Happy Birthday Stan Lee From Your Friendly Neighborhood Gwen Stacy!

Last year I wrote this Happy Birthday blog post/love letter to Stan Lee for On Wednesdays We Wear Pink and I thought I'd share it on my personal blog this year in honor of Stan the Man's birthday<3!  Stan means a lot to me as he's created so many of my favorite characters.  I read his biography a few years back and it made him all the more charming.

Today is comic book legend Stan Lee’s 89th Birthday! For those who don’t already know, Stan is responsible for creating the majority of today’s most popular Marvel superheroes.  Some of his brain children include SPIDER-MAN (he’s our favorite at OWWWP), Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Daredevil (with Bill Everett) and Doctor Strange (with Steve Ditko).  If you have not yet read Stan Lee’s autobiography “Excelsior!” I highly recommend it.  One of my favorite parts of his book was the story of how Stan Lee created Iron Man.  One of Stan’s bosses at the time remarked about how easy it was to make a superhero because everybody loves a hero.  Stan obviously knew better so he made a bet with his boss that he could create a successful superhero who the antithesis of everything America believed in at the time. During the height of the Cold War, when young American’s everywhere protested and despised the current war, Stan created Iron Man as a millionaire industrialist who developed technology and supplied the military with weapons. And as we all know, Iron Man became a favorite character of everyone. Another thing Stan shines some light on in Excelsior! (which by the way means Onward and Upward to Greater Glory!) is his early life and how he kind of fell into comics. Even after taking a brief hiatus and joining the army to assist in World War II (Stan ended up filming instructional videos and writing manuals for the soldiers going off to fight) he made his way back to Marvel.

Super Villains Comic Book Club!

The events that transpired between Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year were unlike any other I had previously experienced.  We all tend to save up and shop a little more than we probably should during the days following Thanksgiving, but it was a purchase I made this year that quickly snowballed into one of my favorite projects thus far.  One of my best friends, Jen (@jennifermarie), has always had an affinity for Namor, and seeing as how Amazon had some of the trades on sale, I decided to buy two and see what all the fuss about Marvel's Atlantean was all about.  Naturally I texted Jen as soon as I placed my order and she wanted me to let her know what I thought about them when I finished reading.  We had been trying to schedule a Skype date for after the holiday (we're on different coasts) and that's how the ball started rolling.  We thought it would be great to discuss the trade during our chat, which we quickly decided would be made even more fun with the addition of wine.  We joked that it would be like our own little comic book club.  Both of us possess really enthusiastic personalities coupled with a love of comics, so it was only mere minutes before we realized this should be something we do every week.  As we continued to get excited about our new weekly chat, it dawned on us that other people may want to join in the conversation as well! And so, the Super Villains Comic Book Club was born.  I mean, what could be better than attending a weekly book club from the comfort of your own home?  We filmed our first issue last Thursday, based on Namor The First Mutant Volume 1: Curse of the Mutants.  In case you missed the video, you can watch it below or on YouTube.  And you can even subscribe to our channel and take part in upcoming issues!

Why Spider-Man is Amazing & Why You Should Have Faith in Dan Slott

If you follow me on any form of social media or have known me since high school, it's no secret that Spider-Man is by far my favorite superhero (Marvel, DC or otherwise).  Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man comic series is coming to an end this December with issue #700 which is written not only by one of my favorite Spidey authors, but also one of my close friends, Dan Slott (@DanSlott).  A lot of people have been giving Dan grief online about his new series, Superior Spider-Man, that debuts in January of 2013 and as a longtime reader of his work, it's been driving me nuts.  Personally, I think it's just silly to be questioning Dan's storytelling skills after everything he's written for us so far, so I've decided to compile a list of my favorite issues from his Amazing Spider-Man run as a reminder why you should be looking forward to whatever he has planned for us all!  Don't worry, I haven't included any spoilers, so if you're looking to begin reading Spider-Man, below is a great place for suggestions on where to start!  If you've read #697, the last page should've gotten you PUMPED for the final three issues.  So in conclusion, don't be mean to Dan, or you'll have to face me (and I have a black belt in karate)!

5 Comic Book Characters I Relate To Most

Anyone that has known me since I was old enough to write can attest to the fact that I adore making lists.  Whether they be traditional to do lists or grocery shopping lists, New Years Resolutions and goal oriented lists, or simply lists of the next movies, television series, or books I plan to indulge in, I cannot get enough when it comes to list making.  Perhaps it's the accomplished sense I experience when I get to slide my pen across the page and cross off another thing I've completed.  Others may argue that I have OCD, but either way, no one can come between me and my lists.  So for my first list blog post, I decided to layout the top 5 comic book characters I relate to most.  I don't think anyone will be surprised which leading lady comes in at number one but I will spell out exactly why I identify with her so closely.