A team-up with Spider-Man and the Black Widow. Comic Book DB calls this “The Fatal Attraction of the Black Widow”, but I don’t see where they got that title. The bad guy on the front cover looks like Wolverine. Is it him? Read on!

Spider-Man is patrolling and spies the Black Widow on a gig. They’re both after some arms smugglers; Spidey wants to team-up but BW doesn’t. This ends up being a fairly by-the-numbers crime story — Spidey and Widow both follow some leads and end up at the mansion of a bad guy, just in time for a huge crime convention. It turns out the big bad is not Wolverine, but the Owl. He was in Marvel Team-Up 73 with Spider-Man and Daredevil, in which he was soundly trounced. Now, he’s pissed.

Spidey is fairly often facing dudes who want to clean out all the cities gangs and take over. This isn’t much different than normal. The writing here isn’t great, but the issue is more or less enjoyable.

Oh, I don’t really like Will Meugniot’s inks. Everything just seems kinda dirty. Or maybe it’s just the printing?

BTW, part of me wonders if I should be reading Black Widow comics along with everything else. I mean, she’s a spider-related super-hero right? But then the number of comics to read would probably double, and I can’t really have that. Oh well.

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The Vengeance Gambit!

Wings of Fire, Wings of Fear
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Marie Severin
Inker: Steve Mitchell
Letterer: Michael Higgins
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Originally published: August 1980

Winter in New York. Spidey is swinging about NYC and witnesses an important-looking funeral procession. What Spidey doesn’t realize is that it’s a mob (or some kind of gang) funeral. At the funeral, this one jerk who is in charge — Malachai — is mouthing off about how his uncle is taking over the city’s crime scene, and how the dead guy shouldn’t have listened to the uncle, and how the uncle is now giving all these other gangsters a chance to prove themselves by stealing certain things.

The next day one of these hoods, a Harry Dolenz, is in Chinatown to try to get the item requested of him. It’s Chinese New Year. He gets killed. At the same time Spidey has been swinging around taking pictures of the New Year celebrations for the Globe. When he gets home, he doesn’t discover that he inadvertently captured the dude’s murder on film, but we do. The next morning he turns them into Barney Bushkin and they eventually notice that shot.

Ok…then basically some uninteresting gang struggle stuff happens for a bit, some of which involves Spidey. Eventually we find out that the Vulture — Adrian Toomes — is behind everything. He’s Malachai’s uncle. Spidey shows up to the funeral home (I think?) where the baddies are all holding out, but he ends up getting chained down inside a coffin that’s heading towards cremation.

CLIFFHANGER!

The next issue begins with Spidey again en route to a firey demise. He, of course, gets out in pretty short order. He gets the toughs, but the Vulture and Malachai escape. Ah, but so did Black Alfred, a gangster with ambition, and he’s none too happy with the Vulture. Alfred shoots at the old man, but Malachai jumps in the path of the bullet. Vulture wails on Black Alfred like crazy, but then Spidey shows up again and stops Vulture from killing the guy. When the cops show up, the Vulture takes off again and Spider-Man pursues.

Mid-air fight! They wind up crashing through some windows into Grand Central Station. Vulture ends up taking himself out by flying hard into a glass panel. So Spidey kinda wins I guess?

These issues were kinda dry and boring. Not terrible for any specific reason, but they just really didn’t hold my interest.

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The Black Cat Always Lands on Her Feet

The Black Cat reemerges… and it’s nice. Good, playful dialog between her and Spidey. The mysterious insanity that’s gripping J. Jonah Jameson and seemingly affecting Robbie Robertson — and how Jonas Harrow is involved — has also captured my interest.

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Bewitched, Bothered and Be-Dazzled!

I don’t know why, but I’ve really looking forward to the Dazzler. Is it because I know she’ll suck? Because I dislike (most) disco? No! It’s because she zips around on roller skates and turns music into light with a magic disco ball! WTFantastic!

