Excelsior!

Earth's Mightiest Heroes
August 2015

Excelsior!

As many of you may know, I am a HUGE Marvel fan. I have seen every Avengers movie, and I get emotional every time I hear the Avengers theme come on at the start of a movie. My husband can attest to this, he often looks over at me to see if I'm crying yet whenever it comes on. In fact, I am so into the Marvel franchise that I based one of my high school English projects/presentations on how great Marvel is, and how it is better than any other superhero-based franchise out there (giving that presentation was one of my nerdier moments in life).

I don't really know what it is about Marvel that I love. Maybe it's the way they tell a story, the way they show you a character's beginnings and where they came from, really letting you connect with the character. I know this sounds so cliche and probably fake, but the way that Marvel gives you the backstory of each character really lets you feel involved with that character, like you share a special bond, or emotional connection.

I think superhero movies also inspire us to try and be a little better, to stick up for those that need help, and to stand for what we know is right. Take Steve Rogers, for instance, before he became Captain America. Even though he was small and weak, he still stood up for others, and kept trying to enlist in the military so he could fight for his country. Spiderman sticks up for the little guy in his neighborhood. I think each Marvel character (and each movie) can teach us something important.

As many people know, Stan Lee, one of the greatest comic book creators of all time, passed away on November 12, 2018. It was really sad to hear this news. I will definitely miss all his cameo appearances, all the humor that comes with them. He was one of the coolest people, and it had always been a bucket list dream of mine to meet him.

One of the best quotes I ever read from him is,

"You know, my motto is 'Excelsior.' That's an old word that means 'upward and onward to greater glory.' It's on the seal of the state of New York. Keep moving forward, and if it's time to go, it's time. Nothing lasts forever."

Stan Lee has definitely lived by his motto. His attitude towards life is one that I would like to live by. He will be missed, but he has left behind a legacy that will not be forgotten.

Rest in Peace, Stan. Thanks for all you've given the world, and all you've given me.

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A little about the following drawings:

In honor of Stan Lee, I want to share some drawings I have done of the people who have portrayed Marvel characters (though they may not be 'in character' in the drawing). All of these drawings are done with graphite, and are 9x12 inches. I enjoy time lapses of art, so hopefully you like the ones I put up here.

Funny story with these drawings, they came about because of a college drawing class I took during my freshman year. I took the class during the Spring semester, and part of the class was that we had to find references of and draw about 23 different faces/people. A good portion of mine turned out to be actors from the Marvel franchise.

But with school, homework, projects, and a social life, what did I do? I procrastinated. So badly that finals week came, and the 20-something drawings were all due by the end of that week. And I had only done...one of them. So the last three days of the semester included: drawing, packing my belongings (the end of the week also meant moving out of my apartment), drawing, cleaning, drawing, a quick nap, and more drawing. Over the last 72 hours of the semester, I got a total of 6 hours of sleep. 3 hours one night, and 3 hours the next. Cleaning the bathroom at 2 in the morning. But I got it done! After all, you're not supposed to get any sleep during college, right?