I started reading comic books in the mid 1970’s.
I was then, and continue to be a DC guy, but by the time I got into Marvel in 1978 the comics were all presented by Stan Lee, but Stan Lee himself was already gone from the day-to-day production of Marvel comics.
It’s been over forty years since Lee last really regularly wrote comics, with various items since then of a one-off or special nature.
Yet it is true to say that Lee gave the characters created before 1970 their voices, and set the pattern for the way in which the lives of those characters would be portrayed.
Even those characters created after 1970, who form a substantial portion of the portfolio of characters that are part of the public consciousness bear the stamp of Lee’s characterisations.
Until the mid-seventies the template for the artistic depiction of Marvel’s characters was that of Jack Kirby.
Through till today the template for the written characterisation of all superhero comics is basically that of Stan Lee.
There will be much debate about the levels of recognition that should be afforded to the co-creators who worked with Lee.
But what should not be open to debate is that without Lee’s contribution US comic books in their current form would not exist, nor would they sound like they do in terms of the stories they tell.
I didn’t read comics when Stan Lee was creating the substantial body of work for which he is known.
But all the comics I have read have been created in the shadow of his contribution.
Excelsior!