This cover is amazing. Seriously. You know what else is amazing: Pete and the gang going to see Star Trek. Yeah, that’s right. ON THE WORLD’S TINIEST MOVIE SCREEN:

Wow, Star Trek on a 2.7″ screen. Hot.

So the action gets pretty lame…who cares? So the plots a stinker…big deal. This issue still has enough badassery to make it a fun read.

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One For Those Long Gone!

Not a super interesting episode, but Pollard and Mooney’s art was top-notch. The last few books I’ve read have looked really great.

Man-Hunt!

Apparently J. Jonah Jameson has had a nervous breakdown. Neat. This issue is mostly about Spidey and the Punisher going after some mob guy, and the Punisher suspecting that Peter Parker is up to something. There’s no resolution really, the story is continued in the next issue.

This might be in the wrong spot? Pete runs into MJ and says he hasn’t seen her in months. He just saw her in Spec 38 or something I think though. So that’s weird. Probably just a topical reference to the fact that she hasn’t appeared in ASM for months — at least, that’s what the Official Index claims.

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The Arms of Doctor Octopus

This was an awesome issue. Really great story. Seriously cool art in here, too. Kudos to everyone involved.

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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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The Man Who Could Not Die!

The Suit!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Carmine Infantino
Inks: Al Gordon
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Francoise M.
Originally published: November 1978

Another fucking bondage cover! This is insane! No, seriously, what’s all the constant bondage and rape imagery and misogyny and sexism in this series? How was this ever published?! It’s not just the cover, each issue it seems more and more that this is just a way for Wolfman and Infantino to get paid to jerk off to bondage and rape fantasies.

The first story is awful and stupid, the second one is too. At least the first one features Spider-Woman — ‘The Suit!’ has a bizarre, completely non-sensical cameo by her and that’s it.

Apparently in the first story it’s August 12, and the ground is covered in snow.

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July 4, 1978…

This was all kinds of terrible. One of the worst comics I’ve had so far. Since it’s the 4th of July here, it’s also in the wrong spot.

I don’t know which Brother Grimm appeared, so the tagging is just a guess.

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End of a Nightmare!!

This was mostly a big sorcery battle between Magnus and Morgan, with Spider-Woman in the middle of course. Werewolf by Night, a.k.a. Jack Russell, is also brought into it, but he’s pretty much useless.

My biggest complaint was the stupid and non-sensical narration by Jack Russell. It sucked.

Oh wait…an even bigger complaint: what’s up with the cover?! In issue 4 I was complaining about the sexism and bondage imagery, and here there’s even more of it. To make matters worse, this scene never even happens in the damn story. It’s just pure exploitation! I don’t know what’s up with Carmine Infantino, Marv Wolfman, and the editors, but this series has some really bad sexist overtones that I do not like.

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Nightmare

Spider-Woman!

This takes place basically immediately after issue 4, so it’s definitely in the wrong spot. Or #4 is, maybe that’s a better way to look at it.

In this issue, Spider-Woman is the prisoner of the Hangman and is driven almost insane by Morgan le Fay! That’s about it. It’s pretty ok, but the illusions/insanity thing gets a little tired.

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The Spider and the Burglar…A Sequel

Well, this is a big one! 200 issues of Amazing Spider-Man! Woo. A note on the splash says that Stan Lee wrote one page of the issue, which is pretty cool I guess. (I’m guessing it’s page 15.)

This was an awesome, epic, issue. Having Pete face off against the burglar again, and having him confront all his old fears, angers, anxieties was a welcome shot of adrenaline into the character. Pete’s been so morose lately, that it was nice to see everything come together for him in the end.

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Now You See Me! Now You Die!

Another boring Mysterio issue. I am curious what hidden treasure in the Parker home Mysterio and the Burglar are after, but mostly I just want this story to wrap up.

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Mysterio is Deadlier by the Dozen!

