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TIL there are over 1,000 comic book characters named after real people, and I only knew about 3
I was reading a back issue of a Marvel comic from 1982 last week and spotted a letter column where a fan asked if any characters were named after real folks. The editor listed a few, and that sent me down a rabbit hole for two nights straight. I pulled up a fan wiki and counted over 1,000 entries of characters inspired by or named after real people, from Stan Lee's wife Joan to a whole batch of artists' kids. My mind is still blown that I went 15 years of collecting without knowing this was a whole thing. Does anyone here keep a list of their favorite real-person nods in comics? I'd love to hear which ones hit hardest for you.
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michaelrodriguez17h ago
Stan Lee's wife Joan shows up as a character in the Fantastic Four books, and Jack Kirby named a bunch of characters after his own kids too. Best trick is to check the credits page first, since writers love sneaking in names of family and friends. I keep a running note on my phone with about 40 of them and add a new one every few months.
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