The Prophecy of Madame Web!

Here’s what I said when I saw the cover: “Ooooh, Madame Web! Awesome.” That cover and character design are seriously great.

The issue starts with Rupert Dockery, scumbag, instructing some goons to kidnap a lady and kill anybody that gets in the way. This is a new low, even for Dockery.

We then cut to Pete Parker, who is hanging with Deb Whitman as she heads to meet with a psychic, one Madame Web. Pete dismisses Web as “a garden-variety fraud” and leaves Deb to go to a meeting at the Globe. When he gets there he finds the Globe under lock down — nobody allowed into the editorial department before 5PM. Being the dastardly rule-breaker he is, Peter scoffs at this, changes into his Spidey duds, and heads on up anyways.

Up in editorial, Dockery is meeting with some bigwigs and introduces KJ Clayton, reclusive publisher of the Globe. She claims that she has finally come out of hiding in order to turn the paper over to Dockery. Just then, the masked goons we saw Dockery chatting with earlier burst into the meeting room. They move to grab Clayton, as Dockery had previously instructed them, but are interrupted by Spider-Man crashing through the window.

Spidey is able to beat the heck out of most of the gunmen, but one manages to get away with Clayton. Luckily, someone drops a clue — a flyer for Madame Web, the same psychic Deb Whitman was going to see! Hmmm….

Spidey naturally heads straight over to Web’s apartment, and discovers that Madame Web is fucking cool:

Anyway, Madame Web wasn’t kidding about the psychic bit. Though blind, Web is able to identify the flyer Spidey has as belonging to a student of hers, Belinda Bell, who is a model and actress. She also says that Bell was in danger, and complicit in deceit involving a powerful woman named Katrinka Janice Clayton. Aha!

So, as I’m sure you can guess, Dockery hired Bell to pretend to be the mysterious KJ Clayton, who he knew nobody had seen before. Pretending to be Clayton, she would turn the newspaper over to Dockery. Dockery then also orchestrated Bell’s kidnapping (and eventual murder) to hide the evidence. Dockery’s last bit of nastery, we learn, is to wipe out the real KJ Clayton. When all is said and done, he will be in control of the Globe.

Luckily, though, Web also points Spidey in the right direction for finding everybody he’s after. He manages to save both Bell and Clayton and capture Dockery.

In the aftermath, KJ Clayton retires and shuts down the Globe and, as a consequence, Peter is out of a job. As he considers his options, Peter receives a phone call from Madame Web, who congratulates Spider-Man on his success! Yes, her psychic powers have informed her of Spider-Man’s secret identity and Peter’s phone number. She also tells him, though, that his money troubles will soon be over — and we cut to J Jonah Jameson attempting to call Pete and offer him a job, only to receive a busy signal!

This issue was great, dude. Good, fun story, excellent pacing and I really, really love Madame Web. The art is such a drastic step up from that Marvel Team-Up 101 issue I read, that it’s sort of shocking. And finally, I’m glad Dockery is finally out of the picture; I never really enjoyed his character much, and it’s nice to see the books moving forward.

Note: This Madame Web is not the same as the Madam web that appeared in that one Hostess comic.

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buy on amazon.com: single issue or dvd collection

A Method in his Madness!

We finally find out what Jonas Harrow’s up to — he has developed a “mental attitude-response variator ray…a device which will drive men mad!” That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? He’s the one that cause J. Jonah Jameson to go batty, and presumably is causing the problems for Robbie Robertson too.

It actually takes awhile for Peter Parker, let alone Spider-Man, to show up in this issue. It’s an interesting choice, and it works! There hasn’t been much going on in Peter Parker’s world lately, and it’s nice to see some of his normal non-Spidey life (even if it’s still saturated with super villains).

I love when people fuck with Spidey’s mind, as long as it’s well-done. This issue was. Check out these two panels:

Hehe, whim-whams. And how about this bit of comedy gold:

That, along with gesundheit jokes, will always be a classic.

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The Terrible Turnabout!

