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When bookseller Kenny Chan heard of the death of his hero, Marvel comics creator Stan Lee, the cry that came to mind was: “Excelsior no more!”
“Excelsior”, a Latin word meaning “ever upward”, was the catchphrase of Lee, the man behind Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and countless other superheroes, who died at age 95 on Monday.
The morning after in Books Kinokuniya, where Mr Chan is senior store and merchandising director, a Stan Lee tribute display of comics and merchandise was cleaned out within the hour.
A love of Lee’s creations was part of what drove Mr Chan, 66, to grow Kinokuniya’s comics section. “He was always trying to bring comics to the forefront as an art form. It took decades and, now, they are considered legitimate and he played one of the biggest parts in that.”
For many writers and artists in Singapore, Lee’s gift for world-building and creating heroes with human flaws was an inspiration.
Several said that growing up, they identified with Spider-Man, or Peter Parker, the web-slinging teenager who juggled school with “superheroics”. Mr Chan said: “He was a geeky student who was bullied. He would fight the bad guys, then find he had no pocket money to go back where he came from. We all connected with that.”
It’s hard to think of any writer who has had a greater impact on the American superhero genre.
CARTOONIST SONNY LIEW on Stan Lee
Film-maker Eric Khoo flew to the United States when he was in his mid-20s to meet Lee, with whom he had corresponded after he sent some of his short stories to a Marvel post-office box.
Khoo, 52, spent close to two hours chatting with Lee in his office and described him as compassionate and full of life. “He told me, ‘Every morning, I can’t wait to open my bedroom door because I can’t wait to see what’s out there.'”
During their conversation, he detected some sadness in Lee that Marvel had yet to have the same success in movies as its rival DC with Superman. “Today, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a billion-dollar industry and I am happy that he got to see it happen.”
Khoo was inspired by the way Lee championed the underdog, creating characters such as Black Panther, Marvel’s first black superhero, and blind vigilante Daredevil.
He noted the tragic coincidence of the death of artist Steve Ditko, who created Spider-Man with Lee, in June this year. “In the comic book, Peter Parker is an orphan and he’s an orphan again now. But I hope (Lee and Ditko) are shaking hands in the spirit world.”
Lee had a falling out with Ditko, as well as with Jack Kirby, his co-creator for the likes of The Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
The three reinvented comic-book superheroes in the 1960s by giving them greater depth of personality and everyday problems, said National University of Singapore associate professor in history Ian Gordon, who has authored a number of academic books on comics.
But Lee “put himself at the centre of this reimagination of superheroes, often at the expense of Ditko and Kirby”, he added.
“He is like that favourite uncle whom you loved as a kid, but as you grew older, you saw as a more complex character with some faults. Yet, what he meant to you as a kid retains a special place in your life.”
These disputes are part of Lee’s complicated legacy, said cartoonist Sonny Liew, 43, whose vigilante Roachman in his graphic novel,The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015), was an homage to Lee and Ditko.
He said: “It’s hard to think of any writer who has had a greater impact on the American superhero genre. From a distance, he felt like a combination of (circus impresario) P. T. Barnum and (fantasy author) J. R. R. Tolkien – part showman, part brilliant builder of fictional worlds.”
Lee showed that something as simple as an action comic could hold its own against more “serious” work, said comic historian Lim Cheng Tju, 46, who chose to go down this route for his comic with illustrator Benjamin Chee, the fisticuffs-filled Guidebook To Nanyang Diplomacy (2017).
Writer Clara Chow, 41, who has two young sons, said Lee is “a bit like an invisible godfather” in their household.
“I love that Lee, together with Jack Kirby, has given us powerful female superheroes such as Jean Grey and Scarlet Witch, way back in the 1960s,” she added. “People often dismiss Lee’s comics as unsophisticated, in favour of higher-brow graphic novels, but that’s missing the capacity that these stories have as timeless allegory.”
Singapore-based British comic artist Jerry Hinds, 54, president of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore), said of Lee: “His simple, left-of-centre politics have always seemed like a basis for decency in real life.”
Comics scriptwriter Boey Meihan, 41, the association’s vice-president, recalled saving up her pocket money to buy X-Men comics from Comicsnaut in Katong Shopping Centre.
She tries to bring Lee’s level of character development to her work. “In Stan Lee’s world, nobody was ever born good or evil. He always explained how they got that way. That, I believe, is why he was able to create so many believable, relatable characters that will live on forever in our imaginations.”
The association will be paying tribute to Lee at their monthly comedy event, Stand-Up Comics At The Castle, on Nov 30. Hinds said: “He was the greatest comic mind of all time.”
TRIBUTES
“We’ve lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I’m proud to have been a small part of his legacy”
HUGH JACKMAN, aka Wolverine
“There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades, he provided both young and old with adventure, escape… He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on many lives.”
CHRIS EVANS, aka Captain America
“I believe with all my heart that #StanLee would want to be celebrated today. Even through your tears, let’s flood the Internet with all the artwork… that’s ever been created in Stan’s name.”
EVANGELINE LILLY, aka The Wasp
“How many millions of us are indebted to this guy, none more so than me. The father of Marvel has made so many people so incredibly happy. “
TOM HOLLAND, aka Spider-Man
“You let us be extra human… superhuman even. I am deeply honoured to have been a small part in the Stan Lee constellation.”
MARK RUFFALO, aka The Hulk
TEXT: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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