Comic book legend Stan Lee is dead at the age of 95.
The co-creator of heroes like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men passed away Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Lee got his start in comic books in 1939 at Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics. His creations have become the focus of several blockbuster movie franchises.
Robin Cross works at Rogues Gallery Comics in downtown Windsor. The 38 year old has been collecting since he was just eight and says Lee is the father of modern comics.
"Outside of all of his creations that everyone knows, Spiderman, Hulk, the Fantastic Four and everything he's directly responsible for, he's pretty well influenced everything that has come since then," he says.
Rogue Comics’ Robin Cross says @TheRealStanLee changed the comic world by introducing relatable characters and storylines. @CTVWindsor @AM800News https://t.co/MiPReNKZ5o #cklw pic.twitter.com/SZfL03wGBd
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) November 13, 2018
Cross tells AM800 News Lee was the first recognizable face in the industry to get out in the public eye and interact with readers, but his greatest contribution was changing how comic book stories are told by introducing storylines that people relate to.
"Someone like Spiderman. Peter Parker was this young kid in school getting picked on, grows up without his parents, lived with his grandparents and he's lonely," says Cross. "He ends up with these great powers and everyone knows the line, 'with great powers comes great responsibility.'"
In joint statement from Marvel and The Walt Disney Company, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger says:
"Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created. A super hero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart," says Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger.
Cross met Lee at a conference in Toronto and says Lee — who likely didn't need the money and was still a fixture at events until just months before his death — was humble and available to fans.
"He was out almost every weekend. He was at comic conventions all over the world meeting people and being great to people," he says. "It's one thing you could guarantee is that if you went to meet Stan Lee, even if you had to wait in line for three-hours for him, he was going to be fantastic to you. He was a super friendly guy."
Lee is survived by his daughter Joanie. His wife Joan died last year at the age of 70.
Robin Cross from #Windsor’s Rogue Comic Books Gallery met @TheRealStanLee at a convention. He says Lee was a fixture at comic book events worldwide. #cklw pic.twitter.com/m73CT5Xc3O
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) November 13, 2018