What's your favorite Stan Lee story?

[Captain Comics]

December is Stan Lee's 90th birthday, and Comics Buyer's Guide is doing an appreciation cover story (by me, of course). So gimme a hand:

What's your favorite thing about Stan Lee? What anecdote? What character, story or comic book? What accomplishment? What movie cameo?

Let me know what you think, Legionnaires!

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I've got one!  From 1971, Stan WARNS writers about what the comics biz is REALLY like.

[Figserello]

I know Stan is responsible for some great comics work.  He no doubt revolutionised the medium in so many ways, that we all probably take for granted now.

 

He's a great ambassador for superheroes comics, recognised outside our little club, and I hope he continues to be so in good health for many years.

 

Still, when the question goes out as to which is my favourite Stan Lee story, I can only think of this one:

 

 

Check out the bottom right hand corner there...

 

I'd imagine any appreciation of "The Man's" public persona would have to include this testament from his greatest collaborator.

[Philip Portelli]

I think it's more comparable to the then contemporary break-up of the Beatles with John Lennon and Paul McCartney going back and forth in the press criticizing each other when Macca put out Ram. As the 70s came to a close, tempers cooled down and they were able to be friendlier towards each other. 

Edited: I wrote this THEN checked the link. We're making the same arguement! :-)

[Henry R. Kujawa]

Okay, now here's REALLY one for the books...  the company named "Stan Lee Media" is suing DISNEY now over ownership of the Marvel characters.  WHO could make up stuff like this???

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-stan-...

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I really wish people would stop trying to make "Beatles" analogies. It doesn't work.  John & Paul were friends, partners, and often, true collaborators.  Stan & Jack were never any of those things.

If one feels compelled to search for a music analogy, I feel a much more accurate one would be Colonel Parker & Elvis.

[Philip Portelli]

Actually after the first couple of albums, John and Paul wrote their songs seperately with some exceptions. Usually whoever sang lead, wrote the song.

And I think Stan and Jack were friends but the politics of the industry got in the way. Stan admired Jack and Jack respected Stan. Of course there were hard feelings after Jack left Marvel but Jack returned to Marvel and collaborated with Stan on The Silver Surfer graphic novel.

My gut reaction is that Jack wanted things from Stan that Stan could not give him. Remember, Stan was the head writer and editor, not the owner.
 
Henry R. Kujawa said:

I really wish people would stop trying to make "Beatles" analogies. It doesn't work.  John & Paul were friends, partners, and often, true collaborators.  Stan & Jack were never any of those things.

If one feels compelled to search for a music analogy, I feel a much more accurate one would be Colonel Parker & Elvis.

[Kirk G]

I would have said that whoever wrote the song, sang his own lead. (Just reversing the creative order for you.)

[Don Collett]

My favorite Stan Lee story: "This Man, This Monster" from FF #51.

Not a real fan of the FF movie, but I loved Stan as Willie Lumpkin.

Has anyone seen the episode of The Big Bang Theory guest starring Stan? That's a favorite of mine also.

[John Dunbar]

I've seen that episode of Big Bang Theory a few times.  One thing I caught was that the judge that threw Sheldon in jail for contempt (causing him to miss the Stan Lee signing) was "J. Kirby".

[Kirk G]

I just went back and read the first couple of entries on this thread, having joined it late and missed the point for which it was created.  As soon as several people posted their nominations, I immediate reached for my keyboard to say "That's right", but found there were so many that I was going to say "That's right" to that it would dilute the point of agreeing.  So instead, I have to do a nod to virtually everyone that was mentioned here, except I'd like to ask why there was no love shown for either the six part Hercules arc in JIM 124-Thor 130   or   JIM #112 where Thor spins a tale of the time that he and the Hulk broke off from the battle in Avengers #3, and had their own contest to see who was stronger.  THAT was a one-shot that shown as brightly as FF #51 "This Man, This Monster".

So many stories, so little time...

[John Dunbar]

I disagree, I think the Beatles analogy works very well and much better than a Col. Parker and Elvis analogy.

Before they were big stars, the Beatles started out (as many bands do) as friends (or at least acquaintences) with common interests.  Everyone put something into it, not equally perhaps, but everyone contributed.  And they reached the point where not only did their fame grow, but everyone knew there was something magical there.

Everything the Beatles did as a unit eclipsed what each one did on their own.  And that's with John and Paul having pretty darn good solo careers - lots of moments of genius and success (obviously George and Ringo to a lesser extent), but just not attaining the dizzying heights hit by the group.

And after a while, things turned sour within the Beatles - for various reasons - some of which I'm sure are only truly known to those who were there.  Eventually they went their separate ways.  Decades later, there's still lots of debate on the particulars, among fans and historians.

I see a lot of parallels: they did their best work together, they had successess in the years that followed, lots of fans wanted them to get back together, some fans felt they were better apart and that one person was held back by another.  Is that Stan and Jack (or Stan and Steve), or the Beatles?  Both, if you ask me.

You want Elvis and Colonel Parker?  To me, that's Jack Kirby, and Martin Goodman.

Henry R. Kujawa said:

I really wish people would stop trying to make "Beatles" analogies. It doesn't work.  John & Paul were friends, partners, and often, true collaborators.  Stan & Jack were never any of those things.

If one feels compelled to search for a music analogy, I feel a much more accurate one would be Colonel Parker & Elvis.

[Kirk G]

I actually agree with you on this, John Dunbar.

Although John and Paul (and George) mayhave been friends enough to form a band and go to Germany to play in the Rathskellar and form the Silver Beatles, and hung together long enough for Brian Epstein to market them correctly and skyrocket to fame....

John and Paul ALWAYS had a song writing competition between the two of them. It was present from the earliest songs they wrote, and continued at least through "Silly Love Songs".

I had always heard that it wasn't so much that the Beatles broke up, but that the nieve young men who had been shepherded by an overseer/manger grew up and apart...they matured and developed their own interests and abilities and to pursue those interests and abilities, they needed to dissolve the legal entity of "the Beatles" which Brian had so nievely signed away the publishing rights to Northern Songs.  If they EVER reformed, a court of law could decide that they were operating as "The Beatles" and that their music, creations, songs, lyrics and performance belonged to "Northern Songs Ltm"...and THAT was why Paul called it quits.  He HAD to own his own songs and the longer they remained as Beatles, that was not going to happen.