Photo: Kickstarter
Stan Lee was a master storyteller and theologian who inspired countless people. Sadly, one of the myths he created was from his last year. His cameo in the MCU created images of Raconteur with his beloved creator, but Stan actually appeared at conventions until his death at the age of 95 in November 2018.
Currently, new documentaries are crowdfunded, reportedly showing the sad state of Stan’s last year, but the way it unfolds and the filmmakers behind it have won new controversy.
Stan Lee: The final chapter is a film by John Borejack. John Borejack was part of Stan’s aide in his later years. Bollejack was in charge of filming, but now he’s out films. From Kickstarter:
The event was documented by filmmaker John Borejack, who became Stan’s assistant and his inner circle. John got unprecedented access and filmed everything he saw. What he revealed was a thriving market where Stan’s signatures and memorabilia were converted into a huge pile of cash and rival hacksters that double-crossed each other to control Stan’s property. After collecting this footage for years, he is ready to share this shocking and truly heartbreaking story with the world.
Bolejack is looking for $300,000 to complete the film, and there is a 60 reward layer to make it happen. The rest of the story is pretty clear from the trailer:
In an interview with THR, Bollejack details how the film turned out.
But it turns out that Lee’s demanding schedule – spending time travelling to conventions and signing signs – is making that sacrifice. Bolejack says he tried to help him with how he could, and admits that by growing closer to his subject, he broke the “basic rules” of documentary filmmaking.
“I wanted to see him as a friend and family. I wanted to be there to defend him,” Bolejack said, adding that he tried to reduce Lee’s workload and defended more breaks. “I was doing everything I could.”
The legal tangle of Stan’s last year is an ugh story, something I featured when it unfolded (there are many stories about Stan Lee on this site, but you can scroll through that link.) Although it is not named in the trailer, the man who is Stan’s main handler is Max Anderson, who directs Stan’s conventional appearance as Road Manager. Anderson was a rough figure with a criminal history, but he was still undoubtedly more favorable than Morgan. Morgan expels Anderson as Stan’s caretaker during the duel accusations. This story at THR in 2018 details the battles between various factions, where the main motivations seemed to continue to flow through Stanley’s gush of money. And not in the best interests of an older man who grieves the death of his wife, and seeks to support the luxurious lifestyle of his only child.
It was a lawless bunch. Morgan was charged with theft, stealing the proceeds of his signature, stealing elder abuse, and the matter went to trial, but ended up being examined and the charges were dismissed in 2022.
But Anderson’s legal issues continue. Only last month he was guilty of tax fraud after being accused of failing to report more than $1.2 million in revenue from the sale of signed Stan Lee memorabilia.
In exchange for the sale of these memorabilia, Anderson was generally paid by the buyer in the form of cash or checks. These payments should have been reported on Anderson’s income tax return, which was considered normal income by the IRS and said he received the money each year.
Revenues from sales commemorative items for the 2015-2018 tax year were $289,460, $452,269, $414,166 and $80,590 respectively. In total, Anderson admitted to profiting about $1,236,485 in reported revenue from memorabilia sales.
As part of his judicial agreement, Anderson agreed to pay the IRS in around $482,833 in compensation.
It brings us back to Bolejack and his project. Some notable cartoon numbers support a project to tell true stories surrounding comic legends, while others have questioned the $300,000 question. This includes money for casting, wardrobe and set structures. This suggests footage will be created that creates a “dark side of the ring” style to dramatize unfilmed events.
Others have questioned the vast number of reward layers. This includes screenings and variant editions of Tie In Comics.
“Captured Hero” tournament comic variant
A stunning photo comic that captures Stan Lee’s rare and honest moments like you’ve never seen before. Filmed by film director Jonathan Borejack, the collection features an intimate look at the legendary life beyond the spotlight. It features 11 different covers each featuring carefully selected images curated by their respective sponsors. All books are signed by Bolejak, making them essential to Stan’s true fans and his legacy!
More serious reservations are emerging. Eric Gladstone, the author/editor who worked for Stan Lee’s prisoner of war! Entertainment was written in linked:
I recommend that you people in my network not donate/support Kickstarter’s new “Stan Lee: The Final Chapter” documentary. As someone who worked deeply with and cared for Stan, I think it’s abomination for the director to offer “rewards” like tours where the abuse took place and many many signed/scored items.
More importantly, the director misrepresents himself and his role. He was not Stan’s assistant. Stan had only one assistant the whole time I worked for him, Mike Kelly was a Disney employee who had worked for Stan for nearly 20 years. Instead, director John Borejack is a videographer hired by Max Anderson, one of Stan’s biggest abusers, and is featured heavily in the documentary. From what I understand, some of the films are about John agreeing with his role in abuse. Also, John was part of a recent investigation and heard Max was in legal trouble, but John feels that he is seeking $300,000 to complete a documentary in this range is exploitative in itself.
I also have many questions about Kickstarter. sample:
Stan Lee was millions of loved ones. It’s also abuse to stand by someone and record your interactions with those who abused them. You filmed him getting an advantage. And let’s say that for the sake of argument, you really couldn’t do anything and didn’t have the power… do you want to charge people money to release information about the crime?
It’s absolutely shameful.
And Tia? Seriously? How can you lose your ears? I understand that making a film or documentary takes time and money. But as someone who makes your own content…camba costs $15 a month. You can make a film documentary well without asking people to fund it. But if it’s about something else, it would be acceptable. But it’s about the beloved man millions of people love, and obviously more than you.
Do you see your actions wrong?
For myself, I really hope that Bolejak is really trying to help Stan and is one of the better people around him. And perhaps this is the story he wants to tell.
But it’s a story I don’t want to see.
Over the years I have communicated with a few people who knew Stan or worked at conventions. It is true that Stan loves the spotlight and talks to his fans, and he is driven by the need to make money to help his daughter, whom he obviously cared about. However, he frequently fell asleep with signatures and photo sessions, and his complaints and confusion (as seen in the trailer) were evident to those who were there to watch it. The frail appearance of the green sweater he always wore became more and more heartbreaking, like the year wore.
There’s no need to see this sad, pathetic end. We know that it happened, and that’s enough. For me. And maybe for you.
Lee was surrounded by such a pack of uncruel glyfters in his later years, in stark contrast to the heroism he wrote. Maybe it was some karma debt: Stan was a bit of a con man. But he gave us stories and heroes that enriched our lives and touched many people. Let him have dignity. He deserves it at least.
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