I've received a number of e-mails from folks asking me about reports (especially this article) that Stan Lee is in bad financial and/or emotional and/or medical shape and that there are those around him who have abused him, robbed him, exploited him or otherwise done wrong by him.
I think I know what's going on but I don't think I know it with enough certainty that I should be repeating it for public consumption, plus some of it is just plain none of our business. There's too much of that going on already…and please, could we all agree that if you haven't been in the same room with Stan lately, your opinions about his medical condition are largely worthless? I mean, we all know he's 95 years old and that he's been ill lately (ill enough to cancel on a few convention appearances) and that he lost his beloved wife of almost 70 years. It's safe to say that did some damage.
Beyond that, a lot of it's speculation from afar and that's not helpful. I personally have some very mixed feelings about Stan Lee but I have enough affection for him to not add to the pile of rumors, some of which are obviously wrong or askew. I'm convinced there are enough lawyers and law enforcement officials and benevolent friends of Stan swarming around this matter that he's now as protected as he can be, and that the truth will eventually come out, though maybe not in his lifetime. What matters most now is his health and comfort…and I'm thinking he could also do with a little privacy.