“I grew up in an exurb where it took nearÂly an hour to walk to the nearÂest shop, to the nearÂest place to eat, to the library,” rememÂbers writer Adam Cadre. “And the steep hills made it an exhaustÂing walk.  That meant that until I turned sixÂteen, when school was not in sesÂsion I was stuck at home.  This was often not a good place to be stuck. Stan Lee gave me a place to hang out.” Many othÂer forÂmer chilÂdren of exurÂban AmerÂiÂca — as well as everyÂwhere else — did much of their growÂing up there as well, not just in the uniÂverse of MarÂvel Comics but in those of the comics and othÂer forms of culÂture to which it gave rise or influÂenced, most of them either directÂly or indiÂrectÂly shaped by Lee, who died yesÂterÂday at the age of 95.
“His critÂics would say that for me to thank Stan Lee for creÂatÂing the MarÂvel UniÂverse shows that I’ve fallÂen for his self-promotion,” Cadre conÂtinÂues, “​that it was Jack KirÂby and Steve Ditko and his othÂer colÂlabÂoÂraÂtors who supÂplied the dynamÂic, expresÂsive artÂwork and the epic stoÂryÂlines that made the MarÂvel UniÂverse so comÂpelling.”
MarÂvel fans will rememÂber that Ditko, co-creÂator with Lee of SpiÂder-Man and DocÂtor Strange, died this past sumÂmer. KirÂby, whose countÂless achieveÂments in comics include co-creÂatÂing the FanÂtasÂtic Four, the X‑Men, and the Hulk with Lee, passed away in 1994. (KirÂby’s death, as I recall, was the first I’d ever heard about on the interÂnet.)
Those who take a dimÂmer view of Lee’s career see him as havÂing done litÂtle more artisÂtic work than putting diaÂlogue into the speech bubÂbles. But like no small numÂber of othÂer MarÂvel UniÂverse habituĂ©s, Cadre “didn’t read superÂhero comics for the fights or the cosÂtumes or the trips to Asgard and AttiÂlan. I read them for fanÂtaÂsy that read like realÂiÂty, for the interÂplay of wildÂly difÂferÂent perÂsonÂalÂiÂties — ​and for the wiseÂcracks.” And what made superÂhero stoÂries the right delivÂery sysÂtem for that interÂplay of perÂsonÂalÂiÂties and those wiseÂcracks? You’ll find the answer in “The Rise of SuperÂheroes and Their Impact On Pop CulÂture,” an online course from the SmithÂsonÂian, preÂviÂousÂly feaÂtured here on Open CulÂture and still availÂable to take at your own pace in edX’s archives, creÂatÂed and taught in part by Lee himÂself. You can watch the trailÂer for the course at the top of the post.
If you take the course, its proÂmoÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals promise, you’ll learn the answers to such quesÂtions as “Why did superÂheroes first arise in 1938 and expeÂriÂence what we refer to as their “GoldÂen Age” durÂing World War II?,” “How have comÂic books, pubÂlished weekÂly since the mid-1930’s, mirÂrored a changÂing AmerÂiÂcan sociÂety, reflectÂing our mores, slang, fads, biasÂes and prejÂuÂdices?,” and “When and how did comÂic book artÂwork become acceptÂed as a true AmerÂiÂcan art form as indigeÂnous to this counÂtry as jazz?” Whether or not you conÂsidÂer yourÂself a “true believÂer,” as Lee would have put it, there could be few betÂter ways of honÂorÂing an AmerÂiÂcan icon like him than disÂcovÂerÂing what makes his work in superÂhero comics — the field to which he dedÂiÂcatÂed his life, and the one which has takÂen more than its fair share of deriÂsion over the decades — not just a reflecÂtion of the culÂture but a major influÂence on it as well.
Enroll in “The Rise of SuperÂheroes and Their Impact On Pop CulÂture” here.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
1,700 Free Online CoursÂes from Top UniÂverÂsiÂties
The Great Stan Lee Reads Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”
DownÂload Over 22,000 GoldÂen & SilÂver Age ComÂic Books from theComÂic Book Plus Archive
DownÂload 15,000+ Free GoldÂen Age Comics from the DigÂiÂtal ComÂic MuseÂum
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.