Earlier this week, superhero fans worldwide were met with unimaginable news. Stan Lee passed away at 95 years old, leaving behind a rich legacy of Marvel icons for fans to mourn with. Now, the manga community is taking time to remember the legend, and one My Hero Academia has shared a truly emotional tribute.
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Over on Reddit, a fan shared their touching memorial for Lee, and it draws from one of Lee’s beloved heroes. The writer was a devout believer in all things Spider-Man, and My Hero Academia fans are leaning on the hero-in-training Cellophane as they remember Lee.
As you can see below, this tribute gives a manga redo to The Amazing Spider-Man #50 a la 1963. The infamous cover is one of the most well-known on Spider-Man, and Sero The Hero overhauled it with Cellophane.
The tribute replaces all of Spider-Man’s classic webbing with tape as Cellophane can produce the sticky roll. The drawing has the hero with his back turned to fans, but a smaller inset drawing of Hanta Sero is shown looking ahead. With his shoulders hunched, the Class 1-A boy looks plenty conflicted, and the cover’s tagline teases the student is ready to hang up his costume.
Of course, this cover was first done by Marvel Comics back in 1963. Lee penned the classic story while John Romita Sr. oversaw its art alongside Mickey Demeo and Sam Rosen. The story of “Spider-Man No More!” follows Peter Parker after one too many obstacles leads him to quite crime fighting. However, as a mysterious baddie called Kingpin makes waves in New York City, Peter finds himself pulled back into vigilantism after remembering his Uncle Ben’s final words.
While it doesn’t seem Sero has this sort of backstory bolstering him up, this comic tribute is one that reminds fans of the influence Lee held. My Hero Academia has clear allusions to the Marvel Universe, and Sero’s swinging powers draw clear comparisons to Spider-Man. Now, the manga community is rallying together to remember the way Lee inspired hundreds of series, and My Hero Academia is no exception.
Do you like this cover? Would Lee approve of the crossover here? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has super powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he’s eventually scouted by the world’s best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015.
