Hola! Mi nombre es JD Shapiro, and I'm here to share an incredible story about how I met and worked with the legendary Stan Lee.
The Backstory: The tale begins in 1997 when a friend approached me with an idea to transform NFL football mascots into superheroes. However, realizing that many teams lacked mascots and some fans were indifferent, we evolved the concept. Instead, we crafted superheroes embodying the spirit of each football team, drawing on the city's history, its fans, and the team's identity.
We pitched this novel idea to several production companies. While two showed no interest, one quietly stole our concept and tried unsuccessfully to pitch it to the NFL.
The Pitch: Fast forward to 2002. Determined not to let this idea die, I seized an opportunity to meet with none other than Stan Lee himself, along with the president of POW! Entertainment. Before this meeting, I refined the concept, introducing a human element with a 15-year-old protagonist who could bring his 32 NFL team figurines to life as superheroes. It was a story filled with action, comedy, and drama, centered around underdogs fighting for justice.
During the meeting, I took the lead in presenting our vision. Everything was going well until my friend, in a moment of fan-induced nervousness, admitted his extensive collection of Stan's comics in a rather unsettling tone. He shouted, "I'm your biggest fan! I own most of your comics! I've been collecting them since childhood! The atmosphere chilled, but I quickly diffused the tension with a quip about Stan Lee getting a restraining order against my friend, which fortunately, Stan found hilarious enough to laugh out loud.
The Aftermath: Stan Lee, known for his "terrific" sense of humor, seemed genuinely interested in our pitch. Less than a week later, I received a fax—yes, a fax!—from Stan's office with a deal memo that outlined terms far more favorable than I ever expected.
For those of you who don't know, a fax machine was this contraption where you could send your doodles and divorce papers through the magic of telephone lines—kind of like magic, but with less wand waving and more paper jams. (Grok it, if you're too young to remember!) And yes, I said Grok it. Even though I just figured out what a meme is—those little pictures with words that make you chuckle or cringe—I'm not out there still Googling everything like some kind of digital caveman!
Stay Tuned: This was just the beginning of a 14-year collaboration with Stan "The Man" Lee. In the next article, I'll delve into the journey and adventures that followed this surprising fax. Gambaru!!!
(For the curious, "Gambaru" is a Japanese term meaning to persevere or do one's best.)
Written by JD Shapiro
and Joey Kirkman