Review- Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day: The Stuff Of Legend (Th3rdworld Studios, cover date 2016)

I have always found this concept to be interesting and have wanted to read more, but time and money haven't allowed me to do so. Fortunately for me my son has shown me the joy of checking out books from the library. I have checked out the first volume in the series and am looking forward to reading it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Mix Tape 2016 (Devil's Due/ First Comics, cover date 2016)

Like the title states, this is a sampler of different titles. Mercy Sparx and Badger are both readable yet not very memorable. Squarriors is fascinating, though. Beautifully drawn, cleverly written, it is something that is worth a second look. How To Dragon Your Train is amusing and well done.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

FCBD: March (Top Shelf, cover date, 2016)

I have heard much buzz about this comic, which is the story of the Civil Rights movement. It is a powerful story presented in black and white. Comic books are every bit as legitimate an art form as music, literature, and the cinema. Like those artforms, comics are capable of being anything under the sun. March uses the strengths of this unique medium (pictures and words) to great effect and delivers a read that is as powerful as the real life message that inspired it. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day: The Phantom (Hermes Press, cover date 2016)

This is a sampling of Jim Aparo's brilliant take on the character from 1970. Hermes' restoration is a bit off. They should either do full blown, frame up restoration or cleaned up raw scans. Their hybrid approach doesn't work for me. My OCD homeskillet Ferjo Byroy owns all of these Phantom Archives and strip books. Maybe someday I will borrow them from him.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Worlds Of Aspen 2016 #1 (Aspen Comics, cover date May, 2016)

This is slick and polished and enjoyable enough...just not enough for me to plunk down money and buy.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

Assassin's Creed: Free Comic Book Day (Titan Comics, cover date May, 2016)

I know nothing about the video game, as I don't play video games. That aside, this is good stuff as a comic book. Everything works, the art is good, and the hook is strong. I have no idea how this relates to the game if at all, but as a comic book I liked it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Avatarex: Free Comic Book Day Special Preview (Graphic India, cover date 2016)

Grant Morrison is prolific, that's for sure. He bounces from stuff like Batman to creator owned stuff and everywhere in between. Avatarex reminds me of Atomika for some reason, only with more mainstream friendly artwork. The other story in this book is a preview of 18 Days, another heady, larger than life concept. Both of these concepts are interesting, but not interesting enough to get me to open my wallet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5. 

Reviews- LOGAN'S RUN: AFTERMATH, Mystery Men #1, and Barack The Barbarian #2

LOGAN'S RUN: AFTERMATH (Bluewater, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Logan's Run: Aftermath Nos. 1-4 (cover dates May-August, 2011) plus the digital only 5 and 6

Writer: Paul J. Salamoff

Artists: Phillip Simpson, Mike Dorman, Carsten Biernat, and Angel Bernuy

Colorists: Aurelio Alfonso, Juan Martin, and Jesse Heagy

This is set in the continuity of the original novel but fans who only know of the movie will be able to piece things together easily enough. This book has been in limbo for years, ever since Diamond revised their policies of what size comic companies they will and won't deal with. Many small press publishers were kicked to the curb with no viable distribution to comic shops. Haven tried but comics is a tough business for the big guys, let alone for a start-up distribution company.

Boring business talk aside, this is a good read with subpar artwork and coloring. While the 2010 mini-series Logan's Run: Last Day was outstanding, the artwork here detracts from the reading experience. I enjoyed this but would have liked it more with better artwork. Many of these artists are greenhorns whose best work is likely still ahead of them, so I'll cut them some slack.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is a print on demand book, making the idea of ascertaining what “printing” a book is irrelevant. It's maddening in it's own way, though.

This book is smaller than a standard trade paperback release and is what the industry calls the Graphic Novel-Trade Paperback size, whatever that means. The dimensions are 5.8 x 8.8 inches (14.732 x 22.352 centimeters for my friends in the Metric system measuring world outside of the United States, Liberia, and Burma).

Issues 5 and 6 of the Last Day mini-series remain uncollected. Hashtag sadface.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Issue 1's Cover B.

