This Saturday, the heroes are coming to UCLA. Well, at least the
man who created them.
On Dec. 2, director Kevin Smith will host “Marvel: Then
& Now ““ a Night with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada.”
The event will benefit the Hero Initiative, a non-profit
organization which raises money for comic book veterans in need of
financial assistance.
It will be Lee’s second appearance in as many years at
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, where he spoke in last November.
The creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four,
among others, Lee is arguably the most influential creator in
comics alive today.
Lee’s four-colored, spandex-clad stories of teens battling
monsters have shaped not only the comic book industry, but also the
film industry and popular culture. Through the recent explosion in
superhero films, his stories and characters have been both
incredibly entertaining and extremely profitable.
But while Lee has found success and financial security in doing
what he loves, artists and writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster,
co-creators of Superman, weren’t so lucky. They spent years
trying to secure fair royalties for creating one of the most
popular icons of American culture. The success of the Superman
comics ushered in the medium’s Golden Age, and yet Siegel and
Shuster barely saw a dime.
“There are so many people who have been in the comic book
business for a long time and some of them are down on their luck,
and they need some financial help,” Lee said.
Many comic creators and professionals have fallen on hard times
in recent years, and the Hero Initiative, along with Lee, Smith and
Quesada, hopes Saturday will not only be a night of animated comic
discussion, but also a chance to raise awareness of an important
problem in the industry.
“It seems only fitting those that are doing better and can
afford to should try and help the people who really started the
comic book business from the beginning,” Lee said.
This Saturday, he will be joined in his efforts by two other
prominent movers and shakers in the comic industry.
Along for the ride is Smith, a filmmaker and moonlighting comic
book writer, who will moderate the discussion between Lee and
Quesada. Quesada is the current editor in chief at Marvel Comics,
the home of Lee’s hall of heroes, and is responsible for the
direction that the beloved characters he created are headed
today.
“Here are the two men responsible for the Marvel universe
now and then. (Lee) created … my favorite character, Spider-Man,
and as a comic book fan and a nerd I respect him greatly,”
said Chris Velasquez, a fourth-year political science student.
For students who didn’t get a chance to see Lee last year,
Saturday could be a golden opportunity to talk with a living
legend.
“Last time he was here, I was too intimidated to ask any
questions, but I’m not going to pass up my chance this
time.” Velasquez said.