Danny Moloshok/Reuters
Late-night host Bill Maher trashed comic book legend Stan Lee in a blog post published Saturday, prompting swift backlash from the superhero mastermind’s fans on social media. In a post titled “Adulting,” Maher appeared to question why so many people are in mourning after after the Marvel Comics icon passed away at the age of 95 on Monday. “The guy who created Spider-Man and the Hulk has died, and America is in mourning. Deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don’t know, watch a movie, I guess,” he wrote. He went on to suggest Lee’s comic book creations had played a role in dumbing down the country, because they allowed so many adults to pretend “comic books were actually sophisticated literature.” “The problem is, we’re using our smarts on stupid stuff. I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important,” he wrote. High-profile artists in the comic book industry called Maher out for his remarks on Twitter. Veteran comic artist Darick Robertson, who has worked at both DC Comics and Marvel, tweeted that Maher “dismisses Stan Lee, comic books and their relevance much the same way people dismissed Lenny Bruce and stand up comedy.” Bryan Hitch, a British comic artist who has worked on several Marvel comics, asked, “Who the badgery-Christ is Bill Maher? Other than an arsehole, obviously.”