As many of you have the sad duty to know, Stanley Martin Lieber, better known as Marvel Comics mastermind Stan "The Man" Lee, left this mortal coil after ninety-five trailblazing years. It was my pleasure to know him for a few of those years, to see him at Marvel's own comic con in New York in 1976 and other such gatherings over the years, talk with him on the phone, and even get an autographed poster of his greatest creation, The Amazing Spider-Man, after I sent him a McDonald's Gift Certificate. (This was my way of thanking Marvel for one of the reality-inspired stories which became its trademark, an episode of the liscenced Micronauts comic entitled "The Best Darn Burglar in The Whole Wide World," which, for you millenials, was a play on Burger King's tagline, which they used interchangeably with "There's nothing like the one and only Whopper.") Many of you out there in the audience may object to my mentioning a creative genius, the Walt Disney of the psychedelic generation, the man who turned simplistic super heroes into complex, realistic, human creatures who just happened to have super powers, in the same breath as mere junk food, but the very fact that Stan responded to my gift certificate (which I also sent to his famous editorial staff, the Mighty Marvel Bullpen) is a testament to the fact that although he was a very busy man, leading not only Marvel Comics, but also its many movie and TV projects, preaching the Gospel According to Marvel on talk shows and college campuses around the world, he was not above listening to his fans and taking into account every "knock" or "boost," as he would say, and even shaking hands and exchanging a friendly "Excelsior!" (The state motto of his hometown New York, which means, "Onward and upward to greater glory!")
Those who seek a bio of Stan are urged to log on to steveneisenpreis.blogspot.com and scroll over to Santa Steve's Nice List for 2015 where I give Stan the full Casey Kasem treatment. Although there are many more, mostly casual, Marvel fans who have hopped on the bandwagon since the first two decades of the Marvel Age of Comics (the 60s and 70s), I have the pleasure to belong to a rare breed of Marvelite, the kind who would not only go to see them at Comic Con, but also see them play softball in Central Park (even if it meant getting their butts handed to them by the Distinguished Competition), visit the New York headquarters for business AND pleasure, AND EVEN visit their office in suburban London not to mention their affiliate in Barcelona! Although Stan tried his hand at romance comics, novels,political satire, and even attempts to cash in on the respective success of PEOPLE and MAD magazines, the real life super heroes, fighting a never ending battle for truth,justice, and trying to pay the phone bill on time, among such important missions, were what he will always be remembered for. There may have been many imitators,but there was only one Stan, who never forgot, and made sure his characters never forgot his governing editorial philosophy:
"With great power there must also come great responsibility!"
Similarly, with great stories come the touch of true virtuosi such as Dickens, Twain, Hugo, AND Stan Lee.
As he once said to me, "Excelsior,man."
Sturdy Stevie Eisenpreis (My official Marvel Appelation which was bestowed upon me by Stan himself)
