By: Brendan Bogley
This past November, I decided that I needed to live as if it cost $100 an hour – basically, to use each moment as fully, successfully, and meaningfully as I can. Heading to class the next day, Nov 12, I heard on the radio that Stan Lee had passed away. The full impact of what that meant did not hit me until later.
We realized that we had no idea where or who we would be without Stan Lee. My earliest memories are of watching X-Men: The Animated Series, and of scribbling over a drawing of my dad’s own super heroes because it was just so exciting that I had to ruin it. Comic books never would have gained the ground they have without his drive. My family, my cousins, and my friends and I have spent a vast amount of bonding through his Marvel Universe, his characters, his emotions.
Through his inspiration we were able to not only enjoy his worlds, but imagine our own. Half of the things we are responsible for, the things we are proud of, we would never have arrived at if not for Stan. There would be no Heroclix, a tabletop miniatures game and constant pastime throughout my life. No basement sessions of dice and storytelling. No cousin Jake imitating the scene from Spider-Man where he learns to climb walls, scaling a mattress on the ground while imitating the soundtrack.
But Stan Lee did more than write about powers and spandex. He did not merely create people we wanted to be. He created people who could be us. Being Spider-Man did not define Peter Parker. Being Peter Parker defined Spider-Man.
It was more than the *bang*’s and the *boom*’s, the *thwip*’s and the *snikt*’s. He gave us stories about people, lives where we could see similarities to our own. Life is hard. Powers or no. Yet through comic books Stan helped show us the beauty in living, the endeavors and joys that unite us all.
God bless you, Stan Lee. Thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. Excelsior.
