Date: July 2001 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: $2.25 Stats: 22 color pages, ads and The Spider’s Web letters page Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artists: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Dan Kemp, Richard Starkings and Wes Abbot Notable Notes: Peter intervenes and saves lives during a school shooting
This issue of Amazing Spider-man tackles a social issue that is still disturbingly relevant today, 17 years after the book was published: school shootings. When I read this issue, I thought it was kind of prophetic since the only major school shooting at that time was the Columbine one… at least that is what I thought. Sadly, I was sorely mistaken. Here is an old article from U.S. News that lists school shootings (in the USA) up through 2008, and as you can clearly see there were many before this comic book came out in 2001. And just think how many more have happened in the last 10 years – it is terrible. Sigh.
But, don’t get too downhearted! This is still a great comic book, and there is plenty to cheer for as Peter Parker saves the day – on multiple accounts! Read the rest of this entry »
Date: June 2001 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: $2.25 2018 NM Price: $6 Stats: 22 color pages, lots of Spider-Man themed ads and The Spider’s Web letters page Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artists: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Dan Kemp, Richard Starkings, Wes Abbot, with J. Scott Campbell cover Notable Notes: A new writer and two new characters begin with this issue!
In 1999 I started reading the comic book series Rising Stars by J. Michael Straczynski and I totally loved it! There was a lot of hype, at the time, about the writer of the hit TV series Bablyon 5 writing his own comic series. Even though he had worked on a few comics in the 1980s, it seemed like it was Rising Stars that made him super popular in the comics world. Shortly after that he was tapped to write The Amazing Spider-Man , beginning with this issue. Again, lots of hype about him and the story he crafted. I figured it was high time I give his Spider-Man books a try – and this issue, at least, turned out to be really cool! Read the rest of this entry »
Date: May 1988 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: $1.50 2017 Price Range: $9 – $160 Stats: 40 color pages plus ads and house columns Writer: David Michelinie Artists: Todd McFarlane, Rick Parker and Bob Sharen Notable Notes: First full appearance of Venom!
I was a young, comic reading teenager in the mid 1980s, and I remember when Spider-man got his new black costume. I got caught up in the first, original Secret Wars series and thought Spidey’s new costume was pretty cool – especially given how it could read his thoughts and transform itself into different types of clothing. But then I became “too grown up” to read comic books, and so fell away for about a decade. When I came back, however, I was really surprised to see that his black costume was now a separate villain know as Venom. It took me a long while to piece together what had really happened (remember, this was back before Wikipedia!) and when I finally did I had mixed feelings about Venom. Anyway, I recently decided to go back and read this classic comic book and see the beginning of the villain known as Venom.
Read the rest of this entry »
Date: 1987 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: $1.25 Stats: 43 color pages plus ads Writers: Jim Shooter, David Michelinie Artists: Paul Ryan, Vince Colletta, Rick Parker and Bob Sharen Notable Notes: Peter and MJ get married!
Hey, I’ll admit that my feet started to get cold before my wedding. It was a big commitment, and as the day got closer and closer I got more and more nervous. Luckily I had some good friends that helped me stay the course, and now I have been married for nearly 20 years! But I never thought of how a super hero would get nervous before his or her wedding – at least until I read this issue. It gives me a new kind of respect for those that are married. This issue deals with a lot of concerns that Spider-man has going into his marriage – and he ends up handling them pretty well I think!
Date: September 1987 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: 75¢ Stats: 23 color pages plus ads and Bullpen Bulletins Writer: David Michelinie Artists: Alex Saviuk, Vince Colletta, Rick Parker and George Roussos Notable Notes: Spidey goes to Pittsburgh!
I like to travel to new cities and places I’ve never seen before. And even though I’ve never been to Pittsburgh, it was fun to virtually visit that city as Peter and Mary Jane made their way past many of its sites! I think it is fun to see super heroes go to different places – as long as they don’t permanently stay there (I’m looking at you Daredevil in San Francisco!)
Date: August 1987 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: 75¢ Stats: 24 color pages plus ads Writer: David Michelinie Artists: John Romita, Jr., Vince Colletta, Rick Parker and George Roussos Notable Notes: MJ in Pittsburgh and the Spider-Slayer in New York!
For the most part I love older comics from the 1970s and 1980s. But I gotta admit that there are some really stupid ideas in some of them! This issue is a case in point, what with the stupid elongating robot and the stereo-typical angry villain. Oh well, I guess you gotta take the bad in order to appreciate the good, right? Right?!
Date: July 1987 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: 75¢ Stats: 22 color pages plus ads and Bullpen Bulletins Writer: David Michelinie Artists: John Romita, Jr., Vince Colletta, Rick Parker and Bob Sharen Notable Notes: Peter proposes to MJ!
There are many ways to view marriage in the real world, but I’m not so convinced that it is such a good thing in the lives of comic book super heroes. It seems like the only married couple that has gone over well is the Fantastic Four’s Sue Storm and Reed Richards. Yes, I know it has been almost 30 years since Peter and MJ tied the knot, and I didn’t follow their marital events at all, but does anybody think it was a good idea for them to get married? Maybe. I decided to look at the beginning of that comic event and see how I really felt about it.
