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Thank you Stan Lee

Thank you Stan Lee | Yes. Everything is rubbish. Written by Random J

You'd have to bang pots and pans to get me out of bed for school in the morning, but nothing would get me out of bed earlier or faster than a chance to watch Spider-Man and his amazing friends at the crack of dawn. My weekday could not start without me sat on the floor with a bowl of cereal, mere centimetres from the TV, watching Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar thwart the bad guys. And by the age of 12, nothing would get me home faster than the 4pm airing of Spider-Man: The animated series.

I owe Spider-Man. I really fucking do. He got me up in the mornings and he got me home after school. So by this token I guess I owe Stan Lee too. But I owe far more to Stan than giving me Spider-Man.

I think it was at some point last year, or maybe it was late 2016... There was a period where quite a few white OG's were passing away consecutively. Every other day I'd hop on Twitter and see tribute and RIP tweets to one having passed away. During this time I had joked-but-not-joked that we need to all hit a church yard, hold hands around a fire and chant for Stan Lee's protection. A reaction at the realisation that the day that Stan Lee's passing is going to come sooner than later. And that day had finally come.

For the many years that I'd watched Spider-Man, I wasn't always aware of the man responsible for creating him. This came much later. But once I found out who Stan Lee was, that HE was the creator of Spider-Man and the impact that he'd made at Marvel, in literally being the embodiment and ever lasting spokesperson for the company, I became a fan. But I didn't become a fan because he was the creator of Spider-Man and literally Mr. Marvel himself. I became a fan because of who I discovered him to be as a person. Fucking remarkable given that I've never met the man. I guess this is the type of shit that happens with you have a great reputation that precedes you.

Stan Lee seemed like a nice guy who seemed genuinely grateful that he was able to not only have an amazing career, but celebrate it all as much as his fans did. You rarely saw him in public without a smile. And he never lost that desire to share the worlds that he'd created with as many people as he could.

Thank you Stan Lee | Yes. Everything is rubbish. Written by Random J

Stan Lee made it cool to talk passionately in public about doing something that went against what was deemed 'cool' and thereby helped make it cool. Collecting comic books, drawing, writing, the world of superheroes - Stan Lee was an avatar for all of these things. He never downplayed any of it. He embraced it. And as a young kid who grew up always feeling somewhat ashamed of their passions and hobbies, and went to great efforts to downplay them - this really spoke to me. I always wished I could have lived my passions as a child as unapologetically and as openly as Stan did. But I found the courage to do that as I got older and Stan Lee is part of the reason why I was able to.

Stan Lee was one of the first to become a celebrity out of something that was seen as a niche, or a hobby outside of music and film; long before we saw this happen in the world of video games with the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima. Stan Lee lived something as close to a rock star as you could get for somebody who worked in comics. Something I ever thought could be possible.

Stan Lee's passing has made me aware of one thing. How important it is to do something that you love as a job. Because if you love it, you'll never feel like you're working a day in your life and you will want to do it forever and cherish it. This was Stan Lee. He adored his work and never lost the sparkle in his eye or the passion in his voice when he recited the story of how he came up with the name of Spider-Man. And I never got old of hearing it.

Stan Lee was the Michael Jackson and the Michael Jordan of comics. One of the best to do it, with a legacy that will transcend time and generations.

Live for now. And live to create something from the heart that will live forever. Because in this way, you can never truly die. That's what Stan Lee taught me, and for this I'm more grateful that I ever thought I could be.

Thank you Stan Lee.


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