There's still nothing like the one and only Stan Lee..(Nuff said.)

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)

Certainly Needed Now

I may be accused of being a one-trick pony because my last two Special Blogs have been devoted to CNN, its history, and its mission.but if I am, then, may I say, so be it..

Today, October 24,2018, one week before Halloween, traditionally a day when we face our fears and embrace the monsters of legend, the horror was all too real as a pipe bomb was delivered to CNN's New York bureau at the Time Warner Center in a package addressed to anchor John Berman. Around 10 AM ET, the CNN bureau was evacuated, while anchors Kate Bolduan and Jim Sciutto were delivering their newscast live on the air. This attack was linked to a series which also involved liberal-leaning billionaire George Soros, former Presidents Clinton and Obama, and New York State Governor Cuomo.

Clearly, this is an attack on everything that exemplifies New York in particular and America in general, democratic (with a small d) government that answers the needs of all the people, and a free and unbiased press. I haven't addressed FOX News by name, but I feel compelled to, because FOX has stoked the flames of fear and abused its power as a (supposed) journalistic organ. Not too many people remember this, but when FOX positioned itself as "The Network America Trusts For Fair and Balanced News," it meant as opposed to CNN, which it felt, along with the major broadcast networks and PBS, had a liberal bias, and that its tagline, "We Report, You Decide," implied that the "left-stream media" shoved their idea of news down America's unsuspecting throat and this was the alternative it was looking for. As I've said in the past, CNN was derisively known as "Chicken Noodle News" when it was the new kid on the block. The tactics used by this terrorist or group of terrorists mirror too closely the attempts of such as Hitler, Stalin, and Castro to manipulate popular opinion and convince their unsuspecting subjects that they are the true leaders of the country and any attempt to convince them otherwise should either be ignored or eliminated. If those madmen think they could silence CNN in this manner, they are sorely mistaken. More than a network, CNN is a voice that's Certainly Needed Now, when the country is divided as never before, our allies feel abandoned, and the world cries out for an honest news voice which, unlike FOX, does not subscribe to the politics of hate. Please write the simpleton who claims to be our President and tell him to stop merely talking about Making America Safe Again and getting off his posterior and actually DOING something about it, especially when it comes to making sure ALL voices are heard.

Thank you for hearing MY voice.
Steve

Who Ya Callin' Fake News?!?!?

Today, June 12,2018, the subject of our last Steve's Special,CNN, or, more accurately, TimeWarner , which owns it, Cartoon Network/adult swim, DC Comics, Warner Bros., and other iconic entertainment brands, has been given the go-ahead by the US Department of Justice to merge with AT&T, despite the objections of President Trump who has called The World's Most Important Network "Fake News," and critics who claimed the merger would block competition.

What a way to start your fourth decade, huh?

And to think, it all started on a less-than-network-quality budget in a former country club in downtown Atlanta. No matter what the clown who just left Korea thinks, CNN is real, here to stay, and my VERY proper friend, founding New York bureau chief Mary Alice Williams, would probably kill me if I said, "It ain't going nowhere!" But, like the news on CNN, it's true.

As they say at CNN, 30!
Steve