Happy Birthday, Stan Goldberg

A happy 80th to the one and only Stan Goldberg. This was a guy who, as a teenager, took the subway down  from his Bronx home to assist Carl Burgos in the Empire State Building offices of Timely Comics (which later changed its name to Marvel). Stan drew gag cartoons. Stan drew Patsy Walker and Millie the Model. Stan picked chose the colors for many seminal Marvel heroes and villains, including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Stan was the flagship Archie artist for years. And there's no moss growing on this artist: he penciled The Three Stooges comic from Papercutz. He's drawing The Simpsons comic! Later this month, he receives the Gold Key Award from the National Cartoonists Society.

In addition to all this stuff, which you already knew, Stan is a gentleman and beloved by his peers.

Stan is a friend. I'm lucky to have know him these past 15 years or so.

The first time I met Stan was at an NCS Berndt Toast Gang cartoonist luncheon. He happened to sit down next to me, accompanied by his lovely wife Pauline.

He introduced himself. "Good afternoon. I'm Stan Goldberg."

I introduced myself. "Mr. Goldberg? How do you do? I'm Mike Lynch." I was nervous. Stan is a name I'd only seen in comics. To meet the man in the flesh -- Wow!

Stan smiled and shook my hand. "Don't call me Mr. Goldberg. Mr. Goldberg is my father's name. Call me Stan."

Happy birthday, Stan!