1 Billion Dollars…
Stan Lee’s been in an odd situation lately. News has surfaced about his financial issues, health problems, and about being taken advantage of by numerous outside parties and horrible business practices. The King of Comics hasn’t been doing so well. But recently that’s been changing. Just a couple of days ago, the Master of Marvel finally got a hold of his Twitter account. It prompted him to make his own tweets, personally, for the first time.
Today was the first day I ever did a tweet myself. Before today, my account was done by others. I still do not have control of my Facebook. Someone else is doing it, NOT me.
— stan lee (@TheRealStanLee) May 13, 2018
Now, it looks like Lee is trying to take back from more people who have done him wrong. Stan Lee filed a lawsuit for $1 Billion Dollars against his former company POW! in damages.
Lee is alleging that POW! Executives forged his signature and misrepresented documents and contracts while selling the company POW! to Camsing International in 2017. POW! was founded in 2001 with Shane Duffy and Gill Champion as a means to collect Lee’s intellectual properties and management under one roof. What Lee is alleging regards the sale of the company and his signature, according to CNBC who broke the story.
“Stan Lee, a former editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, is alleging that his name and likeness were taken fraudulently so that a company called “Pow Entertainment” could be sold to another firm in China.
The lawsuit says the defendants ‘forged or fraudulently obtained a signature from Lee’ as part of the scheme. Lee claims that co-founders of Pow, Shane Duffy and Gill Champion, used deception to make him sign over his name, image and likeness on a wholly exclusive basis. The 95-year-old’s signature was either forged, imposed from another document or induced by a bait-and-switch tactic where Lee thought he was signing another contract due to his failing eyesight, according to the lawsuit.”
A difficult situation, but one with a huge silver lining.
Taking his Life Back
POW! would be the company that managed all of Lee’s signings, appearances, and licensing deals over the years. Anyone familiar with conventions knows that Lee is the hardest working man in the business. If he hasn’t been paid adequately for all that work, then that large unthinkable number sounds on point and much-deserved.
Stan Lee is taking his life back. The circumstances that led to this situation are still unclear. Did his daughter take advantage of him? Did his business partners? Or both?
Comic book super fan Kevin Smith expressed his own concern for Stan Lee.
Was dealing with my own health scare but now I’m extremely worried about my hero @TheRealStanLee. His buddy/caretaker Max has been his Alfred/Jarvis for years, taking the absolute best care of Stan. I join these comics pros in expressing concern for Stan: https://t.co/FOLlUkBbV5
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 7, 2018
However, Stan Lee should not be in a desperate situation. Despite being 95 years old, the prolific comic creator has a popular convention and has made countless appearances over the years. Unfortunately, it’s the practices of companies like POW! that seem to have been siphoning off Lee’s funds and earnings.
Stan Lee needs the support of the comic community right now, and he has it. Whether you’re a fan of Marvel or DC, Stan Lee is a wonderful person to admire. A fantastic artist who has brought optimism and imagination to the world. No easy task, but Stan Lee always does it with a smile on his face. Thanking the fans that have made him successful in the same way we try to thank him for the memories.
From now on, I will depend on you, my dear fans, to protect and defend me. I love you guys and am so happy I have control of my twitter account back. You guys are my true superheros.
Excelsior!
Stan— stan lee (@TheRealStanLee) May 15, 2018
We absolutely will, Stan. Let’s all try to ensure that we give the real Stan Lee as much attention and appreciation as we can. This man is finally taking his life back. Frankly, 1 Billion Dollars doesn’t sound like enough.