Today, TMZ found what the samples were used for when it reported that copies of Black Panther comics with "Hand-Stamped Signature of Stan Lee Using Stan Lee’s Solvent DNA Ink" were being sold at a Las Vegas store, the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Blue signature versions were being sold for $250, with gold signature versions at $500.
The source was revealed by a statement from the retailer in response to the article, which said that the comics were purchased from Hands of Respect LLC and DLK Brand Consulting LLC "that appeared certified and obtained with authorization." The retailer said it had removed the books from its shelves. Hands of Respect was recently transferred $300,000 under suspicious circumstances (see "Report: Stan Lee Surrounded by ‘Charlatans and Mountebanks’"), and now it apparently has taken the next step of actually stealing Lee’s blood and profiting off it, another example of what appears to be Lee’s betrayal by those around him.
But there was also some better news Thursday, as Image Comics co-founder and McFarlane Toys mogul Todd McFarlane posted on Instagram that he’d stopped by for a visit with Lee last week. In the post (embedded below), McFarlane reported on his visit with the 95-year-old Lee, and shared details of the conversation. It was great to hear that somebody that cared about Stan got to see him and brighten his day.