Paper rating: 4.25 out of 5. This has a surprisingly decent weight coated stock paper, which shocked me given the independent, small press print on demand thing.

Binding rating: 2 out of 5. While the glued binding is solid and doesn't creak, man is it tight. It takes a lot of effort to hold open and read. If the book were heavier it could be used as a pectoral workout machine.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.5 out of 5. While the cover doesn't have a super thick lamination, it is decent and scuff resistant. I'm happy.

This is available as a print on demand book at Comic Flea Market.

Here is my review of the other Bluewater book, Logan's Run: Last Day.

The outstanding LOGAN'S RUN: LAST DAY TP is available at InStockTrades!

 

You can also buy NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD VOL. 1 TP and HC as well as EX MACHINA VOL. 10 TP at InStockTrades. (They were featured in the same posting for my review of Last Day).

Mystery Men #1 (Marvel, cover date August, 2011)

Writer: David Liss

Artist: Patrick Zircher

Colorist: Andy Troy

Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, MI was having their end of summer sale where they blow out dead inventory like this at 90% off cover price. I was curious about this series when it first came out and had thought about checking out the inevitable collected edition but things get by me. Time and money, wife and kids, folks. Anyways, I snagged it for a cool 30 cents and thought that it was really good stuff. It takes place in Marvel Universe continuity in the pulp hero era of the early 1930s when The Shadow and Doc Savage ruled the newsstands. Great writing, great artwork, and great coloring. I will make it a point to check the trade or hardcover out at some point...if I don't forget about it again.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

Barack The Barbarian #2 (Devil's Due, cover date July, 2009)

Writer: Larry Hama

Artist: Christopher Schons

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Another 90% off find at Green Brain, this complements my copy of issue 1 which I got for free on Free Comic Book Day 2013. This is filled with groan inducing bad puns but I found it worth a chuckle. Fun political parody from a time when it seemed like Obama was going to fix the country. Now we're knee deep in the Government spying on our electronic communications and cellphone calls and about to enter another war. Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss...

Back to the comic at hand, this is filled with parodies of people in the political spotlight of 2008-2009. Red Sarah, Boosh The Dim, Hilaria, Harry Burden, Limbow (a creature who takes prescription potions which make him impervious to pain), and of course Choler (Ann Coulter), a barbed tongue monstrosity, among others. This comic will only become more dated as time goes on, with comic fans of the future not being able to make much sense of the gags. Oh well, for 35 cents it was a gas.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

Review- HALLOWEEN VOL. 1: NIGHTDANCE

HALLOWEEN VOL. 1: NIGHTDANCE (Devil's Due, 2008; Softcover)

Collects Halloween: Nightdance Nos. 1-4 (cover dates February- May, 2008)

Writer: Stefan Hutchinson

Artist: Tim Seeley

The dangers of upgrading, exhibit A. The now nearly-defunct Devil's Due had solicited a Halloween Omnibus in 2009, which would've collected this mini-series as well as the Halloween: 30 Years of Terror one-shot and Halloween: The Death of Laurie Strode mini-series. Devil's Due hit a couple of hurdles: 1. Like many companies, the financial meltdown in the Fall of 2008, and 2. Diamond Comic Distributors implementing minimum sales requirements for publishers, essentially banishing many small press publishers to Haven Distributors. The problem with that is that Haven was basically two guys in a garage, and was a Hodge-podge operation that failed to make any inroads. It is unfortunate because the small press is where the stars of tomorrow come from. Who knows if the next Ed Brubaker will ever get his break now. I made the mistake of dumping this on eBay when they solicited the Omnibus, only to have it delayed for a year, and eventually be cancelled outright. By that time it was out of print, but I managed to find a copy after a lengthy search. I have since discovered that you can find this on remainder type websites for a few bucks. D'OH!

None of which has anything to do with this book. Halloween: Nightdance is a great read, exceeding anything in the film franchise with the exception of the original 1978 film. The artwork and writing are both top notch, unlike the cheesy Scream flavored Horror in the abysmal H20 film. Michael Myers, a/k/a The Shape, is at his brutal best here. They should show this to a studio and say Look, this is how a Halloween movie should look. While I found the Rob Zombie helmed films somewhat enjoyable, this book has a better story by far.

