Many years ago James Morrow (now a celebrated sci fi novelist) and I had an idea for a book that would teach the basics of film grammar: shots, cuts, lighting, framing, sound, and so on. Our concept was to illustrate the techniques using comic-book panels.

But we didn’t want to use just any comic book panels. We wanted the best, which—in our opinion—meant artwork from Marvel Comics. We identified the panels we needed, then made an appointment to visit the Marvel Comics office in New York. There, we met Stan Lee. At the time, while he wasn’t known to the masses, he was a key–and admired–figure among comic book fans.

After we explained our project and showed Stan our mock-ups, he said: “You can have the art. No cost. You’ll just have to pay my assistant for her time in locating the images in our archives.” The fee turned out to be $50, which in today’s money might be $200. That material made up 90% of our book MovieMaking Illustrated: the Comicbook Filmbook.

Stan didn’t know us at all. He just recognized our enthusiasm, and he wanted to give us a hand. He had a heart as big as the heroes that he created.

A few years later, I got to interview him for Learning Magazine. The article—”Meet the Wizard of Biff Bop Pow”—revealed Stan’s passion about the value of comics, especially how they promoted literacy and ethical behavior. It was a rousing response to the anti-comics crusade of the 1940s and 1950s.

Stan Lee died today, November 12, 2018. We will remember him.