The Fangs of Werewolf by Night

The cover for this issue has real photos of movie monsters in the background, and it’s totally distracting. I don’t like when comics mix real photos with the art, it totally takes me out of the experience.

The issue opens with Spider-Woman a quick flashback to last issue, which I appreciate. Some time, possibly immediately, after the last issue and the recap end, Hornet and Dr. Malus meet up at Scotty’s apartment. Malus injects Scotty with a booster of his serum, making the Hornet stronger and crazier. As Scotty calls Spider-Woman to set her up in a trap, we’re treated to a not atypical shot of Jessica Drew naked coming out of the shadow. This comic book just can’t resist, can it?

Ok, so she falls into the trap — which isn’t that much of a trap, since she knows she’s going to fight the Hornet. She just doesn’t know how strong he’s become. Big, uninspiring fight ensues and then when the Hornet has the upper hand… he leaves? That’s just dumb.

So given this setback, or whatever it is, Malus decides that the Hornet needs help in destroying Spider-Woman and phones Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night. The whole exchange is insultingly bad, but basically Malus tricks Russell into coming to see him.

When Malus and Russell meet up, Malus hooks up a gizmo to Russell’s body that basically enslaves Russell and allows Malus to control his transformations into the Werewolf.

Meanwhile Scotty/The Hornet has kidnapped himself and left a note for Spider-Woman telling her to meet him at a movie studio lot. The lot is set up as an old-west town, which I guess is a nice stage for a showdown. Malus and the Werewolf are also there. There’s another fight with all three of them and Malus on the sidelines. The Hornet goes batshit crazy and takes off. Spider-Woman removes the Werewolf’s gizmo and uncrazifies him, and the Werewolf is then able to go beat up Malus. Spider-Woman goes after the Hornet, subdues him, and discovers that he is actually Scotty.

I wanted to like this issue, and it had some potential, but it kept sabotaging itself. The cliched Spider-Woman sexiness just ruins things for me, the bad dialogue and contrived setup to involve Werewolf by Night totally take me out of the story. The issue could have had a very powerful ending, but instead a final couple panels are tagged on in which we learn that Scotty will recover completely by resting for a few days. Ugh. Why ruin it? Scotty being evil and crazy could have been awesome, and he’s such a boring character normally. The book just ended up being a disappointment.

Rating:

buy this issue at amazon.com

Come Into My Parlor — Said The Fly!

Note: I read this in the wrong spot. It should come before Rupert Dockery goes to New York, so between Spider-Woman 29 and Amazing Spider-Man 208.

Action right off the bat! As Spider-Woman is talking to one Dr. Pederson about the possibility of curing Scotty McDowell, the Fly crashes into the lab. Yes, this is the same Fly that Spider-Man has fought before. He just swoops in and clocks Spider-Woman. It’s pretty brazen and cool. After receiving one of S-W’s venom blasts, he takes a powder. It’s unclear what he wanted, but he certainly screwed up the lab and in the process messed up Scotty’s cryogenic chamber. Spider-Woman fixes it basically by bashing it up more.

Later, we learn that Spider-Woman still has theft charges against her from hooking up with the Enforcer.

Also later, Rupert Dockery is about to accept his National Press Award when he is visited by an angry Enforcer. I thought that guy was in prison… Well, he knows all about Dockery’s earlier machinations and manipulations and he’s none too impressed. When Dockery cops to the whole thing, it is revealed that “the Enforcer” who visited him is actually Spider-Woman, and that the whole encounter was a set-up organized by her and Captain Walsh, in order to clear Spider-Woman’s name. Walsh sticks it Dockery and basically orders him out of town.

Meanwhile the Fly is being seen to by a creepazoid doctor, Dr. Malus. Malus (re-)warns the Fly that his powers are weakening and that the only way to restore them is for Malus to transfer some other super-human’s powers to him. Their choice? Spider-Woman, of course. That is why the Fly was at the hospital earlier, tangling with Spider-Woman.

