Me and Stan the Man

From time to time, I'll post some of my favorite pictures, and I can't think of a better one to start with than this.

That's a picture of me with Stan "The Man" Lee. For the tragically unhip, Stan was the writer and co-creator of such pop culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and much, much more. When I was a kid - a kid who was deeply into comics - I idolized Stan. Even more than the artists - legends like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Gene Colan, and George Tuska - Stan was, to me, the heart and soul of Marvel. He was the one who created the "clubhouse" feel that made Marvel seem like more than a big corporation (like rival DC), but like a bunch of friends who loved comics as much as I did. Stan wrote virtually every title Marvel published in the early years, and, even in the books he didn't write, his presence was felt through the "Bullpen Bulletins Page," and his monthly "Stan's Soapbox."

What made Stan so different from virtually everyone else writing comics at the time was that he wrote stories that both adults and kids could enjoy. He wasn't writing pretentious "graphic novels," like so many "creators" seem to be doing today, nor did he write down to his audience, assuming they were semi-literate morons, as many writers - then and now - tend to do. No, Stan knew how to write engaging, fast-paced stories that would stand the test of time. Don't believe me? Then check out such personal favorites as CAPTAIN AMERICA #106 ("Cap Goes WILD!!"), FANTASTIC FOUR #48-50 (the justly famous "Galactus Trilogy") or JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #114-115 (the introduction of the Absorbing Man in Thor). These are just a few examples of the way Stan could write a story that could be enjoyed on a number of levels, and illustrate just why I think he's one of the greatest writers of the modern era.

Anyway, when I joined Heritage Auction Galleries as their founding director of Rare Comic Book and Comic Art Auctions, I soon had the chance to meet and work with Stan to sell his collection. While not a collector himself, Stan had amassed a treasure trove over the years (or so we assumed: even Stan admitted in our preliminary talks that he had no idea what he might have), so the decision was made that I would fly to Los Angeles and inventory his stuff.

If you're into comics at all, you know what a thrill this was. Not only was I going to meet one of my lifelong idols, but I was going to get a chance to dig through his closets! After the initial shock wore off, I started to have second thoughts, though. What if Stan wasn't the kind of guy I imagined him to be? What if he was a nasty, bitter, cynical old man who just wanted to cash in on past glories? If that was the case, I knew that nearly forty years of adulation and hero-worship would go down the drain (on a much smaller scale, I had had a similar experience with Frank Perdue some years earlier. In his chicken commercials, Perdue always seemed like a decent guy, and so when I heard he was doing a local store appearance, I made sure to stop in. I can't imagine a meaner, less friendly person.  I know that everyone has a bad day once in a while, but he really went above and beyond. What a jerk.)

And so I flew out to meet Stan. Bear in mind that this was right around the time that the first SPIDER-MAN movie was coming out, so Stan was incredibly busy doing interviews and personal appearances, with enough stress to test the mettle of a man half his age. I was, to say the least, nervous.

And then I met him. He came into the room where I was working and gave me a warm handshake, introduced himself (as if I wouldn't know who he was), and apologized for not being more accessible. And then he invited me to go to lunch with him. Best of all, he even bought my lunch. Stan "The Man" bought me lunch!

Stan turned out to be the nicest, friendliest, most down-to-earth guy you could possibly imagine. As much as he comes across bigger than life in his TV appearances, he couldn't have been more genuine in the time I got to spend with him. On a subsequent trip, he invited me to his home, where I met his utterly charming wife Joan. Honestly, they don't get much better than Stan.

The photo above was taken in his office during a later trip, when I presented him with the first check for the sale of his comics and memorabilia. In the storage area, in the midst of everything, I managed to find a near-complete collection of important Marvel first issues, including FANTASTIC FOUR #1, AMAZING FANTASY #15, INCREDIBLE HULK #1, TALES OF SUSPENSE #39, and many more. Working with Steve Borock at CGC, we were able to encapsulate and label the books as coming from the "Stan Lee Collection," and they sold for astronomical prices when offered. The auction itself was a thrill, but meeting and getting to spend time with Stan was really one of the high points of my life.

So that's the story behind the picture. It hung on my mother's refrigerator for years, and now it's here. Enjoy.