8 Amazing Ways Stan Lee Changed Comics Forever

6. He Was The First Comic Book Celebrity

In an industry now rife with personalities, it might be difficult to comprehend Stan Lee's celebrity. He was effectively the face of Marvel Comics from the mid-seventies onwards, and interacted with Marvel's readership to such a degree that he ended up attaining celebrity status, even as other writers were taking the reigns on all of his books.

Lee narrated cartoons, appeared on news reports, and toured the country giving lectures at college campuses after assuming responsibility as publisher in 1972. He had what would become the first of many live action cameos in 1989's Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and has recorded several more that audiences are yet to see.

Point being, there are dozens of creators who have gained celebrity status from working in comics, but Lee was the first, and managed to maintain and increase a level of prominence few in the industry could possibly match.