THE LAST GATHERING
WITH STAN LEE
BY
John "THE MEGO STRETCH HULK" Cimino
It's the small things in life that can sometimes be the most meaningful. The memory from a simple smile, a good laugh or a sweet kiss can last a lifetime, even a thousand lifetimes. People lose sight of that and it's a shame. True magic is everywhere and in everything no matter how insignificant. Look. Feel. Listen. Open yourself up to the world and do it honestly and you will see that magic is all around you...
Blog entry: April 25th, 2019
I’m sitting back and thinking of Stan "The Man" Lee after
returning from Marvel’s exclusive New York AVENGERS: ENDGAME premier last night
and seeing his final cameo appearance. It was a surreal feeling as I went to
the event with another comic legend, my good friend and mentor Roy Thomas and his wife Dann who was
invited and flown in from South Carolina. Hanging with all the Marvel creators and staff (past and present), watching the movie and having a good time was a great experience. Standing there at such an important event mingling with everyone I realized, I've come a long way since reading comicbooks in my bedroom as child.
You see, I've been into Stan Lee and his Marvel Universe all my life. Despite what age I was or where I stood, Stan Lee was always there. Whether it be in comicbooks, television shows, cartoons, movies, comic cons or floating in my head when I looked to the stars and dreamed, Stan Lee was always a presence to make me happy and put my mind in a better place. His characters and words somehow guided me along and brought me to where I stand today. But now living in a world that no longer has him in it leaves me heartbroken. And maybe, I'm a little more saddened by this than most because I was with him and Roy Thomas right before he passed.
You see, I've been into Stan Lee and his Marvel Universe all my life. Despite what age I was or where I stood, Stan Lee was always there. Whether it be in comicbooks, television shows, cartoons, movies, comic cons or floating in my head when I looked to the stars and dreamed, Stan Lee was always a presence to make me happy and put my mind in a better place. His characters and words somehow guided me along and brought me to where I stand today. But now living in a world that no longer has him in it leaves me heartbroken. And maybe, I'm a little more saddened by this than most because I was with him and Roy Thomas right before he passed.
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| Roy and Dann Thomas with me at the exclusive Marvel Avengers: Endgame premier in New York. |
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| Me, Roy (with his big bucket of pop corn) and Dann. |
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| Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada gives a speech on the passing of Stan Lee and thanks all the early pioneers of Marvel Comics that helped Stan create the universe that has taken over pop culture (of course Roy is honored in that exclusive club). And FYI, that bald head on the left is Frank Miller. |
You should know that it wasn't easy to get those two legends together -- it was actually a three-year debacle. The bad handlers around Stan made it impossible for me to set up a meeting or dinner between the two because they wanted Stan for his money and their own evil agendas. Shady shenanigans were always used to keep them apart. It was frustrating because Roy wanted to see him and he knew Stan wasn't doing well health-wise.
In 2018, things finally changed when the state of California stepped in and most of the leaches were out of Stan's
life. But now, he wasn't the Stan Lee of old that always had a sparkle to him;
he was tired, missing his wife Joan (who passed almost a year earlier), sick
with Aspiration Pneumonia and looking every bit of 95 years in age. For months he was depressed, didn't
want to see anyone and ready to leave this earth. But I knew if he saw Roy
Thomas; his protégé and respected colleague, it would bring some happiness and light back
to him (and make Roy happy as well).
I had a connection and friend named Chandler Rice help me get in touch with Stan's new handler Jon Bolerjack, this time a
good kid who truly cared about Stan and his well being. Jon would go out on daily lunches with Stan and talk about life and the good times from Stan's past. When he found out Roy wanted
to come by for a visit, Stan instantly wanted to see him (I knew I was right). Roy and Stan only saw each other sparingly within the last decade and the last time Roy had been to Stan's house in Beverly Hills, CA was back in the 80s and that was only for a few minutes, so this meeting was long overdue. And the timing couldn't have been better, I made this Roy's birthday (November 22nd), Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts all rolled into one. BOOM!
Fast forward to a quick flight and drive on November 10th and the
first thing Stan did was flash a BIG smile when Roy walked into the room where he was sitting overlooking the view of his backyard. "Roy!" Stan said, "Hello Stan." Roy answered. Then Stan said, "You know Roy, getting to 100 isn't what it was always cracked up to be." I got so
emotional because of the looks on their faces. Through my relentless persistence and dedication to make this reunion take place, I was able to give them that pure tender moment -- a much needed moment of happiness in Stan's life. It
was like my gift back to him for all the moments he gave to me throughout my childhood and through my tough times. The whole thing seemed surreal, but when my mind came back to reality, I felt proud -- very proud of what I managed to accomplish. Some people may say magic doesn't exist in the real world, but that's exactly what happened in that moment.
