Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-5927539-20181112193015/@comment-5927539-20181115083423

I'd like to share with you all an experience I had in the wake of Stan's passing that really largely affected me, and I think perhaps you can take something from it too.

On my way home from errands Monday evening, I stopped by my local Chick-fil-A. I was dressed in my "funeral" attire, all black, with Spidey on the center of the shirt, and a Spidey hoodie: an outfit I deemed an appropriate mix of somber and spirit. But I was in a fairly good mood going in because I really like Chick-fil-A. The place was crawling with children, and almost all of them were unruly. All but one: the little boy who I ended up sitting in front of. When I came back from the bathroom, both the boy and his grandmother were making direct eye contact with me, which I found awkward. I didn't say anything, though, because I was still in a decent mood. Then the kid points at me and asks, "Who's that guy?" And the grandmother says, "He's another customer, honey," which caused me to chuckle, because, you know, kids, right? Then he said something else I didn't hear, and the grandmother said, "He's not a troublemaker. I think you're a troublemaker." I was amused by how feisty this kid was, so I decided to give him something to talk about. (Stay with me, guys, we're almost there). I put on the hoodie, which resembles Spider-Man's costume, complete with eyes. So I lowered the mask/eyes portion, smiled, and put my finger to my lips so he knew not to reveal my identity. He stood up on the booth, and shouted, "IT'S SPIDER-MAN!!" As I left, the grandmother said to him, yes, it's a very nice sweatshirt, but the kid was adamant I was the real deal. Then I did the web hands at him as I left. By the time I got to my car, I was in tears, and despite being a grown man I'm not afraid to admit that.

Why did I share this story? Why was I crying? Because I knew Stan would have loved that. Here you have the two kinds of fans, one old enough to get it and buy the memorabilia and all that, and one young enough to appreciate the sheer awesome of a quality costumed hero. And when the two met, well, I knew Stan would have been proud. And on the evening of his death, yeah, I cried, but for the first time in years they were tears of joy. Yes, Stan is gone. But as long as moments like that continue to happen, his legacy will never die. And that's what makes me proud to be a Marvel fan and head a Marvel community.

I don't really know how to end this, so, uh, Excelsior! And Wakanda Forever!