Exclesior!: University of Wyoming hosts Stan Lee convention this weekend

No matter what Marvel comics you grew up loving, or if you’re only into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s an undeniable truth that Stan Lee left an impact on the world of pop culture.

That’s why the University of Wyoming is hosting the Stan Lee Super-Con this weekend, where Marvel and comic fans alike can honor and remember his legacy.

Lee passed away in November 2018 and left a hole in the comic community. The term “excelsior” wasn’t just his life motto, it was the way he lived his life. Creating and striving, going onward and upward, no matter the challenge.

In conjunction with the ongoing “Stan Lee: Beyond the Book” exhibition, this event comes for two days only on Labor Day weekend, this Saturday and Sunday.

Anybody who buys a ticket will have access to the “Stan Lee Super-Store,” which will be filled with vendors selling comic books, video games, action figures, artwork and pop culture collectibles.

Plus, special Marvel Comic guests like voice actress Lenore Zann (“X-Men ‘97”), Marvel comic artist Alex Saviuk (“Spider-Man”) and voice actor Tony Daniels (“X-Men: The Animated Series”) will be available for fan selfies and autographs, and will do live Q&As with anyone in attendance.

The Q&As specifically are scheduled in a big block at noon Saturday, and they’re planning for a smaller one on Sunday. The Saturday Q&A will kick off with a panel all about the Stan Lee exhibit on campus and how it came to be.

Attendees who buy tickets to Stan Lee Super-Con will also get admission into the “Stan Lee: Beyond the Book” exhibition. Fans can take a deep dive into the history of Marvel movies and Disney+ series. Admission also includes a con-exclusive Stan Lee poster drawn by Marvel artist Saviuk.

Saviuk had firsthand experience working with Lee. and is best known for his seven-year run on the “Web of Spider-Man” (1985-95) comic book series. He also has over 20 years of experience drawing “The Amazing Spider-Man” (1997-2019) Sunday newspaper comic strip written by Lee himself.

There’s no official costume contest at the Super-Con event, but costumes are heavily encouraged and expected at the event.

“It’s all an effort to celebrate and explore Stan’s life and legacy, and also to promote the amazing historical collections of the American Heritage Center, which permanently houses Stan Lee’s personal papers,” Scott Kinney said in an Instagram post in February.

Kinney, the event promoter for the Heritage Event Company, explained that they wanted to put on this Super-Con as a promotion for the “Beyond the Book” event being held at UW until Nov. 1. Kinney explained that it gives kids something to do now that everyone’s back in school. He described the event as a scaled-down Comic-Con.

Kinney told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that “UW wanted to promote the exhibit with something fun as a cap off (the school year) weekend, and, of course, we wanted the students to be there. This was the perfect weekend, because the Cowboys (UW’s football team) are going to be away in Arizona. This way, the hotel was open to hold the event. ... This was planned before the exhibit went up; we just had to wait for the football schedule to be released officially.”

Kinney puts on events in Colorado, Texas and other states similar to the Stan Lee Super-Con called Retro Mania and Retro Expo. For those events, Kinney said he focuses more on collectors than general audiences. So his cons skew more toward the vendor side of things, but this show is different in the sense that they’re trying to do everything they can in one space — hosting guests, having meet-and-greets and a Q&A panel — as well as having merchandise vendors.

It’s been decades since the University of Wyoming last hosted a Stan Lee exhibition, where Lee was able to visit and see it for himself. He visited the University of Wyoming on April 13, 1994, where he got to meet fans and give lectures promoting literacy, storytelling and seeing comic books as an academic medium.

After his visit, Lee wrote about UW, saying, “Yes, as far as I’m concerned, good ol’ Wyoming U. is my alma mater. I just wish I could remember where I stored my cap and gown!”

Although Lee never visited since then, he and his team continued to donate to his collection at the American Heritage Center (AHC). As for why he chose Wyoming to keep his archives safe, Lee credits it to being a fan of Jack Benny. Benny, an American entertainer and violinist, also has his archives at the AHC.

“There are so many new students that just walked in the door and have no idea what the American Heritage Center is or what they have, and it’s unbelievable what Laramie has there dating back to the late 1800s,” said Kinney. “(As for the con), there’s not very many people left alive that have had firsthand experience working with Stan Lee, so to have Tony Daniels and Alex Saviuk, two people who knew Lee before he passed, (is pretty great).

“He’s just a unique figure. Lee was recognized on the street all over the world, and it’s a very odd connection (he has) to Laramie, but it’s there. It was a 40-year relationship the university had with him and his family, so it’s a pretty neat legacy.”