Happy Birthday Stan Lee

This man's contributions to my life are second only to my own father's. I so love to remember the times when I would get home from school and sit in my big leather chair and read comics until supper. No matter how bad my day was I was about to go a million places and do cool things because Stan Lee had the vision and imagination to re-write the landscape of a dying art form, allowing it to survive to this day.

He never seems to tire of telling the stories of the early days and the characters he created. He accepts his fan-boy worship with humility and generosity. Now matter how many times he is told how much he has meant to some comic geeks life he is patient and gracious with their love.

My dream is to be trapped in an elevator with him for about 4 hours. He would tell me a thousand stories like he was telling them for the first time and I would hear them like those remembrances were not familiar to me at all (and the are).

He has my second favorite voice to hear. You instantly recognize it. It is so full of life and optimism. I don't think anyone is a bigger promoter and lover of comic books than Stan Lee.

He will be gone one day and that day will be a sad one for the world. So let me say to you, kind Sir - EXCELSIOR!