Now this is an issue! This Spider-Lizard business was fantastic! Sweet, sweet art by Sprinter and Villamonte brought Mantlo’s engaging story to the next level. Why can’t Mantlo write like this all the time? My only complaint — and it’s a small one — is that when Spidey reverted back to a man, and his mask was torn, it was kind of a cop-out for Connors not to see his real face. I think it would have been a really interesting turn for their characters if Dr. Connors learned Pete’s true identity. Anyway, that’s not important. The issue completely lived up to its title, and was truly Spectacular.

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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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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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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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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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Spider-Man vs the Chairman!

March 1978:
Bugs Bunny #194 (Gold Key Comics), Pink Panther #50 (Gold Key Comics)

Hostess ad that appeared in March 1978 in the titles above and most likely others. Like, ‘Will Power’ and ‘Break the Bank’ before it, the interesting thing about this one is that it wasn’t in any Marvel publications (that I know of), but instead was in (at least) two Gold Key Comics books.

This ad is insane. The villain is the Chairman, a dude in a tux and top hat that has a gun made from a chairleg. When he shoots somebody with it, they turn into a chair, coloured to look like the clothing they had on before. You’d think this would be fatal, or that the lack of a face would at least stop these people-chairs from talking, but you’d be wrong:

Spidey and all his powers are helpless to stop the Chairman, but luckily some kids come a long and whip Twinkies at the Chairman. This causes his gun to backfire, turning him into a chair! Spidey rewards the kids by giving them their delicious Twinkies back.

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Death Watch!

Wow, I really thought this was going to suck for some reason, but it was awesome! Jim Starlin is the man!

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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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Flashback!

Somehow I didn’t even notice this in my list until I was right on top of it. It’s pretty unusual for an issue of Amazing to appear in list out of publication order, but I’m going to trust this is right.

On the anniversary of his Uncle Ben’s death, Spider-Man goes to visit his Ben’s grave. Most of the issue is a retelling of Spidey’s origins and adventures up to this point, however these are interspersed with new scenes at the cemetery. These are actually surprisingly touching – Peter returns the microscope Ben gave him way back in Amazing Fantasy 15, leaving it at the grave. Later, a cemetery worker is lamenting the fact that he can’t afford a gift for his son, who all the other kids pick on. Finding the microscope, he decides to give that as a gift. And so it goes!

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This issue is even darker than the last, and I actually cringed and let out a little gasp while Ock was smashing Spidey into the ground. This was seriously affective.

About placement: my theory is that there are a few weeks between the first issue and the rest of the series. This is supported by a bunch of bits of evidence, and my own desire to have the first issue around the same time as the Superman thing. I don’t have an idea yet exactly where issues 2-5 should go, but after I read a few more issues of things I should have a decent idea, and then I’ll post a full explanation of my thinking.

Anyway, fantastic issue, a wonderful conclusion to a great series. I love that Haight only kinda redeemed himself, but was still a complete douchebag.

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For some reason this issue seemed tenser than the last few, which is not at all a bad thing. Ock commenting that the murder rate was going to go up, and later snapping the warden’s back, added to the dark feel of this issue. It all really worked.

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Still really great, still keeping my interest! Yeah, Vaughan! I really like the art, too, which certainly helps.

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I don’t have a lot to say about this issue, except that it continued to be great.

I’m beginning to doubt my placement, but I’ll address this later after I finish the rest of the series.

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For some reason I wasn’t looking forward to reading this. I didn’t realize it was Brian K. Vaughan, but as soon as I saw the credits, my feelings changed. I love Vaughan (usually), so my expectations shot up. This is often bad, because I end up being let down. Fortunately, however, this was not the case with Negative Exposure.

One issue down and I’m totally loving it!

Interesting note in terms of placement: this issue deals mainly with Doc Ock robbing the Metropolitan Museum of art. This, as main character Jeffrey Haight points out, is “weird, Ock’s crimes are usually science-related.” However, when did we recently see Ock robbing a museum? In Superman vs the Amazing Spider-Man! Could this be the way that event went down in the “fixed”, non-merged universe? I think so! That means the Hostess ad is probably slightly misplaced, but that’s ok.

Anyway, this issue was awesome and I’m really looking forward to the rest.

