Jeff Kocur wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing were it not for the influence of Stan Lee.
Lee, the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in Marvel superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, died Monday. He was 95.
“I’ve actually met him once, and he basically influenced my whole life, so yeah, it’s very sad,” said Kocur, owner of Amazing Stories Comics.
“Certainly with what he’s done in the movie empire has brought it into the public consciousness a lot more than just comic books. It’s a whole industry,” said Jody Cason, an empolyee at the store.
Lee was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee.
As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.
Millions responded to the unlikely mix of realistic fantasy, and many of his characters, including Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men went on to become stars of blockbuster films.
Recent projects Lee helped make possible range from the films "Avengers: Infinity War," "Black Panther" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" to such TV series as "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" and "Daredevil." Lee was recognizable to his fans, having had cameos in many Marvel films and TV projects -- his hair grey, his glasses slightly tinted and often delivering his trademark motto, "Excelsior!"
With Associated Press files
A previous version of this story misattributed a quote to Jeff Kocur. In fact it was said by Jody Cason. CTV News regrets the error.