Date: October 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2014 Price Range: $1.00 – $10.00 Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page Writer: Tom DeFalco Artists: Ron Frenz, Josef Rubinstein, Joe Rosen and Christie Scheele Notable Notes: Puma, Black Cat, MJ and The Rose all make amazing discoveries!
Most villains are real scum-bags and jerks – but not Puma. No, he is a real class act! In this issue we see him take it easy on the Lady Heroes, give Spider-man time to recuperate, shower between fights, dry clean his costume and have second thoughts about killing Spidey. Wow – if only all such villains were so thoughtful and considerate. Remember kids – you too can be a classy villain!
Date: September 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2014 Price Range: $1.00 – $10.00 Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page Writer: Tom DeFalco Artists: Ron Frenz, Josef Rubinstein, Joe Rosen and Christie Scheele Notable Notes: 1st appearance of Puma!
I always have a bit of a chuckle when I read Spider-man or Superman comics – you know, the part where our hero swoops in and catches somebody. It seems like the energy from a collision like that would seriously injure someone! Doesn’t it sometimes feel like the writers of these books never learned any real world physics? Yeah. Anyway, here is an issue where Spider-man learns about inertia the hard way: when he grabs onto a wall while falling! Yoink!
Date: August 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2013 Price Range: $1.00 – $10.00 Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page Writer: Tom DeFalco Artists: Ron Frenz, Josef Rubinstein, Joe Rosen and Glynis Wein Notable Notes: Spidey battles the Black Fox, the Red Ghost and 3 super apes!
I find our primate cousins – gorillas, orangutans, monkeys – to be just fascinating! I love watching documentaries, like Nature on PBS, that follow these amazing, beautiful animals and reveal their world to us. Silver back gorillas are especially cool, and a little bit frightening too. I can’t imagine what it would be like to come across one of these beasts in the wild! In this issue we get to see a criminal who has to do his work with 3 of these apes watching his every move – and ready to make him pay the price should he mess up! Ulp!
Date: March 2013 Publisher: Marvel Comics Cover Price: $2.99 Stats: 21 color pages plus lots of house ads Writer: Mark Waid Artists: Chris Samnee, Javier Rodriguez, Joe Caramagna, Paolo Rivera Notable Notes: Daredevil and Spider-Ock battle Stilt-man!
Ah Stilt-man, what a bizarre enemy for Daredevil to have! I mean, a man who has telescoping legs – really? Anyway, as I was reading this issue I realized that I have the actual issue in which Mr. Long-legs makes his first appearance! Maybe I’ll have to dig out my copy of Daredevil #8 and give it a read now that this crazy villain has made somewhat of a modern come-back!
Date: July 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2013 Price Range: $1.00 – $10.00 Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page Writer: Tom DeFalco Artists: Rick Leonardi, Josef Rubinstein, Joe Rosen and Christie Scheele Notable Notes: Hobgoblin’s Battle Wagon is retrieved… then stolen!
Yep, just like the Alanis Morissette song, some pretty ironic things happen in this issue of our favorite web-crawler! To begin with Hobgoblin’s vehicle is stolen right after the authorities retrieve it. Also, Peter is trying to be the bigger person and apologize to his aunt, who is acting like him! Sheesh – will the craziness never end!
Date: June 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2013 Price Range: $2.00 – $15.00 Stats: 23 color pages plus ads and Bullpen Bulletins Writer: Tom DeFalco Artists: Rick Leonardi, Bill Anderson, Joe Rosen and Glynis Wein Notable Notes: 1st appearance of The Rose!
I am a fan of major league football – especially the Oakland Raiders! This issue of Spider-Man has a story about a quarterback with a (fake) major league team – and I think that is the first time I’ve seen such a story in a comic book! It turned out to be a pretty good story, and served nicely to get me in the football mood for this fall. If you’re a fan of football and comics then this is an issue you won’t want to miss!
Date: May 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2013 Price Range: $5.00 – $70.00 Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page. Writers: Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco Artists: Ron Frenz, Brett Breeding, Joe Rosen, Glynis Wein Notable Notes: Spider-Man dons new black costume!
I remember when Spider-man got his new black suit. It was cool and I totally enjoyed reading about it when I was a young teenager. Then I took a long hiatus from comic books and years later I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the concept of Venom. It took a while, but I finally got it. Anyway, I really enjoyed the black costume while Peter had it – and here is the first appearance (at least in a comic book) of that mysterious, alien suit!
Date: April 1984 Publisher: Marvel Comics Group Cover Price: 60¢ 2013 Price Range: $2.00 – $16.00 Stats: 21 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and “The Spider’s Web” letters page. Writers: Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco Artists: Ron Frenz, Klaus Janson, Joe Rosen, Christie Scheele Notable Notes: Hobgoblin dies (or does he?) without his identity revealed!
Spider-man is a great character, but he sure does have trouble with the roller-coaster quality of his series! Here is another issue that I place on the “down side” in terms of quality and customer satisfaction. You decide if I’m over-reacting or not…