The Fly goes out to finder Spider-Woman again, and forces a meeting by wrecking some streets up and putting innocent bystanders at risk. The Fly’s plan, it seems, is to take another venom blast. He does, then splits, but not before Spider-Woman rips some contraption off his arm.

A few days pass. We learn that Malus had installed what were basically batteries on the Fly’s arms — on of which Spider-Woman got — to absorb the venom blast’s energy. Learning from said energy, he learns about Spider-Woman’s limitation of one venom blast at a time, and her need for recharging it. I don’t really know if that’s super relevant.

That night, the Fly returns to the hospital and kidnaps Scotty from right in front of poor Dr. Pederson. However, it turns out Dr. Pederson was actually Spider-Woman in disguise. The disguise thing is getting ridiculous. It’s like Scooby Doo up in this series. Spider-Woman follows the Fly back to Malus’s lab, they fight, Somehow Spider-Woman deduces their plan, which, to be honest, is not clear or obvious at all. That’s cheap writing.

I was actually digging the issue up until this point, but it just gets filled up with a lot of needless weird exposition, which really slows down what should be an exciting encounter. When Malus is cornered he admits that he’s the one that created the Enforcer’s darts, and he offers to help cure Scotty in exchange for nothing… after saving Scotty he readily agrees to go to prison with the Fly. That’s just odd. But Scotty’s back to normal, so that’s good?

I really liked the first 3/4 of this issue, or maybe 2/3, and then it totally fell apart. The climax seemed rushed and uninteresting, the writing got sloppy, and the whole thing just ended up fizzling into yet another non-sensical snoozefest.

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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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And Men Shall Call Him… Octopus!

This is a continuation of sorts of the story in ASM Annual 13. Here, Spidey fights Doc Ock some more. The issue as a whole largely fails, due to lackluster writing by Mantlo and incredible boring and occasionally muddled art by Buckler and Mooney. Nowhere near as good as the ASM Annual. The one point at which the book gets interesting is near the end, when Doctor Octopus starts becoming completely unhinged and starts talking to his arms and referring to him and them as “we” — very Hobbit/Lord of the Rings. It’s a nice touch, but it doesn’t save the issue.

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Chaos on Campus!

This is a promo comic given out with the Columbus Dispatch in 1979. It features Peter Parker fighting the Hulk on the first day of school. There a number of weird things about it:

- Pete has the hots for a girl named Cindy Sayers, that he’s apparently been pining over for the last semester. I’m not sure how this could fit in.

- The Hulk is referred to in the narration as “Dr. R.B. ‘David’ Banner”, clearly evoking the 70s TV show. However, in the show Banner’s name was David Bruce Banner, so this is just a topical reference.

- Similarly meant to evoke the TV show, the Hulk doesn’t talk

If this is canon (I’m willing to bet it can be placed somewhere, but I haven’t figure out where yet), I’ve read it in the wrong spot.

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Jessica’s Night Out!

Incredibly boring issue (with requisite over-the-top sexiness) saved by an interestingly mysterious last panel, where Jessica Drew’s date starts to melt into a gelatinous blob.

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Cults and Robbers

Unfortunately, Jerry Hunt is still in this issue. Boo. There’s also another Jessica Drew shower scene, but this one is a little tamer. Also, the comic is not that good still. But getting better!

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Suddenly…The Shroud!

Goodness gracious, praise the Lord. Jerry Hunt and Magnus depart in this issue. Between this and #12, Gruenwald has eliminated Jessica Drew’s entire supporting cast. They were terrible and I wont miss them. The issue does cut back to Jerry’s new assignment, but I’m hoping it gives up on him pretty quickly.

This issue was much, much better than most previous Spider-Woman outings. It was still fairly boring and uninteresting by any normal standards, but at least it didn’t make me want to vomit with rage.

Also, although he wasn’t necessarily very good here, the Shroud seems to have the potential to be interesting.