Eventually Stan looked at me and said, "Hi John." Which totally shocked me, but I had my game face on so I stood firm. I walked over to Stan and knelt down in front of him. He then held my hand (I remember his touch being very cold) and said, "Take care of my boy Roy." It was bittersweet because of the
chaos he had to go through in the last few years of his life from all the
deceptive people around him, he didn't want that to happen to Roy. I promised
Stan that I would always protect Roy, have his back and that I loved him. Stan, still holding my hand,
smiled and said "God bless you, John."
The rest of the time was like a blur to me, I cannot remember what they were talking about because I was in awe sitting at Stan and Roy's feet thinking "I'm literally sitting at the top of Mount Olympus right now, how the hell did I get here?" It ended when we took a few photos together with the last one being Stan, Roy and myself. When Roy and I started to leave Stan waved at us and said once again, "God bless you guys." I got a little choked up as I whispered to Roy while walking out of Stan's house, "I don't think he'll make it to the end of the year." Less than 48 hours later on November 12th Stan "The Man" Lee was dead.
The rest of the time was like a blur to me, I cannot remember what they were talking about because I was in awe sitting at Stan and Roy's feet thinking "I'm literally sitting at the top of Mount Olympus right now, how the hell did I get here?" It ended when we took a few photos together with the last one being Stan, Roy and myself. When Roy and I started to leave Stan waved at us and said once again, "God bless you guys." I got a little choked up as I whispered to Roy while walking out of Stan's house, "I don't think he'll make it to the end of the year." Less than 48 hours later on November 12th Stan "The Man" Lee was dead.
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| The last photo ever taken of Stan Lee. It was an absolute honor to be in it with these two legends. |
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| Here is a picture of Stan Lee's backyard. What's interesting about it was when Stan was a little kid living in Manhattan, he would always look out his windows and see the brick buildings right next to it, which he hated. He always dreamed to one day have a place of his own that when he looked outside he would have a beautiful view. When Roy and I visited Stan at his home in Beverly Hills, Stan was sitting in his big comfortable chair overlooking his backyard and staring at his incredibly, beautiful view. After Stan passed less than 48 hours after we left, Roy told me that he remembered when Stan told him about that dream and he thought it was ironic that when we walked into the den where Stan was sitting, he was doing just that. Yes, Stan was tired and ready to leave this earth, but it's comforting to know he was in good spirits doing what he wanted just hours before his passing. Looking out at his beautiful view and laughing along with Roy Thomas talking comics. As for me, it was a thrill to sit back and watch it all happen. |
As sad as that was, it reads like a fairy tale.
Or should I say -- a comicbook.
But there's still a little bit more to this "last gathering" I haven't mentioned yet.
As I said earlier, most people don't believe in magic in the real world, but it's funny how some things work out that can be considered a little more than coincidence.
The XXL Taschen book THE STAN LEE STORY came out as a special "limited edition" of only 1000 copies and was released in early 2019 (almost two months after Stan's passing). While there were many other books on Stan's life available and coming out that he knew about, this was THE book that Stan SPECIFICALLY chose Roy Thomas to write. It took Roy about 5 years to complete with some added assistance from Rhett Thomas (no relation, but a super-talented guy nonetheless), Roy and Stan looked through a finished copy when we visited so Stan could see it before it got released to the public (watching them flip through the pages together was incredible). To look back in retrospect, when you think about the perfect timing this all went down and the fact that it could well be the last book Stan ever saw, it's absolutely mind-boggling.
Magic? I think so.
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| THE STAN LEE STORY "limited edition" copy is a ginormous book which celebrates the life of Stan Lee. It could well be the last book Stan ever saw when he was alive. That's what I call a Mighty Marvel Magic Moment at its finest. |
When I got the news of Stan's passing, I quickly called Roy and told him. We talked for over an hour about the crazy timing of it all. While Roy thought it was coincidental, I thought of it more as spiritual. I guess we'll never know for sure, but Roy quickly wrote out a page about it (a shortened version) and asked the Managing Editor of Taschen, Nina Wiener to include it in the upcoming "mass-market" edition of THE STAN LEE STORY as an afterword. That edition of the book was still in production at the time and became available on July 2019. Even the last photo of Stan and Roy I took was included and was a great last minute tribute to both of these legends and made a perfect bookend to Stan's life.
