DJ Nyke: What Stan Lee Meant To Me

The world is still morning the death of an icon: Stan "The Man" Lee. To some, like myself, his passing really hit home.

Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28th, 1922 in New York City, New York. For most of the younger generation, he's the little old man that makes cameo appearances in the majority of Marvel movies. To me, he was much more.

Stan Lee helped my imagination soar. He created some of my favorite superheroes. Way before they graced the television and movie screens, they were in my 25¢ comic books that my mother would bring me... even before I could even read and fully understand all the words. It wasn't until my teens that I became a true comic book collector and even to this day, my collection is about 85% Marvel titles. I remember having a paper route at the age of 14, just to pay for my monthly purchases at my favorite store, Comic Relief in Flint, Michigan.

Stan Lee was a pioneer in many aspects. He based two of the most iconic X-men characters on famous Black activists. Professor X, founder of the X-Men was based off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Magneto, sometime ally, sometime adversary of the X-Men was based off Malcolm X. Along with artist Jack Kirby, he created the Black Panther, which is the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics. Stan Lee was and is my real life superhero.

This has been the hardest week of my radio career, because it's taking everything I have to keep it together. Stan Lee taught me that I really can be whatever I want to be and that "with great power, comes great responsibility".

Rest In Paradise Stan Lee!
#Excelsior