Kev takes a moment to reflect on Stan Lee—the modern-day Mark Twain that has touched nearly everyone's life.

Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor, and publisher who was active from the 1940s to the 2010s. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business to become Marvel Comics' primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry.

In collaboration with others at Marvel—particularly co-writer/artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—he co-created numerous popular fictional characters, including superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Ant-Man. In doing so, he pioneered a more naturalistic approach to writing superhero comics in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980s he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, he remained a public figurehead for the company and frequently made cameo appearances in films based on Marvel characters, on which he received an honorary "executive producer" credit. Meanwhile, he continued independent creative ventures into his 90s, until his death in 2018.

Lee was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NEA's National Medal of Arts in 2008.

On January 27th, 2019, we are organizing our THIRD annual one-day festival to celebrate the anniversary of Everything is Awesome, celebrate the awesome creators located in Philadelphia, and—most importantly—raise money for The HEADstrong Foundation, an organization that offers financial, residential, and emotional support to families who are affected by cancer. Our goal is to raise $500 this year and you can help to get us there by donating at the festival or RIGHT NOW at bit.ly/headstrongfest! More details about all the performers (24 podcasts and over 20 comedians), venues (there are four of them), and our sponsors can be found at festival.awesomepodcast.com!

That's Entertainment Podcast Network is a group of podcasts with the sole purpose to entertain. From comedy to recaps & reviews to sports to health education and more, we give unique voices a place to be heard. That's Entertainment Podcast Network is committed to making and maintaining an inclusive, welcoming space for podcasters and listeners of all types. To that end, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and other related material is unwelcome.