Karma!

The 100th issue of Marvel Team-Up! Spidey and the Fantastic Four! Surely it must be amazing? I hope… This issue was apparently inspired by Ithacon ’79. Given the quality level the last time a story was inspired by a con, I’m not optimistic.

…and I was right to feel that way. The issue was bad enough that it took me almost a month to get through it and review it. Suck. The formula was exactly the same as usual for Team-Up: misunderstanding leads to heroes fighting, they make up, team-up, and triumph. I doze off.

Update: a lot of people really seem to like this issue. Maybe I’m crazy? I still think it’s bad.

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buy on amazon.com: single issue or trade paperback

When a Spider-Man Comes Calling!

The Frightful Four, with Spider-Man held captive, attack the Fantastic Four.

Surprisingly, this continuation of the story in Spectacular 42 was even worse than the first part. Once again it was almost entirely one big fight scene; no character development, no plot, no surprises. And, frankly, the fight itself even kinda sucked.

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Where Demons Feat To Dwell!

Another disappointing Dazzler issue. This one consisted almost entirely of a fight between about a million heroes and a bunch of demons called forth by the Enchantress. It was really boring and, even though the winning blow went to the Dazzler, it again seemed like a way to distract the readers from the title character.

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Homecoming!

This story sucked kinda. It was about one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vance Astro, trying to convince his younger self to not take the same path he did. While I generally like time-travel stuff, this was just boring. The Thing’s part was useless, too, which is kind of annoying since this is his book. Also, Spidey just showed up in one panel, saving a construction worker.

This guy looks like Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen:

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Fun story in which Iceman and the Human Torch team-up as a hip, young super-team. Along the way they borrow some bad guys for Spidey, allowing Peter Parker to hit up a pool party at Gwen Stacey’s house.

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A Star is Born!
Writer: David Lapham
Penciler: Tony Harris
Inker: Jim Clark
Colorist: JD Mettler
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Originally published: April 2008

The Big, Wide World!
Writer: David Lapham
Penciler: Tony Harris
Inker: Jim Clark
Colorist: JD Mettler, Paul Mounts
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Originally published: May 2008

Smoke and Mirrors!
Writer: David Lapham
Penciler: Tony Harris
Inker: Jim Clark
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Originally published: August 2008

With Great Power…
Writer: David Lapham
Penciler: Tony Harris
Inker: Jim Clark
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Originally published: September 2008

This series is about Spider-Man’s brief stint as a wrestling star, as he grabbed the world’s attention before Uncle Ben’s murder. It’s set entirely within Amazing Fantasy 15, which is kinda cool.

It’s pretty good, but gets kinda clichéy at times. Overall I enjoyed it.

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Dark Phoenix

Child of Light and Darkness!
Writer: Chris Claremont
Plotters: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Originally published: August 1980

The Fate of the Phoenix
Writer: Chris Claremont
Plotters: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Originally published: September 1980

Elegy
Writer: Chris Claremont
Plotters: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Originally published: October 1980

The Dark Phoenix Saga, plus one. Spidey appears very briefly in X-Men 135 and as a kind of out-of-context floating-person kinda thing in 138 (which should probably be excluded).

This was quite good, I’m glad I read it.

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Cat’s-Paw!

This was a mostly uninteresting magic story that was mostly about Agatha Harkness and Franklin Richards. Agatha’s evil monster son tries to take over the world, and Franklin somehow stops him.

Peter Parker appears in one panel, getting shoved aside by some force waves, along with the rest of humanity.

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Might of the Monocle!

Since this takes place the same day as ASM 193, it should take place before those Hostess ads.

This was a really great, if fairly standard, hypnosis story. I usually get annoyed when Spidey and the Torch team up, but this had a really good pacing and was actually funny a bunch of times. Kudos!

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There’s One Iron Man Too Many!

…And a Child Shall Slay Them!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Illustrators: Keith Pollard, Joe Sinnott
Letters: Costanza
Colors: G. Wein
Originally published: February 1979

The Andromeda Attack!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Illustrators: Keith Pollard, Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Francoise M.
Originally published: March 1979

Spidey’s unconscious from the Man-Wolf attack, so we’ll have a brief stopover with the Fantastic Four before rejoining him. First, the Fantastic Four battle Quasimodo and an evil duplicate of Iron Man. Next, the Fantastic Four fight evil duplicates of themselves. Finally, in 204, The FF deal with some Skrull stuff and Johnny Storm gets bamboozled by a fake university.