The OCD zone- The cover is uncoated, and can be scuffed easily. While this particular copy is scuff free, my original copy did get scuffed. The gutters are a bit tight, with some of the monologue boxes sinking to the level of being barely readable. This is the result of Devil's Due not resizing the pages to compensate for the smaller page spread available in a trade paperback versus a single comic book. All of the covers are in the back of the book, an annoyance, but every variant cover is included, which is a plus.

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Review: Golden Age Sheena- The Best of the Queen of the Jungle Vol. 1

GOLDEN AGE SHEENA: THE BEST OF THE QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE VOL. 1(Devil’s Due, 2008; Softcover)

Collects selections from Jumbo Comics Nos. 8, 30, 48, 58, 74, 79, 90, 100, 148 and Sheena No. 12 (cover dates June-July, 1939- Summer, 1951)

Writer: Unknown

Artists: Bob Powell, Bob Webb, Matt Baker, Dan Zolnerowich, Joe Doolin, Nick Viscardi, John Martin, Artie Saaf, Will Eisner and possibly others

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is an important comic book character. Her first appearance in comic books pre-dates Superman, while also earning her the distinction of being the first female comic book character to headline her own title. The vile Dr. Frederic Wertham unfairly targeted Sheena, along with EC Comics, in his book Seduction of the Innocent. This all led up to the Senate sub-committee hearings on comic books contributing to juvenile delinquency in the 1950s. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I was blown away by the high quality writing and artwork throughout this book. This is a sampler, and it is apparent that a high standard was maintained for a prolonged period of time. These comic books reflect the mores of the time, and as such, the rampant sexism and racism portrayed here could be considered offensive to modern audiences. I find this stuff unintentionally funny, and find it hard to believe that this sort of stuff was openly passed off as entertainment to children and teenagers at the time. I adore the violence and action throughout this book, though. This is pretty hard-edged stuff. I love this title, and it's a pity that there are only two collections of this vintage material available. 

It's unfortunate that Devil's Due is essentially belly up at this point, because I'd love to see a comprehensive series of hardcovers collecting the whole of the run of this title. I believe that Moonstone has taken up the franchise as of late, but their low-fi trade paperbacks are not optimal for this material. I hope that Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, or Craig Yoe would take it upon themselves to bring this material back to the masses.

The OCD zone- This book has the biggest contrast in presentation that I've ever seen. High resolution scans, with no touch-ups, reveal a warts and all approach the belies the slick coated stock of paper used. To see aged comic books and covers with dog eared corners and chunks missing on modern paper is a bizarre combination that really seems to work for some odd reason. It doesn't sound like it, but it really does, and it is extremely pleasing to the eye. My only gripe is that the gutters are extremely tight, the result of jamming the wider Golden Age comics into the narrower modern comic book dimensions.

Valley of the Junk Food For Thought

No longer am I just a nut who rants and raves about comic books in his blog. Now I am a nut who rants and raves about his blog and has been published. That's right, I am this month's fan reviewer in Comics Buyer's Guide #1668, available at comic book specialty shops and finer newsstands everywhere on June 16. They altered one of my sentences in my review for Vincent Price Presents #17, and now it makes no sense, and spell-checked 'cartoony' for cartooned in my review for Creepy #3. Regardless, it was an absolute thrill to see print. Now, back to our regularly unscheduled program...

IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 1 (Boom, 2009)

Collects Irredeemable Nos. 1-4 (cover dates April- July, 2009)

This was an X-Mas present, and while it was entertaining and intriguing, I am going to say 'no' to the rest of this series for the time being. I only have so much discretionary income for these things, and enough is enough. Sorry Mark Waid and Boom Studios, nothing personal, I just can't keep up with everything going on in this hobby anymore.




EXCALIBUR VISIONARIES: ALAN DAVIS VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2010)

Collects Excalibur (Vol. 1) Nos. 51-58 and Excalibur: XX Crossing (cover dates June- Early December, 1992)

The issues where Alan Davis actually draws the title are great. The ones where he doesn't...not so great. There are a couple of issues which were plotted by Alan Davis, but scripted by Scott Lobdell, a third rate writer who overwrites everything. When Davis is in the driver's seat, though, this is a good time. I love his action sequences, as their is a fluidity to them that is just amazing. You can almost 'see' the movement in your mind. I can't wait for Volume 3.