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The story of Hank McCoy in high school, right before being approached by Professor X. Kinda lame. Spidey appears in a flashback, fighting the Sandman.

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48 Hours

starts after ben’s funeral. short little insert story about spidey’s first miserable forays into crime-fighting. kinda sucky and talky without offering much new.

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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.

Rating:

Night of the Iguana!

Lizard issues don’t really excite me, and having two Lizards doesn’t really improve things much. I suppose the next issue — where the Lizard and the Iguana face off — might be good, but this one was fairly boring.

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Spider-Man Meets June Jitsui!

March 1979:
Pink Panther #62 (Gold Key Comics), Uncle Scrooge #162 (Disney)

December 1979:
Conan the Barbarian #105, Avengers #190, What If #18

February 1980:
Marvel Two-in-One #60

Hostess ad that appeared first appeared in March 1979 in at least one Gold Key Comic and one Disney Comic, and then later in December 1979 and February 1980 in at least the Marvel titles above, but probably others as well.

Another unfortunately lame Hostess ad in which Spidey distracts “georgeous but evil” (sic) June Jitsui with some Twinkies. I did like some details, though: first, that Spidey was on his way to the deli, and second that June threatened that they’d meet again. Let’s hope it happens!

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The Jigsaw Is Up!

alright, even with my big shift around, this is in the wrong spot. mary jane reacts harshly towards betty, which is completely contrary to their conversation in spectacular 27 — these two asm issues should come before those.

the whole jigsaw-as-terrified-wreck angle was kind of interesting, but overall this story was a dud.

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Guess Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb!

Aw, man, I was hoping Zeck would be on this title permanently, or at least for awhile. Looks like we’re back with the regulars, though, and it just doesn’t look as good.

MJ is trying to date other guys, but the one she goes out with is a dork. Betty misses Ned. The White Tiger and Holly pine after each other. The A-plot is boring.

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My Friend, My Foe!

The resolution to this whole thing was fairly unsatisfying. In the end, though, Bobby Drake is back to normal and the real bad guy is defeated. At the end there are some epiloguey pages with White Tiger going to ESU (booo) and somebody mysterious and powerful breaking out of prison. Perhaps Electro?

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…A Future Uncertain!

A few weeks have passed since Marvel Two-in-One 29, and Jessica Drew is trying to make a life for herself in London. She’s having trouble finding a job, though, and some trouble with the cops.

This was mostly a recap of Spider-Woman’s origins, and a lot of exposition about her mental state. It was ok, but kind of boring since I’ve already seen so much of it.

Rating:

First Blood

Hmm…again, I jumped into the middle (or beginning?) and really had no idea what was happening here. It seemed mildly interesting, but without more info it’s really hard to tell.

Pete and MJ are seen when some shit goes down in Forest Hills.

Rating:

Defender of the Realm!

I kind of hated the art. The story seemed interesting, but it was really just a couple of specs of an obviously much-larger story — definitely not a done-in-one. That makes it kind of hard to review/take in, but I guess I enjoyed the writing for the most part.

Spidey shows up in one panel, frustrated that he’s stuck in a crowd and can’t help with the Hulk/Namor fight happening in Manhattan.

Rating:

The Power to Purge!

This is a weird, bizarro version of Marvel Team-Up #3, mostly a reprint, but with some dialogue and stuff changed and a new page. I’m treating this as two stories, because I didn’t really feel like re-reading that other one. Story 1, which I care about, is the wrap-around story, and story 2 is the flashback.

Story 1 is crazy brief – basically Spidey’s webshooters jam and then he starts reminiscing. Cut to Morbius, apparently on the moon, and being forced by somebody to go back to Earth. The end.

The only credits are for the flashback, I’m not sure who did the new stuff.

There’s not much to rate…

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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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Madness is all in the Mind!

Faustus makes Spidey go nuts.

In a far more interesting development, somebody rents the Parker house, believing it holds an important secret! Oh my!