Spidey appears in a flashback in FF 202 and has a real appearance in FF 204, as a cut-away to a fight with the Man-Wolf in ASM 190. I’m reading 203 because it comes in between those! FF 202 and 203 should come before ASM 187, by the way.

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Carrion, My Wayward Son!

Carrion is awesome and scary! He’s like a zombie Green Goblin! Unfortunately the awesome Carrion introduction is balanced out by dumb-shit White Tiger.

This issue could have been cool, but there are too many bad guys — Masked Marauder, Tri-Man, Carrion, some street toughs, a drug dealer. Come on dude. Also, Mantlo really needs to stop filling up Spidey’s book with friggin White Tiger crap.

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And Lo, A Child Shall Lead Them

I’ve been looking forward to this issue for a long time. Godzilla and Spider-Man are just too awesome a combination.

In the issue Godzilla attacks NYC and squares off against the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and S.H.I.E.L.D. The story is fairly evenly split between the heroes fighting Godzilla, and some little kid asking Godzilla nicely to leave. The kid succeeds where the heroes’ violence failed. Spidey appears briefly photographing the big ol’ lizard.

This book wasn’t bad, really, but there wasn’t any depth to it either. Perhaps if I had read some of the other issues there would be more, but it all seemed really superficial. This is a pretty big disappointment, especially considering this is the last Godzilla issue — I would have expected a little more bang for my 40¢. Also, Spidey was barely in it! Dang, man.

JJJ looks like a crazy person and Robbie Robertson has a crazy-weird ‘fro. Oddly, Robbie says that he left “a message for parker with his girlfriend”, but at this point Parker doesn’t really have a girlfriend. Maybe I have this in the wrong spot, or maybe Robbie doesn’t realize Pete and MJ are on the splits. I guess they’re still kinda seeing each other, so it probably makes sense…

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Not All Thy Powers Can Save Thee!

I’ve been away for awhile, busy with things, but now I’m back. Whoopity doo.

Spidey and the Torch team up against the Super Skrull. This goes along well with the Secret Invasion shizz I’m reading. By the end of the issue, the Torch is out of commission.

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Some Say Spidey Will Die by Fire… …Some Say by Ice!

Fantastic issue! Equinox, and old villain from Team-Up returns and we start getting some back story on him. This issue is all action, but there’s also tons of character development. The Wasp is a pretty lame hero, but Claremont’s made her very likable here. And he seems to have killed off Hank Pym!

Seriously, this was really good.

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The Absorbing Man is Out for Blood!!

The Hulk battles the Absorbing Man, who has been hired by some weirdos. These same weirdos were also responsible for the Orb (who fought Spidey and Ghost Rider in Marvel Team-Up 15), and Stegron’s ark (in Marvel Team-Up 19 and 20). In this issue, Spidey appears in flashbacks to those stories.

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‘Tis the Season

My Treasury Edition 13 showed up! I’m finally back on track with my reading order.

It’s Christmas time, and the Marvel superheroes are playing in the snow! This is kind of a wrapper story around some reprints of past issues. Nothing much happens, but it’s nice and cute, and fun to see everyone relaxing and having a good time.

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Excerpted material originally appeared in: Fantastic Four 44-47; Fantastic Four Annual 3; Strange Tales 161
Excerpted material by: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Vince Colletta, Joe Sinnott, Frank Giacoia

This issue is about Reed and Sue’s wedding and the Fantastic Four’s first meeting with the Inhumans. Spider-Man appears in one panel that I believe is new, during the big wedding fight. This was read out of order.

There are two characters that I didn’t recognize and couldn’t tag.

I like this Marvel Saga stuff, it’s really making me understand stuff more.

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Father’s Day!

Slayers, Spiders and Torches–Oh My!
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Pat Olliffe
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Originally published: August 1999

These were super awesome issues. May “Mayday” Parker — Spider-Girl and daughter of Peter and MJ in the MC2 alternate future — gets accidentally sent back in time and meets her own parents while they were in high school! All of the past stuff takes place during Amazing Spider-Man 25, the issue featuring Jameson operating the first Spider Slayer robot. The whole thing is seriously fantastic.

Since the MC2 stuff is non-canon, I should have probably read this right after reading ASM 25.

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KISS / Precisely as Hot as Hell! / The Andromedia Hustle! / See Latveria and Die!

“Forty pages of full-color comics. Plus never-before-published photos and features. Printed in real KISS blood.“

Everything about this is badass!