ESSENTIAL MOON KNIGHT VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Marvel Fanfare Nos. 30, 38, Moon Knight (Vol. 1) Nos. 31-38, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu Nos. 1-6, and material from Marvel Fanfare No. 39, Marvel Super Heroes Spring Special No. 1 and Solo Avengers No. 3 (cover dates May, 1983- May, 1990)

Quality stuff by various writers and artists. Moon Knight was 'adult', 'dark' and 'gritty' even before Watchmen and other comic books made it fashionable.

It's funny how time changes your perspective on things. I recalled buying Moon Knight "for a while" in the '80s, but in actuality I bought Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu Nos. 1-3 off of the spinner racks at 7-11 circa 1985. 3 whole issues. The thing is, back then I read each comic book that I bought around a dozen times, so each issue that I bought seemed more important than now, when I read something once and hope that one day I will read it again. I am likely among the last of the Amish children, as I grew up in a household with no cable TV, the Internet was something out of science fiction, and interacting with other comic book fans meant talking to my two other friends who bought comic books... positively Little House on the Prairie to the kids out there today.




GOLDEN AGE SHEENA: THE BEST OF THE QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE VOL. 2 (Devil’s Due, 2009)

Collects material from Jumbo Comics Nos. 31, 51, 81, 84, 87, 92, 99, 107, 131 (cover dates September, 1941- January, 1950)

I got this in a $5 trades box, which is sort of like the quarter box equivalent for all of you floppy buyers out there. I was blown away by the quality of the artists of the Eisner/ Iger Studios. I was also blown away by the sexual overtones and graphic violence for the era, chuckling as I read this because this was marketed to children. Too funny. I would love to see some company sell this stuff to a child today. This is also as politically incorrect as every other Golden Age comic book. They feature another Jumbo back-up feature, Sky Doll by Matt Baker (credited as Bill Gibson) as a bonus, and I would love to read more of that stuff too. I am going to hunt down Vol. 1 of GA Sheena.

The restoration of the material in this book is interesting. High resolution scans with slight color correction to take the yellowing out of the pulp paper and printed on slick paper. For some reason, these contrasting presentations work very well together. I like seeing the dots, the line bleed, the imperfections of the aged paper itself. I love fully restored and remastered collections of vintage material, and I love this warts-and-all approach as well.





X-MEN LEGACY: EMPLATE (Marvel, 2010)

Collects X-Men Legacy Nos. 228-230 and X-Men Legacy Annual No. 1 (cover dates November, 2009- February, 2010)

This was middle-of-the-road X-Men. Nothing groundbreaking or terribly interesting happening here. Gambit still sucks and needs to be killed off, though.




THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 3 (Image, 2009)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 13-18 (cover dates February- August, 2009)

*SIGH* Only one more trade left, and then this series is done. Bummer. I actually enjoy reading this title, and look forward to seeing things unfold.

This trade was delayed some 5-6 months from it's original solicitation date because Image did a last minute switch from printing it in Canada to China. Like many Chinese made trades, this has a wonderfully intoxicating fragrance. I imagine 8-9 year old children working in sweat shops, pouring broken asbestos tiles, lead paint chips, and mercury from recalled thermometers into a vat and mixing it with a big stick to make the ink that they use to print this book on paper made from virgin rain forest trees. Also, the book has sewn binding. Having a softcover with sewn binding is not an every day occurrence, but I would gladly welcome it. We need to keep those poor little Chinese children employed, you know.



THE EC ARCHIVES FRONTLINE COMBAT VOL. 1 (Gemstone, 2008)

Collects Frontline Combat Nos. 1-6 (cover dates July/August, 1951- May/June, 1952)

This was finally released in September of 2009, after 11 months of delays from its original solicitation date. Then there were the delays due to my backlog, and here we are some 10 months since it came out, and I have completed reading it. The reason that this book was delayed so long was because of Gemstone's financial troubles which have ultimately resulted in them losing the EC license. I guess that the book was ready to be released on time, but since the printer bills were not paid they kept this book hostage in a warehouse somewhere. I am really bummed out, because I want the entire 'New Trend' in hardcover format. There will be a total of 66, and so far 13 have been released with no word on when we will see the rest.

