Being Haunted by Stan Lee Ain’t So Bad: A Storyteller’s Memoir

For all my spiritually gifted people out there, no I am not having casual chats with the spirit of Stan Lee (though, I wish I was). Nonetheless, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s been floating by these past few months every time I write. His influence seems to constantly pop up from mythology to character work to dialogue. Today seemed to be no exception.

As I set out to write the first of many Disney Movie Reviews to celebrate Disney’s 100th Birthday, I scrolled down to the “new” section of Disney+ and who did I find? His lopsided smile and receding hairline warmed my heart like it did as a child. And though I’ve already watched the celebratory documentary “Marvel 75 years: From Pulp to Pop”, I felt that my pending review on Snow White was just going to have to wait. For it had dawned on me that Stan would’ve been 100 years old in December last year (2022) and I don’t remember anyone talking about it.

I was overwhelmed with questions and couldn’t help but wonder how Stan took over an entire industry in a time nothing like today. There were so many obstacles and variables to sift through without Google and yet he surpassed them all to the point that his legacy lives long after he's gone. As someone who aspires to surpass the Marvel Universe with my own, I needed to know what was the secret sauce that made Stan Lee so great. All those restless nights learning how to “Steal Like an Artist” had been destined for this one moment. I settled in front of the TV for the next hour and a half of my life with a bowl of granola and a childlike spirit. Here’s what I learned from the great Stan Lee….

• · Marvel superheroes were written to be like the average Joe, just with superpowers. They’re meant to be a mirror version of everyday people with everyday problems.

• · A sum of experience is what makes up our writing.

• · Write the kind of stories you want to read (even if it’s hard to get out at first).

• · Perseverance through doubt is key.

• · Love reading everything (even the backs of ketchup bottles).

• · Watch movies and be inspired.

• · Feel like you are destined for greatness.

• · Writing is supposed to be fun.

• · Be affected by the world around you.

• · When asked, say yes.

• · It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

• · Comic books are a powerful medium.

• · Following “the trend” at the beginning can help boost publicity if done right.

• · Produce mass content to gain a strong collection.

• · Censorship seems to always exist, and you can either play by the rules or get powerful enough to strategically break them.

• · Misunderstanding the importance of the medium will always happen when it comes to consumers.

• · Write what you love and do it your way.

• · Inclusivity.

• · Relatability.

• · Real places in fictional circumstances.

• · Real circumstances in fictional storylines.

• · Names have power.

• · Be entertained by what you create.

• · We are all pleasure-seeking creatures.

• · The high value of entertainment can sometimes go unnoticed.

• · You can make a difference through comic books.

• · Follow your intuition.

• · Don’t try to please a sect of the public, try to please yourself.

• · Forget about the audience and start having fun.

• · Stan was not a whiner at the office.

• · Stan would not get angry at the office.

• · When things go wrong you say, “Let’s fix it”.

• · Get into the scene and be like kids on the playground.

• · Find your elite team of artists and writers.

• · Blend as a team.

• · Fall in love with your best friend.

• · Be inspired by your significant other.

• · True partnership is being in love with your best friend.

• · A marriage is like a farm you must tend to every day.

• · Help empower the unempowered.

• · Take what you know and run with your imagination.

• · Follow your gut on personal projects.

• · Prove the impossible can be possible.

• · Blur the lines between reality and fiction through story.

• · Empathize with the characters you write.

• · Don’t expect your heroes to be perfect.

• · The books are meant to be fun for the reader and the writer.

• · Get readers to talk about it because they love it.

• · "Fairy tales for older people" is what Marvel is all about.

• · Improve on the old legends.

• · Talk about the Gods that no one talks about.

• · Mythology is key to relatable fantasy.

• · Create your own mythology and universes.

• · Overlapping characters and books makes the universe fun.

• · Create your cast of characters and work from there.

• · They all live in the same world, so have fun with it.

• · Villains and heroes are likable and there is a fine line between them.

• · Things aren’t just black and white in life.

• · Educate and entertain.

• · Moral lessons that need to be addressed in the real world are addressed through stories.

• · Hate all forms of oppression.

• · All people should be treated equally.

• · Mutations are acceptable answers for unexplainable powers in fiction.

• · Imagine a better world and tell it through story.

• · With great power comes great responsibility.

• · Racial equality.

• · Gender equality.

• · Show things as they really are.

• · The things young readers read will prepare them for the real world.

• · It’s best to do your best and try to be good.

• · Guide the youngsters in the right direction because they understand and absorb so much more than we give them credit for.

• · Use real language in dialogue.

• · Acknowledge the whole team and all that they do.

• · Keep it close to home and don’t over-expand your company.

• · Own your work so no one else can screw you over.

• · Don’t write for someone else’s company for the rest of your life.

• · Don’t write someone else’s stories for the rest of your life.

• · If you have an idea, and you think it’s a really good one, don’t let someone talk you out of it. Give it your best shot and when you look back on it, be proud that you did it at all.

Stan was a man born into an era of American History that is now long gone, but his stories still live on for the children of today. The gift of imagination lives in all of us, and we can learn from the legends how to continue the tradition of storytelling. After watching this documentary, I feel more empowered than ever to go out and create my own world one character at a time.

If you are an “artistic entrepreneur” like me who hasn’t hit the big time yet, I highly suggest watching this to boost your spirits and morale. Yes, we all might balk at the part where Stan could write a few stories and put a down payment on a car, or that he was an editor at seventeen by the sheer chance of luck, but that is not the meat and potatoes of this documentary. I feel like I now know “the man behind the Marvel” and understand that storytelling is what it’s always been; real-life seen through the eyes of a child.

The time is now for us to tell new stories. Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of and give it all we’ve got! I hope to see you soon in whatever form I appear. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.