Bonus 7 - Stan Lee

That was a beautiful tribute! And I actually really enjoyed that song at the end. I bought a Spider-Man rock opera in the 70's. I still remember some of the words.

And not to forget Alan More's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen!

Lars Backstrom

I actually forgot two of the foremost European comics: the French comic Asterix and and the Belgian comic Tintin. Asterix and especially Obelix are superheroes because they get superstrength from the magic potion their druid brews. Obelix has a permanent superstrength because he fell into the brew as a child. Tintin has a lot of superhero comics features, like plots with fantastic elements and supervillains.

Lars Backstrom

Your Laserwhip superhero reminded me of this episode of Mr. Meaty. Damn, I miss working with those guys. <a href="https://youtu.be/LjGfpfCajPM" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/LjGfpfCajPM</a>

Tara Murphy

Carrie Fisher and Stan Lee were two of my childhood icons. They are both gone. It is a weird feeling as these influences on life were always present and then one day -- poof -- they're gone. Both were special people in their own way and knowing they're no longer with us makes the world a slightly less magical place.

There are a few European superheroes. They tend to be slightly more ironic than the US ones. There is the abovementioned Superdupont. There is the Italian Rank Xerox and the Duck Avenger (Paperinik). There is a Swedish children's comic, Bamse, about a bear who gets superstrong by drinking thunderhoney.

Lars Backstrom

Alan Moore was a vocal critic of Stan Lee, but even he admits Kirby's dialogue was "a bit clunky". <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iFV1HdO2pQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iFV1HdO2pQ</a>

I was reminded of this story: When FDR's funeral procession went by, a man collapsed; he was so overcome. A neighbor picked him up and said, 'Did you know the president?' And he responded, 'No, but he knew me.'" I thought that well described how many felt at the passing of the Generalissimo.

The opening reading with Stan was really moving. Excelsior!

Jeff C. Carter

Thanks for this episode guys. It brought back a flood of memories of the superheroes I created when I was in grade school. Superklutz, Electralad, and The Englishman, whose power was that he could throw things with such accuracy, force, and twisting power that he could actually open a door by throwing a key into the lock. I drew comic books of Superklutz and made dolls of him and his faithful butler, Bentley, and his archenemy, General Sidney Greenteeth. So very elaborate. RIP Stan Lee, and thanks for everything. Excelsior!

Hm... at age 19 I got a job at a comic book store. So that's sort of being like Stan Lee, right?

At some point in, I realized that was possible to have a relationship with, say, a TV show, and its characters that exists only in the realm of a living room. That is, really within the bounds of your own head. I think it's very much There is a weirdness that can happen when you actually meet a person you love and admire only to realize you don't know them at all.and the two worlds overlap. Sort of like the relationship I have with Lovecraft, Bradbury or Vonnegut. I've gotten to the point that I don't care. I don't want to put someone down for talking about someone that they

Stan Lee’s passing was one that genuinely saddened me. I think it’s particularly those that had a strong influence on my childhood or teen years that tend to get to me that way - the only other ‘celebrity’ passing that hit me like that was Terry Pratchett.

Oh yeah definitely want to see Laserwhip in action. At least tell us about his femme fatale archnemesis.

Thanks guys I really enjoyed that. While I appreciate you reading that comment of his that's been floating around the internet, that wasn't the only time Lee explained in no uncertain terms how just plainly wrong and stupid racism is. I clearly remember in '70 or '71 sitting on the schoolbus in Georgia after being sent home due to a race riot at the high school. Why they thought kids in primary school were likely to start attacking one another I have never understood. But I remember one time while this is going on I sat and read one my marvel comics and on the letters page was Stan explaining for the umpteenth time to some nitwit "fan" that Falcon wasn't Cap's sidekick (I remember something along the lines of "He ain't no boywonder nor a wonder boy!"). That Cap didn't need one and that he and Falcon were friends, equals. We still clearly need him trying to explain the obvious today. As far as how much credit he deserves, well I guess I'll out myself as a big ol' hypocrite considering how hard I've come down on August Derleth. Many have compared Lee's relationships to Ditko and Kirby to being like that of Derleth and Lovecraft (or any number of others of undeserving hack taking credit for the master's work), but Lee made marvel, warts and all (and yes there were many warts). You are so right Chad that stuff solely by Kirby just doesn't do it as successful storytelling. Maybe Stan is proof positive of what you guys have often said about many of the "less good" stories you have dutifully read. A good editor is a writer's best friend (though few writers would admit that). From all stories about him, while he could rub creatives the wrong way and created a brutal work regime, he often put the essentials on the characters and stories. Even if that essential came at the very end of the process, it made Peter Parker and Johnny Storm and all the others into these far more reallistic role models than that red and blue boy scout and brooding leather fetishist detective could ever be. Thanks again guys.

I really enjoyed that. I've found the whole Stan Lee thing a bit weird, distant even. Leo Baxendale, Moebius, Schuiten and Peeters, Gene Ha or Dave Gibbons are more my touchstones, but as artists rather than necessarily as representative of something wider. So it was great to hear what he meant to both of you.

Steve

Superdupont! The archetypal French superhero. But yeah, we don't really have that tradition. However I'm looking forwards to the roughhousing adventures of Laserwhip and Thresher (that said in the Thresher is a chain of off-licences).

Steve