Like all EC Comics, these are among the finest comic books ever produced. EC mopped up the competition with their superior writing and artwork. In a few short years after these issues were published a jerkoff by the name of Fredric Wertham would help spearhead this company's demise.




FANTASTIC FOUR: IN SEARCH OF GALACTUS (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Fantastic Four Nos. 204-214 (cover dates March, 1979- January, 1980)

Wow, this is like a junior Marvel Masterworks, clocking in at around 204 pages with nice paper and sewn binding. This is a pretty entertaining read from my "golden age" of comics, with writing by Marv Wolfman and art by Michigan's own Keith Pollard, Sal Buscema, and a heaping helping of John Byrne goodness. I got issues 210 and 214 from those old three-packs that Marvel used to sell via Whitman's non-newsstand distribution. Back then comics were .40, and the bags were labeled 3 for $1.09. They would have one or two A-list titles, and the third was always some turkey like Thor or Ghost Rider, whathaveyou. My brother had issue 208, which he gave to me along with the rest of his collection in the '80s. I still have that copy of issue 210, and man is it beat up. I was like 5 or 6 back then, so what do you expect? In any case, fun reads and a fun trip down memory lane.




NEW AVENGERS VOL. 12: POWERLOSS (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects New Avengers Nos. 55-60 (cover dates September, 2009- February, 2010)

Regular readers of my blog know of my general disdain for all things written by Brian Michael Bendis, but I've got to tell you, this arc... this arc was not bad. I found myself actually enjoying it. These issues are crammed with far more dialogue than past issues, and while I don't particularly enjoy all of his 'witty' wise-ass banter, some if it works here. Some of it also simply his stylistic cue, so like certain things that, say, Chris Claremont does that drives me nuts and I overlook, I am also trying to do with Bendis. Again, I am not 'down' with the B, but this didn't suck, either.



THE MIGHTY AVENGERS: THE UNSPOKEN (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Mighty Avengers Nos. 27-31 (cover dates September, 2009- January, 2010)

Waitaminute, did my bus stop on the Bizarro planet? Bendis' Avengers were a better read than Dan Slott's?? Say what? I am serious, you guys. This time out, things were just decent in Slott's book, although artist Sean Chen (Issues 30 and 31) is pretty darn amazing with them pencils.

Originally posted on my myspace blog on 11/2 & 11/25/ 2008

We are truly living in the Golden Age of collected editions. I gaze at my bookshelves in awe of the wonders that have been released over the last several years. EC Archives, Creepy Archives, Golden and Atlas Age Masterworks, Werewolf By Night (OK, Essentials are not impressive, but at least I have all of the issues now)…these are things that I could only dream of owning/reading just a few short years ago. There is no way that I could ever afford to buy these issues, let alone read them, otherwise. Truly amazing. With everything, there comes a price, though. My allowance can only support so many books, so I find myself pruning newer titles. Minis are mostly out, i.e. Spider-Man With Great Power, Wolverine First Class, etc. This serves several purposes: 1. It frees up my cash flow so that it may be dedicated to better material, 2. these are usually ret-cons that only serve to tick me off, and then I pretend that these never happened and 3. these are always ignored in canon anyways! Most of these egotistical Hollywood writers won't acknowledge the work of one of their peers, so there you have it. Plus, without the vote from my wallet, Marvel will hopefully see the error of their ways and stop flooding the market with these pointless cash grabs. Everyone wins!

HULK VISIONARIES: JOHN BYRNE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Incredible Hulk Nos. 314-319, Incredible Hulk Annual No. 14 and Marvel Fanfare No. 29 (cover dates December, 1985- November, 1986)

This is Byrne at the top of his game, with solid stories and plenty of action. I always wondered what his run on this title was like when as he left my beloved Alpha Flight in 1985 to do this title. Now I know.

