[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
When Marvel legend Stan Lee\u00a0passed away at the age of 95 on Nov. 12, his death broke the hearts of millions of fans around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The figurehead of Marvel Comics had a career that spanned over seven decades and multiple roles, including writer, editor, publisher and co-creator of iconic comic book heroes such as Spider Man, Iron Man and Black Panther.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Scratch N’ Spin in West Columbia, Lee’s legacy is found in the merchandise throughout the store \u2013 in comics old and new, action figures and T-shirts.<\/p>\n
“Stan Lee is probably the most influential person in comic books,”\u00a0Eric Woodard, the owner of Scratch N’ Spin, said. “He was the father of the modern era, definitely the father of the modern Marvel Comic.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woodard\u00a0said part of Lee’s brilliance was the relatability of his heroes.\u00a0When they weren’t battling evil forces, they were facing their own personal battles.<\/p>\n
Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, was a typical teenager who dealt with both self-esteem and financial issues. Doctor Strange, despite having great powers, had to overcome a disability with his hands after an accident.<\/p>\n
“Stan created characters that had real human problems, and that’s something people could relate to,”\u00a0Woodard said. “I think that’s why they’re such endearing characters now.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
For comic fan Lauren Lamberton, losing Lee meant losing Marvel’s biggest presence.<\/p>\n
“When I found out about [Lee’s death], I teared up a little bit because I’m a big Marvel fan. He’s the heart of the universe,” Lamberton said.<\/p>\n
But in the face of grief for a beloved creator, Woodard says Lee’s passing illuminates the community that cherished him so dearly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“While he has passed, it’s definitely shining a light on the comic community,”\u00a0Woodard said. “Hopefully, non-comic readers, basically mainstream readers and viewers, will be exposed to the culture.”<\/p>\n
As for whether Lee’s death will bring in a new legion of fans, Lamberton believes his death could bring attention to his work. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think because of his passing \u2013 just because it’s at the forefront of the media \u2013 a lot of people may not know who he is, and they’ll be able to appreciate him and all the things he did,” Lamberton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the man himself is no longer with the world that adored and idolized him, it is his creations and his work that will prosper and, as Lee would always say, “excelsior<\/em>!”<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Comics-1.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Stan Lee comics sold at Scratch N’ Spin include the Avengers, X-Men, Black Panther, and many more.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Funk-Pop.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Funko Pop action figures of famous Lee characters such as Iron Man and Rocket from “Guardians of the Galaxy” are on local comic book store shelves.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.17.3″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Local comic book fans lament the passing of Marvel legend Stan Lee. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":15091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[487,96,250,486],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14981"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15626,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14981\/revisions\/15626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}