nir Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Stan Lee: One Fan Remembers the Voice, the Words, the Face To many people my age, the image of Stan Lee is so iconic that it is funny to think of a time when I had no idea what he looked like. I heard his voice long before I ever read his words or saw him. “Face front, heroes!” he intoned with what I would always recall as his trademark bombast during an early episode of the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.” He continued: “This is Stan Lee. Believe it or not, you asked for today’s story!” His enthusiasm for the adventure that was about to unfold was contagious. I believed I had demanded it! I’ve covered comic books here at The Times since 2002, but I started reading them regularly in 1981. Though I had already encountered many superheroes in animated form, my discovery of comic books took my love to a new level. And in those pages, Stan Lee’s name was inescapable. If you wanted to start at the beginning, as many readers did, perusing the early issues of the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Spider-Man and the X-Men invariably lead you to him — as well as to the names of the extraordinary artists who created those characters with him. Later on in my reading life, I would catch his credit, “Stan Lee presents,” on the title page of stories by other writers. It always felt like a seal of approval. His personality always popped, especially in the back pages, which were typically devoted to letters from fans and included his editorials, titled “Stan’s Soapbox.” (They were reprinted in 2008 and some of them turned up on Twitter on Monday as he was mourned and remembered.) He spoke directly to us, sharing the latest Marvel news or responding to questions (or quibbles) from sharp-eyed readers. He helped foster a sense of community, long before comic book characters were omnipresent in pop culture. His words made us feel as if we belonged somewhere. Eventually I saw him, all the time, in the movies. On Monday afternoon, after I heard the news of Lee’s death, I chatted on Facebook with my geek friend Oren Phillips, who wrote: “There really wasn’t a human face to DC. It was Stan Lee who became the face of all comics.” Lee’s Marvel film cameos began in 2000 with “X-Men,” almost a decade before they became the regular, behemoth cultural events they are today. In 2002’s “Spider-Man,” he saves a young girl from falling debris and while watching it I had a surprising feeling: pride. Here was the paper creation of Lee and Steve Ditko in big-screen glory. This wasn’t the modest CBS “Amazing Spider-Man” I grew up with (and crushed on) in the 1970s or the comic books that I hid in notebooks to not be discovered as a nerd. This was in public, in a crowded movie theater, and there was a kinship in the audience of comic book fans (and their companions): we didn’t have to hide our affection for our childhood heroes any longer. This summer, Lee even appeared in “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies,” an animated film with characters from Marvel’s Distinguished Competition (DC Comics). In one scene, Lee (well, his voice) hams it up in the background until he approaches the viewer. “Hey everybody, look at me, doing my subtle cameo,” he declares, while music plays, he dances and strikes action poses, and “Stan Lee” logos appear on the screen. He returns later and says, “I don’t care if it is a DC movie — I love cameos!” It was a sign of how self-effacing he could be: poking fun of himself in a rival’s movie. Lee had a surprise cameo in last summer’s “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.”CreditWarner Bros. Pictures I reached out to the rest my geek squad to ask them how they were feeling about the world without Lee. One of my buddies, Sean McInerney, wrote in an email, “I never met Stan Lee in person, yet yesterday when he passed, my family, friends and even my co-workers reached out to offer me their condolences.” I had a similar experience at work, with colleagues expressing their sympathy and my sister calling me to say sorry for my loss. It was an odd sensation: undeserved yet soothing. I never had the chance to meet Lee in person, but we spoke once on the phone. When the idea came up, more than a decade ago, to film “Last Word” videos with prominent figures to be published along with their obituaries, I immediately thought of the stories Lee could tell. Initially paralyzed about how to approach him, I eventually wrote a note that tried to convey the project. He left a voice mail message (Stan Lee’s voice! Speaking to me!) and I steeled myself to return his call. He picked up and there was that voice, transporting me back to Saturday morning cartoons. I hemmed and hawed, but he saved me. He understood the goal and took it in stride. He said: “The only terrible thing will be that I won’t be around to hear people say how wonderful I was.” Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Am Negan Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 20 hours ago, AronKuiz said: As all super heroes Stan Lee created is everlasting, they wont join Him at heaven RIP Stan Lee Heaven? Don’t you mean Asgard?😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Asgard's destroyed already... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitorio Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 59 minutes ago, teodz1984 said: Asgard's destroyed already... Asgard, Old Norse Ásgardr, in Norse mythology, the dwelling place of the gods, comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus. Legend divided Asgard into 12 or more realms, including Valhalla, the home of Odin and the abode of heroes slain in earthly battle; Thrudheim, the realm of Thor;and Breidablik, the home of Balder. Britannica.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Destruction of Asgard EDIT SHARE "Tremble before me, Asgard. I am your reckoning!" ―Surtur[src] The Destruction of Asgard was the result of the Fire DemonSurtur being released by Loki in the achievement of the doomsday prophecy known as Ragnarök, which had been figured out by Thor as the only way to stop the Goddess of Death Hela before she could lay waste across the Nine Realms and beyond. Contents [show] Background "I've been having these terrible dreams of late. Asgard up in flames, falling to ruins. And you, Surtur, are at the center of all of them." "Then you have seen Ragnarök, the fall of Asgard." ―Thor and Surtur[src] Surtur battles Thor with his Twilight Sword The God of Thunder Thorexperienced several nightmares in which he saw the mighty Fire Demon Surtur lay waste on his homeland of Asgard, a doomsday event known as Ragnarök in Asgardian culture. In order to prevent such a cataclysm, Thor journeyed to Muspelheim. He was captured by Surtur but eventually managed to escape, killing Surtur in the process and bringing the demon's skull to Asgard so that it would be locked within Odin's Vault. Thor soon had to deal with another threat as his sister, the Goddess of Death Hela, returned from her banishment thanks to Odin's death. She cast out both Thor and Loki to Sakaar and seized the throne of Asgard, slaughtering the Einherjar and replacing them with her Berserkers to tyranically reign over Asgard. However, Thor and Loki eventually managed to return to Asgard, accompanied by the rest of the Revengers and the Sakaaran Rebellion. An intense battle erupted on the Rainbow Bridge, during which the Berserkers army was destroyed. However, Hela remained alive and proved to be invincible to Thor and the Revengers. Thor ultimately figured out that he had been mistaken all along: they were not supposed to stop Ragnarök and the destruction of Asgard ; instead they had to cause it so that Hela would be killed and the Asgardians could escape with the Statesman, the spaceship used by the Sakaaran Rebellion.[1] Destruction "I am Asgard's doom!" ―Surtur[src] While Thor and Valkyrie fought against Hela to buy some time, Loki fled the Commodore to the Asgardian Palace. He made his way to Odin's Vault and reclaimed the Crown of Surtur which he put into the Eternal Flame. The process caused Surtur to be revived in his mightiest form, a Fire Demon towering over Asgard and its nearby mountains and wielding the powerful Twilight Sword. Surtur destroys the Asgardian Palace As Loki escaped, Surtur erupted from the Asgardian Palace, destroying it in the process, and began laying waste to the deserted city before him. Meanwhile, Thor and Valkyrie managed to make Helafall from the Rainbow Bridge into the water and watched in sorrow as Surtur destroyed their homeland. Although Hulk lept at Surtur to attack him, he was knocked back to the bridge, where Thor and Valkyrie convinced him to give up on fighting Surtur. Hulk reluctantly agreed and took them aboard the escaping Statesman. Surtur plunges his Twilight Sword into Hela Still alive, Hela attempted to continue to fight Surtur by hurling massive spears in his chest. However, Surtur remained unaffected by her attacks. As foretold in the Ragnarök prophecy, Surtur thrust his blade straight through Asgard to its core, annihilating Hela and the threat she posed to the Asgardians in the process. The Asgardians watched helpless as their homeworld exploded, making them a wandering people.[1] Aftermath "Earth it is." ―Thor[src] Thor commands to go to Earth Following the destruction of their homeworld, the surviving Asgardians who had gathered aboard the Statesman had to relocate on a new home. Led by their new king Thor, who eventually accepted the position on the throne, they decided to head towards Earth.[1]However, during their journey, their spaceship encountered the infamous Sanctuary II, Thanos' gigantic spacecraft.[2] http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Destruction_of_Asgard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"Tremble before me, Asgard. I am your reckoning!" ―Surtur[src] The Destruction of Asgard was the result of the Fire DemonSurtur being released by Loki in the achievement of the doomsday prophecy known as Ragnarök, which had been figured out by Thor as the only way to stop the Goddess of Death Hela before she could lay waste across the Nine Realms and beyond. Contents [show] Background "I've been having these terrible dreams of late. Asgard up in flames, falling to ruins. And you, Surtur, are at the center of all of them." "Then you have seen Ragnarök, the fall of Asgard." ―Thor and Surtur[src] Surtur battles Thor with his Twilight Sword The God of Thunder Thorexperienced several nightmares in which he saw the mighty Fire Demon Surtur lay waste on