Following the death of Marvel legend Stan Lee on Monday, many outlets covered not only his death, but turned the focus on his wide-reaching life and legacy. Some of the mainstream coverage included:
- The New York Times not only wrote a thorough obituary of “The Man,” but also featured a comic by Brian Michael Bendis, Bill Walko and Howie Noel.
- Peter David, freelance comics writer and a former Marvel employee, wrote a remembrance of Lee for Vulture. “Still, there was a time where Stan became the incarnation of that line from The Dark Knight: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. In the ’80s and ’90s, it became increasingly stylish to bash Stan, to accuse him of hogging attention for his creations from the artists. But the fact is that before Marvel Comics, comics writers and artists were anonymous. It was Stan who made the artists the centerpieces of the work, giving them snappy nicknames like ‘Stainless’ Steve Ditko, ‘Genial’ Gene Colan, ‘Larrupin’’ Larry Lieber (no, even his brother wasn’t immune), and many others. We would come to know the artists (and other writers) as well as, if not better than, members of our only families. DC editors were so disdainful of this practice that they referred to him as ‘Stan Brag,’ before eventually following suit and crediting people.”
- Roy Thomas, a legendary comics writer in his own right, shares the memory of his last Saturday spent with Lee at the Hollywood Reporter.
- Marvel dedicated a special section of their website to Lee, with a tribute video.
Other folks shared their thoughts on social media or on their own blogs, including:
- Writer J.M. DeMatteis shared two different blog posts about Lee, which you can read here and here.
- DC Comics paid tribute to Lee on their blog. “Stan was a great friend and a true legend. He paved the road for me and other creators for more than half a century,” said DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee. “From my beginnings in the industry until today, Stan’s influence on my work and my life can’t be emphasized enough. It was a dream come true to have worked with him however briefly, and I’m honored to be among the amazing roster of creative talent that shared the stage with him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the millions of fans whose lives have been touched by his brilliance.”
- Jim Trumbell shared his tribute at Atomic Junk Shop.
- Tom Spurgeon shared “a thought or two” about Lee on The Comics Reporter.
- Colleen Doran shared a lovely image of Stan and some of his co-creations.
Creators, Interviews and Profiles
Writer X revealed: In an interview with Brian Cronin, Howard Mackie reveals he was Writer X and wrote a Marvel series called The Brotherhood back in 2001 under the pseudonym.
Profiles: On conjunction with a personal appearance at the University of Southern California, Maus creator Art Spiegelman is profiled by university’s newspaper, the Daily Trojan. “I couldn’t have dreamed of how overtly authoritarian and fascist the future can look some days and as a result it has made me look back on my own work differently,” Spiegelman said. “When I made Maus it wasn’t about wanting to make the world better; it wasn’t about anything but wanting to tell a story.”
Profiles: Artist Stan Webb discusses his work on Buffalo Soldier with the Washington Post.
Interviews: Our own Alex Dueben talks to David Nuss, the founder and co-publisher of Revival House Press.
The Biz
More than meets the eye: The BBC looks at the growing popularity of the Transformers with female fans, particularly the comics — which they say have used “wit and humanity to reach a new, diverse fan base.”
Legal: Court dates have been set in a case of trademark kerfuffle between DC Comics and Super Monsters Animation of Connecticut over the term “Super-Pets.”
Conventions: New Bloom Magazine examines efforts by the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office to promote comics by their country’s creators at the New York Comic-Con.
People: Lion Forge’s director of marketing, Syndee Barwick, has been promoted to vice president.
Commentary, Reviews and Criticism
Real-world scary: Polygon’s Susana Polo shares “the scariest comics panel I’ve seen in ages” — a panel from X-Men Red #10 that features a deepfake video of Jean Grey.
Best of the year: London-based comic retailer Gosh! Comics picks their favorite titles of 2018, with separate lists for adults and kids.
Best of the year: Newsweek shares their picks for the best comics and graphic novels of the year, a list that includes Monstress, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies and Supergirl: Being Super, among others.
Reviews: J. Caleb Mozzocco reviews writer Jeff Loveness and artist Jakub Rebelka’s Judas graphic novel.