy, he’s a scientific genius. Nobody knows the story about the whole Black Panther. And I’m not going to tell it all. You’re going to have to go see the movie!
-Stan Lee before the premiere of Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER film
Well, I saw the movie with my family. And it was one of the best movie-going experiences in my life! I’ll share a bit more of my article quoted above, “Remember When We Were Sidekicks? -Black Panther and Comic Book Politics”
First, this film isn’t “homework.” Typically, movies featuring a black cast feel as if they need to instruct audiences about the ills of society past and present. Black creatives know we may never have the media mic again, so we don’t waste any moments. In my humble opinion, you’re grown, and it’s unrealistic to burden a mainstream movie with responsibility to make you a better person. That cake is baked. The only hope for a better tomorrow lies within the children. Which is why the stories they see and hear about heroic people that look like them, and don’t, are vital. Blissfully, there are no sermons in Black Panther. White colonizers never even knew the technocratic marvel of Wakanda existed, so Wakandan society flourished atop a mountain of the most precious metal on earth, unmolested.
I remember it, if I don’t still own it
Black Panther ( Marvel 1st Series issue #1)
Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by John Verpoorten. King Solomon’s Frog!, script and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mike Royer; Black Panther helps Abner Little, a member of the Collectors, recover the Brass Frog, an ancient time machine; Due to its dangerous nature, the Frog had previously been hidden away by the Black Panther’s grandfather, Azzuri, but was taken by Alfred Queely, a fellow member of the Collectors; After getting the Frog, the Black Panther and Little are attacked by Princess Zanda, another member of the Collectors, for control of the artifact. During the battle, the Frog is activated and a mysterious creature, Hatch-22, appears. Jack Kirby writes about what readers can expect from his new Black Panther. 36 pgs. Cover price? .30 cents!
His title of Black Panther is not a hereditary title. T’Challa had to win it and defend it in combat. The mystical connection to the panther spirit of his peoples and a rare herb give the Black Panther superhuman senses and prodigious strength. Clad in his black vibranium uniform (made of one of the rarest elements in the Marvel universe) and boots and using his retractable vibranium claws, the Black Panther has battled everyone from Klaw to Doctor Doom. He defeated each member of The Fantastic Four. He summons the stamina, strength, and agility of his namesake and his genius level intellect to defeat his foes. Some say Black Panther is Marvel’s Batman. He’s noble to a fault, doesn’t swear or kill (unnecessarily) and exemplifies the kind of superhero I would like my son to emulate. Back then, Stan Lee got that “Representation matters”.
The Black Panther’s best run was arguably in the “Jungle Action” titles. In Jungle Action #19-24 (Jan.-Nov. 1976), the Black Panther took on the Ku Klux Klan. In fact, not all at Marvel agreed with publishing this storyline because the Ku Klux Klan was a controversial subject at the time. But Stan stood firm, and did it, to his credit. The “Jungle Action” stories rivaled any books of the time. To wit, African-American writer-editor Dwayne McDuffie said of the “Jungle Action” Black Panther features: “This overlooked and underrated classic is arguably the most tightly written multi-part superhero epic ever”.
The impact Stan “The Man” Lee had on the comic book world cannot be overstated, he not only created an arsenal of faces for Marvel, but he also revolutionized the way superheroes were portrayed and stories in comics were told. In total, Lee would spend 80 years as a visionary and driving force in the comic book world, crafting the industry into an artistic and literary behemoth, inspiring generations of artists and entertaining millions of people. In collaboration with others at Marvel—particularly co-writer/artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—he co-created numerous popular fictional characters, including superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man. In doing so, he pioneered a more naturalistic approach to writing superhero comics in the 1960s, and he tackled issues of race, class, and sexism at a time when Jim Crow Laws in America were alive and well. In the 1970s he challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. Lee was inducted into the comic book industry’s Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NEA’s National Medal of Arts in 2008.
The Non-profit Foundation in his name The Stan Lee Foundation stated goal is to provide access to literacy education, and the arts nationwide and to-
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Promote Literacy For Children And Adults
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Fund Educational Programs For Underprivileged Children
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Provide Access To The Arts In Underserved Communities
You can learn more about the Stan Lee Foundation and donate here http://www.stanleefoundation.org/
He was a champion for all the kids who loved his comics, not just the white boys. I appreciated this man who always made me believe that anybody could be heroic and that those who are shunned from society it’s not their issue, it’s societies for being loaded with “Low-I.Q. Yo-yo’s” as he’d call them.
In times like these, his words written 50 years ago, seem prophetic –
Now consider the practitioners of hate who have sullied the pages of history. Who still venerates their words? Where is homage still paid to their memory? What banners still are raised to their cause? The power of love — and the power of hate. Which is most truly enduring? When you tend to despair . . . let the answer sustain you.
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Now, Stan Lee wasn’t a saint. He was always a self-promoter, someone who wouldn’t correct someone who gave him sole credit for some of his most iconic heroes. His falling out with Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby are well documented. His zest to parlay his name and likeness in non-marvel projects saw mixed results. He narrated The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends to a generation of kids now adults that saw him as “Uncle Stan”. So when allegations of sexual harassment surrounding the nurses whose care he was in, many, including myself forgave this behavior that in retrospect, only adds to the climate of rape culture and male privilege that dominate our society. Marvel’s record for creators rights hasn’t improved much. I had written about Bill Mantlo the creator of Rocket Raccoon and other Marvel heroes that he wasn’t compensated for, even after the tragic hit-and-run accident that left him in need of 24-hour care.
So, can Lee can be remembered for the good he did in light of his failings? I think so. No one builds an empire the size of Marvel Entertainment alone. And Marvel has grown far beyond Stan Lee’s influence to make things right for their talent. Can his commitment to civil rights stand beside allegations of his alleged sexual improprieties? I think that’s a question that many will have to struggle with, lord knows when I learned about Bill Cosby’s decades of rape and abuse it was easier to abolish him from my pantheon of personal heroes, Stan Lee right or wrong I don’t hold to that same level of contempt for his sexual misconduct.
His work will live indelibly on and his commitment to ensuring politics and comics not only belonged together, he thought they fueled the best stories and motivated our greatest heroes. “With great power, comes great responsibility”. Stan’s Soap Box wasn’t limited to his editorials. It lived within his stories and his heroes.
Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.- Stan Lee
Stan will ALWAYS be “The Man” to me.
Excelsior!
Art credit -MARVEL/Wiki/Toronto City News