Stan Lee tribute mural created in Glasgow's Gorbals
- Published
A mural has been created in Glasgow in memory of American comic book writer Stan Lee.
The mural was painted by Glasgow artist EJEK, external, who is also known for his work at Strathclyde University and the Clutha Vaults.
He said he wanted to create the mural as a tribute to Mr Lee, after following his characters closely for more than 30 years.
The superhero creator died, aged 95, in November in Los Angeles.
EJEK, whose real name is Danny McDermott, has been working in the Gorbals - where the 11ft (3m) by 16ft (5m) mural is located - for more than a decade.
He said: "I've been reading Marvel comics for over 30 years and I used to run a comic book store, so I thought it would be nice to do a tribute for him."
The mural is on the side of the Barn community centre, Cumberland Street, where Mr McDermott often works with children who attend.
He said: "Because it's on the side of a community centre as well it's good for the kids, I've been painting this wall for 10 years.
"This one took my just over two weeks to do. I finished it last week.
"I paint that wall every few months, so it will probably be there until the spring."
Who was Stan Lee?
Stan Lee poses with one of his best loved superheroes, Spider-Man, at the premiere of Spider-Man 2
Lee was born in 1922 to working-class Jewish immigrants from Romania.
He began working at the comics section of Martin Goodman's Timely Publications - a company that would eventually transform into Marvel Comics - and became comics editor there at the age of 18.
For years, Lee wrote only simple comics, focusing on crime stories, horrors and westerns and aimed at young readers.
Aged 40, he decided to give up on comics. But his wife Joan urged him to create the characters he always wanted to write as his comic swansong.
In 1961, Lee and artist Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four - compelling characters with individual personalities and relatable problems.
Timely Publications was renamed Marvel, and the golden age of comic books began.
Many Marvel characters were groundbreaking at the time. For example, Black Panther was the first black superhero featured in a mainstream US comic.
Other characters he created include the Silver Surfer, the X-Men, Iron Man and Doctor Strange.
Lee was also known for giving artists their due credit. Kirby, Frank Miller, John Romita and others achieved cult status in their own right.
In its heyday, Marvel sold 50 million copies a year. Until he retired from editing in 1971, Lee wrote all the copy for Marvel's covers.
- Published12 November 2018
