EXCELSIOR!

Hey all! This weekend, I got the surprise of a lifetime and I owe it all to my friends, Richard and Laura. They are admins over at the Channel Awesome wiki and they went to MegaCon in South Florida over the weekend. Beforehand, they had said to me that they'd try to get Stan Lee's autograph. I said "Cool." In the end, they couldn't. I was a little bummed, but, I understood. It was Stan Lee for God's sake! I was fine with it...until they did something incredibly awesome! They actually went up to Stan Lee and had him record a special message for me.

Here's what he said to me:

"Hey, Chris. This is Stan Lee and I gotta tell you...you have a gal here who really cares about you. Because she dared to come over while we were having dinner at the table and she said drop everything because you gotta talk to Chris. So, that's what I'm doing. You're a lucky guy, Chris and I hope you're doing well with whatever you're doing and now I am going to stop talking and go back with my friends. EXCELSIOR!"

A while after, they had called me and let me know about the message. To say that I was happy would be an understatement. Last night, I saw the message and I was VERY happy. You might be wondering why I was happy. Well, there's a story behind that.

Growing up, I never really idolized celebrities. Oh, sure, I'd love Hulk Hogan and Mr. T or someone. But, my real hero was Stan Lee. He co-created some of my favorite Marvel characters and has really inspired me to get into writing. In fact, some of the Starbolts are inspired by Stan Lee's writing philosophy. Heroes with heart. Heroes who could be just about anyone regardless of what kind of person they are.

Stan Lee is an inspiration and always will be because his characters ,like Spider-Man, always grew on me more than Superman or Batman. They took on a life of their own. That isn't to say Supes and Batman are not larger than life. They are. I just have a personal connection with some of Stan's creations.

His writing style influenced me and got me into writing in the first place. I'll even let you in on a secret. Stan Whitefox, the director of S.T.A.R. is actually named after Stan Lee. Corny? Yes. Awesome as hell? HELL YA! The man is an inspiration and has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Including myself.

Richard and Laura getting the clip means a lot to me because they know more than anyone that I love Stan Lee's work. He's a legend among comic fans and I really have to thank my friends for the clip. Thanks again, guys!

So, to that, I say, Face Front, true believers. A lot of awesome artistry is on the way. EXCELSIOR!