Did you know? Jackson native Roy Thomas' comic book career with Marvel, DC

Stan Lee is a name familiar to many because of the comic book characters he co-created such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, but did you know his first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics was Roy Thomas of Jackson? Here are some facts you may or may not know about Thomas.

• He went to St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson and Southeast Missouri State University, where he graduated in 1961 with an education degree, according to an article from the Arrow, SEMO's student newspaper.
• Growing up, Thomas was an avid comic book fan and would create comics to hand out to his friends and family. According to his Wikipedia entry, the first of these comics was "All-Giant Comics", which features characters such as Elephant Giant.
• Thomas has a day named after him in Jackson — Feb. 23 — and was presented the key to the city in 2019.
• According to an article in the Arrow, "I don't think I actually deserve it," Thomas said during his visit in 2019 to receive the key. "I feel like it's overvaluing me, but what the hell, I'm here, I'll sign some comics. It's nice to be back."
• Thomas may be the creator of one or many of your favorite comic book characters, having had a hand in the creation of Wolverine, Vision, Luke Cage, Ultron, Yellowjacket, Ghost Rider, Nighthawk, the Black Knight, Banshee, Red Guardian, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel and many more.
• He started professionally in the comic book industry working for DC Comics, but was hired by Lee in 1966 to work for Marvel — where he wrote characters such as Spider-Man, Conan, Daredevil, Captain America, among many others — and in 1972 he took over as editor-in-chief when Lee became publisher. Thomas moved to DC Comics in 1981 and wrote characters such as Superman, the All-Star Squadron and Wonder Woman, among many others. He has continued to work for both publishers, and man others since.