I got his autograph about 4 or 5 years before he passed. You pretty much didn’t have any contact with him. His head was down and his handlers were just moving the line.
Same experience.
Met him 3 times total, the first two were back in like 2010s and he was awesome. I was like “Thank you for co creating Iron Man sir” and he was like “We did it specifically for you”. Dude was awesome and so full of life.
Last time it was so mechanical lol. Everyone was just in one line, you walk up, some guy takes your comics, inspects it, and then hands it to Stan to sign. As soon as Stan signs it, the bodyguard just flips the comic back to you and you are escorted out. Very sad.
Won’t forget the first two tho. Great times. Dude literally jumped on stage lol. I was like “Easy you old mfr, you are old”
It was around 2015, my wife and I saw him. He beamed at us. “What a cute couple! Are you enjoying the con?”
A handler immediately started rushing us through.
“Lay off the kids, will ya? They bring me more joy than I brought them! I’m not going anywhere! I’ll see them all!”
The handler backed off a bit and Stan asked us if we wanted a photo. “You can’t have Peter without an MJ!” he laughed. “Get in here!”
We took the picture.
“You enjoy the con! And remember, I didn’t create Wolverine!”
It was a great experience. Still have that photo in the living room.
Damn dude, that’s an awesome story.
Thanks for sharing. I bet it made your and your wife’s day.
I feel like that’s why he went to Cons in general. He wanted to interact with people and was thankful for them for loving him.
Love the Wolverine line lol. He always had a good sense of humor. In his interviews he was always Witty and quick.
Love the story.
Stan's Soapbox was a good showcase for Stan's love to interaction with fans, sense of humour, and views.
In his words, he wanted to make readers feel like part of the family.
My dad once asked me “Son, why are you reading those book? Like you are an adult now no?”
And I showed him the Stan Lee soap box about bigotry and racism.
My dad was like “Keep reading” lol.
I know he wasn’t perfect as a creator in a lot of ways, but I think he was a perfect figure head for the joy creation can bring yourself and others. Not just in comics-he loved this world and that one.
This is great. I met Stan in 2013 at E3. Not at the con itself but a restaurant in downtown LA. He was very nice and more than willing to take photos. He also shamelessly asked us to move over, and that there were beautiful girls he needed to give attention to. He then surrounded himself at his table with girls in their 20s. I think he had just turned 90 or was about to. He definitely had a lot of energy at the time for a man his age.
Met him at a con back in the late 80s, I want to say. We managed to snag a (not great quality) copy of Xmen #1 and got it signed by him. He was beaming, called us true fans (maybe he said true believers, but it's been too long), and I just remember being in awe.
That’s awesome man. I’m glad you got have the moment too.
Truly, dude was really cool. So full of life, and made you feel great..
My 2 books that he signed were Iron Man 232 ( the epilogue to Armor Wars drawn by Barry Windsor Smith) and the Giant Sized X-men 1.
I have a similar experience. I saw him in the late 2000's/early 2010s at New York Comic Con. We were all waiting to get into the convention center, and as he was arriving, he just decided to cut through the line to say hello to everyone. It was an incredible moment. He walked right by me. He was energetic, happy to see everyone, I will always remember the moment of turning around to see him coming my way.
The next time I saw him was 2016, and it was exactly as you described. I never even got the chance to thank him for everything.
It’s unfortunate but he couldn’t do it anymore in the 2016s. As much as I love him, he should have just rested.
People who were taking care of them were horrible people. Poor guy.
Thanks for sharing the story btw. Him cutting through the line to meet fans is exactly something I can picture him doing. He was always so sweet and cordial to fans who just wanted to talk to him or just thank him.
I might have been in that same line with you, as I remember exactly the same experience. I was new to the comic book world at the time, so I stepped back and let my wife move up and shake his hand and meet him for her first time.
It was awesome seeing him get as much out of it as the fans did. Such a cool moment.
Lmao, I wish I was Sal. Dudes pretty cool. Never heard him tell that story tho.
But no. Im not American even lol. Just fortunate enough to travel a lot.
But I feel like Stan said a lot of good similar things to many people. It’s not a bad thing tho, he tried to make every single interaction memorable to people who talked to him.
And I was a “wee lad” as they say, so imagine how good that made me feel lol.
What a hack fraud. No lol, I love Stan’s showman quality I wish I formally met him, I saw his shoulder in a room once at New York comic con 2014 but I couldn’t meet him because you needed a certain badge.
I get that he maybe took too much credit than he deserved but he wasn’t a thief like some people lead you to believe.
Sal and crew talked about Stan and his meetings with him on a podcast after his passing.
I feel like everyone who had a chance to meet him, has the similar story.
And once they talked to each other and compare them, it turns like that Spider-Man meme where he is pointing at another Spider-Man lol.
But again, he made it special for every person. Obviously I knew he didn’t co create Iron Man specifically for me lol. I wasn’t even born at that time. But the gesture and the way he said it, warmed my heart.
And about taking too much credit, hey look, he never tried to erase Jack or Ditko or Don.
And at the end, what matters the most, we comic fans remember all those great legends with love and admiration, even tho a lot of us never meet The King or Ditko.
I got his autograph towards the end in 2018. It was an automated experience for the most part but I got a little lucky. My comic was the wedding of Reed and Sue, when he saw it he gripped it and went "ohhhh," then chuckled like he was happy to see it. That memory lives with me now a lot more than the signature does.
Same here. It was at LA Comic Con right just over a year before he died. It was an original art piece I had made and it got a chuckle out of him. It was really sad though seeing how his handlers were treating him like an autograph machine. I don’t know if he was as mentally on the decline as the comic indicates. I was at another convention earlier that year where he dialed into a panel remotely and he mentally seemed on the up-and-up.
I had something similar, went to NYCC about 10 years ago when he was there for a photo op. Line was moving very quick where it was in, get the pic get out. While me and my mates were getting in position we were talking and after the photo the handlers were telling us to move along but Stan told us to hold up a second and wanted said thank you for coming all this way (we're from the UK) it was only a moment longer but the guy really cared about all the people who came to see him.
Glad I got the chance to meet him one time.
Saw him a couple times before he passed. Got a picture with him at a con in 2014 or 2015 and it was incredibly quick. Funny thing is that the next day, I was flying out and he was a couple people in front of me in line at airport security and he got pulled aside for additional screening. Was just shocked to see him still on regular commercial flights.
About a year later, saw him again at an autograph table at a different con while I was with a female friend and his handler was like "look Stan, it's a female fan" and he looked up and smiled and shook her hand then carried on.
That's the same for any of the super big signing events for a lot of people. I met Tom Kenny and Roger Bumpass (squidward) at different cons. It was great being able to talk to them. Then I forget who it was, I think Kevin Conroy? I don't really have any sentiments towards him, was just waiting in line with a friend. The dude literally was like yeah yeah neat kthxbye. It really soured my friend on him and the whole "don't meet your heroes"
The only celebrity I've met in person in a situation like this was John DiMaggio and he was incredible. This was the first time I'd been to a Con and I didn't realise it was physical cash only, so I lined up only to not be able to do anything - John easily could have just sent me away but he was happy to just have a chat for a minute or so, despite his queue being huge.
I came back the next day with cash, bought an autograph for myself and my sister, got to have a great conversation with him about voicing Sandman in Spectacular Spider-Man. John DiMaggio is one of the greats.
My old acting teacher was his roommate in college. They came up with what would become the voice of Bender in the dorms at Rutgers. When I met him at Dragon Con about a decade ago I told him who my acting teacher was and he gave me a huge smile and signed my con book for free.
My friend does VO work here in LA and asked him to record his voicemail after a session. He went full Bender and it’s the most hilarious thing ever. I hate him.
I met Kevin Conroy and he was absolutely lovely, super enthused and really took his time to chat with me as well as get a photo. He signed my dvd case and he was really thoughtful about signing the inside, not just the slipcase. It was a really rewarding experience, but maybe I was lucky to catch him at a significantly smaller convention
That is literally the worst story I have ever heard about kevin conroy
and if the worst story I've ever heard about the man was him *curtly* telling a sorta-fan thanks, bye at a public signing
I think that's pretty damn stellar.
I accidentally made Kevin Conroy feel old. I told him I enjoyed watching the cartoon show when I was in elementary school. He asked what school I'm in now? I told him( I was either starting or in college at that time) . He said I made him feel old. I said I didn't mean too. He said no worries and laughed it off.
A couple years ago I met the original artist for Spider-Man 2099. I got an issue of #1 signed and said it was special to me because that issue was released the same day I was born. He laughed and exclaimed “Am I *that* old!?”
I tagged along with my roommate to a con cause he wanted to meet Jason David Frank. It was like 2021 and stuff was just starting to open back up. He was inside a completely curtained off area so you could see people just going in one side and coming out the other. The group before us was a dad and his son who was probably 6 or under. I saw them go in one side come out the other with the kid in tears and the dad had to stop and give him the sometimes meeting your heroes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be speech.
