First China Stan Lee Comic Universe event disappoints Marvel fans with lack of content and no Lee
Shanghai outing included a cosplay competition, booths, sculptures and billboards, but Marvel's Stan Lee was absent, and very few visitors dressed up in costume
The first edition of the Stan Lee Comic Universe event in Shanghai opened to a small crowd on Monday, the beginning of China’s “golden week” holiday, but the lack of content related to Lee’s Marvel Comics empire left fans disappointed.
The three-day event at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre – not to be confused with the annual Shanghai Comic Convention, to be held in late October – is the comic book giant’s inaugural foray into China, and organisers hope it will be the first of many more conventions to come.
The event has been staged in Los Angeles since 2012 and Lee himself served on the panel last year. But Chinese fans were disappointed to learn last month that the 95-year-old comics legend would not be making the trip to Shanghai.
“It is quite a shame to not be able to see him in person and that we only get to see [Hong Kong singer] G. E. M instead,” said Ni, a visitor to the event.
For an event that aimed to introduce Chinese fans to the Marvel Comics legend, there was surprisingly little about Lee and his creations at the convention. One area devoted to Lee contains colourful billboards displaying some of his iconic characters with text describing his career development, and a video of an interview with Lee plays on a loop on the main stage.