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| So glad to see the last picture of Stan Lee and Roy Thomas together included in the "mass-market" edition of THE STAN LEE STORY. |
Looking back on this experience now, to actually become a small part of a major event in comics history and more importantly; the last few happy moments of Stan's life was something I could've never imagined. Being uncompromisingly persistent and determined to get those two comic icons (and my two real life heroes) together despite the obstacles, so they could simply sit back and celebrate their gift of friendship was well worth the trouble. Plus, it's a great story that can inspire my daughter and show her that
real magic is out there in the world and if she tries hard enough, she
can grab it and make impossible things happen.
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| Roy writes me a heartfelt message in a "limited edition" copy of THE STAN LEE STORY that he gave to me as a thank you gift. Just knowing how much it meant to him and Stan is really the greatest gift I could ever receive. |
Blog entry: July 4, 2019
Independence Day!
Time to celebrate the birthday of the greatest country in the world with my daughter Bryn! What could be better than to go see SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME at the theater with her? This was IMHO the best Spider-man movie ever made and the first solo Spidey film since Stan passed. Yet another bittersweet moment because out of all the characters he co-created, Spider-man was Stan's favorite. After the movie ended I told my daughter it was a little sad knowing that Stan never got to see this, especially since it captured the magic of Spider-man and his world so well (a major shout out to movie writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and director Jon Watts). Stan would've loved that. Plus, the little homage at the very end of the credits giving a dedication to both co-creators; Stan Lee and Steve Ditko was a great tribute.
Ah, such is life. People pass on and time moves forward. That's the way it works whether we like it or not. All we can do is keep collecting memories, do the best we can and put love into the world. I guess that's what I'm trying to do here with this write-up.
God bless you, Stan.
Blog entry: July 25, 2019
My daughter's birthday!
I released this write-up today as a special gift of inspiration to my baby girl. As she grows older, and her world gets bigger may she never forget the special moments she creates in her life. I'm sure she'll have some great stories to tell.
And while this Stan Lee story is personal to me, we all have a little Stan Lee story because his magic managed to touch every one of us in some way. Whether it was watching a Marvel movie, laughing at his cameo appearances, meeting him at a signing, taking a picture with him, or just reading his work and becoming inspired, "The Man" was able to give us all a bunch of smiles and leave his mark on the world.
Independence Day!
Time to celebrate the birthday of the greatest country in the world with my daughter Bryn! What could be better than to go see SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME at the theater with her? This was IMHO the best Spider-man movie ever made and the first solo Spidey film since Stan passed. Yet another bittersweet moment because out of all the characters he co-created, Spider-man was Stan's favorite. After the movie ended I told my daughter it was a little sad knowing that Stan never got to see this, especially since it captured the magic of Spider-man and his world so well (a major shout out to movie writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and director Jon Watts). Stan would've loved that. Plus, the little homage at the very end of the credits giving a dedication to both co-creators; Stan Lee and Steve Ditko was a great tribute.
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| SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME was an absolute blast that perfectly captured the essence of what Stan Lee and Steve Ditko put into all those Spider-man comics they produced together. I know Stan would've enjoyed it... |
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| ...But I'm not so sure about the Spider-man colored popcorn that was released with the movie. Even my baby girl was staying away from that, and she has a major sweet tooth. |
Ah, such is life. People pass on and time moves forward. That's the way it works whether we like it or not. All we can do is keep collecting memories, do the best we can and put love into the world. I guess that's what I'm trying to do here with this write-up.
God bless you, Stan.
Blog entry: July 25, 2019
My daughter's birthday!
I released this write-up today as a special gift of inspiration to my baby girl. As she grows older, and her world gets bigger may she never forget the special moments she creates in her life. I'm sure she'll have some great stories to tell.
And while this Stan Lee story is personal to me, we all have a little Stan Lee story because his magic managed to touch every one of us in some way. Whether it was watching a Marvel movie, laughing at his cameo appearances, meeting him at a signing, taking a picture with him, or just reading his work and becoming inspired, "The Man" was able to give us all a bunch of smiles and leave his mark on the world.
Epilogue: November 6, 2019
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| The all Stan Lee tribute issue of ALTER EGO #161 hits shelves on 11/6/2019 which is an amazing coincidence. |
I had to make an addition to this blog because a little more of that magic I've been going on and on about sprinkled me with a little more storybook favor. As the faiths would have it, the new "All Stan Lee" tribute issue of ALTER EGO #161 was released today at comic shops everywhere (you can order it in the link below). And believe it or not, it got released almost exactly a year to the day since Roy and I visited Stan at his home on November 10th, 2018, and his passing on November 12th. Okay, you may chalk that up to a pretty cool coincidence. But did you know that the issue was supposed to be released in late October, but it somehow got delayed? Okay, okay, maybe you're still saying it's just a coincidence so calm down John, but coincidence or not, Roy Thomas surprised me by putting my story on getting them together for the last time and making it the introduction to the issue--that's something that doesn't happen every day! BOOM!!!