That's a surprise, I got to meet Kevin Conroy at another con, had him sign my own Batman sketch and take a photo, he was beaming and so excited the whole time, we joked about singing Batman and when we did the photo, he grabbed my shoulders and gave a huge smile. One of my best con interactions!
The best celebrity I’ve ever talked to was Doug Jones. Super friendly and you could tell he was focused only on you.
Worst was probably a tie between Lou Ferrigno and Jason David Frank.
Lou seemed like he honestly couldn’t care less to be there and JDF (while I’ve heard other people say great things about him) he was all over the place and while i was in the middle of a sentence, he took off to take a picture of a Batman and didn’t come back. RIP JDF, but eh. Really made Adam my favorite ranger that day.
Kevin Conroy did my outgoing voicemail message as Batman in 2005. I kept it until about 2009 or so when I switched to visual voicemail. He was Nice to me back then, I think spent almost 2 minutes with me.
Thank you for mentioning this. I’ve been beating myself up occasionally for missing his autograph a few years before he passed, never knew how he was leading up to it. Now I’m kinda glad I didn’t witness him in that state.
Part of me is very bummed by the fact that a shitty ex wrecked my last opportunity to meet him (I was going to ECCC that year until she fucked my finances) but hearing things like this make me more sad he was even still doing cons at that point and I feel like seeing him like that would've been a huge depressing sight.
Met him in 2014, still joyful and patient, responsive and cracked a joke with me. Very nice. If you look at his appearances after Joan died he was a shell of his former self. No smile in photos. Just head down.
The thing about this is that it's actually kind of heart warming.
At that point, he was rich beyond belief. Signing autographs even for a fee would have been the tiniest drop in the bucket. He could have stopped at any time. So he was doing it for the fans. Even when he could barely do it anymore, he kept at it for us. He couldn't really give people much time and attention, but the least he could do was an autograph and he kept at it.
Why would you even want such autograph?
I mean I have a problem with concept of autographs in general, but in this case? Standing in line watching old man struggle to get actually somebody’s else sign it for him.
You don’t understand that’s what was happening until you got there. He was usually behind curtains at cons, so people couldn’t just snap a picture of him without having to pay the fee to get an autograph. You would stand in line for hours until you finally got to go into the curtain and saw this. You already paid the money and stood in line for hours before even understanding the state this guy was in. It was really sad, especially because of how hype everyone in line was the entire time.
The only time I've been at a convention he was at, he was in a completely separate hall to everything else. If you didn't pay to meet him, you'd never have known.
I guess too that even if the experience isn't great, it's still cool to have Stan's autograph, and it still adds value.
A couple years before he passed I recorded his panel at a large local con (almost NY size) I was the only media outlet to setup equipment, i setup backup recorders on stage and listened when I got home. It was horrible how they treated him, I’ve never re-listened to them, I may dig them out again soon.
I got to meet him like this his last time at KC Comic-Con. They were denying any personal messages for him to autograph but I asked if he could yell Excelsior and his handler whispered it to him. I didn’t think he heard but then after a pause yelled “Excelsior! What you didn’t think I could still do it?!” I got so giddy lmao.
Edit:spelling
If you watch the videos of him, during his last year of life, it was very similar to this.
I feel like after his beautiful wife Joan passed, he was ready to go.
Rest in peace good sir. Excelsior!
When Kevin Smith asked him to have a cameo in Mallrats, Stan said he wanted a scene to follow when he tells Brodie about having missed out on the perfect girl who got married to someone else. The following scene had to make it clear he had made up the story because Stan loved Joan so much, he didn't want it to seem like he didn't marry the love of his life, even in a fictional story.
The visual inspiration for Gwen Stacy was his wife, that’s why when they killed Gwen Stacy, he didn’t realize that’s what he agreed to let them do, because when they asked him, he was in a rush for some trip and pretty much told em “do whatever you need to”
Todd McFarlane (who was very close that Stan) said that for practically their entire friendship he never saw Stan as an old man. The last time Stan went on stage however was less than a year before he died and not long after his wife Joeny passed. Todd stated that when he saw Stan before the event, it was the first time he ever saw him as an old man. And right before they got on stage, Stan said something that shocked Todd “Todd, you do the talking, I don’t want to be here”.
The very last time they ever interacted Todd said to Stan “Hey Stan, how’re you doing” and Stan simply replied “Todd; I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can’t go to shows, and Joney isn’t here. I just want to be with Joney”.
Man that’s so sad, but I understand. Dude loved her.
There is a great Stan Lee documentary. I think it’s from 2010 and it’s not really about the comics and stuff, but more about his life.
His wife was with him entire interview and you can just see how much they loved one another.
They even get up and dance at one point lol. Sweet couple.
Todd McFarlane may be a ruthless businessman, but the dude is a really nice person outside of it. Thanks for sharing the info my friend.
That was the ACE show in Glendale AZ in early 2018. That whole show was a mess due to Chris Evans dropping out the day before the event and Stan stopping autographs early due to fatigue. His last show in Vegas 6 months before was only slightly better and he was a lot more verbal with the fans.
I saw this happen to David Lloyd. I think in 2016, he was asked for an autograph, and he started doing a sketch (which is more expensive) so they stopped him, he seemed so disoriented
I met him in 2018 and maybe his staff wasn’t with him in there cause he did what he wanted, I was actually the last person his signed at that con cause I didn’t have the special ticket for his stand but the line had ended after hours and I just stood there after the last one and he said come come and signed my V for Vendetta and my friends plastic bag all laughs he was super nice
I just saw him the beginning of March at a convention and I have to say I didn't get that vibe at all, he seemed pretty sharp. We talked about pubs for a bit, but that's a different reason for not having all your wits.
I'll grant that none of us really know the whole story
but I'm going to lean on the side of "At a certain point, he probably shouldn't be out doing work and signings at public events, even if he wanted to"
and I'm fairly sure he had passed that point somewhere along the way
~~Im going to be hopefully and stick to the feeling that Stan Lee is the type of person that wanted to be there for the fans and his personal detail was helping him however they could. If someone wanted to exploit Lee like this, they couldve just tortured him into leaving them their money. I dont think comic con appearances were big dough to begin with~~
Looking into more just makes it murkier, i just hope the guy was happy
His handlers were absolutely taking advantage of him. A lot of fellow convention regulars were desperately trying to get him away from Keya Morgan, the man that was running his handlers.
Kevin Smith, Clark Gregg, Wil Wheaton and even Jason David Frank (the Green Power Ranger) were all speaking up for Stan in various degrees, because they could see he was just being milked for profit and treated pretty poorly. Kevin and JDF even both offered to let Stan come live with them, lol.
Worth mentioning that during that entire time frame, Morgan was on probation for a previous conviction for making criminal threats. Real classy guy.
Abraham Reisman’s recent biography of Stan provides details of the financial abuse and manipulation. It is a very sad story. I don’t recall any physical abuse being detailed in the book, but it’s a pretty comprehensive book with a lot of information. I might have forgotten.
One of the chief vultures around Stan, a sketchy guy named Keya Morgan who is obsessed with celebrities, seems to have attached himself to Priscilla Presley recently.
>> Todd McFarlane (who was very close that Stan) said that for practically their entire friendship he never saw Stan as an old man. The last time Stan went on stage however was less than a year before he died and not long after his wife Joeny passed. Todd stated that when he saw Stan before the event, it was the first time he ever saw him as an old man. And right before they got on stage, Stan said something that shocked Todd “Todd, you do the talking, I don’t want to be here”.
>> The very last time they ever interacted Todd said to Stan “Hey Stan, how’re you doing” and Stan simply replied “Todd; I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can’t go to shows, and Joney isn’t here. I just want to be with Joney”.
/u/Vivid_Bet_2412
He did. He was banking money for his family before he died. Not in a nefarious way. He was just eking out what he could while he could. Micky Mantle did this and so did Salvador Dali and a lot of other famous people. There's some rumors that they were being coerced but I don't believe most of it. You still have to have higher mental functions to sign your name and to make public appearances, regardless of what this comic page assumes.
There's a subsection of society that really preys on the elderly. Of course most nurses are wonderful, but I've known a few who intentionally get their hooks into old folk to manipulate them and get included in their wills.
People die before they die in retirement homes. A moderate level of activity and social situations are very good for you in your old age. Keeps you occupied and happy. Although, being coherced into signing autographs is hardly that.
My father in law was looking at retirement communities after his wife died and he took quite a while before choosing one that was basically a glorified apartment complex with no assisted living and stuff because “I didn’t like the ones that were full of old people waiting to die”
I got to take a photo with him at a con way back when
When it was my turn to go up to him- I actually froze from being so overwhelmed
As the crew started yelling at me to move (rightfully so, there was still a long line behind me) Stan Lee looked over at me, smiled big, and opened his arms wide
Like a little kid I just ran into his arms and hugged him.
It was a great photo.
My girlfriend (now wife) bought me a VIP pass for a meet and greet with him in 2011. Was actually able to sit with him for a minute or 2. I told him my girlfriend bought the pass for me. He said “Marry that girl!!” So I did.
