By Brady Bateman

Local bookstore owner reflects on passing of legend Stan Lee

Nov 13, 2018 | 12:25 PM

Stan Lee, the visionary who played a large role in bringing the comic book world to the mainstream – and ushering in a new era of comic book related cinema, has died.

He was 95.

Lee began his career in 1939 at what was then Timely Comics. He worked over the years in a variety of roles, including writing, editing, and occasionally illustrating. However, he eventually became bored with the medium and was preparing to leave the company when fate decided otherwise.

Until the 1950s the comic book world was largely controlled by DC (then National) Comics, the team behind comics such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern.

In the early 1960’s Lee was asked to create a group of comic book heroes who could compete with the DC universe and their Justice League. Lee, along with famed artists such as Jack Kirby, would unintentionally change the world of comic books forever with the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 and eventually The Avengers.

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The entirety of the comic book world was rocked when it was announced that Lee died on Nov. 12. Denis Benard, manager at Prince Albert’s Tramp’s Music and Books, said although Lee didn’t do anything creatively speaking in the comic book world in recent years, his influence on the comic book world will live on in the hearts of fans forever.

“He was very instrumental in creating things like Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and a bunch of other characters that are still wildly popular today,” Benard said. “I’d expect to see that anything with his signature will sell out at most stores within the week, and they are going to be getting very expensive, even more than they already were.”

Benard added he doesn’t believe Lee’s passing will influence a large amount of people to start purchasing comic books, but he hopes that younger generations may become interested in the comic book world after the surge of popularity in comic book related movies in recent years.

“I know that he didn’t do very much, asides from conventions, in the last years, but when you’re 95 you probably don’t want to be making comics anymore,” Benard said. “He was the man that most people would look up to, and the man that people would think of when they thought of comic books.”

Lee was devastated last year when Joan, his wife of 69 years, passed away at the age of 95.

He was influential in the rise of comic books and superheroes in the mainstream, and will be remembered by many as the father of the Marvel universe.