The death of a Modern Myth Maker: Stan Lee

The world keeps losing heroes. Stan Lee, one of the men who changed comics forever by creating/ co-creating Marvels biggest heroes:

Black Panther

Thor

Captain America

Spider-Man

The X-men

Dr. Strange

Characters whose names and origins have become so icon that they're known the world over. They have been likened to the Greek myths, in terms of how deeply they have ingrained themselves into American culture. Phrases like "With great power, comes great responsibility" are part of the cultural lexicon. All thanks to Stan Lee.

Even thought his characters had larger then life abilities, super strength, spider sense, super speed, flight, magic Stan championed that his heroes are people first.  By grounding them in the real and giving them very human flaws his heroes have been able to evolve with the times.

He championed civil rights in a time when saying that all people, regardless of race, are equal was seen as political.  In his "Stan's Soapbox" column in 1968 he wrote."Bigotry  and Racism  are among the deadliest social ills today"  Here's a great collection of some of Stan's most powerful Stan Soapbox columns. They still ring true to this day.

With out Stan Lee, I wouldn't be who I am. His heroes and heroines did more then just entertain me, they showed me the good that all of us are capable of doing. Today is also Random Acts of Kindness day (although it really should be everyday), so I know it sounds super dopey but be someones hero. Be a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with or just do something to brighten the world. Your act, no matter how small, can help. Be the hero that Stan Lee would write about.

Stan, thank you for the 95 wonderful years that you gave this world. Your love and spirit that you poured into your characters lives on forever. Thank you.

(Yes, I know Kamala Khan  wasn't created by Stan Lee but she embodies so many of the ideas he championed that this panel fits perfectly)

Housekeeping Note: This weekend, dear readers, the Weekend of W.I.T.C.H. will start! I'll try to post the start of my retrospective on W.I.T.C.H.

W.I.T.C.H. Series overview

If there is one series of comics that both defined my childhood and have had a huge impact on me it's W.I.T.C.H..  Spanning 139 issues, this Italian comic series was made in the early 2000's. It even gained enough popularity to get a 2 season TV show. Before the comics came stateside, they were again adapted into 26 middle grade novels that added more depth to the first 2 story arcs of the comics.

I was a huge fan of the series in high school, although I was outside the target audience for the novelizations I devoured them. And once I discovered it based on comics I would hunt for English scans online of the most recent issues. As I got older, life got more complex and I forgot this gem of a comic.

So when I learned that Yen Press got the rights to release the entire series, beyond the first two story arcs I was filled with nostalgia. A quick google image search brought back all my happy memories. So does the series still hold up after 15 years? (Geez, just typing that makes me feel like an old lady).

I'm thinking of doing a retrospective of each major story arc to see if I'm not blinded by my memories.

If you want to read along with me you can find both physical and e-book editions of the first 4 story arcs here. Yen Press W.I.T.C.H. website