This was a pretty boring issue, overall. Not really bad or anything, it just didn’t have much going for it.

Rating:

Spider-Man in The Trap

May 1975:
Marvel Super Heroes #50, Werewolf By Night #29, Marvel’s Greatest Comics #56, Giant-Size Marvel Triple Action #1, Marvel Two-in-One #9…

June 1975:
Power Man and Iron Fist #25, Marvel Tales #59, Giant Size Avengers #4, Ghost Rider #12, Night Rider #5, Defenders #24, Ka-Zar #9…

Wow, my first review of a Hostess ad! Exciting! I believe this first showed up in May 1975 in the comics listed above (and probably others), and was printed again the following month. By publication date, I’ve probably read this in the wrong spot. This ad is marked (A) because five years later, another Spidey Hostess ad with the same name was released.

In this mini-adventure, Spider-Man is captured by some nameless thugs. When he is thrown into an escape-proof concrete cell, he manages to convince his guard to let him free in exchange for some delicious Hostess Fruit Pies.

How to rate this…hmm… I think I will give this particular Hostess installment a medium rating, mostly because I would have liked the villains to be a little more fleshed out (i.e. have names).

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War of the Reptile-Men!

As I suspected, Jonah’s goings-on with a certain Dr. Marla Madison were for the creation of a new Spider-Slayer robot.

Harry and Liz Allen are engaged!

Stegron did decide to “clothe [his] long-tailed brothersss with flesh once more” and he plans to clone more, so i guess South Pole dinosaurs are not necessary.

Pretty boring issue, unfortunately. I like dinosaurs, but this just didn’t really have any oomph to it. One thing I did quite enjoy was that the Lizard still tried to protect Billy Connors – it was a nice bit of humanity showing through, which I hope gets explored more.

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Twice Stings the Tarantula!

Danger: Demon on a Rampage!
Guest writer: Gerry Conway
Artists: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Don Warfield
Originally published: December 1976

All the Kingpin’s Men!
Writer: Len Wein
Illustrator: Ross Andru
Embellisher: Mike Esposito
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Originally published: December 1976

man, it’s been ages since I read amazing spider-man! and, we have the start of a brand new spidey series!

alright, so spectacular 1 has a reference to amazing 163, and amazing 163 has a reference to spectacular 1. i guess they intersect, with everything up to and including the surprise party in amazing 163 comes first, then all of spectacular 1, then all of marvel team-up 52, then the rest of amazing?

in asm 163 pete thinks MJ is mad at him, and she is kinda chummy with flash. later, in spectacular, pete says that mj has been dating flash. however, pete and mj were just hanging out together in marvel treasury edition 12, and mj expressed jealousy about pete recognizing bev switzer. hmm… maybe that’s what pete was apologizing for.

• spidey runs into the kingpin’s goons
• peter’s apartment gets furnished in a surprise “please-provide-for-peter-parker’s-pad” party
• harry and liz are makin’ time
• spidey fights the tarantula, who escapes and kidnaps some guy named lansky
• pete and mj have an off-panel talk
• tarantula, under somebody’s orders (i suspect the guy that originally got “kidnapped”) tries to fake-kidnap-but-really-kill the mayor, but spider-man stops him
• tarantula gets away
• spidey’s swinging home and a interdimensional portal opens, spitting out a monster, the falcon, a cowboy, some crazies, and captain america
• the monster runs afoul of batroc the leaper, who enlists him to rob a shield hovercar
• cap and spidey stop them and capture batroc, but the monster gets away
• spider-man acknowledges that the monster is lost, confused and trying to get home, but kills him anyway. nice.
• pete and mj pick up aunt may from the hospital
• spidey tracks down kingpin’s men, but really it’s a trap and he has to face the kingpin himself
• they fight like mad, and spidey gets captured, gassed, strapped into some kinda contraption

overall, these issues were all kind of boring. not a great return to amazing, and not a great debut for spectacular. i give these three one big “meh”.

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