#HappyBirthdayStanLee: Five most iconic comic issues by the legend
Stan Lee was an absolute genius who almost single-handedly made Marvel a giant in the industry and created entire fantastical universes, which would be remembered forever. The man who gave every child heroes to believe in, unfortunately, passed away on November 12, 2018, at the age of 95. Today, on December 28, the birth anniversary of the legend, we present Lee's most iconic comics.
Captain America: Where it all began for Lee
Captain America #3 came out in 1941, and while the character was created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, this was the first published story by Lee, a teenager then. Titled Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge, this is one of Lee's most iconic issues as it was the first time Stanley Lieber gave himself the pseudonym Stan Lee, and a legend was born.
Thor: The moment Lee adopted mythology into comics
Journey Into Mystery came out in 1962 and with one stroke the comic genius brought Norse mythology into comicverse. Lee and Kirby together made the character of Thor and had fun doing it. Lee's issues experimented with faux-Shakespearean dialogues, showcasing the legendary writer's talent. Thor also marked the transition where he opened the doorway to introducing an entire pantheon of celestial beings from Asgard.
Black Panther: Lee dealt with social issues through comics
Fantastic Four #52 came out in 1966 and gave the world the first mainstream black superhero. Created by Lee and Kirby, T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, would later turn into a socio-political character, exploring race under the expert hands of Christopher Priest and later Ta-Nehisi Coates. However, Lee brought a smile to every colored child's face to see themselves represented by an awesome superhero.
Spider-Man: The code of being a hero
Amazing Fantasy #15 came out in 1962 and codified Lee's philosophy of superheroes and humans as well- 'With great power there must also come - great responsibility!' Lee introduced Peter Parker as Spider-Man and a bunch of teenagers immediately related to the problems, which the teenage wall-crawler faced. An extremely grounded and human character, Spider-Man remains one of Lee's most iconic contributions to comics.
Fantastic Four: The start of Marvel's journey as we know
Fantastic Four #1 came out in 1961 and began Marvel's Silver Age of Comics. Created by Lee, this was the first time readers read a humanized version of superheroes. They realized that superheroes were relatable and had similar day to day problems like ordinary humans. Kirby and Lee made the heroes grounded and the comic series became so iconic, it ran for 100 issues.
An honorable mention about the mutant team of Marvel
While Fantastic Four is Lee's most iconic Marvel team and is often called the first family of Marvel, Lee's The X-Men #1 deserves honorable mention for portraying Atomic Age fear, that nuclear experiments might make kids mutants and exploring civil rights issues through these characters.
