Hey fan boys and girls! Are you still gushing over comic book legend Stan Lee’s cameo on last Monday's episode of Heroes (pictured left)? Well get ready to get giddy again. Lee will be appearing at an autograph session this afternoon at HMV (5:30 – 6:30 at 272 Queen St. W.).

The 85-year-old Lee is in town to promote the launch of his new DVD, Stan Lee Presents Mosaic. As perhaps the world's most widely known comic book writer, he has been at times reviled for not giving his co-creators enough credit, and praised for making super hero characterizations complex and even flawed. Working at Marvel Comics, Lee had a hand in the birth of such iconic (and iconoclastic) superheroes as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, and X-Men. And in the 1980s, at an age when most folks are getting ready for retirement, the uncanny Lee moved to California to set up Marvel Entertainment with the goal to get his comic book creations up on the big screen. He was successful. He also became the public face of Marvel, tirelessly working convention and popping up on TV shows like The Simpsons or movies like Mallrats.

Lee is still involved with Marvel, but in 2005, he co-founded POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment to develop film, television and video game properties. The company’s most recent offering, Mosaic, introduces Maggie Nelson, an up-and-coming actress who discovers that she can shape-shift after being caught between a rock (a rune stone) and a hard place (a freak electrical storm). Far from being an exercise in Stan Lee branding, the POW! DVDs have been praised for their lavish packaging (they're loaded with extras, feature such voice talent as Anna Paquin, and come with a comic book) and the high level of participation from Lee himself.

Which brings us to today. Lee will be at the HMV signing copies of Mosaic, which means you've got to buy one to meet the man. If you're a fan, it's worth it. If you just want to see a pop culture legend in person, just go to the store and take a peek. Even with the crappy weather, the lineup will be long, so aim to get there early.

Excelsior!

Photo courtesy NBC Television.