Platform shoes? Check.
Blind old man in a fur loincloth? Check.
Gene Simmons breathing fire? Check.
Teleportation? Check.
Moon-shaped spaceship? Check.
Sexy robot ladies with machine guns and robot monks with laser eyes? Check.
Outerspace alien disco? Check.

This is literally the best comic I’ve ever read.

Here are some amazing panels and things. Check out the fucking awesome fake ad for Air Latveria!

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Day of the Demolisher! / War in Washington! / Battle with the Bionic Berserker!

This City–Afire!
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artists: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito
Letters: Jean Hipp
Colors: Don Warfield
Originally published: July 1976

I Have to Fight the Basilisk!
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Ron WIlson
Inker: Dan Adkins
Letters: I. Watanabe
Colors: D. Warfield
Originally published: July 1976

I was skeptical about how Two-in-One 27 comes before 17, but and it turned out it shouldn’t.

(Two-in-One #27 – Wrong order as I suspected. It contains a flashback of Spidey’s re-arrival in the “present”, which is in the right spot I guess, but the main story isn’t.)

Two-in-One #17 – Spidey is back in his own time, FORGETS EVERYTHING and, with the Thing, fights the Basilisk.

MJ is so frazzled she forgets how to speak!

Marvel Team-Up #47 – Still fighting the Basilisk. The Basilisk survived his earlier lava bath with protection from the Omega Stone. This issue is pretty much half flashback, it’s lame.

These issues were a bitter disappointment after all the time-traveling fun in the last couple.
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Any Number Can Slay!

Murder’s Better the Second Time Around!
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artists: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito
Letterer: Karen Mantlo
Colorist: Janice Cohen
Originally published: December 1975

Holy crap, Montana and Fancy Dan from the Enforcers are back! We haven’t seen these guys in ages. They’ve been bringing back a lot of the old villains, but I really didn’t expect to see the Enforcers again. Apparently Ox got killed, so it’s just the two of them, though.

And if that’s not crazy enough, there also appearances by the Big Man and the Crime Master, both of whom are supposed to be dead! (And Sandman, but that’s not as interesting.) What the heck is going on?! Well, what’s going is that the Big Man is actually Frederick Foswell’s daughter, Janice, and the Crime Master is actually Nick Lewis’s son, Nick Lewis Jr.

This had a great twist ending, a lot of really fun fights, and some good dialogue. I really enjoyed both issues.

Racism in comics:

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Auto Motives

This is pretty silly and fun. It sees the return of one of the most ridiculous characters, Stilt-Man, and has Johnny and Spidey chasing after him in the adorable Spider-Mobile. Woohoo! Then they install this weirdo gizmo that Reed built, and start driving the Spider-Mobile up walls. How awesome is that?! Pretty awesome. Then, the Spider-Mobile gets stolen by a bunch of monkeys, courtesy of the Red Ghost.

There were a lot of great laughs in here, and some real touching moments too, which was a really nice surprise.

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The Night of the Frozen Inferno

This issue describes what happens to the Torch after he splits off from Spidey in the Giant-Size Spider-Man I just read. The stuff in this issue is also in Code of Honor 1, meaning my placement for that was even more screwed up than I though. Basically it’s the Human Torch and Iceman fighting this guy, Equinox, that has both their powers. He was kind of a cool villain, but I would have liked more of a back story on him. I hope he comes back.

Spidey was really only in it in flashbacks to GSSM 1.

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Ship of Fiends! / The Masque of the Black Death!

Some of the art in here was really kinda bad, and I think I mostly blame Don Heck. The story was also super, super boring. Seriously. It was about Spider-Man trying to find some doctor to get a flu vaccine for Aunt May, and it was stretch to 39 damned pages. Come on. Dracula and Spider-Man never even interact, except for bumping into each other in a hall! WTF?! I’m also getting pretty sick of all the vampires and werewolves. Enough is enough.

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Betrayed!

Spider-Mobile is finally done, and it’s a beaut! The best part about it is that Spider-Man doesn’t even know how to drive!

Ok, so there’s stuff going on here between the Jackal and Hammerhead, but then Doc Ock also makes an appearance. And what does he let slip? That Rimbaud, the mysterious man in Montreal from Amazing 120, knew something of Ock’s master plan. Very interesting! But, what did he want with May Parker?! Well, we find out with a fantastic cliffhanger– Doc Ock marries Aunt May! Crazy! (Although, I’m still not sure how Rimbaud fit in.)

Great issue! Conway, I think, is finally getting into the swing of things (ugh, sorry).

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