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 546-551, Spider-Man Swing Shift and selections from Venom Super Special No. 1 (cover dates February- April, 2008, VSS August, 1995)

Wow! These are THE best new Spider-Man stories that I have read since I returned to comics in 2002-03. Plenty of old-school flavor here courtesy of Dan Slott, Steve McNiven, Salvador Larroca and company. They show Tom Brevoort's pitch for BND, where he states that Peter Parker is supposed to be 25. That is incorrect, as it has been calculated that he is actually 27 in Marvel time. Maybe Mephisto made him younger in One More Day.

THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 5 (DC, 2008)

Collects Superman (Vol. 1) Nos. 8, 9 and selections from Action Comics Nos. 32-36, World's Best Comics No. 1 (cover dates January- May, 1941)

I love the Chronicles line of trades! Where else can you get 192 pages of full color Golden Age goodness on pulp paper for $15? Sure, this stuff has been available as DC Archives for years, but my bookshelf and wallet cannot support yet another line of $50 hardcovers. Since I am not a DC fan per se', these trades are right up my alley. This batch of issues are from when National Periodicals/ DC Comics were head and shoulders above the competition. These stories offer a quaint snapshot of this bygone era and are just plain old-fashioned fun! No real super-villains in this volume, just a bunch of random gangsters and whatnot. The rampant sexism from earlier issues has been toned down, but Superman's 'might makes right' mentality is still in place. He does many non-heroic things, like threaten people, etc. I love the fashions, slang, and cars, and have to keep reminding myself every time that I read one of these books that these were the styles of the time and not just retro props.

HALLOWEEN VOL. 1: NIGHTDANCE (Devil's Due, 2008)

Collects Halloween: Nightdance Nos. 1-4 (cover dates February- May, 2008)

Really good stuff from Devil's Due Publishing. I am a big fan of these movies (ok, there were a few stinkers in the bunch), and this is pretty faithful. The TPB (trade paperback for you civilians) contains many worthwhile extras: all of the variant covers are reprinted inside, and there is an original text story in the back of the book that is quite good.

WONDER WOMAN: LIFELINES (DC, 1996)

Collects Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) Nos. 106-112 (cover dates February- August, 1996)

A great writer can make any character seem interesting. John Byrne was in cash-cow mode here (writer/penciler/ inker/ letterer), and as such, the quality of his artwork was not up to his '80s prime. Still, there is a fluidity to his storytelling that made this a blast to read, and below par Byrne is still better than firing on all cylinders Bendis.

THE EC ARCHIVES: TALES FROM THE CRYPT VOL. 3 (Gemstone, 2008)

Collects Tales From The Crypt Nos. 29-34 (cover dates April/May, 1952- February/ March, 1953)

EC Comics are the best comic books ever made. To think that this stuff pre-dates The Twilight Zone, most Hitchcock, etc., just goes to show how much this influenced others.

PSI-FORCE CLASSIC VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Psi-Force Nos. 1-9 (cover dates November, 1986- July, 1987)

Like all of the New Universe titles, I bought this off of the stands circa '86-'87. There were 4 different creative teams involved in the first 9 issues alone. To their credit, there is only one plotline inconsistency in the series (which may have occurred off panel). The things that I liked about this series back in the '80s was that it was set in real time (i.e. a month occurred between issues), the characters didn't have superhero names or costumes (a real novelty for a mainstream Marvel Comic at the time), and they didn't even really fight supervillains or do 'heroic' things. Unfortunately, this series doesn't hold up very well, with its slang and pop culture references being painfully dated, and the dialogue and narrative being overly wordy. The artwork is strictly second and third tier, being "scratchy", as that fad had begun inching its way into comics at the time.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 10 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Nos. 88-99 (cover dates September, 1970- August, 1971)

Simply put, this is as good as it gets. Brilliant writing by Stan Lee with superb artwork by Gil Kane, John Romita, Sr., and Jim Mooney. I owned Nos. 96-98 at one time, and they rank among my all-time favorite comic books. Green Goblin + Harry's drug abuse + Gil Kane's artwork = one of the best arcs of the '70s.