his homeland of Asgard, a doomsday event known as Ragnarök in Asgardian culture. In order to prevent such a cataclysm, Thor journeyed to Muspelheim. He was captured by Surtur but eventually managed to escape, killing Surtur in the process and bringing the demon's skull to Asgard so that it would be locked within Odin's Vault. Thor soon had to deal with another threat as his sister, the Goddess of Death Hela, returned from her banishment thanks to Odin's death. She cast out both Thor and Loki to Sakaar and seized the throne of Asgard, slaughtering the Einherjar and replacing them with her Berserkers to tyranically reign over Asgard. However, Thor and Loki eventually managed to return to Asgard, accompanied by the rest of the Revengers and the Sakaaran Rebellion. An intense battle erupted on the Rainbow Bridge, during which the Berserkers army was destroyed. However, Hela remained alive and proved to be invincible to Thor and the Revengers. Thor ultimately figured out that he had been mistaken all along: they were not supposed to stop Ragnarök and the destruction of Asgard ; instead they had to cause it so that Hela would be killed and the Asgardians could escape with the Statesman, the spaceship used by the Sakaaran Rebellion.[1] Destruction "I am Asgard's doom!" ―Surtur[src] While Thor and Valkyrie fought against Hela to buy some time, Loki fled the Commodore to the Asgardian Palace. He made his way to Odin's Vault and reclaimed the Crown of Surtur which he put into the Eternal Flame. The process caused Surtur to be revived in his mightiest form, a Fire Demon towering over Asgard and its nearby mountains and wielding the powerful Twilight Sword. Surtur destroys the Asgardian Palace As Loki escaped, Surtur erupted from the Asgardian Palace, destroying it in the process, and began laying waste to the deserted city before him. Meanwhile, Thor and Valkyrie managed to make Helafall from the Rainbow Bridge into the water and watched in sorrow as Surtur destroyed their homeland. Although Hulk lept at Surtur to attack him, he was knocked back to the bridge, where Thor and Valkyrie convinced him to give up on fighting Surtur. Hulk reluctantly agreed and took them aboard the escaping Statesman. Surtur plunges his Twilight Sword into Hela Still alive, Hela attempted to continue to fight Surtur by hurling massive spears in his chest. However, Surtur remained unaffected by her attacks. As foretold in the Ragnarök prophecy, Surtur thrust his blade straight through Asgard to its core, annihilating Hela and the threat she posed to the Asgardians in the process. The Asgardians watched helpless as their homeworld exploded, making them a wandering people.[1] Aftermath "Earth it is." ―Thor[src] Thor commands to go to Earth Following the destruction of their homeworld, the surviving Asgardians who had gathered aboard the Statesman had to relocate on a new home. Led by their new king Thor, who eventually accepted the position on the throne, they decided to head towards Earth.[1]However, during their journey, their spaceship encountered the infamous Sanctuary II, Thanos' gigantic spacecraft.[2]
nir Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Stan Lee, me, and the liberal Jewish identity that binds us Stan Lee’s life matters not just for what he created but also for how his heritage informed his sense of justice It's time to talk about Stan Lee's legacy as a liberal Jew. I say this as a liberal Jew myself, one who realizes that anti-Semites love to denounce the stereotypical "liberal Jew" they see as controlling the media and ruining the world. Whether it's in journalism and publishing or Hollywood, the music industry and comic books, the basic complaint is that global culture is suffused with left-wing Hebrews who hold alien ideological beliefs and incorporate elements of those beliefs into their work, often with a sinister agenda in mind. And here's the thing: Yes, Jews are successful in a number of creative and intellectual fields, and yes, Jews are disproportionately liberal, although that hardly means every Jew is a lefty (looking at you, Stephen Miller, Steven Mnuchin and Ben Shapiro). But if we were talking about any other ethnic group, these things would not be attributed to a sinister conspiracy (which, I can say as a Jewish liberal myself, doesn't exist — or if it does, I've been cruelly kept out of the loop), and they would not be cited as proof of something nefarious about our tribe. They would for the most part be viewed as innocuous, neutral facts that, for people who are Jewish, liberal or both, exist as points of pride, signs that people from a historically oppressed minority group who have "made it" managed to take something from their heritage and use it to leave an imprint on the world. Which brings us to Stan Lee, and why he means so much to me as a liberal Jew. Both liberalism and Jewishness were core parts of Lee's identity. Characters like the X-Men and Black Panther were frequently created with the goal of addressing social justice issues like bigotry, and Lee would often use his "Stan's Soapbox" column to influence young children with liberal ideas. Perhaps the most famous of these editorials to make the rounds after Lee's death was published 50 years ago, in a 1968 comic book. "Let's lay it right on the line," Lee