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Generalissimo Stan Lee Always Has Time for True Believers at Wizard World NYC

Published Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:00:59 -0500

Last updated Wed, 03 Jul 2013 05:07:28 -0500

By Hannah Means-Shannon

The con machine that is Stan Lee had quite a presence at Wizard World's "New York City Experience" on July 28-30^th, and at a relatively small con, that presence was even more ubiquitous. Most Marvel fans are pretty pleased that his health still permits him to do the rounds, but what Lee brings to cons continues to be more than just a token presence. He seems to genuinely enjoy engaging with fans and raising the energy level of the cons he's part of.

Wizard World NYC took to a new venue this year, Pier 36 on the river in Southern Manhattan, and presented an interesting dynamic of a smallish con where celebrities were easy to access and felt like part of the show on an hourly basis. Lee was no exception, involved in three events alongside photo ops and autographs. This is a luxury for NYC considering that many fans make long pilgrimages to meet the godfather of Marvel and hear him talk about his life and work. At Wizard, it was even possible to simply wander in to his Q&A session as a general admission ticketholder and still find a seat in their air-conditioned outdoor pavilion to take in Lee's trademark enthusiasm for the power of comics.

He did confess, as the panel kicked off, that he'd just come from 3 hours of signing autographs and was a little exhausted from it, but promptly commanded all the ladies to sit up front and the men to take a hike so he could at least have the best view from the dais. Oh Stan. The thing about Stan Lee is that any answer he gives to a question is two-fold. First he gives the humorous reply, then changes tack and gives a remarkably honest record on the basis of his admittedly slightly foggy memory (well he is 90 now). The questions he fielded were quite wide-spread, though many are the kind fans tend to throw at him. The initial question on his role in the Marvel Star Wars comics was a little less common, so gave him a chance to posture and then clarify on a subject that not every fan knows much about. "George Lucas had such faith in me", Lee joked, that he said, "Stan, go ahead and do what you want", when it came to comics. But seriously, Lee added, he never met Lucas until much later, and now, of course, he's part of the "Disney Marvel family". Lee demanded "Why isn't he here?" to a round of applause. It did highlight the ways in which Lee's status in comics and pop culture is equal to Lee's own commitment to keep engaging with fans at events.

A more typical question was what Lee thought of the comics business right now. As usual, he suggested "There are other businesses you might try first!", meaning it's not a cake walk. "It's more difficult now than when I was in it", he admitted, with intense competition among the most talented writers and artists, who, he feels are really looking to "make a movie and make a lot of money" off their work. Not something that he feels critical about, he clarified. "You have to be as good as the best", he said, to break into comics and likely be a pro or already published to have a shot. "I don't know if I could get a job there today", he commented.

A young fan asked if he "gets along with DC Comics". No doubt his eyes were twinkling behind his aviators as he said, knowing the packed audience was hanging on his every word, that "I'd like to send them a letter containing important advice. It's foolish not to give me a cameo in the next Superman or Batman movie. It would bring in the audience! They wouldn't be able to believe it!". This, of course, provoked a lot of hilarity from the floor. Lee's feisty energy was definitely present as he scanned the crowd, and they were more than delighted by his willingness to play to their fandom. Lee handled a more specific question in an interesting way. He was asked if there was any chance that current Marvel movies were heading toward a Civil War-like event. "I'm not involved in those decisions any more", he disclaimed, "but there's a damn good chance they'll think of it. If fans of stories are thinking it, and they're asking 'What would fans like to see next'?" There was something a little telling in the way he encouraged this angle, though he may have just been expressing personal desires.

Another more specific question involved what led Lee to create Doctor Strange, no doubt on peoples' minds because of the upcoming film. He described himself at the time as working for a "tough publisher" in Goodman and being "afraid" he'd be fired if he didn't come up with a new hero. Magicians simply hadn't been done before at Marvel, but if they were going to have a magician hero, Lee didn't want to fit too many of the already established comics stereotypes and make him equally forgettable. He decided that "instead of corny remarks magicians say", he'd devise "incantations" for Strange with an unusual result. Fans began to memorize the incantations and he actually got "angry letters" from readers who had tried out the incantations and complained that they didn't work. He shook his head, laughing, recalling these letters.

One of Lee's funnier stories concerned interacting with Bob Kane, who used to "gloat" a lot about creating Batman. When Lee and his wife and Kane and his wife were out to dinner together, before the waiter could even take their order, Kane would whip out a napkin, draw Batman and declare to the waiter that he was the creator of Batman. The waiter, depending on his comics reading bent, would nod politely, then ask for their order. When asked if he ever thought one of his own characters turned out to be a little bit of a dud, Lee responded specifically about a "forgettable" villain named Diablo, who sported a name that Lee just thought was cool, but was never developed further. He found himself asking "What's so great? Why care?" about the villain, and discarding him afterward.

The last couple of questions were a little more poignant for various reasons. A pretty passionate female fan asked with great seriousness if it was ever possible for the character Thor to die, being a god and all. Maybe she was thinking of rumors concerning "sacrifices" in the upcoming Dark World film. "Not if Marvel keeps making money he doesn't!" Lee laughed to applause. And then, in the follow-up serious answer from Lee, he leaned down toward the mic and said in very fatherly tones that he would let the audience in on a secret. "These are fictitious characters", he said, "and they can do whatever the writer wants". As this astonishing revelation sank in, he considered a final question. "What gave you the drive to go through with your original ideas?", he was asked. He sat back for a moment, thinking. "GREED", he answered, playing to the crowd, then, "If you enjoy what you do, why stop? If you're lucky enough to work with creative people, it's fun. Other guys may go play golf or poker." He commented that he has no real hobbies but work and spending time with family, that he lets the other guys pursue hobbies. Stan Lee is still at the grindstone, but it's hard not believe what he says when you hear it directly from the Generalissimo: he really does think it's fun, even if it involves three hours of signings before he can get up in front of a cheering crowd.

Hannah Means-Shannon writes and blogs about comics for TRIP CITY and Sequart.org and is currently working on books about Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore for Sequart. She is @hannahmenzies on Twitter and hannahmenziesblog on WordPress. Find her bio here.

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