A small sampler of the voluminous output of Marvel impresario Stan Lee.
Zzzaaack! KRAAAAK! FOOM!
Stan Lee, true believers, is no more.
The former Stanley Martin Lieber joined what then was called Timely Comics at age 17 and finally left the Mighty Marvel Bullpen for good at 95.
I was more of a DC kind of guy — Superman, Batman, The Flash, The Atom, and Green Lantern and Green Arrow (as envisioned by Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams — but you gotta give Marvel and Lee their props. In 2018 you can’t swing a dead Catwoman without hitting some Marvelista in the unitard, and DC can’t get out of its own way.
“Batman v. Superman?” “Justice League?”
Gaaaaaaaaaaack! PTUI! BARF!
• Late addendum: I should also note the passing of the HAL 9000. Dave Bowman unplugged the Discovery’s homicidal computer in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but the actor who voiced HAL, Douglas Rain, soldiered on until the ripe old age of 90. He had the greatest enthusiasm for his mission, which was acting.
Tags: Marvel Comics, Stan Lee
November 12, 2018 at 1:35 pm |
There’s an action movie waiting to be made about Stan’s WWII service. Dude served in the same battalion as Theodore Geisel, Frank Capra, John Ford, and Chuck Jones. Problem would be distilling it down to just two hours.
November 12, 2018 at 3:43 pm |
A quote up in my workshop:
“How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before
it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the
time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”
Dr. Seuss
November 12, 2018 at 5:33 pm |
You can’t go wrong with Dr. Seuss. That mind was one of a kind.
November 12, 2018 at 3:35 pm |
I was a DC guys as well, but not for very long. The comic book reading quickly gave way to Popular Science and gun or motorcycle magazines.
Speaking of things that should be made into movies, I just finished “The Last Of The Breed” by Louis L’Amour. That story screams movie. I just hope Tom Cruise hasn’t bought it already.
November 12, 2018 at 5:41 pm |
I think I may have read every Louis L’Amour book ever written. Once I find an author I like, I tend to blaze right through the catalog.
Anybody ever read any James Crumley? He was a lot of fun. Detective genre, but his PIs made Sam Spade look like Pope Francis. “The Wrong Case” is a good jumping-off point.
November 12, 2018 at 6:18 pm |
I think this was the second time I read it. Bits seemed familiar. But, for a like new hardcover for a $1 at the Friends Of The Library used book store, I tried it again.
BTW, Sinema wins and McSally has conceded in our senate election to replace Flake.
November 12, 2018 at 7:02 pm |
Huzzah! Down goes McSally! Down goes McSally!
I think you could replace Flake with a stuffed basset hound from a drunken taxidermist, or a mannequin from Target, but by all means let Sinema have a go.
November 12, 2018 at 7:38 pm |
Man, I just can’t fathom how you come up with those comedic gems. “A stuffed basset hound from a drunk taxidermist” is another example. Beauty!
November 13, 2018 at 8:08 am |
It helps to be slightly nuts, Pat. What remains of my mind is like one of those online applets that generates whimsical oddities like your prison-bitch name. Insert data, randomizer goes to work, and hey presto! Something vile pops out.
November 12, 2018 at 4:21 pm |
Marvel all the way ..”I belong to the Merry Marvel Marching Society”
November 12, 2018 at 5:15 pm |
Oh yeah, there were also all those terrible Hot Rod & Motorcycle comics, starring “Clint Curtis & the Road Knights”, “Ken King the most hated man on wheels” etc
November 12, 2018 at 5:44 pm |
“Wonder Wart-Hog” remains my favorite comic from the moto mags. That was Gilbert Shelton, who later created “The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.” Like his contemporary and occasional collaborator Robert Crumb, Shelton has fled these shores for France.
November 12, 2018 at 6:55 pm |
A legend. Did any money from the Marvel movie wave accrue to him?
My experience with comic books began and ended with Archie, Betty and Veronica. I read comics in the daily newspaper until I ended my subscription.
November 12, 2018 at 7:09 pm |
He got some, Libby, but he had to rassle them for it. Appropriate, perhaps, since it seems Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko had to do likewise with Lee.
The comics industry sounds like a den of thieves, pirates and highwaymen, fond of the same “work for hire” indentured servitude many free-lancers enjoy today. Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, who created Superman, likewise got ruthlessly hosed by DC.
Neal Adams, one of my favorite comic artists, fought tirelessly to see that artists got to keep their originals and receive royalties. You’d think that would be a no-brainer, but nooooooo.
November 13, 2018 at 9:49 pm |
Thanks for that insight into the industry. I would guess/hope royalties come into play with the licensing of merchandise. Young children worldwide are enthralled with superheroes of the comic book world and heroes of animated movies. They wear underwear, pjs, sweats, backpacks, sneakers, socks and have all the games, dvds and accessories. Huge business.
November 12, 2018 at 8:01 pm |
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/america-dream/575647/
November 13, 2018 at 9:51 pm |
Thank you for the link!
November 13, 2018 at 10:28 pm |
Sad news. May he forever Rest in Peace.
November 14, 2018 at 1:02 pm |
My favorite comic character was the Watcher. He could travel across the galaxy (or maybe even the universe) but was forbidden to intervene against all kinds of heinous acts. In some manner his very presence influenced events and good prevailed over evil. I thought he was a Marvel character, but I may be mistaken.