40 Days Of DragonCon 2010 (Day 2) – Serv’s Roster Thoughts: Stan Lee – The Unique Geek

Hello gentle reader.

I have been going to Dragon*Con in Atlanta GA now for quite a few years and one of the things that I have really grown to love is the attendance by celebrities and pseudo-celebrities. As a member of The Unique Geek, I have agreed to do a weekly highlight on one (possibly more than one) of the Con attendees that qualifies for ‘celebrity’ status.

This week, I will feature someone who in my opinion is THE BIGGEST celebrity to attend Dragon*Con 2010: Stan Lee.

Stan Lee (with partners Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, & Steve Ditko) created the most well known Marvel comics heroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, and Daredevil. Mr Lee is well known for his ‘catch phrase’ EXCELSIOR!

Stan The Man, to me, is the biggest ‘get’ at Dragon*Con since he has not been to this Con in ages and the popularity of his character creations seems to be at a zenith. Each and every character mentioned above has had their own major motion picture. More of his creations will be appearing on the silver screen soon (Thor, re-booting Spider-Man) which will continue to build the love for Stan Lee’s genius.

I have personal reasons as to why I am so excited that Stan Lee will be at Dragon*con 2010 as well. When I began to read comic books at age 11 or 12, Marvel comics were my books of choice. The hours and hours of entertainment that those books provided, along with the ability to give my young imagination the spark and focus it needed was priceless. My favorite Marvel heroes, The X-Men, hooked me from the first issue I read. Comic books provide kids, who would not be considered strong readers, a launching platform from which they can gain a foothold into reading.  At the same time, providing other young readers an escape through great stories. It is my sincerest hope that these young readers develop a lifelong love of reading.

I have not read a Marvel comic in more than a decade, but Stan Lee gave me a gift. He built my love for reading and stories, both simple and complex. He gave me the ability to imagine the great and unexpected. He gave a kid who needed ‘something different’ to do a fantastic forum to read and image great things. Most importantly to me, he gave me a common ground to build friendships that have and will last my entire life, my brothers and sisters here at The Unique Geek.

Thanks Stan Lee!