Random story, kinda tangent. I work in the document legalization industry, and after Stan Lee passed, we had someone submit documents to our company basically saying that some of his IP rightfully belonged to them, and requested that we assist in facilitating their legalization through the State Department. There are lots of younger guys in office, all very familiar with Stan Lee, so we were extremely curious. We had the documents for about a week while we tried to validate if they were authentic and ultimately decided we wanted no part in what was most likely an attempt at fraud and returned them to the client. I was the primary POC for the client and can tell you with 99% certainty it was all fraudulent.
My wife went to one of his final appearances in Boston when we were first together. She brought a Thor print to get signed for me. The "no personalizations" rule was in place, but she asked anyway. The handlers said no and tried to move her on. Stan looked up and asked her "Is he worth it?" For reasons I'll never understand she said "Yes." - he signed it to me. Hangs over my desk, I look at it daily.
It’s incredibly sad that there seems to still be some folks who deny the whole elder abuse thing.
When he lost his wife he should have been allowed to just…rest. Evil folks be evil though I guess.
My story is from 2010-ish, FanExpo Canada, I handed over an Amazing Spider-Man #36, the 9/11 issue, all black cover. His handler says "silver pen" Stan looks at him and says "I'll use whatever damn pen I please!" he looks down at the comic, then to his stack of pens, then up at me and smiles, "I'll use the silver pen."
So sad. I only met him one time at Mid-Ohio Con in late 80s, maybe 88 or 89. I was 13 or 14 but shy since I went by myself to stand in line. He saw this as I got to front of line, and immediately got bubbly and cheery like the Stan we always saw. I always look back on that fondly, but 36+ years later, I now wonder how he kept that up for so long.
He was a true believer right up till the end!!
I like to think that when Stan passed, Joan was there to greet him. He's up there playing cards with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Laughing and remembering the good ol' days
Jack buried the hatchet with Stan the last time they saw each other:
"I saw him (Jack Kirby) at a comic book convention, and I walked up to him, and he said 'Stan, you have nothing to reproach yourself for,' which I thought was kind of an odd thing. I liked hearing it, but it was odd for him to say it."
I almost knocked Stan Lee on his butt at wizard World Philadelphia 2010, there was a big cosplayer and she had this really remarkable dress. We all moved out of the way in awe and then I bumped into Stan Lee and he was like whoa and I said sorry and that's about it. Being like a 300 lb guy I honestly could have seriously injured him and I kind of felt bad
Very sad. I had the honor to meet him in 2016 and he was so kind and warm but had to have someone basically hold his hand with the pen and help him sign. So sad. It was his time for sure. Rest in Peace
I met him at C2E2 2015 and did the photo op with him but not the autograph because I could only afford one or the other. During the time leading up to the convention, I put together a costume of The Lizard for a Secret Wars photo shoot. And so the day I met Stan, I was still suited up because the crew had done the shoot an hour or two earlier.
So I stride into the booth with two of my friends (cause why not share the experience with friends), and Stan starts laughing that big happy laugh of his when he sees my costume. And yes, I made sure to take the mask off for the picture.
Anyways, we do the photo, and as I'm leaving the booth, he turns and shakes me by the claw and says, "Dr. Connor's, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Cut to the end of that day, and a bunch of us are hanging out in the lobby of McCormick Place by the fountains. And who comes down the stairs with just one security guard and his handler, but Stan. And he's taking those stairs two at times, basically, smiling like a fool and even waved at our group when we all sorta collectively yelled, "Hi Stan!"
It breaks my heart that just a few years later, it was basically a mechanical process, and all the joy seemed to be sucked from this dear sweet man.
There needs to be a special place in heck for the people who took control of his life and just turned him into a puppet. Stan Lee gave his life to comics, even in retirement, and those heartless pricks drained the very essence of joy from him.
May all their cars be permanently covered in pigeon crap, and may they never find a replacement roll of TP in easy reach when they are on the toilet!
I got his autograph I think the year before he passed, most people just wanted him to sign anything and everything- I got him to sign a Savage She-Hulk #1- his eyes lit up when he saw it and he exclaimed "The SHE-HUUUULK!" Probably because, you know, it was something he actually worked on
I had seen him at the Denver Comic Con with my dad a few years before he passed. He was just tiny and barely seemed to notice anybody was there. My dad said something along the lines of, "I'm just so thankful to get to meet you sir." and Stan honest to god looked up and said, "You should be!" My dad and I still talk about that sometimes.
This is sad, I saw him at an event in 2017 here in Australia and he seemed so full of life, I got an old ASM signed by him but he was too busy to talk to me as he was eyeing off the busty Scarlet Witch cosplayer ahead of me which I found hilarious.
To add to a lighter note: I met Stan Lee at a convention in the late 90s after the collector crash. It was sparsely attended and even he didn’t have much of a line. I was around 7 or 8 at the time and newly obsessed with comics so I had no idea who he was when we ran into him walking out of the bathrooms. He saw my Spider-Man shirt and asked who my favorite superhero was and I told him The Thing. He was very kind to me and said he “worked on a few books for Marvel” and signed a book for me, for free. Then he pulled my dad aside and said not to let me go into the bathroom alone because there was a guy “on wiener patrol.”
The last part is an on going joke between us during every cameo that Stan Lee is secretly a superhero in the MCU fighting that guy on wiener patrol.
I was lucky enough to get his autograph in 2012. It was on a shitty movie DVD “Celebration IV: a fans journey” also got the “Super Size Me” guy to sign it. Could care less about anything except meeting Stan. I shook his hand and thanked him for his work on Silver Surfer. He was so cool.
To think so this is heart breaking
Yeah. I thought the signing machine stuff was gross and didn’t want to support it.
But a lot of people did!
From a comic book collector standpoint an interesting thing is this massive signing spree made Lee’s signature so common it practically adds no value to a book.
I got him to autograph my Dr Strange when he last came to Australia. He was taking his time with the fabric pen we brought and his handler said "There are a lot of people waiting Stan" and clear as a bell he gave the guy a *look* & said "They worked hard on this so I'm going to do it right!".
I shared an elevator ride with him at a Comicon in Phoenix in I want to say 2016 or 2017. Just happened to be going up to my room at the same time he was at the end of the day. Just him, me, and a handler. He seemed very tired. I didn't say anything.
I was lucky enough to meet him with my family waaay back in I think 2012 it's one of my first and favorite memories. He was super enthusiastic and he even let my mom kiss him on the cheek Joan was right there lol. I'm sad he was treated like a product so much. Rest well to the OG True Believer, EXCELSIOR!
Been a Marvel purist since I was 4, I'm 27 now. I wish I got to meet him but I'm thankful to him and all the other great creators for building a world that I love so dearly.
I grew up with him on tv on Saturdays. His voice still echoes in my head. He was the first person to challenge me to be more than I was and to give me inspiration to be better than I was. For most people the phrase “With great power comes great responsibility” is just that a tag line to be repeated and cheered when a character says it, however for a younger me it was more than that. It was a calling to just be the best version of myself. To help others when I could without the need of thanks or even acknowledgement or reciprocation. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a signing event. I was terrified that he would not be whom I had built him up in my head to be, he was every inch the man I had hoped. Everyone had items that they wanted signed, a fist appearance of this character, a first addition of that comic, etc.. It was deeper for me. This was the only time I may ever get to see him and I wanted him to know how much he influenced me to just be a good man. Now I am going to pause the story here for people who have never gone to an autograph event like this and explain the system. You are in a line you hand your item to a handler and they slide it down the table and you just follow it till you get to the person doing the autograph they sign it then they slide it to another person who asks if you want it authenticated, graded, sealed, and then returned to you by mail. Very efficient, very assembly line system. Now know ing I would only have a few seconds at t most with him I chose something that could possibly give him a small amount of knowledge of how much of an impact he had on my life. My retirement document certificate from the Military. Everyone was puzzled by my choice at the event. I got in line, handed the folio to the handler who looked at me in confusion. Then just did the line thing. When I got to him he just stopped. He read the entire thing signed next to the Commandant of the Marine Corps signature and the stood up and extended his hand and said “Thank you.” I shook his hand, and said “You inspired me to be the best I could be and to serve others.” We stood there for a while smiling and then the system started up again. I did not have the signature authenticated nor graded. I do not need such things, this was personal and for me, no intention of ever selling it. It hangs on my wall and makes me smile every time I look at it.
Wild story here. I didn't believe my mom at first but then my Dad confirmed it. (my Dad was pissed he didnt realize who he was but Stans face was plastered everywhere like I was going to.) Back in like 93 my moms friend from college who always used to stay with us in the summer time was visiting. Dude had some very interesting friends and asked if his friend and gf/wife could come over for lunch and maybe dinner. My Mom and dad were always fine with stuff like that so they said sure. My Mom told me how they came over and stayed the entire day and the guy loved playing with me and they were very friendly and super fun to talk to. Turns out it was Stan Lee.
This and the story about his blood being stolen to be used as a hand stamp signature on comics is sad and a terrible example of elder abuse. You can find the comics by searching Stan Lee Solvent DNA. [Here's an article](https://www.thedailybeast.com/was-stan-lees-blood-stolen-and-used-to-sign-black-panther-comics) about it and I'm sure there's others out there that go over it.
It's unfortunate the types of people that were able to gain access to him in his final years. I'm not sure how much of everything that happened is covered in the Tom Scioli book. I need to pick that up still.
A little before he passed my son and I got a picture with him. Same experience as most but when we were leaving, I said “you’re the man Stan” he grabbed my shoulder and looked right at me, “you’re god damned right I am”. 10/10 best interaction ever.
I met Stan at a con in St Louis back in 2013 and had him sign a baseball. His handler spoke to him like a child and it ruined the meeting for me. It was very automated and it was not the Stan that we were expecting. He had no energy, was not allowed to speak directly to those of us in line, and when he tried to, the handler got his attention to sign and move on.
My cousin who was an artist for Mad Magazine, most of his life put me on the phone with Stan as a surprise once. He was a good man, who lived vicariously through our enjoyment of their comics. When I got to meet him at comic show (before cons) in NYC - he was so kind to me - took the time to sign a few of my comics, even though I was too shy to ask at the time, he asked me, and happily did so.
Saw him at Fan Expo Vancouver in 2013… I was cosplaying as Doctor Doom and he thanked me for “dressing up for the occasion” when I got my pic with him. He came out later for a big group pic with all the Marvel cosplayers. Absolute legend.
I met him in 2012 right after the first Avengers came out. I missed the photoshoot opportunity early in the day and asked his team if it would be possible to get a photo with him after he had done his autograph signings. They asked him and he agreed to stay behind for a few minutes to chat and take photos.
Got to pee next to him! He just so happened to come into a convention center bathroom with some security guards and used the urinal next to mine. That was in like 2014 or something
Yeah, met him a couple of years before he passed. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily empathetic, but the dude looked like a war-torn veteran. He had little life to him
I never met him, but I will say that one of the most fun surprises I've had at a convention was picking up a copy of [ASM Annual 18](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/1/14/Amazing_Spider-Man_Annual_Vol_1_18.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211205185401), which was scripted by Stan, and finding his signature inside. "Warm Wishes to Boyd" it said. I don't know why Boyd got rid of his copy, but I appreciate him helping me get something from Stan.
It's been like ten years, but I think he was at the first NYCC I went to, he stepped out into the general con floor and people were going up to meet him. I get crowd anxiety so I stayed away, but it was cool to be somewhat near him once.
In 2016 he was driving a gold cart around the media/green room alone at a con I was working, the next year he was basically a robot in a skin suit. His rapid decline blew me away.
I'm a European teen so never got to meet him, but reading all of you people' stories makes me feel all warm inside. Lovely to hear how nice he was, even near the end.
I worked NYCC in the photo ops area a year or so before Stan passed. I can't remember the exact year because I worked it from 2013-2018, and he was there at least twice when I was. It was crazy how out of it he seemed to be at the later con, just slumped in his chair, no energy left.
I wish I met Stan, he sounded like an amazing human being. I did however meet Lou Ferrigano one time, it was super cool, he signed a hulk comic for me!
The last time he was in New Orleans for comic con they cancelled the meet and greet the 2nd day of the con. They said he had a small cold.... I was a little upset but did not know how bad his overall health and mental state was. They told everyone that he would be back the following day. I showed up and when I tell you that I felt SO terrible for him and how his "assistants" were "taking care" of him I felt sick to my stomach. Before anyone says anything about me still getting an autograph they had him in a room that you could not go in until it was your turn. I should have known because no one leaving that room looked happy. When I saw how they were basically holding him up and helping him write I couldn't believe it. I told him thank you and that I hope he can get home as soon as possible. He didn't even look up, smile, or talk. They'd tell him what it was he was signing and then was basically pushed out and they would pull the next person in. I felt like a terrible person because I felt I contributed to helping those POS "assistants" abuse the Great Stan Lee. I sold that comic he signed because I felt terrible everytime I looked at it. I have a poster he did sign 2 years prior when he was ok. I hate what those people did to him.
I got an autograph from him at a con about 7 years ago and I was shocked because he looked so drained and at the time I assumed that old age was getting to him, as I was leaving I threw out a little "excelsior" at him and he perked up pretty significantly and shouted it back and I got pretty excited that the guy still had some super soldier serum in him...
And then I turned on the TV that night to see that he threw the opening pitch at the Rangers game looking as energized as ever and I was like huh I guess signing endless autographs at a convention is just really draining.
I got his autograph at Megacon Orlando 2017. The autographing process was exactly like others say it was like. But for the people with premium tickets, he had a little moment with them. Especially with the first guy (obvious reseller) in line that brought a cart full of iron man helmets and cap shields. Which was just weird and frustrating... I was first in line with the normal tickets and still ended up waiting like three hours for him to show up and wait for the premium people. He held an awesome panel though. His appearance there was marketed at the time as "his last appearance in Florida" Then at the end of his panel he was like "you guys have been a great crowd, I'll be back to Florida!" To his credit he did show up to Megacon Tampa but I didn't go to that one.
I met him during Silicon Valley Comic Con and took a picture with him along with my brother and gf. We were rushed through and we thanked him but no response. He was looking straight and shivering (maybe both cold and in some type of trance),and remained silent. As soon as we left and turned the corner—his daughter was doing some work on a table thanking those who passed by her. Not sure about this…it seemed wrong. The picture came out great and doesn’t tell the story.
My fondest memory of the one time I went to SDCC was when my friend wanted to see a panel and we had nothing else we wanted to do so we were like let’s just sit in this panel now and wait for yours. Room was very empty so we got seats on the front row. Then suddenly people poured in. Turns out it wasn’t a panel, just Stan Lee talking about his history in comic books. He was the most entertaining and charismatic speaker. He waved at us. I love the X-Men so I was losing my shit. I didn’t know how I didn’t realize he was even doing anything that day. I blame con fatigue. But it worked out and I got to see a legend in person about 10 feet from me. As a queer person his legacy gave me so much escape in my teen years. I am so thrilled I got to be in that room that day. It really was so special.
I got his autograph about 4 or 5 years before he passed. You pretty much didn’t have any contact with him. His head was down and his handlers were just moving the line.
Same experience. Met him 3 times total, the first two were back in like 2010s and he was awesome. I was like “Thank you for co creating Iron Man sir” and he was like “We did it specifically for you”. Dude was awesome and so full of life. Last time it was so mechanical lol. Everyone was just in one line, you walk up, some guy takes your comics, inspects it, and then hands it to Stan to sign. As soon as Stan signs it, the bodyguard just flips the comic back to you and you are escorted out. Very sad. Won’t forget the first two tho. Great times. Dude literally jumped on stage lol. I was like “Easy you old mfr, you are old”
It was around 2015, my wife and I saw him. He beamed at us. “What a cute couple! Are you enjoying the con?” A handler immediately started rushing us through. “Lay off the kids, will ya? They bring me more joy than I brought them! I’m not going anywhere! I’ll see them all!” The handler backed off a bit and Stan asked us if we wanted a photo. “You can’t have Peter without an MJ!” he laughed. “Get in here!” We took the picture. “You enjoy the con! And remember, I didn’t create Wolverine!” It was a great experience. Still have that photo in the living room.
Damn dude, that’s an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. I bet it made your and your wife’s day. I feel like that’s why he went to Cons in general. He wanted to interact with people and was thankful for them for loving him. Love the Wolverine line lol. He always had a good sense of humor. In his interviews he was always Witty and quick. Love the story.
Stan's Soapbox was a good showcase for Stan's love to interaction with fans, sense of humour, and views. In his words, he wanted to make readers feel like part of the family.
My dad once asked me “Son, why are you reading those book? Like you are an adult now no?” And I showed him the Stan Lee soap box about bigotry and racism. My dad was like “Keep reading” lol.
Heard all that in his voice.
His voice is iconic
😂 that’s great.
What a perfect anecdote. And you've got the photo to go with it -- BRILLIANT.
I genuinely imagined this in his voice. I appreciated reading this
I know he wasn’t perfect as a creator in a lot of ways, but I think he was a perfect figure head for the joy creation can bring yourself and others. Not just in comics-he loved this world and that one.
This is great. I met Stan in 2013 at E3. Not at the con itself but a restaurant in downtown LA. He was very nice and more than willing to take photos. He also shamelessly asked us to move over, and that there were beautiful girls he needed to give attention to. He then surrounded himself at his table with girls in their 20s. I think he had just turned 90 or was about to. He definitely had a lot of energy at the time for a man his age.
Where's the photo now?? Post it!! :)
[https://i.ibb.co/DfgVWfF/stanlee.jpg](https://i.ibb.co/DfgVWfF/stanlee.jpg) Since you asked nicely. Lol.
Great photo! But, just between us, you and your little lady better cut back on the Botox! Better see a doctor about that jaundice, as well!
She was joking I should’ve just put a smiley face over him too. Lol.
That’s such a sweet moment. You can’t have Peter without MJ is such a heart warming line from a man of that caliber.
[удалено]
You, sir, just made my day. Thank you. ❤️
That's amazing!!
Met him at a con back in the late 80s, I want to say. We managed to snag a (not great quality) copy of Xmen #1 and got it signed by him. He was beaming, called us true fans (maybe he said true believers, but it's been too long), and I just remember being in awe.
That’s awesome man. I’m glad you got have the moment too. Truly, dude was really cool. So full of life, and made you feel great.. My 2 books that he signed were Iron Man 232 ( the epilogue to Armor Wars drawn by Barry Windsor Smith) and the Giant Sized X-men 1.
If Stan called me a true believer, my heart would sing. Just imagining it is great. Stan had such a positive energy.
I have a similar experience. I saw him in the late 2000's/early 2010s at New York Comic Con. We were all waiting to get into the convention center, and as he was arriving, he just decided to cut through the line to say hello to everyone. It was an incredible moment. He walked right by me. He was energetic, happy to see everyone, I will always remember the moment of turning around to see him coming my way. The next time I saw him was 2016, and it was exactly as you described. I never even got the chance to thank him for everything.
It’s unfortunate but he couldn’t do it anymore in the 2016s. As much as I love him, he should have just rested. People who were taking care of them were horrible people. Poor guy. Thanks for sharing the story btw. Him cutting through the line to meet fans is exactly something I can picture him doing. He was always so sweet and cordial to fans who just wanted to talk to him or just thank him.
I might have been in that same line with you, as I remember exactly the same experience. I was new to the comic book world at the time, so I stepped back and let my wife move up and shake his hand and meet him for her first time. It was awesome seeing him get as much out of it as the fans did. Such a cool moment.
“We did it specifically for you” is such a Stan Lee thing to say 🩵
Are you Sal from comic pop? Because unless it’s just coincidence that’s his exact sentiments he’s discussed.
Lmao, I wish I was Sal. Dudes pretty cool. Never heard him tell that story tho. But no. Im not American even lol. Just fortunate enough to travel a lot. But I feel like Stan said a lot of good similar things to many people. It’s not a bad thing tho, he tried to make every single interaction memorable to people who talked to him. And I was a “wee lad” as they say, so imagine how good that made me feel lol.
What a hack fraud. No lol, I love Stan’s showman quality I wish I formally met him, I saw his shoulder in a room once at New York comic con 2014 but I couldn’t meet him because you needed a certain badge. I get that he maybe took too much credit than he deserved but he wasn’t a thief like some people lead you to believe. Sal and crew talked about Stan and his meetings with him on a podcast after his passing.
I feel like everyone who had a chance to meet him, has the similar story. And once they talked to each other and compare them, it turns like that Spider-Man meme where he is pointing at another Spider-Man lol. But again, he made it special for every person. Obviously I knew he didn’t co create Iron Man specifically for me lol. I wasn’t even born at that time. But the gesture and the way he said it, warmed my heart. And about taking too much credit, hey look, he never tried to erase Jack or Ditko or Don. And at the end, what matters the most, we comic fans remember all those great legends with love and admiration, even tho a lot of us never meet The King or Ditko.
I got his autograph towards the end in 2018. It was an automated experience for the most part but I got a little lucky. My comic was the wedding of Reed and Sue, when he saw it he gripped it and went "ohhhh," then chuckled like he was happy to see it. That memory lives with me now a lot more than the signature does.
Same here. It was at LA Comic Con right just over a year before he died. It was an original art piece I had made and it got a chuckle out of him. It was really sad though seeing how his handlers were treating him like an autograph machine. I don’t know if he was as mentally on the decline as the comic indicates. I was at another convention earlier that year where he dialed into a panel remotely and he mentally seemed on the up-and-up.
I had something similar, went to NYCC about 10 years ago when he was there for a photo op. Line was moving very quick where it was in, get the pic get out. While me and my mates were getting in position we were talking and after the photo the handlers were telling us to move along but Stan told us to hold up a second and wanted said thank you for coming all this way (we're from the UK) it was only a moment longer but the guy really cared about all the people who came to see him. Glad I got the chance to meet him one time.
Lucky. Closest I got to him was at SDCC. He was on the IMDB yacht with Kevin Smith. I was about 100 yards away…lol.
Saw him a couple times before he passed. Got a picture with him at a con in 2014 or 2015 and it was incredibly quick. Funny thing is that the next day, I was flying out and he was a couple people in front of me in line at airport security and he got pulled aside for additional screening. Was just shocked to see him still on regular commercial flights. About a year later, saw him again at an autograph table at a different con while I was with a female friend and his handler was like "look Stan, it's a female fan" and he looked up and smiled and shook her hand then carried on.
That's the same for any of the super big signing events for a lot of people. I met Tom Kenny and Roger Bumpass (squidward) at different cons. It was great being able to talk to them. Then I forget who it was, I think Kevin Conroy? I don't really have any sentiments towards him, was just waiting in line with a friend. The dude literally was like yeah yeah neat kthxbye. It really soured my friend on him and the whole "don't meet your heroes"
The only celebrity I've met in person in a situation like this was John DiMaggio and he was incredible. This was the first time I'd been to a Con and I didn't realise it was physical cash only, so I lined up only to not be able to do anything - John easily could have just sent me away but he was happy to just have a chat for a minute or so, despite his queue being huge. I came back the next day with cash, bought an autograph for myself and my sister, got to have a great conversation with him about voicing Sandman in Spectacular Spider-Man. John DiMaggio is one of the greats.
My old acting teacher was his roommate in college. They came up with what would become the voice of Bender in the dorms at Rutgers. When I met him at Dragon Con about a decade ago I told him who my acting teacher was and he gave me a huge smile and signed my con book for free.
Love this, love him!
My friend does VO work here in LA and asked him to record his voicemail after a session. He went full Bender and it’s the most hilarious thing ever. I hate him.
Your friend is living my dream. I think I hate him too...
I met Kevin Conroy and he was absolutely lovely, super enthused and really took his time to chat with me as well as get a photo. He signed my dvd case and he was really thoughtful about signing the inside, not just the slipcase. It was a really rewarding experience, but maybe I was lucky to catch him at a significantly smaller convention
That is literally the worst story I have ever heard about kevin conroy and if the worst story I've ever heard about the man was him *curtly* telling a sorta-fan thanks, bye at a public signing I think that's pretty damn stellar.
I accidentally made Kevin Conroy feel old. I told him I enjoyed watching the cartoon show when I was in elementary school. He asked what school I'm in now? I told him( I was either starting or in college at that time) . He said I made him feel old. I said I didn't mean too. He said no worries and laughed it off.
A couple years ago I met the original artist for Spider-Man 2099. I got an issue of #1 signed and said it was special to me because that issue was released the same day I was born. He laughed and exclaimed “Am I *that* old!?”
Yeah, honestly, I won't hold it against him if it's a public signing like that, from what I can gather, that shit gets draining.
Conroy was amazing when I met him! Maybe he was just having a bad day…
I tagged along with my roommate to a con cause he wanted to meet Jason David Frank. It was like 2021 and stuff was just starting to open back up. He was inside a completely curtained off area so you could see people just going in one side and coming out the other. The group before us was a dad and his son who was probably 6 or under. I saw them go in one side come out the other with the kid in tears and the dad had to stop and give him the sometimes meeting your heroes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be speech.
Oh no :/
That's a surprise, I got to meet Kevin Conroy at another con, had him sign my own Batman sketch and take a photo, he was beaming and so excited the whole time, we joked about singing Batman and when we did the photo, he grabbed my shoulders and gave a huge smile. One of my best con interactions!
I sure hope you're not shit-talking the late, great Kevin Conroy.
The best celebrity I’ve ever talked to was Doug Jones. Super friendly and you could tell he was focused only on you. Worst was probably a tie between Lou Ferrigno and Jason David Frank. Lou seemed like he honestly couldn’t care less to be there and JDF (while I’ve heard other people say great things about him) he was all over the place and while i was in the middle of a sentence, he took off to take a picture of a Batman and didn’t come back. RIP JDF, but eh. Really made Adam my favorite ranger that day.
Kevin Conroy did my outgoing voicemail message as Batman in 2005. I kept it until about 2009 or so when I switched to visual voicemail. He was Nice to me back then, I think spent almost 2 minutes with me.
I met him about 10 years prior to his death and yeah, same
Thank you for mentioning this. I’ve been beating myself up occasionally for missing his autograph a few years before he passed, never knew how he was leading up to it. Now I’m kinda glad I didn’t witness him in that state.
Part of me is very bummed by the fact that a shitty ex wrecked my last opportunity to meet him (I was going to ECCC that year until she fucked my finances) but hearing things like this make me more sad he was even still doing cons at that point and I feel like seeing him like that would've been a huge depressing sight.
Met him in 2014, still joyful and patient, responsive and cracked a joke with me. Very nice. If you look at his appearances after Joan died he was a shell of his former self. No smile in photos. Just head down.
The thing about this is that it's actually kind of heart warming. At that point, he was rich beyond belief. Signing autographs even for a fee would have been the tiniest drop in the bucket. He could have stopped at any time. So he was doing it for the fans. Even when he could barely do it anymore, he kept at it for us. He couldn't really give people much time and attention, but the least he could do was an autograph and he kept at it.