I did the guest editorial introduction in the most respected comic magazine on planet earth on one of the most important topics in the history of the magazine; "The Death of Stan Lee." And considering all the talent and legends that are in that issue celebrating Stan's life, you have to believe magic had something to do with it because I'm the guy who set the tone for the issue and I don't have any of the accolades they do. What an absolute honor! Bleeding cool also picked up the story, check it out in the link below.
Wow. Somewhere in the ether Stan Lee and ALTER EGO founder Jerry Bails are smiling.
Wow. I'm still doing my best to inspire my baby girl and showing her that magic is truly out there in this crazy world. And if she can reach high enough to grab it, anything is possible.
Wow. Thanks for the memories comicbook gods now and forever.
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| The Mighty Stan Lee |
Dedicated to:
Bryn Cimino
Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Dann Thomas
Stan Lee
Chandler Rice
Jon Bolerjack
Taschen
and
to those who never believed in me and my dreams
(because I'm doing just fine)
(because I'm doing just fine)
CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER
THE STAN LEE STORY "MASS-MARKET" EDITION
THE STAN LEE STORY "MASS-MARKET" EDITION
CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER
ALTER EGO #161
ALTER EGO #161
MEDIA LINKS TO STORIES BASED ON THIS WRITE-UP
BLEEDING COOL
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/03/12/when-roy-thomas-met-stan-lee-in-his-final-days/
BLEEDING COOL (article 2)
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11/05/roy-thomas-on-a-year-without-stan/?fbclid=IwAR1c4Mjriv_Y1nAHVA6inJCFhhfT_ot8_5aS5rc2tL-pw6A1Ssr9amCsi2I#disqus_thread
NY POST
https://nypost.com/2019/08/03/how-marvel-legend-stan-lee-found-his-superpower-for-storytelling/?fbclid=IwAR2EBInd5Z4OaRgN8E5dMpvt6RcVB-vMartOmYjIHXvw5BT3Orl2NjUrxC8
SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/en-espanol/cultura/articulo/2019-08-05/roy-thomas-el-comic-no-hubiera-sobrevivido-si-stan-lee-no-hubiera-existido
BLEEDING COOL (article 2)
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11/05/roy-thomas-on-a-year-without-stan/?fbclid=IwAR1c4Mjriv_Y1nAHVA6inJCFhhfT_ot8_5aS5rc2tL-pw6A1Ssr9amCsi2I#disqus_thread
NY POST
https://nypost.com/2019/08/03/how-marvel-legend-stan-lee-found-his-superpower-for-storytelling/?fbclid=IwAR2EBInd5Z4OaRgN8E5dMpvt6RcVB-vMartOmYjIHXvw5BT3Orl2NjUrxC8
SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/en-espanol/cultura/articulo/2019-08-05/roy-thomas-el-comic-no-hubiera-sobrevivido-si-stan-lee-no-hubiera-existido
LINKS TO OTHER "MEGO STRETCH HULK" AND
"RASCALLY ROY" HERO ENVY ARTICLES...
THE ROY THOMAS SPIDER-MAN COSTUME
THE UNCANNY BUT TRUE CREATION OF THE WOLVERINE
DAYS OF GRIMLOCK, ELVIS PRESLEY AND ROY THOMAS
THE "OFFICIAL" MARVEL COMICS ROY THOMAS APPRECIATION PRINT
THE SECRET ORIGIN OF THE JIM STARLIN THANOS BUST
MY MARVEL CAMEO
https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2018/11/my-marvel-cameo.html
THE LAST SPIDER-MAN DAILY NEWSPAPER STRIP
https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-last-spider-man-newspaper-daily.html
THE OFFICIAL ROY THOMAS CHARACTERS, CONCEPTS AND CREATIONS DATABASE
https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-official-roy-thomas-characters.html
THE LAST SPIDER-MAN DAILY NEWSPAPER STRIP
https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-last-spider-man-newspaper-daily.html
THE OFFICIAL ROY THOMAS CHARACTERS, CONCEPTS AND CREATIONS DATABASE
https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-official-roy-thomas-characters.html
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| Dann Thomas, Roy Thomas, Jeff Goldblum (who play's the Grandmaster in the MCU movies, a character Roy co-created in The Avengers #69 (1969)) and me. |