wrote. "Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can't be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are. The bigot is an unreasoning hater — one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately. If his hang-up is black men, he hates ALL black men. If a redhead once offended him, he hates ALL redheads. If some foreigner beat him to a job, he's down on ALL foreigners. He hates people he's never seen — people he's never known — with equal intensity — with equal venom." Lee added, "Now, we're not trying to say it's unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another as an individual, it's totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race — to despise an entire nation — to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God — a God who calls us ALL — His children." Lee never abandoned those views, reiterating them last year as white nationalists marched on Charlottesville to denounce Jews, African Americans, immigrants and other non-white groups. Last fall, he also told his fans in a video that "Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window. That world may change and evolve, but the one thing that will never change is the way we tell our stories of heroism." "Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender or color of their skin," he added. "The only things we don’t have room for are hatred, intolerance and bigotry." This isn't to say that Lee didn't have his blind spots. For one thing, Lee remained adamant until as late as 2015 that Spider-Man should only be depicted in the movies as a straight, white male. The early Spider-Man comics also contained blatant sexism, while early versions of the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Hulk incorporate knee-jerk Cold War rhetoric into the heroes' motivations apparently without a second thought. The vast majority of Marvel heroes in general were straight white men, a legacy still seen today in both the casting of most Marvel movies and the lamentable fact that many comics fans have a sense of entitlement regarding those properties remaining predominantly white and male (see the harassment experienced by many female comic book creators or the backlash directed at Michael B. Jordan when he was cast as The Human Torch). As the cliché goes, Lee was a product of his time, and for every Stan's Soapbox like the legendary 1968 column, there were other ideas in his work that were stuck in the reactionary assumptions of his era. Yet the fact that Marvel has overwhelmingly been a force for promoting liberal ideals — a truth reinforced earlier this year when "Black Panther" became a mega-blockbuster — is beyond dispute. It is something that I identify with as a Jew because, like Lee, I believe that it is important for those of us who have a platform to use that voice to help others. While there are millions of people who feel this way who aren't Jewish, the uniquely Jewish aspect of this belief comes from the knowledge that Jews have experienced terrible discrimination for so many years. As a result, many Jews who are lucky enough to have had a measure of success feel an obligation to pay it forward, with ideological liberalism being the metaphorical check that we give to others who need and deserve the same good fortune from which we have benefited. If this sounds like another way of saying that with great power comes great responsibility — that is, Spider-Man's mantra — that is not a coincidence. Take this passage from Haaretz published after Lee's death: We all know Spider-Man’s wise and somber mantra “With great power comes great responsibility.” But is it also a biblical quote? Sounds like a good question for a rabbi. And this was in fact the semi-serious query Rabbi Simcha Weinstein had to field from none other than Stan Lee – the comic-book legend who co-created Spider-Man and came up with Spidey’s motto, and who died Monday at 95. “He felt he had pulled it right out of the Bible; he half-jokingly asked me if it was in there,” recalls Weinstein, a New York City-based rabbi who also writes books about comics and their link to Judaism. “I jokingly responded that it must be in one of the commentaries.” Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's time to talk about Stan Lee's legacy as a liberal Jew. I say this as a liberal Jew myself, one who realizes that anti-Semites love to denounce the stereotypical "liberal Jew" they see as controlling the media and ruining the world. Whether it's in journalism and publishing or Hollywood, the music industry and comic books, the basic complaint is that global culture is suffused with left-wing Hebrews who hold alien ideological beliefs and incorporate elements of those beliefs into their work, often with a sinister agenda in mind. And here's the thing: Yes, Jews are successful in a number of creative and intellectual fields, and yes, Jews are disproportionately liberal, although that hardly means every Jew is a lefty (looking at you, Stephen Miller, Steven Mnuchin and Ben Shapiro). But if we were talking about any other ethnic group, these things would not be attributed to a sinister conspiracy (which, I can say as a Jewish liberal myself, doesn't exist — or if it does, I've been cruelly kept out of the loop), and they would not be cited as proof of something nefarious