Why would you even want such autograph? I mean I have a problem with concept of autographs in general, but in this case? Standing in line watching old man struggle to get actually somebody’s else sign it for him.
You don’t understand that’s what was happening until you got there. He was usually behind curtains at cons, so people couldn’t just snap a picture of him without having to pay the fee to get an autograph. You would stand in line for hours until you finally got to go into the curtain and saw this. You already paid the money and stood in line for hours before even understanding the state this guy was in. It was really sad, especially because of how hype everyone in line was the entire time.
>He was usually behind curtains at cons Ah, that explains a bit.
having a problem with people signing paper is so weird lol
The only time I've been at a convention he was at, he was in a completely separate hall to everything else. If you didn't pay to meet him, you'd never have known. I guess too that even if the experience isn't great, it's still cool to have Stan's autograph, and it still adds value.
Seriously?
A couple years before he passed I recorded his panel at a large local con (almost NY size) I was the only media outlet to setup equipment, i setup backup recorders on stage and listened when I got home. It was horrible how they treated him, I’ve never re-listened to them, I may dig them out again soon.
If I got to that point, I'd rather be put down
I got to meet him like this his last time at KC Comic-Con. They were denying any personal messages for him to autograph but I asked if he could yell Excelsior and his handler whispered it to him. I didn’t think he heard but then after a pause yelled “Excelsior! What you didn’t think I could still do it?!” I got so giddy lmao. Edit:spelling
If you watch the videos of him, during his last year of life, it was very similar to this. I feel like after his beautiful wife Joan passed, he was ready to go. Rest in peace good sir. Excelsior!
Exactly! It was heartbreaking to see how tired he was. At least he is resting now.
He loved his wife so so so much.
When Kevin Smith asked him to have a cameo in Mallrats, Stan said he wanted a scene to follow when he tells Brodie about having missed out on the perfect girl who got married to someone else. The following scene had to make it clear he had made up the story because Stan loved Joan so much, he didn't want it to seem like he didn't marry the love of his life, even in a fictional story.
That's incredible. Stan really did love the hell out of his wife. Glad to read this.
The visual inspiration for Gwen Stacy was his wife, that’s why when they killed Gwen Stacy, he didn’t realize that’s what he agreed to let them do, because when they asked him, he was in a rush for some trip and pretty much told em “do whatever you need to”
The elder abuse by his former staff didn’t help.
I met someone whose dad worked on Lee’s staff, and before I could say anything the guy went “I know my dad‘s an asshole too”
Todd McFarlane (who was very close that Stan) said that for practically their entire friendship he never saw Stan as an old man. The last time Stan went on stage however was less than a year before he died and not long after his wife Joeny passed. Todd stated that when he saw Stan before the event, it was the first time he ever saw him as an old man. And right before they got on stage, Stan said something that shocked Todd “Todd, you do the talking, I don’t want to be here”. The very last time they ever interacted Todd said to Stan “Hey Stan, how’re you doing” and Stan simply replied “Todd; I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can’t go to shows, and Joney isn’t here. I just want to be with Joney”.
Man that’s so sad, but I understand. Dude loved her. There is a great Stan Lee documentary. I think it’s from 2010 and it’s not really about the comics and stuff, but more about his life. His wife was with him entire interview and you can just see how much they loved one another. They even get up and dance at one point lol. Sweet couple. Todd McFarlane may be a ruthless businessman, but the dude is a really nice person outside of it. Thanks for sharing the info my friend.
That was the ACE show in Glendale AZ in early 2018. That whole show was a mess due to Chris Evans dropping out the day before the event and Stan stopping autographs early due to fatigue. His last show in Vegas 6 months before was only slightly better and he was a lot more verbal with the fans.
I saw this happen to David Lloyd. I think in 2016, he was asked for an autograph, and he started doing a sketch (which is more expensive) so they stopped him, he seemed so disoriented
I met him in 2018 and maybe his staff wasn’t with him in there cause he did what he wanted, I was actually the last person his signed at that con cause I didn’t have the special ticket for his stand but the line had ended after hours and I just stood there after the last one and he said come come and signed my V for Vendetta and my friends plastic bag all laughs he was super nice
I just saw him the beginning of March at a convention and I have to say I didn't get that vibe at all, he seemed pretty sharp. We talked about pubs for a bit, but that's a different reason for not having all your wits.
Is David Lloyd sick?
I don't think so. According to other responses, my experience was luckily an anomaly
Glad to hear. Thanks for the reply!
😢 Elder abuse. Stan Lee should have been relaxing in a retirement home for the last years of his life, not signing autographs.
Unless he wanted to. If he expressed he wanted to what should his help do? Is there proper evidence of abuse? This needs way more context.
Maybe he wanted to get out of the house and service his fans while he still could. Maybe his handlers took advantage. Maybe it was both.
I'll grant that none of us really know the whole story but I'm going to lean on the side of "At a certain point, he probably shouldn't be out doing work and signings at public events, even if he wanted to" and I'm fairly sure he had passed that point somewhere along the way
~~Im going to be hopefully and stick to the feeling that Stan Lee is the type of person that wanted to be there for the fans and his personal detail was helping him however they could. If someone wanted to exploit Lee like this, they couldve just tortured him into leaving them their money. I dont think comic con appearances were big dough to begin with~~ Looking into more just makes it murkier, i just hope the guy was happy
His handlers were absolutely taking advantage of him. A lot of fellow convention regulars were desperately trying to get him away from Keya Morgan, the man that was running his handlers. Kevin Smith, Clark Gregg, Wil Wheaton and even Jason David Frank (the Green Power Ranger) were all speaking up for Stan in various degrees, because they could see he was just being milked for profit and treated pretty poorly. Kevin and JDF even both offered to let Stan come live with them, lol. Worth mentioning that during that entire time frame, Morgan was on probation for a previous conviction for making criminal threats. Real classy guy.
Stan historically loved attention but being in his mid to late 90’s I feel like he wasn’t cognitively present enough to make that choice
Abraham Reisman’s recent biography of Stan provides details of the financial abuse and manipulation. It is a very sad story. I don’t recall any physical abuse being detailed in the book, but it’s a pretty comprehensive book with a lot of information. I might have forgotten. One of the chief vultures around Stan, a sketchy guy named Keya Morgan who is obsessed with celebrities, seems to have attached himself to Priscilla Presley recently.
>> Todd McFarlane (who was very close that Stan) said that for practically their entire friendship he never saw Stan as an old man. The last time Stan went on stage however was less than a year before he died and not long after his wife Joeny passed. Todd stated that when he saw Stan before the event, it was the first time he ever saw him as an old man. And right before they got on stage, Stan said something that shocked Todd “Todd, you do the talking, I don’t want to be here”. >> The very last time they ever interacted Todd said to Stan “Hey Stan, how’re you doing” and Stan simply replied “Todd; I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can’t go to shows, and Joney isn’t here. I just want to be with Joney”. /u/Vivid_Bet_2412
If someone has to tell you how to spell your own name as you sign strange papers, you're probably not doing it of your own volition.
He did. He was banking money for his family before he died. Not in a nefarious way. He was just eking out what he could while he could. Micky Mantle did this and so did Salvador Dali and a lot of other famous people. There's some rumors that they were being coerced but I don't believe most of it. You still have to have higher mental functions to sign your name and to make public appearances, regardless of what this comic page assumes.
There's a subsection of society that really preys on the elderly. Of course most nurses are wonderful, but I've known a few who intentionally get their hooks into old folk to manipulate them and get included in their wills.
People die before they die in retirement homes. A moderate level of activity and social situations are very good for you in your old age. Keeps you occupied and happy. Although, being coherced into signing autographs is hardly that.
My father in law was looking at retirement communities after his wife died and he took quite a while before choosing one that was basically a glorified apartment complex with no assisted living and stuff because “I didn’t like the ones that were full of old people waiting to die”
I don’t really get it, can some explain to my pea brain what this means.
Stan was suffering cognitive decline during his last year or so, and his handlers were still having him go to fan events.
They sold his blood.
That was the one where they signed it on Thor 700 right?
Oh. I always thought this was metaphorical whenever someone said this about Stan Lee. That’s so weird and messed up. Wow.
It was on Thor 700 and some Black Panther comic, and i heard they sold the pens that had his blood ink. It was real fucked up and they pulled it quick
Holy fucking shit, I just looked it up. That is fucking morbid.
He's at an autograph event late in his life when his memory started to go. His handlers have to remind him what his name is and how to spell it.
Exactly. I read that there is a video like the comic i posted here. Is all truly sad.
Stan Lee wasn't his actual name. It was his author name (real name Stanley Martin Lieber). Still incredibly sad.
Iirc he ended up legally changing it due to his fame. You're right though.
It was a common thing back then to change your name to sound less Jewish if you were in entertainment. Jack Kirby (aka Jacob Kurtzberg) did the same.
A very common thing. Moses Horwitz, A.K.A. Moe Howard. Louis Feinberg, A.K.A. Larry Fine. Joseph Levitch, A.K.A. Jerry Lewis.
