13/11/2018

The mathematical hero created by comic book artist Stan Lee.

The death of American comic book artist Stan Lee, 95, last Monday (12), left the geek world in mourning. Creator of unforgettable superheroes, such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men gang, Lee also liked to show the superpowers of human beings.

In 2010, he produced the series "Stan Lee's Superhumans" for the History Channel. Despite having only three seasons and 31 episodes, the show was a success in showcasing cases of human beings who evolved differently from the normal physical and mental changes of the average person.

In the very first episode, Lee introduced the world to the story of Scott Flansburg. Called the "human calculator," the American from San Diego is capable of performing complex arithmetic calculations in his head at an astonishing speed.

This “superpower” earned Flansburg a place in the Guinness Book of Records for his speed of mental calculation and led him to become host and ambassador of World Mathematics Day, celebrated every March 14, also known as Pi Day.

Life and work

Stanley Martin Lieber was born in 1922 and began working in comics at age 17, under the pseudonym Stan Lee, at Timely Publications.

He ended up becoming one of the most important names in comics by creating superheroes such as Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk, X-Men, Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Daredevil.

Lee was a writer, editor-in-chief, and president of Marvel, and one of those responsible for transforming the company into the world's largest comic book publisher starting in the 1960s. This was all thanks to his initiative in modernizing the superhero genre for an older audience. This "revolution" began with the launch of "Fantastic Four" (1961).

Lee's comics delve into family dramas with various science fiction elements. The characters are flawed, complex, and realistic heroes. These characteristics help the audience identify with them, and perhaps explain Marvel's success.