Stan Lee

One of my fondest childhood memories was when my uncle owned a video shop, which was directly opposite our home. Having a relative own a video shop literally on my doorstep was amazing. I got to watch any film I wanted to. Well, as long as they were suitable for me of course.

One such title was a cassette of the 1970s Spider-Man cartoons. I bloody loved that tape. From there, I got into the Spider-Man live action films - Spider-Man, Spider-Man Strikes Back and one that I cannot recall the title of as I write this, but it has Asian fighters in it for those who have a better memory than myself - as well. 

That video shop not only introduced me to Spider-Man. It introduced me to the world of Marvel.

And the person who played a HUGE part in creating that world was Stan Lee.

I found out that Lee passed away yesterday at the age of 95. The first thoughts I had of him was how much his characters played a part in my early years. Not only that, though. They've been there through my teens and even as I sit here today - close to my forties - and still in the midst of a Netflix Marvel TV Series marathon that I've been on for over a year.

Looking at how much his creations have been beside me as I went through life, it's pretty clear that Stan Lee was my era's Walt Disney.

95 years old. What a legacy. Excelsior!