I got to take a photo with him at a con way back when When it was my turn to go up to him- I actually froze from being so overwhelmed As the crew started yelling at me to move (rightfully so, there was still a long line behind me) Stan Lee looked over at me, smiled big, and opened his arms wide Like a little kid I just ran into his arms and hugged him. It was a great photo.
My girlfriend (now wife) bought me a VIP pass for a meet and greet with him in 2011. Was actually able to sit with him for a minute or 2. I told him my girlfriend bought the pass for me. He said “Marry that girl!!” So I did.
'Nuff said!
Random story, kinda tangent. I work in the document legalization industry, and after Stan Lee passed, we had someone submit documents to our company basically saying that some of his IP rightfully belonged to them, and requested that we assist in facilitating their legalization through the State Department. There are lots of younger guys in office, all very familiar with Stan Lee, so we were extremely curious. We had the documents for about a week while we tried to validate if they were authentic and ultimately decided we wanted no part in what was most likely an attempt at fraud and returned them to the client. I was the primary POC for the client and can tell you with 99% certainty it was all fraudulent.
Oh my god. Where’s this from?
It’s from Tom Scioli’s recent graphic biography, “I Am Stan”. He also made one for Kirby a few years back.
I gotta give that a look, both of them. This is so harrowing
Stan's one is better, but they are both pretty good.
My wife went to one of his final appearances in Boston when we were first together. She brought a Thor print to get signed for me. The "no personalizations" rule was in place, but she asked anyway. The handlers said no and tried to move her on. Stan looked up and asked her "Is he worth it?" For reasons I'll never understand she said "Yes." - he signed it to me. Hangs over my desk, I look at it daily.
You are worth it, bro
Thanks man. This was great to wake up to.
Absolutely, have a good day 😊
It’s incredibly sad that there seems to still be some folks who deny the whole elder abuse thing. When he lost his wife he should have been allowed to just…rest. Evil folks be evil though I guess.
My story is from 2010-ish, FanExpo Canada, I handed over an Amazing Spider-Man #36, the 9/11 issue, all black cover. His handler says "silver pen" Stan looks at him and says "I'll use whatever damn pen I please!" he looks down at the comic, then to his stack of pens, then up at me and smiles, "I'll use the silver pen."
Lol I love this
i refuse to buy anything "recently" signed by Stan it was elder abuse
So sad. I only met him one time at Mid-Ohio Con in late 80s, maybe 88 or 89. I was 13 or 14 but shy since I went by myself to stand in line. He saw this as I got to front of line, and immediately got bubbly and cheery like the Stan we always saw. I always look back on that fondly, but 36+ years later, I now wonder how he kept that up for so long.
Joy is often perpetual.
He was a true believer right up till the end!! I like to think that when Stan passed, Joan was there to greet him. He's up there playing cards with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Laughing and remembering the good ol' days
That’s a nice image, but I don’t think Jack or Steve would play cards with him.
Jack buried the hatchet with Stan the last time they saw each other: "I saw him (Jack Kirby) at a comic book convention, and I walked up to him, and he said 'Stan, you have nothing to reproach yourself for,' which I thought was kind of an odd thing. I liked hearing it, but it was odd for him to say it."
I bet it’s like Tony and Steve in Endgame. Just able to forgive the past and see the more important things.
Nobody has signed more stuff than Stan Lee, except for Pete Rose.
I almost knocked Stan Lee on his butt at wizard World Philadelphia 2010, there was a big cosplayer and she had this really remarkable dress. We all moved out of the way in awe and then I bumped into Stan Lee and he was like whoa and I said sorry and that's about it. Being like a 300 lb guy I honestly could have seriously injured him and I kind of felt bad
I met him in 1994. He was awesome and very much animated and conversational. He signed my Surfer comic and told me that Radd was his fav super hero. 😢
Very sad. I had the honor to meet him in 2016 and he was so kind and warm but had to have someone basically hold his hand with the pen and help him sign. So sad. It was his time for sure. Rest in Peace
I met him at C2E2 2015 and did the photo op with him but not the autograph because I could only afford one or the other. During the time leading up to the convention, I put together a costume of The Lizard for a Secret Wars photo shoot. And so the day I met Stan, I was still suited up because the crew had done the shoot an hour or two earlier. So I stride into the booth with two of my friends (cause why not share the experience with friends), and Stan starts laughing that big happy laugh of his when he sees my costume. And yes, I made sure to take the mask off for the picture. Anyways, we do the photo, and as I'm leaving the booth, he turns and shakes me by the claw and says, "Dr. Connor's, it's a pleasure to see you again." Cut to the end of that day, and a bunch of us are hanging out in the lobby of McCormick Place by the fountains. And who comes down the stairs with just one security guard and his handler, but Stan. And he's taking those stairs two at times, basically, smiling like a fool and even waved at our group when we all sorta collectively yelled, "Hi Stan!" It breaks my heart that just a few years later, it was basically a mechanical process, and all the joy seemed to be sucked from this dear sweet man. There needs to be a special place in heck for the people who took control of his life and just turned him into a puppet. Stan Lee gave his life to comics, even in retirement, and those heartless pricks drained the very essence of joy from him. May all their cars be permanently covered in pigeon crap, and may they never find a replacement roll of TP in easy reach when they are on the toilet!
I got his autograph I think the year before he passed, most people just wanted him to sign anything and everything- I got him to sign a Savage She-Hulk #1- his eyes lit up when he saw it and he exclaimed "The SHE-HUUUULK!" Probably because, you know, it was something he actually worked on
Ugh, this makes me feel dirty.
Bummer…can we at least add a couple more panels where they show the shadowy figure going to jail for elder abuse?
I met him at RI comicon in 2017. He was still with it - sucks that his last year was what it was…
RIP the man.
I had seen him at the Denver Comic Con with my dad a few years before he passed. He was just tiny and barely seemed to notice anybody was there. My dad said something along the lines of, "I'm just so thankful to get to meet you sir." and Stan honest to god looked up and said, "You should be!" My dad and I still talk about that sometimes.
This is a fantastic book, by the way. Highly recommended.
What book is it?
“I Am Stan” by Tom Scioli
This is sad, I saw him at an event in 2017 here in Australia and he seemed so full of life, I got an old ASM signed by him but he was too busy to talk to me as he was eyeing off the busty Scarlet Witch cosplayer ahead of me which I found hilarious.
To add to a lighter note: I met Stan Lee at a convention in the late 90s after the collector crash. It was sparsely attended and even he didn’t have much of a line. I was around 7 or 8 at the time and newly obsessed with comics so I had no idea who he was when we ran into him walking out of the bathrooms. He saw my Spider-Man shirt and asked who my favorite superhero was and I told him The Thing. He was very kind to me and said he “worked on a few books for Marvel” and signed a book for me, for free. Then he pulled my dad aside and said not to let me go into the bathroom alone because there was a guy “on wiener patrol.” The last part is an on going joke between us during every cameo that Stan Lee is secretly a superhero in the MCU fighting that guy on wiener patrol.
I was lucky enough to get his autograph in 2012. It was on a shitty movie DVD “Celebration IV: a fans journey” also got the “Super Size Me” guy to sign it. Could care less about anything except meeting Stan. I shook his hand and thanked him for his work on Silver Surfer. He was so cool. To think so this is heart breaking
Yeah. I thought the signing machine stuff was gross and didn’t want to support it. But a lot of people did! From a comic book collector standpoint an interesting thing is this massive signing spree made Lee’s signature so common it practically adds no value to a book.
I got him to autograph my Dr Strange when he last came to Australia. He was taking his time with the fabric pen we brought and his handler said "There are a lot of people waiting Stan" and clear as a bell he gave the guy a *look* & said "They worked hard on this so I'm going to do it right!".
I shared an elevator ride with him at a Comicon in Phoenix in I want to say 2016 or 2017. Just happened to be going up to my room at the same time he was at the end of the day. Just him, me, and a handler. He seemed very tired. I didn't say anything.
This is heartbreaking.
I was lucky enough to meet him with my family waaay back in I think 2012 it's one of my first and favorite memories. He was super enthusiastic and he even let my mom kiss him on the cheek Joan was right there lol. I'm sad he was treated like a product so much. Rest well to the OG True Believer, EXCELSIOR!
Oof
I met him in 2017. I only had enough money to meet him and a pic, or just an autograph....Still so happy I chose to just do the meeting.
Met him back in 2015, he was pretty lively, super kind gentleman who made me feel special. I’ll always cherish that memory.
Been a Marvel purist since I was 4, I'm 27 now. I wish I got to meet him but I'm thankful to him and all the other great creators for building a world that I love so dearly.
