Stan Lee cosplayer Agent Stan meeting Stan Lee at Planet Comiccon. Agent Stan, Iron Man and War Machine cosplayers are part of @IBOTks. Photo: Chris Dorsey.
9:01 AM - 28 Dec 2017
Chris Dorsey also took this picture of them together.
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Fans around the world are mourning the death of 95-year-old comic book icon Stan Lee who died Tuesday. A Topeka family has a unique connection to the legendary comic creator.
The Haze brothers are cosplay artists who wear superhero costumes to comic conventions. When their dad Neal Haze went to a convention in Detroit with them, he was shocked to find people asking for his autograph.
"I thought well no I'm not here to sign autographs, and I kept on going and of course I has all these people following me," Neal Haze said.
It wasn't until later his family realized Haze bears a close resemblance to Stan Lee. Michael Haze remembers Lee's reaction seeing Neal for the first time.
"He was like 'oh I can't believe this,' and he was just the nicest person you could ever meet," Michael Haze said.
After that, Neal Haze joined his sons' cosplay by dressing as the legendary comic creator.
Michael, Chris and their oldest brother Neal loved Stan Lee for the same reason as many other fans.
"Super heroes and what Stan Lee brought to us was a little bit of magic in our own life," Chris Haze said.
Neal said Lee asked him to take his spot taking pictures with fans at one of the conventions they cosplayed at.
"Mr. Lee was having a charge out of it, because he was hiding back and watching through the curtains and stuff," he said.
Of course, staff explained to the fans they'd met a doppelganger. Haze said Lee was exactly what you would hope him to be.
"I could not meet anyone that was in the spotlight like Mr. Lee and being so gracious to the public as he has been," Neal Haze said.
They plan to keep doing the conventions.
"I think that's how we will carry on Mr. Lee's memory is by continuing to do what he saw in us and appreciated," Michael Haze said.
The name of their group is IBOT. It stands for Iron Brothers of Topeka. It's a Haze family affair that includes the three brothers, their children, their mom and their dad Neal.
niberungvalesti on December 11st, 2018 at 14:04 UTC »
His alternate in-universe counterpart from Earth 616? Sweet.
Infinite universes. Infinite Stan's.
Jimmyg100 on December 11st, 2018 at 15:06 UTC »
https://imgur.com/gallery/OU7aD
Spartan2470 on December 11st, 2018 at 15:28 UTC »
Here is a less cropped version of this image. Why crop out the photographer's name?
Per here:
Chris Dorsey also took this picture of them together.
Per here.
Edit: Not blaming OP for the cropping.