This week, Marvel founder Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. The feisty co-creator of Spider-Man, Thor, Black Panther, and more was beloved not only by generations of comic fans around the world, but he was also held in high respect in the library world.
The Delaware County District Library’s Great GeekFest comic-con is always host to several Marvel characters, and on our list of pie-in-the-sky dream speakers, Lee was at the very top. He was the father of making geeky cool. There’s scarcely a person not familiar with his work or, thanks to his traditional cameos in Marvel films, his aviator frame-clad face. His first appearance in a movie based on his comics work was in 2000’s X-Men as a hotdog stand vendor. His most recent is in Ant-Man and the Wasp as a pedestrian whose car is shrunk.
Readers have loved and lost authors before, and we’ll honor Lee in the best way we know how. We will continue to enjoy his creations in the form of comics, graphic novels, movies, and television shows that sprang from his marvelous imagination.
Here are a few items from our catalog you might enjoy to pay homage to Stan Lee.
• “Ironman” (DVD). The first Marvel Studios film. A wealthy industrialist is held captive in enemy territory and escapes by building a high-tech suit made of armor. When he returns home, he decides to use his money, talents, and suit to save the world.
• “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” by Stan Lee and John Buscema. One of the first and still one of the best, Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way has been the primary resource for any and all who want to master the art of illustrating comic books and graphic novels.
• “Marvel. Absolutely Everything You Need to Know” by Adam Bray. Packed with fun facts, bizarre-but-true tales, and quirky insights into everyone’s favorite Marvel comic characters, including The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Daredevil.
• “Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible. A Marvelous Memoir” by Stan Lee. In this full-color graphic memoir, Stan Lee—comic book legend and co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, and a legion of other Marvel superheroes—shares his iconic legacy and the story of how modern comics came to be.
• “The Avengers” (DVD). Marvel makes cinematic history as it unites the Super Hero team of a lifetime. Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and Thor assemble together for the first time ever in this epic, action-packed blockbuster — alongside Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury.