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CONWAY INTERVIEW • TV SPIDEY • CLONE SAGA • and MUCH MORE!

Oct. 20

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THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

Go to www.twomorrows.com for other issues, and an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

BACK ISSUE #29

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BACK ISSUE #31

“Mutants” issue! CLAREMONT, BYRNE, SMITH, and ROMITA, JR.’s X-Men work, NOCENTI and ARTHUR ADAMS’ Longshot, McLEOD and SIENKIEWICZ’s New Mutants, the UK’s CAPTAIN BRITAIN series, lost Angel stories, Beast’s tenure with the Avengers, the return of the original X-Men in X-Factor, the revelation of Nightcrawler’s “original” father, a history of DC’s mutant, Captain Comet, and more! Cover by DAVE COCKRUM!

“Saturday Morning Heroes!” Interviews with TV Captain Marvels JACKSON BOSTWICK and JOHN DAVEY, MAGGIN and SAVIUK’s lost Superman/”Captain Thunder” sequel, Space Ghost interviews with GARY OWENS and STEVE RUDE, MARV WOLFMAN guest editorial, Super Friends, unproduced fourth wave Super Powers action figures, Astro Boy, ADAM HUGHES tribute to DAVE STEVENS, and a new cover by ALEX ROSS!

“STEVE GERBER Salute!” In-depth look at his Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, Defenders, Metal Men, Mister Miracle, Thundarr the Barbarian, and more! Plus: Creators pay tribute to Steve Gerber, featuring art by and commentary from BRUNNER, BUCKLER, COLAN, GOLDEN, STAN LEE, LEVITZ, MAYERIK, MOONEY, PLOOG, SIMONSON, and others. Cover painting by FRANK BRUNNER!

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BACK ISSUE #36

“Tech, Data, and Hardware!” The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, WEIN, WOLFMAN, and GREENBERGER on DC’s Who’s Who, SAVIUK, STATON, and VAN SCIVER on Drawing Green Lantern, ED HANNIGAN Art Gallery, history of Rom: Spaceknight, story of BILL MANTLO, Dial H for Hero, Richie Rich’s Inventions, and a Spider-Mobile schematic cover by ELIOT BROWN and DUSTY ABELL!

“Teen Heroes!” Teen Titans in the 1970s & 1980s, with CARDY, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, PÉREZ, TUSKA, and WOLFMAN, BARON and GUICE on the Flash, interviews with TV Billy Batson MICHAEL GRAY and writer STEVE SKEATES, NICIEZA and BAGLEY’s New Warriors, Legion of Super-Heroes 1970s art gallery, James Bond Jr., and… the Archies! New Teen Titans cover by GEORGE PÉREZ and colored by GENE HA!

“New World Order!” Adam Warlock examined with JIM STARLIN and ROY THOMAS, the history of Miracleman with ALAN DAVIS & GARRY LEACH, JIM SHOOTER interview, Marvel’s post-STAN LEE editors-in-chief on New Universe, Logan’s Run, Star Hunters, BOB WIACEK on Star Wars and Star-Lord, DICK GIORDANO revisits Crisis on Infinite Earths and “The Post-Crisis DC Universe You Didn’t See,” new cover by JIM STARLIN!

“Villains!” MIKE ZECK and J.M. DeMATTEIS discuss “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, history of the Hobgoblin is exposed, the Joker’s short-lived series, Secret Society of Super-Villains and Kobra, a Magneto biography, Luthor and Brainiac’s malevolent makeovers, interview with Secret Society artist MIKE VOSBURG, plus contributions from BYRNE, CONWAY, FRENZ, NOVICK, ROMITA JR., STERN, WOLFMAN, and a cover by MIKE ZECK!

“Monsters!” Frankenstein in Comics timeline and a look at BERNIE WRIGHTSON’s and Marvel’s versions, histories of Vampirella and Morbius, ISABELLA and AYERS discuss It the Living Colossus, REDONDO’s Swamp Thing, Man-Bat, monster art gallery, interview with TONY DeZUNIGA, art and commentary from ARTHUR ADAMS, COLÓN, KALUTA, NEBRES, PLOOG, SUTTON, VEITCH, and a painted cover by EARL NOREM!

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BACK ISSUE #38

“Comics Go to War!” KUBERT/KANIGHER’s Sgt. Rock, EVANIER and SPIEGLE’s Blackhawk, GEORGE PRATT’s Enemy Ace, plus Unknown Soldier, Wonder Woman’s return to WWII, the Invaders, Combat Kelly, Vietnam Journal, Sad Sack, the Joe Kubert School, art and commentary from AYERS, HEATH, KIRBY, ROBBINS, ROMITA SR., SINNOTT, and the return of GERRY TALAOC! JOE KUBERT cover!

“Family!” JOHN BYRNE’s Fantastic Four, SIMONSON, BRIGMAN, and BOGDANOVE on Power Pack, LEVITZ and STATON on the Huntress, Henry Pym’s “son” Ultron, Wonder Twins, Commissioner Gordon & Batgirl’s relationship, and Return of the New Gods. With art and commentary from BUCKLER, BUSIEK, FRADON, HECK, INFANTINO, NEWTON, and WOLFMAN, and a Norman Rockwell-inspired BYRNE cover!

“April Fools”! GIFFEN and LOREN FLEMING on Ambush Bug, BYRNE’s She-Hulk, interviews with HEMBECK, ALAN KUPPERBERG, Flaming Carrot’s BOB BURDEN, and DAVID CHELSEA, Spider-Ham, Forbush-Man, Reid Fleming, MAD in the 1970s, art and commentary from DICK DeBARTOLO, TOM DeFALCO, AL FELDSTEIN, AL JAFFEE, STAN LEE, DAVE SIM, and a Spider-Ham cover by MIKE WIERINGO, inked by KARL KESEL!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Cat People!” Catwoman, Black Cat, Hellcat, Vixen, Atlas’ Tiger-Man and Cougar, White Tiger and the Sons of the Tiger, Wildcat, Thundercats, Josie and the Pussycats, and the Badger! With art and commentary from BOLLAND, BRENNERT, COLON, CONWAY, DITKO, GOLDBERG, LEVITZ, MILGROM, MST3000’s MIKE NELSON, and more. Cover by JOE STATON and FREDDY LOPEZ, JR.!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Red, White, and Blue” issue! Captain America and the Red Skull, CHAYKIN’s American Flagg, THOMAS and COLAN’s Wonder Woman, Freedom Fighters, and Team America! With art and commentary from JOHN BYRNE, STEVE ENGLEHART, ROGER STERN, CURT SWAN, MARK WAID, LEN WEIN, MIKE ZECK, and more. Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN!

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BACK ISSUE #41

Volume 1, Number 44 October 2010

Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, and Beyond!

The Retro Comics Experience!

EDITOR Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich J. Fowlks

BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

INTERVIEW: Gerry Conway: Everything but the Gwen Stacy Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Up close and personal with the most influential Spider-writer of the Bronze Age

COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington SPECIAL THANKS Michael Aushenker Michael Avila Mark Bagley Al Bigley Jerry Boyd Sal Buscema Steven Butler Dewey Cassell Chau-Jye Chuang Gerry Conway Tom DeFalco J. M. DeMatteis Danny Fingeroth Michael Finn Angela Fowlks Grand Comic-Book Database Glenn Greenberg P. C. Hamerlinck Heritage Comics Auctions Jason Hofius Chris Ivy J. Jonah Jameson Joe Jusko Rob Kelly George Khoury Fred Kida Stan Lee Steve Leialoha

FLASHBACK: Gwen, the Goblin, and the Spider-Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 The deaths of two prominent Spider-characters sparked controversy … and “resurrections” BACKSTAGE PASS: Spidey Super Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 The story behind the Electric Company spin-off, with Jean Thomas and Jim Salicrup WHAT THE--?!: Spider-Man Power Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 A different type of spin-off starring our Friendly Neighborhood Web-Slinger

Larry Lieber Howard Mackie Marvel Comics Jim Manner Chris Marshall Jonathan Miller Derek Muthart John Romita, Sr. Steve Rude Jim Salicrup Jeff Sharpe Anthony Snyder Stuart Somershoe Roger Stern Jean Thomas Roy Thomas Laurent Vandomme Keith Veronese Karen Walker Brett Weiss Scott E. Williams Andreas Wurst

FLASHBACK: The Wide World of Marvel Team-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Spider-Man joined forces with his amazing friends for a 150-issue run ART GALLERY: Spider-Man Pinups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Color illustrations by Romita, Sr., Rude, and Jusko grace our centerspread CHECKLIST: Guest-Starring Spider-Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 A listing of the Wall-Crawler’s Bronze Age guest appearances outside of his own series BACKSTAGE PASS: Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Spidey’s jump to live-action television, with an episode guide and listing of all of the Web-Slinger’s TV incarnations BACKSTAGE PASS: Lost in Translation: Your Friendly Overseas Spider-Man . . . . . .51 This Japanese Spider-Man TV show has become a cult classic FLASHBACK: Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 With the success of Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel gave its most famous character a second continuing series FLASHBACK: The Amazing Spider-Man: One Day at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 How Spidey became a newspaper comic-strip star, with Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Fred Kida PRO2PRO ROUNDTABLE: The Beginnings of the Clone Saga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 A cadre of creative types congregate to converse about clones BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Reader feedback on issues #40 and 41 BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $60 Standard US, $85 Canada, $107 Surface International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Bob Larkin. Spider-Man TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2010 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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FLASHBACK: Cracking the Code: The Spider-Man Drug Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Harry Osborn’s addiction led Stan Lee to bypass comics’ powerful standards board

COVER ARTIST Bob Larkin

Michael Eury

This issue features our first-ever solo-character spotlight—and who better to feature than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Spidey became Marvel’s breakaway superstar during the Bronze Age, dominating comics and other media, and we’re happy to feature many of those great Spider-moments this issue. But some of you might be saying, “Hey, where’s (insert your favorite Bronze Age Spider-Man storyline or series here)??” For the benefit of our newer readers and those with short memories, the following Spider-material has been previously featured, so be sure to pick up BACK ISSUE back issues or digital editions of the ones you missed:

#5: John Romita, Sr. on Spider-Man and Marvel movies #11: Superman vs. Spider-Man #12: Spidey’s black suit #17: Spider-Woman #18: Gerry Conway/John Romita, Sr. “Pro2Pro” on Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy #23: 20th anniversary of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson wedding #32: Spider-Mobile cover-featured #35: Kraven’s Last Hunt; Hobgoblin history #36: Morbius history #39: Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #40: Black Cat history

This issue’s cover, by the incredible Bob Larkin, may seem familiar to some of you. It was originally published by Marvel Comics in 1982 as the cover for a Spider-Man trade-paperback collection, and appears here courtesy of Mr. Larkin, with special thanks to Laurent Vandomme. And while you’re still in awe of Bob’s beautiful painted art, another example appears on this page, his cover for the 1979 Fireside Books collection, The Amazing Spider-Man. The scan is courtesy of Michael Avila. This page also features another spectacular Spidey illo that most of you have never seen before: Keith Pollard’s cover to the UK comic Spider-Man Comics Weekly #137 (Sept. 1975). Readers in the US missed a host of covers specially produced for British reprints; would you like to see an article on them, reprinting those covers? (And special thanks go out to Andreas Wurst for submitting this scan.) I’ll stifle myself now, True Believer, so you can start swingin’ with our wildly wonderful Web-Slinger!

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Jim Manner

The Comics Code Authority was the cornerstone of Longtime Spidey artist John Romita, Sr. remembers oversight and censorship of the comic-book industry talking about the plot of the story with Lee. They knew beginning with its inception in 1954, but a blow from the onset that there would be friction with the landed by Spider-Man in 1971 created a crack that CCA, but they understood the value of the message crept to its foundation. that needed to be shared with youths. Years later, this crack in the Code would contribute “We thought it was a gamble,” says Romita, to a crumbling of the Authority and its sway over who would be the inker on Amazing Spider-Man #96. the industry. “We thought we were going to get hurt, but we were The standoff that put Spider-Man at odds with the glad that Stan stood up to them. And this was a story Comics Code Authority (CCA) was never a question of that we knew needed to be told, but we weren’t real good vs. bad as found in traditional comic-book tales. sure how it would be received.” This confrontation was a battle of good intentions; TORN FROM TODAY’S HEADLINES it was a battle without a single punch—better The drug culture had been growing since described as Stan Lee turning his back on the 1960s and gaining a stronger foothold the CCA. among youths and young adults. Marvel found itself at odds with the Lee and Romita felt a moral responsibility CCA after the US Department of to address the issue, similar to the Health, Education and Welfare asked motto associated with Spider-Man the company to publish a story about from his first appearance in Amazing the perils of drug use. Stan Lee, Fantasy #15: With great power who was then the editor-in-chief of comes great responsibility. Marvel, found merit in the request Stan Lee referenced that and sought to incorporate the message responsibility when writing the first into the company’s flagship title for issue of the story, when a friend of a three-issue story arc that would Peter Parker confronts Norman begin in The Amazing Spider-Man Osborn about the growing drug john romita, sr. #96 (May 1971). problem in society: Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

Harry’s Such a Pill Marvel Comics deals with the controversial subject of drug use in Amazing Spider-Man #96 (May 1971). Panel from page 19, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr. © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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“You’re rich! You got influence! That makes it your responsibility!” The opening pages of the issue—drawn by Gil Kane—depicted a drug-addled youth wobbling on the ledge of a building (see below). The young man is “stoned right out of his mind” and assured that he can walk on air. He steps off the rooftop and begins to plummet to the street below. He is caught by Spider-Man in mid-swing. “Any drug strong enough to give you that kind of trip can damage your brain—but bad! But how do you warn the kids? How do you reach them?” Spider-Man asks himself. “My life as Spider-Man is probably as dangerous as any—but I’d rather face a hundred super-villains than toss it away by getting hooked on hard drugs! ’Cause that’s one fight you can’t win!” The story’s setting is pure 1970s. The dialogue is punctuated with slang of the day—such as pad (apartment), bread (money), and cat (person)—which fits comfortably with Peter Parker’s attire, which included rows of fringe on a yellow vest-jacket. Despite the issue’s attempt to show the negative side of drug use, the Comics Code Authority wouldn’t approve it. This wasn’t surprising,

Seduction of the Innocent (right) Wertham’s infamous indictment against comic books, which nearly toppled the industry in the mid-1950s. Courtesy of Heritage. Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). Spider-Man © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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because the CCA offered little wiggle room for writers or artists, and drug use was a forbidden subject. Romita remembers working as a comics artist before the CCA was first formed in 1954. A number of comic books were stirring controversy with their depiction of gore and horror, as well as stories with sexual undertones. Even one of the pre-Code comics Romita had penciled culminated with the decapitation of a person on the final page. This type of content in comics stirred critics in the early 1950s. The loudest voice of opposition came from Fredric Wertham, whose book Seduction of the Innocent drew widespread support to institute censorship of comics to prevent them from undermining the morals of America’s youth. Later hearings by the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency targeted comics as an industry that could no longer police itself. The Subcommittee strongly encouraged the development of a separate regulatory body. That led to the origin of the Comics Code Authority in 1954— its powers not granted by gamma rays or radioactive spiders, but by adults worried about the influences on society’s children. The CCA wasn’t endowed with an iron fist, however. The Authority could refuse to endorse comics with its seal of approval, but it couldn’t stop them from being published. Many retailers would refuse to sell the comics, however, without this seal. A few comics had already snubbed the CCA’s endorsement prior to 1971, but Amazing Spider-Man #96 was be the first mainstream title to venture onto retailers’ shelves without the Code’s blessing. Marvel tried to work within the system. Amazing Spider-Man #96 was submitted for approval by the CCA, but the storyline drew the ire of the Authority. All of the controversy might have been averted if Code administrator Leonard Darvin hadn’t been unable to review the issue due to a reported illness, according to a story by Don and Maggie Thompson, published in Newfangles #44. John Goldwater, publisher of Archie Comics, found himself on the hot seat for approving or denying the Spider-Man story titled “And Now, The Goblin”—and he opted to frown on the issue because of its depiction of drug use.

ENTERTAINMENT FIRST Stan Lee pushed ahead with the story, regardless of the CCA’s concerns. And he was able to talk Marvel’s ownership into the project. “Stan went into this story with the idea that he didn’t want to preach to the readers,” Romita says. “His first goal was to entertain, and his second goal was to inform and reflect on what’s going on in social issues. What Stan did was make them pertinent and reflective of what was going on socially.” Romita provided cover art for issue #97, but in the interiors was replaced by inker Frank Giacoia. His absence was noticeable, but the writing held tight. Peter Parker had ditched the fringed jacket and replaced it with a wide-collared shirt, vest, and all kinds of far-out necklaces that even Mary Jane Watson noticed: “I dig those chains you’re sporting, Petey!” The perils of drug use were further developed in this issue as Harry Osborn becomes more deeply frustrated and depressed because he feels his love interest—Mary Jane—is taking an interest in Peter Parker. Harry is approached by a drug dealer, who tells him that Mary Jane is giving him a “bum deal” by flirting with Peter. Harry’s emotional state makes him easy prey for the dealer, who promises that he has the solution to Harry’s ills. “I’ve got something that’ll make you forget all about that chick— something that’ll make you feel like you’re king of the world,” the pusher tells him. “On no! This is the first time—and the last,” Harry says, taking the pills. “I’m not getting hooked.” “Yeah, that’s what they say,” the drug dealer replies. Harry, later seen sweat-covered and indecisive, feels overwhelmed and seeks out the bottle of pills. “This is all I’ll need to make me feel on top of the world again,” he says.

Gil Kane’s later panel is a collage of Harry in a sea of pills. Harry says, “It’s like—I’m drowning—falling— dying inside! Nothing seems real—nothing hangs together. The pills! It must be the pills—they’re driving me out of my mind!” Peter finds Harry collapsed, but Harry revives himself and tells Peter that he needs help. Peter promises to get him to a doctor, only to have issue #97 end with the haunting laughter of the Green Goblin, who is circling outside their apartment window. It was challenging to develop a story on a topic that he had no experience with, Romita reveals. “We were out of our area and had no experience to call on,” Romita says. “I was a little bit of a square. I never smoked or drank. I could never understand how people could be willing to do drugs, but I could read the papers and fathom the results.” In Amazing Spider-Man #98, Spider-Man tries to confront the Green Goblin with his son’s condition. Norman Osborn doesn’t want to acknowledge Harry’s addiction and flees, allowing Peter to get his friend to the hospital. Peter later runs into the man who sold Harry the drugs. He puts a two-page beat-down on the drug dealer and his goons, pulling his punches to not seriously harm them, but letting the drug dealer know that if Peter catches him peddling his pills again, he will get worse. By the end of the issue, Spider-Man has forced the Green Goblin to confront Harry’s drug problem, which causes the villain to faint. The Goblin reverts back to his “normal” self of Norman Osborn, allowing Spider-Man to take him home and to burn the Green Goblin costume, but not before getting out the message one last time: “Now all that remains is to hope that poor Harry will soon be all right. And, to hope that he’s learned you can’t solve your problems with pills.”

Facts About Code-Approved Magazines This 36-page booklet produced at the dawn of the Silver Age discussed the history and functions of the Comics Code Authority, which for decades governed the industry’s permissable content. Scan courtesy of Heritage. Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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had to make it action-packed and reflective of how our characters had been developed and how they existed within the Marvel Universe,” Romita says. “The story ended up taking comics to a higher level in many people’s minds—they took us more serious. We gained some respect and it gave us some stature to try bigger and better things.” The CCA won little sympathy for refusing to approve the drug story. Many people sided with Marvel, as seen in an outpouring of support on the letters page of Amazing Spider-Man #100, and the CCA underwent more revisions. Loosening the CCA’s guidelines had widespread effects for the comics industry. One of the most dramatic changes that readers would realize is that it opened the door to a legion of monsters—well, not exactly a legion, but certainly for the characters that would later find themselves cast together in Marvel Premiere #28 as the Legion of Monsters: Morbius, Ghost Rider, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing. Also ushered into the Marvel Universe would be Dracula, the Son of Satan, Satana, and others. Marvel editor Roy Thomas, who created Morbius alongside artist Gil Kane in Amazing Spider-Man #101, says these types of characters wouldn’t have been allowed without a relaxing of the CCA, as stressed in Part B of the Code’s directives: “Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.” LOOKING BACK “It was time for some changes to be made and time for the Nearly 30 years later, Stan Lee is still proud of the effort that was Code to be loosened up,” Thomas says. “That story helped us to a milestone for a comic book and for his company. get some of those controls relaxed. “I feel the so-called ‘anti-drug’ issue is important because it “Prior to changes in the Code, you couldn’t have werewolves was the first time Marvel disregarded a Comics Code order and vampires. But that all changed.” for the greater good and because that particular story Thomas also notes that DC’s anti-drug story received a great amount of commendations from in Green Lantern issues #85 and 86—titled parents, schools, religious leaders, and government “Snowbirds Don’t Fly”—appeared after Marvel’s story, agencies,” says Lee, now the founder, chairman, even though that story often gets more attention and chief creative officer for POW! Entertainment, when talking about the anti-drug campaign in based in Los Angeles. comic books. [Editor’s note: Join us next issue “To me, the main importance was that it for an in-depth examination of the Green finally gave the publishers the gumption to Lantern/Green Arrow series.] stand up to any critics when their objections Stan Lee is very satisfied with his anti-drug were nonsensical,” Lee says. storyline. And for a man who popularized the Part of the storyline’s success, Stan Lee said, “Just Imagine” storylines was that it didn’t talk down to kids. He said that that re-envisioned tradikids don’t like to be talked down to, so a message tional DC characters and stan lee had to be delivered in a more subtle form. stories, he doesn’t think “I tried to write this so that we got our anti-drug he would recast this story message across without it sounding too preachy,” Lee says. any differently today. “The ‘message’ should just be gently inserted, almost subliminally as “Chances are, I’d do it the same way,” part of the story, so it doesn’t sound too much like a lecture.” Stan the Man says. The goal was to show the negative aspects of drug use while JIM MANNER is a mild-mannered editor who also writing an entertaining story within the framework of the works for a daily newspaper in Virginia. Marvel Universe, John Romita says. When he’s not working, he can usually be found “The thing was to make it scary enough for young readers for riding his Harley as part of a motorcycle ministry. them to realize the effect that drugs could have on them, but we

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Scott E. Williams conducted on April 9, 2010

Okay, let’s get it out of the way—Gerry Conway killed Gwen Stacy, in Amazing Spider Man #121 (June 1973). There. Happy? You’d think, from the dozens of interviews he’s done on the subject, that the sum and substance of writer Conway’s run on Marvel Comics’ flagship arachnid was the murder of Peter Parker’s longtime love interest. “It does tend to overrun a lot of the other things I did with the Spider-Man character,” Conway says. On the contrary, Conway’s additions to the Spider-Man mythos have been numerous and enduring. Conway created a pantheon of Spider-Man foils that have stood the test of time—including Hammerhead, the Punisher, Tombstone, the Tarantula, the Jackal, the Grizzly, and the Arranger. He redefined Peter Parker’s relationships with the supporting characters that had made Amazing Spider-Man the first (and perhaps greatest) superhero soap opera— Peter Parker made peace with longtime rival Flash Thompson and met neighbor (and future J. Jonah Jameson loyalist) Glory Grant. Perhaps most notably, Peter Parker’s romance with Mary Jane Watson first began to blossom under Conway’s pen. The three Spider-Man movies contain a bevy of scenes originally written for comics by Conway, a testament to the scribe’s staying power. In 1972, Conway took on the daunting task of replacing Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee (after a couple of fill-in issues by Roy Thomas) as fulltime writer on Amazing Spider-Man, and gave fans an exciting (if sometimes controversial) blend of action, humor, and interpersonal drama—the ingredients of classic Spider-Man stories. Conway would go on to pen hundreds of comics for DC and Marvel, before later enjoying a successful career as a writer and producer of TV dramas, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Diagnosis Murder. Mr. Conway was kind enough to talk with BACK ISSUE about his two major runs with Spider-Man: his 1970s stint on Amazing Spider-Man and his late 1980s turn on Spectacular Spider-Man. What follows is a generous helping of insight from one of comics’ great writers as to what makes Spider-Man work. What also follows is only one, single, solitary mention of Gwen Stacy and her unfortunate demise. – Scott E. Williams

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CONWAY: I think, because Amazing Spider-Man was the flagship title, the thought was that in there, we’d do the big characters. The Hulk was certainly a character that would play much bigger for both he and Spider-Man if he appeared in Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel Team-Up was a secondary title, and it wasn’t so much that we thought of it as a “lesser” book, but it wasn’t the flagship book, so we took that as an opportunity to develop lesser characters and deal with ideas we might not have room for in the main book. WILLIAMS: Another sort-of tie-in came with Marvel Team-Up #12 (Aug. 1973), featuring Werewolf by Night, which you had plotted, followed shortly in Amazing Spider-Man by Spidey’s first fight with Man-Wolf, to the point Spider-Man even flashes back to the Team-Up issue in thinking about how to deal with a werewolf. Was the Team-Up issue written with the upcoming Man-Wolf story in mind, just to give Spider-Man some frame of reference? CONWAY: Maybe so, if only when I came to deal with a werewolf in Amazing Spider-Man, having done the Team-Up story might’ve made me think, “What’s another way of exploring this kind of conflict?” With Man-Wolf, I’d wanted to do something with Jonah’s son [astronaut John Jameson] for a long time.

I felt like he was a character who’d gotten lost over the years. Also, at this point, it’s 1973, John Jameson is an astronaut, and we’ve been to the moon, so I asked myself, “What could we do with that in Spider-Man’s world?” And that was how it played out. It also added yet another layer of tension to SpiderMan’s relationship with J. Jonah Jameson. As a writer, you always want to find a way to increase the pressure on the main character, to increase the involvement of other characters with that character. Consequently, anything that could make Jonah’s hatred of Spider-Man more intense and at the same time more understandable was a useful device dramatically. Plus it was just fun to torture J.J.J. [laughs] WILLIAMS: With Spider-Man now appearing in two monthlies, did you have any trouble coordinating with Marvel Team-Up? CONWAY: Back then, we had a slightly different attitude toward continuity. There was a general sense that the stories in Amazing Spider-Man were canon,

Romita Unrealized John Romita was slated to draw Amazing Spider-Man #120 (May 1973), part two of a Conway-scripted Hulk crossover (below), but scheduling changes bumped him from the assignment, with Gil Kane taking over. This unpublished penciled Romita splash to #120 (left), from the collection of Jeff Sharpe, offers a glimpse at the Jazzy One’s take on the tale. © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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and the stories in the other books, they could have happened, but didn’t necessarily have to have happened. It was one of those unspoken customs you came to accept, that those secondary-title stories were just there if we wanted to use them. Today, everything has to tie up, and that’s all for the good, but back then we weren’t quite as fanatical about making everything mesh together. I think the turning point, really for both companies, that made continuity the overriding issue, was [DC Comics’ mid-1980s limited series] Crisis on Infinite Earths, because that story basically said, we have to take this continuity seriously. From that point on, readers really demanded a tightness of continuity that just hadn’t been important to us in the same way before. Pre-Crisis, we were just telling stories, makin’ it up as we went along. WILLIAMS: One difference was that the action in Amazing Spider-Man was more street-level, while in Marvel Team-Up, Spidey would be battling Kang the Conqueror for the fate of the timestream. Did you intentionally save the more cosmic stories for Marvel Team-Up? CONWAY: That was deliberate, I think, to differentiate the stories being told in the two books, but also, in the case of Marvel Team-Up, if it’s a true team-up, you want to raise the stakes, so the story requires a greater menace, something that requires multiple heroes. Also, sometimes, if you bring in an outside character

Terrific Team-Ups

for a team-up, you bring in the kinds of situations that the other character would have to deal with, to make the two worlds fit together. WILLIAMS: Something that’s almost a staple of superhero comics today is the scientist behind the scenes, the guy who’s not himself fighting the hero, but who lurks in the shadows, powering up the bad guys, but your creation of Dr. Jonas Harrow was the first one of those I can think of. How did you get the idea for the guy who works powering up villains? CONWAY: That’s an idea that derived from the first Spider-Stalker story [Amazing Spider-Man #25, Aug. 1966], with the scientist who provides Jonah a machine to attack Spider-Man himself. I thought, “Let’s extend that. What if there’s a guy out there who basically provides the goods for these guys?” I also realized a lot of Spidey’s villains themselves, unless they had been scientists, were not likely to come up with this stuff themselves. I mean, a lot of these villainous characters were basically thugs with extra gizmos, and especially when they didn’t get powers by some accident, but used gimmicks, we needed to deal with where those gadgets come from. I thought of Jonas Harrow as a Tony Stark for bad guys. WILLIAMS: In Amazing Spider-Man #126 (Nov. 1973), we not only see Dr. Harrow powering up the Kangaroo, we see the first mention of the Spider-Mobile, which would debut four issues later. Where did that come from?

Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

(left) Amazing SpiderMan #123 (Aug. 1973) guest-starred Marvel’s Hero for Hire, Luke Cage. Cover by Romita and Mortellaro. (right) Conway, Ross Andru, and Frank Giacoia combine Spidey and the Human Torch to tackle the menace of Morbius on this original-art page from Marvel Team-Up #3 (July 1972), courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Conway Today From Gerry’s Facebook page.

overmatched. We compensated by powering Spider-Man up briefly during the fight, but I liked the idea of flipping that situation on its head, to show how overmatched a normal non-powered villain would be against someone like Spider-Man. WILLIAMS: During this run, there was the occasional, abrupt change in direction, as when you started Peter Parker as a substitute teacher at his old high school, only to have to uproot that plot thread to send him on tour, to promote his book of Daily Bugle photos. How different was having to coordinate things with Amazing SpiderMan, as compared with your work in the 1970s? CONWAY: It was really, really different. In fact, that was why I wanted to treat those books as almost a separate universe. I had to use a supporting, supporting cast because no matter how I wanted to develop the main characters, it had to be subordinate to whatever [writer] David Micheline did in Amazing Spider-Man, so I didn’t have any control over it. WILLIAMS: Did that contribute to your leaving the book, ultimately? CONWAY: No, I left this time because my career in television writing was picking up and I just didn’t have the capacity to give my comic-book scripts the attention they deserved. WILLIAMS: One of your last major Spider-Man stories was the graphic novel Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives (Jan. 1990), in which we learn that not only does Mary Jane know Peter (now her husband) is Spider-Man (as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #258, Nov. 1984), but she’s always known, having seen him crawl out of the Parker house around the time of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). How did this concept, and the graphic novel, come about?

The Puma (right) Conway and Buscema pitted this menace against our hero in a two-parter commencing in Spectacular Spider-Man #171 (Dec. 1990). (above) The Parallel Lives graphic novel by Conway and Alex Saviuk. © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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CONWAY: I think Jim Salicrup asked if I wanted to do a graphic novel, maybe with an emphasis on Mary Jane, and I developed the idea from there. I enjoy “back-filling” a character’s history with new revelations that hopefully make sense, and provide an added perspective on their behavior over time. It’s tricky, especially since you’re retrofitting a whole new series of incidents into a storyline that’s already well established. I love Mary Jane as a character, though, and I thought her backstory was too thin for such an important character in Peter’s life. So it seemed like a natural extension of something Stan had already done—for example, when he revealed that Peter’s parents had been US secret agents … yikes. Hopefully, it was fairly successful. I believe some of what I suggested in that story was used in the first Spider-Man film (though obviously they didn’t go with the notion that Mary Jane knew Peter was Spider-Man). WILLIAMS: As a writer, how did you see the difference between their relationship in the 1970s and the more familiar relationship of a married couple, years later? CONWAY: Again, in the late ’80s, I worked on titles subordinate to the main Spider-Man title, so I wasn’t free to develop their relationship in any great depth. I’m afraid my approach was fairly superficial, leaving the main character development to David Micheline in Amazing Spider-Man. WILLIAMS: Lastly, I wanted to touch on some of the great artists you worked with—John Romita, Sr., Gil Kane, Ross Andru, Sal Buscema, Alex Saviuk. Did you enjoy the chance to reunite with Sal when you returned to Spectacular Spider-Man? CONWAY: Oh, very much. When I work with an artist, I try to learn fairly quickly what his strengths are as a storyteller so I can write to those strengths, as much as possible. I don’t ever want to bend an artist to my will, I want it to be a true collaboration. That’s what I tried to do with Sal and Alex—play to their strengths. Sal was just, just great. He was—and I certainly don’t mean this as any kind of putdown to Sal— almost as much fun to work with as Ross Andru. Ross was the gold standard, as a collaborator. Ross Andru could place a character anywhere he wanted. He had a terrific sense of spatial relations; he could track a battle easily across rooftops, from panel to panel. He drew some great sequences where he maintained the same stationary background, a rooftop or a street, across an entire page, but move the characters from panel to panel. I know there are artists today who do that, but many of today’s artists are figure-oriented. Space and context doesn’t seem as important to them, whereas it was extremely important to Ross. He used to go around New York City taking pictures of the buildings so he could be accurate about where he put Spider-Man. He also knew how to break down stories and pace them well. The same was definitely true of Sal, although Sal wasn’t as fanatical about creating a real environment. Sal was a very conscientious storyteller, though, and had an incredible sense of story flow. SCOTT E. WILLIAMS is an award-winning journalist, an author of three books, and currently, a law student and sales clerk at Bedrock City Comic Company (www.bedrockcity.com) in Houston, Texas. You can reach Williams at loadedglove@yahoo.com. Scott has been reading comics faithfully since 1974, and his wife actually has a superpower— the awesome ability to tolerate the thousands of comic books that occasionally spill out of his study.

Karen Walker

Perhaps no single Amazing Spider-Man storyline has generated as much emotional response from readers as the deaths of both Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin in issues #121 and 122 (June and July 1973) of the series. Reader response at the time, particularly to the death of Peter Parker’s sweetheart, was generally angry and distraught. Writer Gerry Conway took the brunt of this negative reaction, and was seen by some as having done something almost sacrilegious to the title. Yet, the story of the deaths of Spidey’s beloved girlfriend and his greatest foe eventually went on to be considered one of the most important tales of the Bronze Age of Comics. The story also woke up a dormant readership. After the loss of Gwen and the Goblin, it seemed like potentially anything could happen in the book. This caused a great deal of interest in the title. Back in those pre-Internet days, fan interest was most visible in the letters pages of comics. The period immediately following those famous deaths (issues #123–149, all scripted by Conway) was a fascinating time in the life of the Wall-Crawler. When both of these “dead” characters returned to Amazing Spider-Man, fans were once again vocal in their opinions, as we shall see. Whether they loved it or hated it, Amazing Spider-Man had fans talking!

GOBLIN THE YOUNGER The Green Goblin had always been Spider-Man’s most dangerous foe, not because of his powers but because he knew that Peter Parker and Spider-Man were one and the same. To make matters worse, Spidey also knew that the Goblin was actually Norman Osborn, father of Harry Osborn, Peter’s best friend, and this knowledge kept him from ever going full-out against the Goblin. Therefore the Goblin always had the edge in the battles between the two enemies. Harry Osborn had been a part of Peter’s life since Amazing Spider-Man #31 (Dec. 1965). The two became best friends and roommates, but despite coming from a wealthy background, Harry never had an easy life. His father was distant and uncaring, and Harry drifted into drug addiction. When the Goblin was killed by his own glider while fighting Spider-Man, Harry secretly witnessed his death. He stripped his father of the Goblin costume to protect his reputation, and vowed then to get revenge on Spider-Man. His father’s death drove Harry into a psychotic state; he began to give Peter and his other friends the cold shoulder. In issue #134, Harry saw Peter remove the Spider-Man costume and realized his best friend was the object of his revenge. He found his father’s secret hideout and in issue #136, he put on the Goblin costume, ready to take his shot at Spidey. Fortunately for our favorite Wall-Crawler, Harry wasn’t quite the Goblin his father was. Their showdown occurs in

The Trouble with Harry John Romita, Sr.’s cover to Amazing Spider-Man #136 (Sept. 1974), with Harry Osborn filling his dad’s dastardly shoes. Photocopy of artwork courtesy of Jerry Boyd. © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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GWEN 2.0 This perceived trend toward character deaths would be reversed with issue #144 (May 1975), when Gwen #2 suddenly showed up, quite alive, on Peter’s doorstep. Just as Peter was shocked and confused, so were the readers. Even bringing back a beloved member of the Spidey cast didn’t satisfy everyone. “Do you remember Marvel Comics? You know … ‘when Marvel kills off a character, they stay dead,’” wrote a disgusted Lars Simon in issue #148. As it turns out, although Conway was a prime architect in Gwen’s death (he shares that claim to fame—or infamy—with John Romita, Sr.), he had no desire to bring Ms. Stacy back. That was all due to Stan Lee, who was getting a lot of grief from fans for killing off Gwen, so he asked Conway to bring her back. Conway says, “It was not a storyline that I wanted to pursue. But as it turned out, I think it worked out. I mean, it certainly gave me material for the last year that I worked on the book.

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It’s certainly had some resonance in the Marvel Universe since then. But it was not something that I— or anybody else!—wanted to do, except for Stan, who was bending to what he perceived as pressure from fans at conventions where he was speaking.” Rather than going the supernatural route, Conway opted to go pseudo-scientific and have the new Gwen be a clone of the first, complete with all of her feelings and memories. This created a difficult situation for Peter, as he already begun to move on and become romantically involved with Mary Jane. Gwen’s return, however, was short-lived. She and Peter both realized that she was not the same person he had known and loved, and with heavy hearts they parted ways. There was never any intention of keeping Gwen around in the title; Conway says, “Part of my deal with Stan when he insisted that we bring her back was, ‘Look, I’m willing to bring her back just to take the heat off of you, but if I bring her back, can I write her out of the book again?’ And he said, ‘Sure, no problem, just bring her back, please.’ So I brought her back and I wrote her out of the book. And I was very happy with the way that that worked out, as it turned out. In a strange sort of way, it made that version of Gwen more interesting. And the fact that she leaves keeps her interesting because she’s not around.” If Gerry Conway’s run on Amazing Spider-Man proves anything, it may be that the best thing a writer can do is go with his or her gut and ignore the cheers and boos that come from the readers. As the older and wiser Conway now says with a chuckle, “The truth is that the fans want two mutually exclusive things. They want novelty, and they want nothing to change!” Despite his audience being incredibly hard to please, Conway and his co-creators turned out a very memorable run on Amazing Spider-Man—one that still has fans talking. Special thanks to Gerry Conway for being so generous with his time, and thanks to all the letter writers to Amazing Spider-Man. KAREN WALKER is a mildmannered research analyst by day, and a comics connoisseur by night. She has written chapters for Assembled!2: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Villains, edited by Van Plexico.

Brett Weiss

As a child growing up during the 1970s, I was obsessed with superheroes. Naturally, I was a Marvel Maniac and a DC Devotee, reading every comic book I could get my hands on and sitting mesmerized before such animated programs as Super Friends, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, and Marvel Super Heroes. Against my better judgment, I even dug “The Dynamite Duo” serialized strip from Scholastic’s Dynamite magazine. My fascination with the adventures of men and women in tights wasn’t confined to cartoons and comic books—I enjoyed live-action superheroes as well. I was enamored with The Adventures of Superman (starring George Reeves), amazed by the Batman television series (Adam West), entranced by Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (Deidra Hall, Judy Strangis), impressed with The Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno, Bill Bixby), and enraptured by The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter).

SPIDER-MAN MEETS FREEMAN And I found particular fascination with the decidedly strange Spidey Super Stories, a recurring skit on The Electric Company educational television program, which was an edgy alternative for kids who had outgrown the more lovable, more huggable Sesame Street. Produced by the Children’s

Television Workshop, The Electric Company ran for six seasons on PBS from 1971–1977. There were 780 episodes in all. Noteworthy cast members included Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, and Morgan Freeman. Guest stars included Carol Burnett, Lorne Green, Lily Tomlin, and Flip Wilson. Introduced by a fittingly bad theme song (“Spider-Man, where are you coming from? Spider-Man, nobody knows who you are!”), which was written by composer Gary William Friedman, each installment of Spidey Super Stories lasted approximately three to six minutes, which was just enough time to play out a simple story involving a goofy villain (always an original creation, never a bad guy from the comics), a curiously (and often crazily) devised crime, and a resultant save from Marvel Comics’ friendly neighborhood Web-Slinger. Spidey was played by puppeteer Danny Seagren, who skulked around exaggeratedly in each episode (always in costume), contorting his body like a vision from a Steve Ditko funhouse. Seagren never spoke in any of the episodes, but word balloons (accompanied by odd sound effects) would appear whenever Spidey had something to say. These bits of text were a part of what made the skits educational. To add visual splash to the stories (and to cut production costs), comic-book panels were interspersed throughout each skit. Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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movements as they read comics, and were able to analyze exactly what kids were looking at, in what order, and for how long. It was fascinating. WEISS: What was it like working with Winslow Mortimer? Were you a fan of his art? SALICRUP: Well, Win is no longer with us, and I don’t mean to speak ill of him, but I will admit I was frustrated with the interior art on Spidey Super Stories. With such simple storylines, I had hoped the artwork would be spectacular. Many of the best children’s books have stunning, super-imaginative artwork, and I had hoped the art could’ve been more visually engrossing. To be fair, Win’s storytelling was super-clear, and they wanted a very easy-to-read comic. I also respected much of his earlier work—from ghosting Bob Kane’s Batman to drawing very attractive women in romance stories and strips like Supergirl and Lois Lane. But getting to work with John Romita, Sr. was especially thrilling. I mean, working on Spider-Man with Ring-a-ding Romita was unbelievable! And we even had

Jack Kirby draw a few covers! So how can I complain?! WEISS: You also wrote the story for the Marvel toilet paper. Do you especially enjoy these quirky types of assignments, or did you see them as just another job? SALICRUP: Yes, I love quirky assignments! I also wrote comics featuring Kool-Aid Man, the Quik Bunny, Sledge Hammer, the A-Team, the Visionaries, and many more! But as silly as I would sometimes get on Spidey Super Stories (like the time I had Spidey battle Thanos or had Spidey and Captain Britain play tennis against Doc Ock), I always took the concept very seriously—that we were creating a comic book that would help kids read. WEISS: Did you meet or otherwise interact with anyone from the Electric Company television series? SALICRUP: Not really, but I remember that a record album was produced that adapted one of my stories. It was cool to see my name on an album with Academy Award®-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who played Easy Reader on the show! Recently, my stepdaughter Cortney Powell was an extra on the newly revived Electric Company. I got a kick out of that! WEISS: Tom Whedon, father of Joss Whedon, wrote scripts for some of the Spidey Super Stories episodes. Can you elaborate on that in any way? SALICRUP: I didn’t know that until you just asked me! Wow! That’s cool. I love Whedon’s work. I’d love to write “Buffy Super Stories”! WEISS: Did you watch episodes of Spidey Super Stories for research purposes? SALICRUP: Sure! It was a fun show, which I enjoyed a lot. Generally, I avoided using the TV characters in my stories whenever I could, but I would work ’em in sometimes. It’s funny, in some ways Spider-Man on The Electric Company might’ve hurt the sales of the regular Spider-Man comics. I believe kids quickly outgrow things, and always want to appear as “mature” as possible. So it wouldn’t take long for kids who watched Spidey on The Electric Company to decide that Spider-Man was “baby stuff.” Believe it or not, [Spider-Man’s] black costume changed all that. Kids could then say that this was a different Spider-Man, not at all baby-ish. By the time I [as editor] brought back the red-and-blue costume, a whole new generation of kids had come along who had never seen The Electric Company. That’s my theory, anyway. It’s still great to meet comics creators who tell me that Spidey Super Stories was the first comic book they ever read. And I know John Romita, Sr. has said that he’s especially proud of his work on the title.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE While Spidey Super Stories may seem like nothing more than a small footnote in the history of Marvel Comics, it was a big deal to me, a kid consumed with superheroes. Not only that, it helped kick-start Morgan Freeman’s acting career, it provided a nice writing venue for Jean Thomas and Jim Salicrup (not to mention Tom Whedon), and it featured the first appearance of SpiderWoman (Super Spidey Stories #11, which casts Valerie the Librarian in the role). Today, Spidey Super Stories makes for some extremely entertaining (if at times awkward) YouTube videos. BRETT WEISS is the author of Classic Home Video Games, 1985–1988 (McFarland, 2009).

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Rob Kelly

It should come as no surprise that the Amazing Spider-Man was unquestionably the “marquee” character for Power Records’ book-and-record adaptations of Marvel Comics characters, taking up the majority of vinyl real estate alongside his fellow stars Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Conan the Barbarian, and assorted monster characters (whose Power Records we discussed back in BACK ISSUE #36). But despite being the headliner of over a dozen different Power Records releases (in both 45 RPM and LP formats), when you’re talking about Spider-Man as a Power Records star, you’re really only talking about six stories: “Mark of the ManWolf,” “Invasion of the Dragon Men,” “The Mad Hatter of Manhattan,” “Return of the Conquistador,” “The Bells of Doom,” and “The Abominable Showman.” Power Records never met a story they couldn’t repackage, and they got a lot of mileage out of these six audio adventures. Undoubtedly, the most famous of these stories is the book-andrecord adventure “The Mark of The Man-Wolf” (an abbreviated version of The Amazing Spider-Man #124, by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, John Romita, Sr., and Tony Mortellaro), where we learn that J. Jonah Jameson’s astronaut son John, having brought back a mysterious, glowing rock from a recent trip to the moon, is turning into the snarling, savage Man-Wolf at night. As if this wasn’t enough drama, all this takes place just as Spider-Man has reached his limit when it comes to JJJ’s vilifying him in The Daily Bugle. Spidey gets so enraged after reading one too many hit-pieces that he heads to JJJ’s office, ready to do … something. He arrives smack in the middle of the Man-Wolf attacking Jameson, and Spidey succeeds in chasing him off. He is shocked when Jameson demands Spider-Man not continue the hunt, and even threatens the Wall-Crawler if he does. Spider-Man, perplexed and furious, storms off.

Later, J. Jonah gets his son to tell him how all this came about, and even though John warns him to leave, Jonah doesn’t listen. Sure enough, John Jameson turns into a werewolf again, ready to attack his father. Spider-Man, never one to listen to JJJ, shows up and tests a “theory”—that the moon rock around the Man-Wolf’s neck is causing the transformations. In a wonderfully vivid, genuinely frightening (to the then-nine-year-old me, at least) moment, we hear Spidey forcibly rip the moon-rock pendant off of the Man-Wolf’s neck, sounding like it took a nice hunk of skin along with it. The voice actor playing the Man-Wolf (sadly, uncredited) lets loose a piercing howl, a moment as powerful anything Power Records ever produced. With John back to normal, JJJ is unwilling to bring his son to a doctor, because of the publicity that might generate. Spider-Man, disgusted, walks away, ignoring Jameson’s protests—a typically downbeat ending for a Power Records Marvel Comics story. While the other Spider-Man stories don’t quite reach the level of oomph that “The Mark of the Man-Wolf” does (maybe because “Man-Wolf” is the only Spider-Man story adapted from an actual Spidey comic book), they all have their moments of fun, excitement, and pure goofiness that were the hallmark of Power Records. In “Invasion of the Dragon Men” (the only other Spider-Man story to be produced as both a book-and-record set), an astronomy class heads out into the woods to do some star-gazing. Two kids, Jimmy and Sue, sneak off to neck in the woods (although from the way the voice actors play it, it sounds like its a bit more than that!). As written, Jimmy’s an unfunny jerk, but for some reason he’s able to talk Sue into making out (Sue, you can do better). A few moments later, the young couple come Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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Jonathan Miller

Not the best regarded of the many comic-book series that have starred Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up was a chance for Marvel to further exploit its most popular character, and also to spotlight various other characters and perhaps increase readers’ awareness of those characters as well. The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide found little to recommend it, dismissing the first and last thirds of the title’s 13-year run almost entirely. By the time the series was canceled in 1985, team-up titles were passé; Marvel Team-Up’s sister series Marvel Two-in-One had been canceled in 1983, as had DC’s The Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents would cease publication the following year. Commercial considerations aside, Marvel Team-Up was significant from a creative standpoint, expanding and solidifying the boundaries of the Marvel Universe by having the wide-ranging, disparate characters it encompassed encounter its central character, and since, almost by necessity, the stories would require his involving himself in the problems of innumerable friends and strangers, showcasing the essential aspect of Spider-Man’s character that—as much as anything— is responsible for his enduring popularity: his indefatigable readiness to act as good samaritan.

ODD COUPLES The series was admittedly formulaic; either Spider-Man or that issue’s guest-star would encounter a menace and then by sheer chance cross paths with another hero who would lend a hand. The title’s guest-stars were an equal mix of A-list characters whose presence was likely to increase sales and fledgling heroes being given exposure in the hopes of launching them into stardom but who for the most part continued to languish in obscurity. Werewolf by Night’s guest-shot in #12 (Aug. 1973) preceded the debut of his own long-running comic by a month, perhaps giving its launch extra momentum, but the Cat’s appearance in #8 (Apr. 1973) wasn’t enough to prevent her title’s cancellation following its next issue, although she would return to appear twice more in Team-Up as Tigra. Ghost Rider benefitted from meeting Spidey, who’d attended one of his shows with Mary Jane Watson in #15 (Nov. 1973), if his two subsequent guest-spots—in #58 (June 1977), in which Pete and MJ visit a film set where Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider’s alter ego, is working as a stunt cyclist, and #91 (Mar. 1980), which has Pete go to a carnival where Blaze is performing, this time with Glory Grant just for variety—are any indication. If the scripts were repetitive, they at least indicate that Ghost Rider was viable enough to be used again.

Fantasy Treasury Edition No, you collectors didn’t miss this tabloid comic—it’s a commission by John Byrne, colored by Derek Muthart, featuring some of Byrne’s Spider-Man co-stars from the artist’s stints on Marvel Team-Up. From the collection of Stuart Somershoe. Art © 2010 John Byrne. Characters © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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While fans of today may thrill to the big-budget Marvel films starring Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, and more, the late 1970s saw the Friends Of Old Marvel members supporting a very different set of heroes on the small screen. Transformed into live action over the space of just a few years were Captain America, Dr. Strange, the Incredible Hulk, and Spider-Man. And while today, the Amazing Spider-Man series is a bit of a low-tech, nearly forgotten curiosity, at the time it combined death-defying stunts with a costume and gadgets faithful to the comics—and despite rumors to the contrary, the Spider-Man series was actually a hit. So what was it, and why did it end? Settle on back while we spin a web with the answers… Peter Parker’s adventures as the web-headed superhero who could rarely catch a break began in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), courtesy of co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The character had just turned five years old when ABC debuted an animated “Spiderman” cartoon on September 9, 1967; the series came without its official title hyphen, but contained stories remarkably true to the comics, courtesy of animation company GrantrayLawrence and workers such as ex-Disney artist Shamus Culhane and a young Ralph Bakshi. Branded into the public consciousness by a jazzy theme song, the series was popular enough to garner 52 half-hour shows and last until September 1970, whereupon it entered into syndication and was shown for decades thereafter, worldwide. Spider-Man made the leap into live action first during the 1974–1977 seasons of the Children’s Television Workshop educational public-television series called The Electric Company [see accompanying article]. There he was played by actor Danny Seagren, but not only was he silent (word and thought balloons conveyed his dialogue) but his special effects were nearly nonexistent. During the same time period, Stan Lee sold CBS television and [executive producer] Daniel R. Goodman the rights to produce a primetime live-action Spider-Man series. Goodman teamed up with Charles Fries, an independent producer versed in both made-for-television movies and episodic series. The decision was made to launch Spider-Man as a two-hour pilot film that would be essentially true to the heroic premise of the comics; unfortunately, budgetary constraints and the popularity of other “real world” hero shows such as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman (not to mention, the about-to-debut series The Incredible Hulk)

Caught in the Web The Spider-Man cast gathers for a Season Two promotional image. From left to right: Ellen Bry (Julie Masters), Nicholas Hammond (Peter Parker), Robert F. Simon (J. Jonah Jameson), Chip Fields (Rita Conway), and above, Fred Waugh (stunt Spider-Man). Spider-Man TM & © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Andy Mangels

Evolution of a Spider Although Nicholas Hammond’s look as Daily Bugle photographer Peter Parker stayed consistent, Spider-Man’s costume changed from an early version that was completely faithful to the comics to a modified version with belt, wrist-cartridges, and leather-like boots. Spider-Man TM & © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

meant that the production team wouldn’t be using any of Spidey’s standard comic-book rogues’ gallery. In the excellent reference book by Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia, Science Fiction Television Series (McFarland, 1996), producer Daniel Goodman recalled a meeting in which Stan Lee had complained to the writers and CBS network executives that the show wasn’t enough like the comics. Goodman said, “My concept was to make Spider-Man more acceptable to a general audience than just to kiddies, and perhaps there was a clash of ideologies. We had to compromise as CBS was sold on my original sales presentation of a prime-time general audience show.”

CASTING AND COSTUMES Cast in the title role for the show was 28-year-old Nicholas Hammond, a veteran actor whose most famous role to that date had been as Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Although some critics cited that Hammond was too old for the role, since the character was now a grad student, the age worked in his favor as the character was written as more mature. “I liked the idea of taking a fantasy hero and making him believable as a person, Hammond said in Science Fiction Television Series. “I made it clear going into it that I wasn’t interested in doing something that was just a camp joke.” Hammond would later discover that the series was popular amongst poor inner-city kids, and he liked to reinforce the message of his character in public appearances. “Peter is given this power, and he has to make a moral choice … to use his power to try to help people. I always thought, ‘Gee, there’s a tremendous potential here.’” As established in the pilot, Peter Parker was a grad student who lived with his Aunt May (Jeff Donnell in the pilot, replaced later by Irene Tedrow). Other elements from the comics were integrated; Peter was a burgeoning photojournalist; the spider which bit him was irradiated (this time through contamination via nuclear waste); and the cranky Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson (David White of Bewitched fame in the pilot, replaced in the series by

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Spider Trivia: • This is the Second Season premiere episode. • Spider-Man has his belt back. • Fred Waugh performs a webbing/tightrope walking stunt live on-camera. • Any resemblance to the plot of the later film Die Hard is, we’re sure, a coincidence. —————————————— Episode 8: “A Matter of State” Airdate: September 12, 1978 Guest Stars: Andre (Nicolas Coster); Evans (John Crawford); Martin (James Victor); Carl (Michael Santiago) Writer: Howard Dimsdale Director: Larry Stewart When top-secret NATO papers are stolen from a government agent, Julie accidentally snaps pictures of a member of the conspiracy. Spider-Man must try to rescue Julie and secure the government defense plans before she’s killed and the plans utilized. Spider Trivia: • Peter’s flash of spider-sense has his eyes light up and flashing white now, though the images he sees are still a negative red and blue. • A scene with Spidey crawling up and down the Empire State Building from the 72nd to 80th floors resulted in not only huge crowds of on-lookers, but also a PR piece in TV Guide. • Some amazing shots from Spidey’s POV as he walks along the edge of the Empire State Building may leave viewers with vertigo. • Rita hints very strongly at the episode’s end that she knows that Peter Parker is also Spider-Man.

Episode 9: “The Con Caper” Airdate: November 25, 1978 Guest Stars: James Colbert (William Smithers); Cates (Ramon Bieri); McTeague (Andrew Robinson); Warden Rischer (Fred Downs) Writers: Brian McKay (story), Gregory S. Dinallo (teleplay) Director: Tom Blank When paroled ex-politician Colbert requests the help of J. Jonah Jameson and Rita, they’re duped by his apparent sincere desire to implement prison reforms. While Rita performs at the prison, Colbert aids two fellow convicts to escape in order to stage a spectacular robbery. Spider-Man must foil their plans, in a tough battle on the rooftops of New York. Spider Trivia: • Chip Fields sings her own folk song, “Who Am I?,” in this episode. • Fred Waugh as Spider-Man does another tightrope walk, this time between buildings. —————————————— Episode 10: “The Kirkwood Haunting” Airdate: December 30, 1978 Guest Stars: Ganz (Paul Carr); Dr. Anthony Polarsky (Peter MacLean); Lisa Kirkwood (Marlyn Mason); Dr. Davis (Peggy McCay) Writer: Michael Michaelian Director: Don McDougall Jameson assigns Peter to investigate the claims of a wealthy military widow that she’s being haunted in the Kirkwood mansion; he believes someone is trying to bilk the woman out of her money. Spider-Man soon finds himself facing some scary paranormal phenomenon—and some on-site zoo animals—but can he prove the supernatural wrong? Spider Trivia: • Spider-Man fights lions and bears in this one, but no tigers are in sight. • Episodes of both CBS series The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman had similar plots in which supernatural and psychic events were debunked as hoaxes. —————————————— Episode 11: “Photo Finish” Airdate: February 7, 1979 Guest Stars: Mrs. Gray (Jennifer Billingsley); Police Lieutenant (Charles Haid); Weldon Gray (Geoffrey Lewis)

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Episode 7: “The Captive Tower” Airdate: September 5, 1978 Co-Stars: J. J. Jameson (Robert F. Simon); Rita (Chip Fields); Julie Masters (Ellen Bry) Guest Stars: Agent E. W. Forster (David Sheiner); Farnum (Todd Susman); Hammer (Warren Vanders); Duke (Fred Lerner) Writers: Gregory S. Dinallo (teleplay), Bruce Kalish and Philip John Taylor (story) Director: Cliff Bole After a gang of terrorists lay siege to a New York skyscraper and take 25 hostages—including Rita and Julie—Spider-Man must come to the rescue … working alongside the NYPD!

Writer: Howard Dimsdale Director: Tony Ganz Assigned to photograph Weldon Gray’s rare coin collection, Peter is knocked out in a robbery. Later, he develops photos of the assault which implicate Gray’s ex-wife in the robbery, but Peter believes that she’s innocent. Rather than provide the incriminating film to the police, Peter goes to jail … but he must escape from behind bars as Spider-Man to uncover the real plot of the villains! Spider Trivia: • In the opening scenes, a theater marquee shows that Star Wars is playing! • When Spider-Man bends a set of prison bars, it’s one of the few times he’s shown using his spider-strength in the series. • Peter Parker not only disappears from a jail overnight without being noticed, but he also somehow smuggles his costume into prison with him, and conceals a bullet wound in his leg! —————————————— Episode 12: “Wolfpack” Airdate: February 21, 1979 Guest Stars: George Hansen (Alan Arbus); David (Gavan O’Herlihy); Art (Will Seltzer) Writer: Steve Kandel Director: Joseph Manduke When university students accidentally create a chemical which causes total submissive obedience, it falls into the clutches of the evil George Hansen of the Sorgenson Chemical company. Soon students, security guards, and soldiers are trying to steal the Guttenberg Bible, valuable gems from an exhibit, and more. Spider Trivia: • This the only episode since the pilot in which Peter’s science student background is utilized.

Episode 13: “The Chinese Web” Airdate: July 6, 1979 Guest Stars: Emily (Rosalind Chao); Evans (Hagan Beggs); Mr. Zeider (Richard Erdman); Jonathan Fleming/Roderick Dent (John Milford); Min Lo Chan (Benson Fong) Writer: Lionel E. Siegel Director: Don McDougall This final 95-minute episode finds Spider-Man traveling to China, where he is caught in a web of international intrigue. Jameson sends Peter Parker to find a Marine named Dent after Min Lo Chan, China’s Minister of Industrial Development is accused of spying on the US during World War II. Dent can prove Chan’s innocence, but a wealthy industrialist named Zeider has other plans for Chan and Dent. Even with the help of Emily, Chan’s niece’s, Spider-Man still has his hands full in Hong Kong, facing foes unlike any he’s faced before. Spider Trivia: • Spider-Man is once again shot, but recovers from his wound without much trouble. • Emily is the first female romantic interest who finds out that Peter is actually Spider-Man. • Stunt for this story include fights in a working newspaper printing plant, on subway tracks, on boats in Hong Kong’s Aberdeen harbor, and others. • This episode was partially helmed in China at the same time that the Japanese were filming their own Spider-Man series! [See accompanying article.]

P. C . H a m e r l i n c k

Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow Between the dark valleys of buildings (Spider-Man!) Eyes sparkle with the flash of anger (Spider-Man!) Giving up peace, giving up everything Chasing evil through the skies Change Leopardon! Why do you, why do you … … choose to continue to fight, risking your own life? With only one goal, with only one goal … … the invincible man, Spider-Man! Spider-Man! – Lyrics to opening theme - Toei (Japan) Spider-Man TV series (1978–1979) Toei Co. spun its own uniquely foreign web when adapting Spider-Man to television when their imaginative superhero series premiered in Japan on May 17, 1978. On that momentous Wednesday evening, prominent scientist Dr. Yamashiro was killed after learning of an impending alien invasion from outer space. The scientist’s son, motocross champion Yamashiro Takuya, pursued his father’s killers (the “Tetsu Juji Dan,” a.k.a. the Steel Cross Squad—a top-secret organization collaborating with the space invaders). Takuya is mortally wounded by Steel Cross agents—but is saved by a compassionate alien named Galia (whose home planet

“Spider Star” had been annihilated by the extraterrestrial aggressors). The mysterious Galia imparted Takuya with “Spider Ekisu” (Spider X or Spider Extract—undoubtedly come kind of spider venom concoction) which transformed Takuya’s genetic structure and endowed him with abundant and “amazing” talents and strength. While he had abilities similar to those of his American counterpart (like “Spider-sense”), the Japanese doppelganger was gifted with extra gadgets and muscle. Sorry, tiger, but our overseas friend seemed a tad stronger than you … he could lift many times his own body weight and could rapidly maneuver around with the agility of an actual spider that had undergone martial-arts training. Additionally, he enjoyed the opulence of having his own “Healing Factor,” a handy regenerative power to clear up those nasty broken bones and bruises after fierce battles with colossal-sized fiends. Even Spider-Man’s costume (self-assuredly referred to as the “Spider Protector”) was its own source for supplementary powers such as sticking to walls and ceilings, controlled in unison on a cognizant level. And, as is always practical in the superhero business, his Spider-suit was also flame retardant and bulletproof. The Spider-Man from abroad always wore around his wrist a large, multi-use “Spider Bracelet.” The bracelet’s main function was to shoot out webbing—a.k.a. “Spider Strings” (uh, rope)—which he used to swing from building to building, and “Spider Nets” (tennis, anyone?) used to bind together large objects or entangle antagonists. Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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Far From His Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (left) Stuntman Hirofumi Koga as Spider-Man. (right) The devilish Deep-sea King makes Spidey hopping mad. Special thanks to George Khoury and Jason Hofius, authors of the must-have book Age of TV Heroes (below), for the images. Spider-Man TM & © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

And when Spider-Man is not in his Spider-threads, he stores them back in the bracelet, similar to the transformations of Barry Allen/the Flash. The “Spider Bracelet” also served as a mini-computer— no, not for Googling, but to help the hero keep tabs on all his enemies as well as distantly communicate with his two versatile vehicles: the “Spider Machine GP-7” and the “Marveler,” two hot-wheeled bonuses that Galia kindly threw into Takuya’s Spider-deal. The “Spider Machine GP-7” was Spidey’s full-loaded, multi-functional combat car that cruised at unparalleled speeds and that could also lift off and fly up into the sky. It easily repelled any enemy gunfire and was itself heavily laden with various rocket launchers, machine guns, and other weapons, and could be securely stored away inside the substantially larger “Marveler” machine when not in use. “Leopardon” was Spider-Man’s multi-functional, 196-foot, 20,000-ton robot that Spider-Man himself piloted while inside of it. “Leo” was outfitted with a fantastic arsenal that included the “Arc Turn” boomerang (that would literally slice up his opponents) and his “Sword Vigor” (situated inside his foot and used to smash anyone in his way). The aforementioned “Marveler” (affectionately named after Stan’s House of Ideas, no doubt) is actually Leopardon’s alternate form of a gargantuan flying car (also armed with the standard bells and whistles and weapons). Takuya (Spider-Man) was loyally assisted by three individuals unaware of his secret identity: Sakuma Hitomi, Takuya’s girlfriend who, like Peter Parker, was a professional photographer and, like Lois Lane, her inquisitive nature often jeopardized her safety; Tamashiro Shinko, Takuya’s feisty younger sister and college student who used to assist their father in his scientific research; and Yamashiro Takuji, Takuya’s little brother, who also had a propensity for getting into trouble … but he could always depend on his favorite superhero to rally round him. Spider-Man’s evil opponents, the “Tetsu Juji Dan” (Steel Cross Squad), were part of an invading group that plan to do to Earth what

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they did to Gaila’s home planet. The Squad was led by a Dr. Doom look-alike named Monster Kyojyu (Dr. Monster/Prof. Monster), a semi-cyborg tyrant and biochemist who sought to genetically manipulate all living beings into his own grotesque creations. Dr. Monster was affably abetted by the dazzling but deadly Amazoness, a female assassin/supervillain who also worked as a double-agent in the guise of Yoshida Saeko, editor-in-chief of Shukan Woman (Weekly Woman) magazine (where Takuya’s girlfriend also happened to work), putting Saeko in sort of a J. Jonah Jameson-oncrack role. (There were also two competent, bow-andarrow-toting spies named Bella and Lita who every so often gave Amazoness a run for her money.) Marvel and Toei came up with a licensing agreement for Spider-Man in 1977. At the onset of the deal, Toei intended to adapt the character with its source material intact—but for whatever reason, the studio slid back into their own comfort zone of flying cars, massive monsters, and gigantic robots. The agreement between the two companies also had Marvel create a US comic-book series based on some of Toei’s oversized robot characters— resulting in 20 issues of Shogun Warriors (1979–1980). Toei also licensed the Shoguns to Mattel for a series of action figures … where the ephemeral plastic toys would escape the loss in translation far greater than the venerable Wall-Crawler did in the Land of the Rising Sun. All 41 episodes of the Spider-Man Toei Co. series are currently available for free viewing (with English subtitles) at Marvel.com. Additional background information on the Web-Slinger’s Japanese exploits can be found in Jason Hofius and George Khoury’s sensestingling book, Age of TV Heroes, available from TwoMorrows. Captain Marvel historian P.C. HAMERLINCK is the editor of FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), appearing in the pages of our sister publication, Roy Thomas’ Alter Ego magazine.

Michael Aushenker

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man launched with a mighty THWIP! in 1976. With a, um, “spectacular” run that stretched through the late 1990s, the second official Wall-Crawler series (its title eventually shortened to Spectacular Spider-Man) truly represented Marvel Comics’ irradiated Web-Slinger during his peak. “My God, when were doing it,” longtime Spectacular artist Sal Buscema tells BACK ISSUE, “Amazing Spider-Man would sell over 300,000 a month. Spectacular Spider-Man sold 200,000 a month, and Alex Saviuk on Web of SpiderMan sold another 200,000. Between the three titles, we sold nearly a million Spider-Man comics a month.” By comparison, Marvel pops open the champagne if Amazing Spider-Man sells in excess of 50,000 a month these days. For the first time ever, the men behind Spectacular Spider-Man give fans an exclusive look at the mirth, the mayhem, and the myth-making behind the WallCrawler’s long-running spin-off series.

A SPECTACULAR BEGINNING Spectacular Spider-Man began with a false start. The success of The Amazing Spider-Man––launched by the eponymous character’s creators, writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko in 1963––led to a short-lived 1968 magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, meant to compete with the black-and-white mags popularized by Warren Publishing. In 1972, Marvel launched Marvel Team-Up, a standard-format comic in which Ol’ Web-Head paired up with a different hero/heroes in each issue. Reprint title Marvel Tales followed, but neither of these titles created a brand-new ongoing continuity akin to Amazing’s. That all changed in December 1976, when Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (PPTSS) debuted with Archie Goodwin as the series’ inaugural editor. Gerry Conway, who started writing comics professionally at the tender age of 16, was not intimidated by the, um, great responsibility that came with Amazing Spider-Man. After originator Stan Lee left the series, Roy Thomas had done some interim issues, and Conway became Amazing’s second permanent writer. “I was 18 or 19 when I took it over,” Conway tells BACK ISSUE. “You have to keep in mind that in 1971, the book had not even been around for ten years. It was not like Superman, which was around for decades [with multiple titles]. The Spider-Man book felt more homespun. Like we were winging it.” Conway started writing Spectacular after a brief one-and-a-half-month reign as Marvel’s editor-inchief during a chaotic time when the company was understaffed and overwhelmed with titles to publish. Amid all this anarchy came a new arachnid-hero title. “The reason Spectacular Spider-Man existed was so that I would have something to write,” says Conway,

The Original Spectacular Spider-Man John Romita, Sr.’s utterly … spectacular cover painting to The Spectacular SpiderMan #2 (Nov. 1968), the magazine which preceded the long-running monthly comic of the same name. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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A SPECTACULAR LEGACY

To say that Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man was a success would be understatement. The book ran for 263 issues across 22 years. “In the big picture, Spectacular Spider-Man always did its job,” DeFalco says. “I give everybody a tremendous amount of credit. The whole goal was to help all the books. It was a real community spirit. We were doing Spider-Man. It was cool.” With Spider-Man came great responsibility, Conway says: “I always tried to do my best work in those books that would equal the impact that the book had on me as a youth.” “It’s a weird thing with me,” DeMatteis told a reporter in 2003, “even Spider-Man feels autobiographical. Not always in a literal sense, but I would put things in there––sometimes very intimate things––that came from my life.” Asked which were his favorite characters, Buscema, who worked on Spectacular longer than any other book, responds with a twinkle in his voice: “The Green Goblin. He’s just a phenomenal character and I loved J. Jonah Jameson, too. They’re such characters and they were really a lot of fun to draw. I’m not sure if this is unique among artists but it’s more fun to draw grisly, nasty people than beautiful people.” He was proud to see some of what he and DeMatteis created “emulated in [the movie] Spider-Man 3. And I was surprised by how much they pulled from the death of the Green Goblin.” In May 2010, DeFalco launched yet another Spider-Girl revival dubbed (you guessed it!) Spectacular Spider-Girl, which Buscema inks. The book, with pencils and character designs by ’80s-era Amazing artist Ron Frenz, radiates Bronze.

Big Trouble (right) Dragon Man drops in on this original page from Spectacular Spider-Man #236 (July 1996); breakdowns by Sal Buscema with finishes by John Stanisci. (above) OMG! Norman Osborn’s back!! Cover to #255 by John Romita, Jr. and Scott Hanna. © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc.

DeFalco believes that his Spider-Man experience, including Spectacular, has influenced his longrunning Spider-Girl comics, which propelled the latter—his creation—to become the most enduring superheroine in the Marvel Universe, out-distancing She-Hulk and Spider-Woman (and, yes, Dazzler). Salicrup—who today, via his comic-book company Papercutz, works with Peter David on Classics Illustrated—has enjoyed his share of Spectacular moments: “Recently, while attending a taping of the Comic Book Club podcast, I was shocked that Daily Show writer Elliot Kalan mentioned Spectacular villain Banjo, created by Gerry and Sal. That was the first time anyone mentioned that obscure villain to me since the comic first appeared! “Another highlight of editing Spectacular was when we had Slaves of New York author Tama Janowitz made a cameo appearance. She even plugged the appearance on David Letterman.” “Spectacular was always the red-headed stepchild of the Spider-books,” says Stern. “It came into existence mainly because upper management wanted another Spider-Man title, and Gerry Conway was around to launch it. When Gerry left early, there was a bit of a scramble to figure out what to do with the title. For some time, it was looked upon as the B-book, with Amazing being the A-book. “On the other hand, Spectacular gave me the opportunity to get comfortable writing Spider-Man, without the intense pressure of working on Amazing. By the time DeFalco signed on as editor and offered me Amazing, I’d gotten enough experience that I felt comfortable taking the assignment.” As for Conway, he retired from writing feature and television scripts a few years ago. He says that although he feels that he has achieved a fair amount of success in the entertainment industry, he did not care for the politics. “When you’re dealing with people who absolutely don’t know what they’re doing, it’s [demoralizing],” Conway surmises. “I had left [a staff writer position on] Law & Order: Criminal Intent at a pretty high level of success and I spent a year going around having meetings and my heart just wasn’t in it. I’m a much happier person now.” With a WGA pension and health coverage to cushion him, Conway can now put Hollywood behind him and focus on the writing he cares about. In May, DC released the trade paperback collecting his series The Last Days of Animal Man. Conway also reunited with Salicrup on several Hardy Boys graphic novels for Papercutz. “Comics were the first thing I fell in love with as a reader and they have remained a touchstone,” Conway says. He waits a beat, then adds, laughing, “Probably to my detriment.” MICHAEL AUSHENKER is the humor cartoonist behind Cartoon Flophouse comics. He lives in Pacific Palisades, CA. Visit www.CartoonFlophouse.com and his daily blog: cartoonflophouse.blogspot.com.

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The hardest part was always the waiting. At the end of each issue of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book, Spidey would be on the verge of defeat at the hands of his latest nemesis, and I would have to wait until next month to find out how the story turned out. It was tantamount to torture, at least for a 12-year-old. If only you could get a daily dose of Spidey… With the continued success of Spider-Man in comic books, television cartoons, and other media, it is no surprise that Marvel latched on to the funny pages as another forum for the Web-Slinger. In fact, Marvel editor and writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr. prepared a proposal for a Spider-Man newspaper strip around 1970, with two weeks of strips featuring a villain called the Phantom Burglar, but it never got off the ground. It was not until 1977 that the Marvel mascot debuted in newsprint, courtesy of the Register and Tribune Syndicate (now owned by King Features). Converting a comic book into a comic strip was harder than you might think. The challenge was one of scale, as Stan Lee explained in issue #1208 of Comics Buyer’s Guide: “The biggest problem was how to do a fight scene in a newspaper strip. If Spider-Man punches a character in the jaw, you have to wait until panel one of the next day for him to fall down!”

Dewey Cassell

STAN THE MAN AND JAZZY JOHNNY

Comic Strip “Thwip!”

To meet the challenge, Lee once again paired with perennial Spider-Man artist and Marvel art director John Romita. Together, they managed to pare Peter Parker down to size, in part by focusing as much on Parker as on his alter ego. (Lee has even likened the strip to a “superhero soap opera.”) In some respects, it is not surprising that formula worked, given that it was the very human failings of Spider-Man that made the character so appealing in comic books. Over the years, the strip has featured other Marvel comic-book heroes, too, including Dr. Strange, Daredevil, and the Sub-Mariner, as well as classic Spidey villains like Dr. Doom, Kraven the Hunter, the Kingpin, Mysterio, and Dr. Octopus, but the newspaper stories themselves are largely unique. Supporting characters like Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn appeared early on in the strip, but were phased out over time. Part of the rationale for not maintaining continuity with the comic books is that newspaper readers may not be familiar with the comic-book canon. There have only been three occasions when the newspaper strip directly paralleled the storylines in the comic books. The first was the wedding of Peter Parker to Mary Jane Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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The Clone Saga has its origins in Amazing Spider-Man #142 (Mar. 1975), written by Gerry Conway, an issue featuring the return of a female looking remarkably like the recently deceased Gwen Stacy. This led to a six-month storyline that proved the Gwen Stacy lookalike to be a clone created through a misplaced act of love by the Jackal, also known as Miles Warren, Gwen and Peter’s Biology professor at Empire State University. The first clone storyline ended with the Jackal forcing Peter Parker to fight a clone of himself in Amazing Spider-Man #149 (Oct. 1975). To learn more about the early days of the Clone Saga, I talked with Conway about the original 1970s storyline. – Keith Veronese KEITH VERONESE: Why did you choose to bring back Gwen Stacy after she was killed in Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973)? GERRY CONWAY: That was in response to a demand by Stan Lee. Stan was doing appearances at colleges and was being pummeled by some fans for the death of Gwen Stacy. Instead of saying, “This is just a story, we’re happy with how it turned out,” he said, “Oh, no, it was a terrible mistake, I wasn’t in the room when they decided what they were doing, I was out of town on vacation,” and so on. So he told us we had to bring her back. And we said, “Stan, it’s not like she went missing. [laughs] She’s dead, and there is no way we could legitimately bring her back.” And if we did bring her back, the fans would be very upset, because we made it very clear that she was dead. And Stan said, “I don’t care what you do, I don’t care how long you bring her back for, she has to come back.” So, after dealing with some in-house humor about that (Steve Gerber said we should bring her back in a backup story and call her “Grave House Gwen”), we decided to bring her back as a clone, and not as Gwen Stacy, and actually deal with the fact that this was not the Gwen that Peter had mourned. And that was the basic impetus for the whole thing. It wasn’t a creative decision per se, as it was a fiat handed down by Stan Lee. VERONESE: One thing I liked during your tenure on Amazing Spider-Man was that in the absence of Gwen Stacy you were able to bring Mary Jane to the forefront. CONWAY: That was the intention. That’s why I decided to kill off Gwen in the first place. I preferred Mary Jane as a character and as a love interest to Peter. VERONESE: How did the Spider-Clone come into all of this? As of Amazing Spider-Man #142, there is Gwen Stacy Clone and the Jackal, and then seven issues later we have the Jackal staging a fight between the Spider-Clone and Spider-Man in Shea Stadium. CONWAY: One of the things I was trying to do at that time was take ideas to their logical, yet absurd conclusion, reductio ad absurdum. The idea there was that if we have Gwen Stacy brought back as a clone, how can I up the stakes when I get rid of her? When I write her out of the book, what can I do to make that really effective and to punctuate it, to bring it to the next level? And I thought, if we can clone Gwen, we can certainly clone Peter. I was also at that time enamored with titles that played off of old, melodramatic Stan Lee titles of the past. I did

Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Issue

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