about our tribe. They would for the most part be viewed as innocuous, neutral facts that, for people who are Jewish, liberal or both, exist as points of pride, signs that people from a historically oppressed minority group who have "made it" managed to take something from their heritage and use it to leave an imprint on the world. Which brings us to Stan Lee, and why he means so much to me as a liberal Jew. Both liberalism and Jewishness were core parts of Lee's identity. Characters like the X-Men and Black Panther were frequently created with the goal of addressing social justice issues like bigotry, and Lee would often use his "Stan's Soapbox" column to influence young children with liberal ideas. Perhaps the most famous of these editorials to make the rounds after Lee's death was published 50 years ago, in a 1968 comic book. "Let's lay it right on the line," Lee wrote. "Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can't be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are. The bigot is an unreasoning hater — one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately. If his hang-up is black men, he hates ALL black men. If a redhead once offended him, he hates ALL redheads. If some foreigner beat him to a job, he's down on ALL foreigners. He hates people he's never seen — people he's never known — with equal intensity — with equal venom." Lee added, "Now, we're not trying to say it's unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another as an individual, it's totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race — to despise an entire nation — to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God — a God who calls us ALL — His children." Lee never abandoned those views, reiterating them last year as white nationalists marched on Charlottesville to denounce Jews, African Americans, immigrants and other non-white groups. Last fall, he also told his fans in a video that "Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window. That world may change and evolve, but the one thing that will never change is the way we tell our stories of heroism." "Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender or color of their skin," he added. "The only things we don’t have room for are hatred, intolerance and bigotry." This isn't to say that Lee didn't have his blind spots. For one thing, Lee remained adamant until as late as 2015 that Spider-Man should only be depicted in the movies as a straight, white male. The early Spider-Man comics also contained blatant sexism, while early versions of the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Hulk incorporate knee-jerk Cold War rhetoric into the heroes' motivations apparently without a second thought. The vast majority of Marvel heroes in general were straight white men, a legacy still seen today in both the casting of most Marvel movies and the lamentable fact that many comics fans have a sense of entitlement regarding those properties remaining predominantly white and male (see the harassment experienced by many female comic book creators or the backlash directed at Michael B. Jordan when he was cast as The Human Torch). As the cliché goes, Lee was a product of his time, and for every Stan's Soapbox like the legendary 1968 column, there were other ideas in his work that were stuck in the reactionary assumptions of his era. Yet the fact that Marvel has overwhelmingly been a force for promoting liberal ideals — a truth reinforced earlier this year when "Black Panther" became a mega-blockbuster — is beyond dispute. It is something that I identify with as a Jew because, like Lee, I believe that it is important for those of us who have a platform to use that voice to help others. While there are millions of people who feel this way who aren't Jewish, the uniquely Jewish aspect of this belief comes from the knowledge that Jews have experienced terrible discrimination for so many years. As a result, many Jews who are lucky enough to have had a measure of success feel an obligation to pay it forward, with ideological liberalism being the metaphorical check that we give to others who need and deserve the same good fortune from which we have benefited. If this sounds like another way of saying that with great power comes great responsibility — that is, Spider-Man's mantra — that is not a coincidence. Take this passage from Haaretz published after Lee's death: We all know Spider-Man’s wise and somber mantra “With great power comes great responsibility.” But is it also a biblical quote? Sounds like a good question for a rabbi. And this was in fact the semi-serious query Rabbi Simcha Weinstein had to field from none other than Stan Lee – the comic-book legend who co-created Spider-Man and came up with Spidey’s motto, and who died Monday at 95. “He felt he had pulled it right out of the Bible; he half-jokingly asked me if it was in there,” recalls Weinstein, a New York City-based rabbi who also writes books about comics and their link to Judaism. “I jokingly responded that it must be in one of the commentaries.” Source
KXR75 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitorio Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Extraordinary!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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