DC Comics have dedicated the final page in all of their comic book releases this week to remembering Marvel legend Stan Lee, who passed away at the age of 95 on November 12, 2018. The message reads “With Utmost Respect from the Distinguished Competition… ‘Excelsior!’”
“Distinguished Competition” was the nickname Lee used for DC when he would poke fun at them in Marvel letters pages.
DC was the top name in the superhero comic business for decades before Lee and his artistic partners like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko created numerous characters in the 1960s that went on to be breakout successes such as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers, eventually seeing Marvel overtake DC as the top superhero comic publisher and sparking a heated rivalry.
As the years went on, Lee became friendly with those at DC and even worked for them on special projects including writing Batman, Superman, and the line of Just Imagine comics where he reinvented iconic DC characters with his own unique spin. The Marvel vs. DC rivalry still exists in many regards, but many comic professionals have worked for both companies, making the divider between the Big Two less of a wall and more of a carousel. DC’s tribute to Lee shows that company lines have no bearing on showing respect to an icon who had an incalculable impact on the world of superheroes.
Marvel Comics also included a tribute in this week’s comics in the form of three completely black pages and a sketch of Lee at the start of every comic, as well as a black banner atop the cover of every comic that reads “Stan Lee 1922-2018.”