Except for JJJ having a nervous breakdown (or heart attack?), this was a fairly boring issue.

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The Kingpin’s Midnight Massacre!

Other than a brief Daily Bugle interlude, this whole issue is a fight in which the Kingpin kicks the crap out of Spidey. The only reason Spider-Man is alive at the end is because Kingpin chooses the love of his wife over vengeance against Spider-Man.

It was alright, I guess, but the fighting got kind of boring after awhile.

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Requiem!

Well…Aunt May certainly appears to really be dead. BUT I DON’T BELIEVE IT.

This was a crazy issue. In addition to Pete grieving like crazy over Aunt May, Robbie Robertson quits! We also learn that Robbie had another son before Randy, and that he died as a child.

This was a pretty interesting issue. Not action-packed by any means, but that was one reason why it was so awesome. Really nice characterization and plotting here.

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Nine Lives Has the Black Cat!

This Black Cat issue wasn’t as good. The banter between the Cat and Spider-Man seemed more forced, and the story wasn’t really as interesting. The bits of the issue that were good were that Spidey broke his arm and that the Burglar convinced Aunt May’s nursing home to (falsely) inform Pete that Aunt May had died.

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Never Let the Black Cat Cross Your Path!

Alright, the Black Cat! This should be good, right? Right! This was a fun issue and the interplay between the Black Cat and Spidey was well-done. I’m really looking forward to more of Ms. Hardy.

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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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The Wings of the Fearsome Fly!

Well, this issue starts off with snow, which is quite surprising. What the hell month is it supposed to be? I suppose it’s probably near the end of summer at this point, since Peter has finished his summer school. So perhaps this is just a freak August / early September snowstorm?

Everything goes wrong for Pete in this issue: in addition to the snow, this issue starts with Peter wondering if JJJ looked under his Spidey mask (I assumed he hadn’t, but maybe I’m wrong). When Pete enters the Bugle, the first thing Jameson does is fire him. Even Robbie’s pissed at Pete. Later, Spidey gets beat the hell up by the Fly and MJ finally calls it quits with Pete after he blew the date the night before. When Peter turns to Betty for comfort, in prances Ned Leeds to belt him one!

All this makes Spidey go nuts, leading to the craziest panel in awhile:

To top everything off, The Fly is captured by the cops and S.H.I.E.L.D., and Spidey doesn’t even get to vent his rage on the dude.

This issue ends with one hell of a bombshell — the burglar that killed Uncle Ben is back!

Great issue!

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24 Hours till Doomsday!

This issue brought a surprise return of the Fly! I love that guy! He makes a mess of things as JJJ and Spidey tool around town trying to get Spencer Smythe’s bomb off their arms. Since Spidey is pre-occupied with not exploding he happens to miss not only a very important photography assignment, but also his last-shot date with Mary Jane.

This was an amazing issue. The whole bomb thing played out beautifully, with plenty of tension and boatloads of friction between Spidey and JJJ. I loved that Jonah had the opportunity to peek under Spidey’s mask, but instead took the high road and did the right thing.

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Wanted for Murder: Spider-Man!

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? It was only just recently that Spidey was cleared of all charges by the cops, and here is wanted for murder again — at least by J. Jonah Jameson.

The Spider-Slayer bit of this story was thankfully brief. This issue really served as mostly a setup for the next one, in which we can expect a major confrontation between Spidey and Jonah, and Peter and MJ.

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In Search of the Man-Wolf!

I guess Spidey wasn’t unconscious from the Man-Wolf’s blow, just stunned and “barely conscious”.

It turns out Spencer Smythe is behind a bunch of this lunacy (ha!), orchestrating the attacks by Chameleon, Electro and Man-Wolf. Smythe is pissed because he’s dying from Spider-Slayer-related radiation poisoning, and wants revenge on Jameson and Spidey.

At the end John Jameson dies! :O

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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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