(CNN) Comic-Con is a festive event, as an estimated 130,000 attendees descend on San Diego, many of them clad in colorful costumes. But part of this year's 50th edition of the annual gathering will have a somewhat more somber tone, marking the first convention since the death of Marvel patriarch Stan Lee. Lee, who died last November at the age of 95, will be memorialized with three separate panels at the celebration of all things pop culture, which officially kicks off on Thursday. In many respects, Lee served as the comics industry's goodwill ambassador and indefatigable cheerleader during the medium's formative modern era in the 1960s and thereafter, before Marvel became a dominant force at the box office. Stan Lee accepts the Comic-Con Icon award in 2009.

Source: CNN July 17, 2019 14:37 UTC