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The Battle of the Century!

Here’s why I am considering this story canon:

1. Wikipedia says the whole Marvel/DC thing with the brothers starts because they become aware of each other due to previous crossovers. This is a previous crossover, meaning it has some bearing on that event and can be considered to have happened in some form.
2. Uatu makes reference to this crossover in What If? v1 #1, saying “and, doubts exist as to whether Spider-Man’s spectacular bout with a certain colorfully-clad alien took place in this time continuum or another”, which I think allows lots of wiggle room.
3. Access (Axel Asher) can solve any results from this because he can time travel and he loves fixing universes. Just because we haven’t seen the merged universes get repaired, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Is my placement right? I think it could be. We’re at a fairly large break in terms of the story in Amazing, and this book is explicitly set in the winter. I think it all works. Betty Brant and Ned Leeds are at the World News Conference, but this may be a small business trip away from Paris, or it could be a result of the crazy world-merging. I think I’m good for placement.

The story is split into three prologues (one for Superman, one for Spider-Man, and one for Luthor and Doc Ock), then four chapters of main story, and an epilogue.

This issue is f-ing badass. The art is fantastic! Doc Ock has a really sweet “flying octopus” ship, MJ & Lois go to outer space, Superman uses a sonic wave to counteract a tsunami. Ugh, this thing just rocks the whole way through.

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…Stalked by the Spider-Slayer!

JJJ, Dr. Marla Madison, and their Spectacular Spider-Slayer are back! We’re also introduced to a new super-powered character, Will-o’-the-Wisp. Is he hero? Villain? He robs 30 Rock, but he’s doing it against his will. Hmm…

We finally see Harry’s psychoanalyst, Dr. Barton Hamilton.

The best part of this issue is that Aunt May has become politically active, and is shown marching and protesting for old people’s rights! As MJ says, “Right on, Aunt May! Sock it to ‘em kid!”. Another awesome moment comes when Spidey oversteps his welcome with Robbie Robertson, and causes the usually calm and collected city editor to snap at him. It was a really interesting moment.

Also, I totally forgot that JJJ had pictures of Spidey dumping Ben Reilly! Shit! Spidey steals them, but they accidentally end up in the hands of Will.

There was a lot that I loved about this issue!

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Along Came a Spider!

This was a nice little backup story featuring the first meeting between Captain America and Spider-Man. Cap takes the time to give Spidey some friendly advice and some much-needed moral support. Both characters come across as very human. Definitely a great read.

This should have gone fairly early in Spidey’s career, but I’m not super certain where. I would guess just before Avengers 11, but I haven’t checked closely to see if that makes sense.

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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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Visions of Hate!

No real explanation for how Vision arrived in the past, but I guess I’ll just assume he showed up at Doom’s castle and also used the time machine.

There’s crazy freaking action in this. The Scarlet Witch gets shot in the head! Great twist ending with Dr. Doom showing up too! Man, I love time travel stories.

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Swan-Song …of the Living Dead Duck!

Um, this was the craziest thing I’ve ever read. And it was awesome. The whole thing is a dream (I think…), so Spidey’s appearance – everybody’s appearance – doesn’t really count, and this probably shouldn’t really be on the list. I certainly don’t regret having read it, though.

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Even if I Live, I Die!

A really great finish (?) to this first clone saga! Woo. I know people really hate on the other one, but I never hear many comments about this. I’m quite happy to say that I totally enjoyed this arc and this ending.

A Spidey clone was an unexpected surprise! Is the surviving Spidey the original or the clone? Is there a difference really? Ah, sweet.

(We actually all know the answer to this, I assume, but I’ll just suspend that for now…)

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Jackal, Jackal…Who’s Got the Jackal?

Another great Tarantula / Jackal / clone-Gwen issue. In this one the identity of the Jackal is revealed as Professor Warren, which is great. I mean, I already knew all about it, so it wasn’t a surprise, but I really loved the way it was handled.

It’s funny how I used to hate Gerry Conway so much, but I think he’s really grown into his role in Amazing Spider-Man. His good stories are really good.

This happens to me a lot:

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