Marvel Universe may never be the same after the loss of its creator, Stan Lee, on Nov. 12, 2018. Lee was the author, editor and publisher for the famous Marvel comic books, which created a universe that is well-known in the world today. His death has impacted many men and women of all ages due to his wide reach throughout the world.
Immediately after graduating from high school, at the age of 16, Lee got a job at a small comic book company as an editorial assistant. By 1942, Lee had reached editor status and was writing many comic series like The Witness, The Destroyer, Jack Frost, Whizzer and Black Marvel.
After getting a few years of experience under his belt, Lee began a partnership with an artist named Jack Kirby. Together, Lee and Kirby published their first partnered comic in 1961 titled Fantastic Four 1. Lee and Kirby continued to work together and published more Fantastic Fours. They even created different superheroes entirely. Comics like Thor, X-Men, Black Panther, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and the beginning of The Avengers were all products of Lee and Kirby’s team work.
Kirby wasn’t the only artist who partnered with Lee. Artist Steve Ditko was also part of Lee’s wonder team. Infamous comics like Spiderman and Doctor Strange were products of Lee and Ditko’s collaboration. Together, Lee, Kirby and Ditko became a force to be reckoned with in the comic book industry. They drove Marvel Comics to fame and almost began the empire.
Today, the comics have turned into movies and tv series viewed throughout the world. Senior Daniela Rybarczyk has been a lifelong fan of the Marvel Universe. When talking about how she got into comics, Rybarczyk said, “My dad sells comic books and so I’ve always been surrounded by it. Our basement is covered in long counts of comic boxes and collectibles. It’s a big part of my dad’s life so he wanted to share that passion of his with me.”
Rybarczyk also shared about her love for Stan Lee and how he has impacted her life. She said, “Stan Lee inadvertently created one of my major loves in life. He created actual characters and attacked social issues by creating strong female characters, Black Panther, and characters that aren’t perfect. It’s really inspiring how one person can have that kind of power and influence on my everyday life and I’ve never even met them.”
Students are not the only people getting into comics, Pleasant Valley Teachers are too. Mike Duncan, a gym/ health teacher at the junior high, first got into comic books at the age of 10. 45 years later and he is still just as much of a “comic book nerd” now as he was then. Duncan was impacted greatly by Stan Lee and was very upset after his passing. Duncan said, “Stan lived a long and very successful, productive life fulfilling other people’s dreams and helping us imagining ourselves as his heroes. He has also reminded us that heroes are still a good thing and it’s okay to be one whenever and wherever possible.”