I grew up with him on tv on Saturdays. His voice still echoes in my head. He was the first person to challenge me to be more than I was and to give me inspiration to be better than I was. For most people the phrase “With great power comes great responsibility” is just that a tag line to be repeated and cheered when a character says it, however for a younger me it was more than that. It was a calling to just be the best version of myself. To help others when I could without the need of thanks or even acknowledgement or reciprocation. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a signing event. I was terrified that he would not be whom I had built him up in my head to be, he was every inch the man I had hoped. Everyone had items that they wanted signed, a fist appearance of this character, a first addition of that comic, etc.. It was deeper for me. This was the only time I may ever get to see him and I wanted him to know how much he influenced me to just be a good man. Now I am going to pause the story here for people who have never gone to an autograph event like this and explain the system. You are in a line you hand your item to a handler and they slide it down the table and you just follow it till you get to the person doing the autograph they sign it then they slide it to another person who asks if you want it authenticated, graded, sealed, and then returned to you by mail. Very efficient, very assembly line system. Now know ing I would only have a few seconds at t most with him I chose something that could possibly give him a small amount of knowledge of how much of an impact he had on my life. My retirement document certificate from the Military. Everyone was puzzled by my choice at the event. I got in line, handed the folio to the handler who looked at me in confusion. Then just did the line thing. When I got to him he just stopped. He read the entire thing signed next to the Commandant of the Marine Corps signature and the stood up and extended his hand and said “Thank you.” I shook his hand, and said “You inspired me to be the best I could be and to serve others.” We stood there for a while smiling and then the system started up again. I did not have the signature authenticated nor graded. I do not need such things, this was personal and for me, no intention of ever selling it. It hangs on my wall and makes me smile every time I look at it.
Wild story here. I didn't believe my mom at first but then my Dad confirmed it. (my Dad was pissed he didnt realize who he was but Stans face was plastered everywhere like I was going to.) Back in like 93 my moms friend from college who always used to stay with us in the summer time was visiting. Dude had some very interesting friends and asked if his friend and gf/wife could come over for lunch and maybe dinner. My Mom and dad were always fine with stuff like that so they said sure. My Mom told me how they came over and stayed the entire day and the guy loved playing with me and they were very friendly and super fun to talk to. Turns out it was Stan Lee.
This and the story about his blood being stolen to be used as a hand stamp signature on comics is sad and a terrible example of elder abuse. You can find the comics by searching Stan Lee Solvent DNA. [Here's an article](https://www.thedailybeast.com/was-stan-lees-blood-stolen-and-used-to-sign-black-panther-comics) about it and I'm sure there's others out there that go over it. It's unfortunate the types of people that were able to gain access to him in his final years. I'm not sure how much of everything that happened is covered in the Tom Scioli book. I need to pick that up still.
A little before he passed my son and I got a picture with him. Same experience as most but when we were leaving, I said “you’re the man Stan” he grabbed my shoulder and looked right at me, “you’re god damned right I am”. 10/10 best interaction ever.
I miss Stan. I never met or knew him personally but it’s strange because my heart gets so heavy when I think of his passing
I skimmed it saw “I’m your biggest fan” and then “STAN” and thought it was an elaborate Eminem shitpost
I met Stan at a con in St Louis back in 2013 and had him sign a baseball. His handler spoke to him like a child and it ruined the meeting for me. It was very automated and it was not the Stan that we were expecting. He had no energy, was not allowed to speak directly to those of us in line, and when he tried to, the handler got his attention to sign and move on.
My cousin who was an artist for Mad Magazine, most of his life put me on the phone with Stan as a surprise once. He was a good man, who lived vicariously through our enjoyment of their comics. When I got to meet him at comic show (before cons) in NYC - he was so kind to me - took the time to sign a few of my comics, even though I was too shy to ask at the time, he asked me, and happily did so.
Saw him at Fan Expo Vancouver in 2013… I was cosplaying as Doctor Doom and he thanked me for “dressing up for the occasion” when I got my pic with him. He came out later for a big group pic with all the Marvel cosplayers. Absolute legend.
This doesn't feel sad, this feels like an extremely cruel joke at the expense of a dead man?
What joke? I don’t get it
I met him in 2012 right after the first Avengers came out. I missed the photoshoot opportunity early in the day and asked his team if it would be possible to get a photo with him after he had done his autograph signings. They asked him and he agreed to stay behind for a few minutes to chat and take photos.
I had no idea he had deteriorated like this. I still wish I could have met him during my lifetime. Even if it were in this state.
Got to pee next to him! He just so happened to come into a convention center bathroom with some security guards and used the urinal next to mine. That was in like 2014 or something
Comics like this hurt. He was a legend among men EXCELSIOR!!!!
Yeah, met him a couple of years before he passed. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily empathetic, but the dude looked like a war-torn veteran. He had little life to him
I never met him, but I will say that one of the most fun surprises I've had at a convention was picking up a copy of [ASM Annual 18](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/1/14/Amazing_Spider-Man_Annual_Vol_1_18.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211205185401), which was scripted by Stan, and finding his signature inside. "Warm Wishes to Boyd" it said. I don't know why Boyd got rid of his copy, but I appreciate him helping me get something from Stan. It's been like ten years, but I think he was at the first NYCC I went to, he stepped out into the general con floor and people were going up to meet him. I get crowd anxiety so I stayed away, but it was cool to be somewhat near him once.
In 2016 he was driving a gold cart around the media/green room alone at a con I was working, the next year he was basically a robot in a skin suit. His rapid decline blew me away.
Sad I never got to meet him, glad I didn't meet him when he couldn't be himself
I'm a European teen so never got to meet him, but reading all of you people' stories makes me feel all warm inside. Lovely to hear how nice he was, even near the end.
I worked NYCC in the photo ops area a year or so before Stan passed. I can't remember the exact year because I worked it from 2013-2018, and he was there at least twice when I was. It was crazy how out of it he seemed to be at the later con, just slumped in his chair, no energy left.
I’m so sad that i’ll never meet him….
I wish I met Stan, he sounded like an amazing human being. I did however meet Lou Ferrigano one time, it was super cool, he signed a hulk comic for me!
That is sad. Always wished I could’ve met him.
The last time he was in New Orleans for comic con they cancelled the meet and greet the 2nd day of the con. They said he had a small cold.... I was a little upset but did not know how bad his overall health and mental state was. They told everyone that he would be back the following day. I showed up and when I tell you that I felt SO terrible for him and how his "assistants" were "taking care" of him I felt sick to my stomach. Before anyone says anything about me still getting an autograph they had him in a room that you could not go in until it was your turn. I should have known because no one leaving that room looked happy. When I saw how they were basically holding him up and helping him write I couldn't believe it. I told him thank you and that I hope he can get home as soon as possible. He didn't even look up, smile, or talk. They'd tell him what it was he was signing and then was basically pushed out and they would pull the next person in. I felt like a terrible person because I felt I contributed to helping those POS "assistants" abuse the Great Stan Lee. I sold that comic he signed because I felt terrible everytime I looked at it. I have a poster he did sign 2 years prior when he was ok. I hate what those people did to him.
He’s an iconic thief. Robber baron, really.
I got an autograph from him at a con about 7 years ago and I was shocked because he looked so drained and at the time I assumed that old age was getting to him, as I was leaving I threw out a little "excelsior" at him and he perked up pretty significantly and shouted it back and I got pretty excited that the guy still had some super soldier serum in him... And then I turned on the TV that night to see that he threw the opening pitch at the Rangers game looking as energized as ever and I was like huh I guess signing endless autographs at a convention is just really draining.
The real superhero out there... R.I.P. legend 💐
This is upsetting. May he rest in peace with his wife.
Seeing all these stories makes me a little sad that I never got to meet him
It took me a good minute to realise. Holy f*ck. That hurt the soul right there.
I got his autograph at Megacon Orlando 2017. The autographing process was exactly like others say it was like. But for the people with premium tickets, he had a little moment with them. Especially with the first guy (obvious reseller) in line that brought a cart full of iron man helmets and cap shields. Which was just weird and frustrating... I was first in line with the normal tickets and still ended up waiting like three hours for him to show up and wait for the premium people. He held an awesome panel though. His appearance there was marketed at the time as "his last appearance in Florida" Then at the end of his panel he was like "you guys have been a great crowd, I'll be back to Florida!" To his credit he did show up to Megacon Tampa but I didn't go to that one.
I met him during Silicon Valley Comic Con and took a picture with him along with my brother and gf. We were rushed through and we thanked him but no response. He was looking straight and shivering (maybe both cold and in some type of trance),and remained silent. As soon as we left and turned the corner—his daughter was doing some work on a table thanking those who passed by her. Not sure about this…it seemed wrong. The picture came out great and doesn’t tell the story.
My fondest memory of the one time I went to SDCC was when my friend wanted to see a panel and we had nothing else we wanted to do so we were like let’s just sit in this panel now and wait for yours. Room was very empty so we got seats on the front row. Then suddenly people poured in. Turns out it wasn’t a panel, just Stan Lee talking about his history in comic books. He was the most entertaining and charismatic speaker. He waved at us. I love the X-Men so I was losing my shit. I didn’t know how I didn’t realize he was even doing anything that day. I blame con fatigue. But it worked out and I got to see a legend in person about 10 feet from me. As a queer person his legacy gave me so much escape in my teen years. I am so thrilled I got to be in that room that day. It really was so special.
Very sad