Review- SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE ALIEN COSTUME SAGA BOOK 1

God bless Marvel's collected editions program. If you sit back and look you can see the pieces of the puzzle being assembled across multiple formats. The Spider-Man By Roger Stern Omnibus bumps right up to these two chunky trades which bump into the Epic line. You can get almost four straight years of Amazing Spider-Man, with the gaps before and after those years being rapidly filled in.

Back in 2003 I descended down this rabbit hole of madness stumbled upon the Essential line at the now-defunct Borders Books And Music in Oakland Mall. I dreamed of owning the entire run of Amazing Spider-Man in such a format. Within the next few years we will likely have the first 30 years of Amazing Spider-Man completely restored and available in collected editions.

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE ALIEN COSTUME SAGA BOOK 1 (Marvel, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects The Amazing Spider-Man #252-258, Marvel Team-Up #141-145, Marvel Team-Up Annual #7, and Peter Parker,The Spectacular Spider-Man #90-95 (cover dates May- November, 1984)

Writers: Tom DeFalco, Al Milgrom, Cary Burkett, Tony Isabella, David Michelinie, Jim Owsley, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern

Artists: Pencilers- Ron Frenz, Greg LaRocque, Rick Leonardi, Al Milgrom*, Paul Neary, and Bill Sienkiewicz*; Inkers*- Josef Rubinstein, Bill Anderson, Brett Breeding, Sam De La Rosa, Mike Esposito, and Jim Mooney

Journey into nostalgia with me as we head back to the magical land of 1984, where a 10 year old kid was spinning the spinner rack at 7-11 around on a cold wintry day that February and stumbled upon a bizarre cover: Amazing Spider-Man #252. Try to imagine (or remember if you are old enough) a world with little access to the Direct Market (comics specialty shops as they were referred to at the time), no real media hype or interest when changes happened to canonical characters, and actual honest to gosh surprise when you saw the issue cover and had no idea what was about to happen. It was magic. Each issue was the moment that you lived in. No past, no future, only the current issue on the spinner rack determined if a series lived or died.

I read all of the new Amazing Spider-Man issues dozens of times in 1984. I started picking up Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man with #92 and read it monthly through 1989. Aside from the Annual, all of these Marvel Team-Up issues were new to me. I wouldn't pick that series up until #147 that fall.

I loved watching the entire saga unfold, with Peter learning about the costume along the way. #258 blew my mind when it came out. I was also reading Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars back then. Many people erroneously claim that Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars #8 was the first appearance of the black alien costume symbiote. This is false. ASM #252 was the first issue that the costume appeared in.

Puma was a favorite of mine when he was introduced. I loved watching The Answer/Black Cat/Kingpin/Silvermane/Cloak And Dagger saga unfold over in Peter Parker,The Spectacular Spider-Man. These are some of my all-time favorite comic books even if I realize that they are not among the greatest comic books ever made in a big picture sense.

I didn't realize at the time that panel 4 was a Ron Frenz homage to Steve Ditko. Kraven The Hunter and Spider-Man were posed in a similar manner by Ditko. 

The solitary nature of this hobby circa 1984 is something a fan could never have today. Spinner racks with no Previews (or even Marvel Age, which at the time was a comic shop exclusive), no Internet to discuss and speculate, only the imagination of a 10-going-on-11 year old kid driving things. While I love the Internet and interacting with other fans, I really feel that this hobby (and the world in general) traded off a lot of things in the process for better and sometimes worse. It is what it is, but I'm glad that I was a kid in the old world. And I am glad that I was there when these comic books were originally released.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: Excellent throughout. There is an odd dropout in a word balloon or two but nothing any sane person would notice.

Paper stock: I love the matte coated stock that Marvel uses in their trades of material with flat coloring. It looks and feels like a comic book but doesn't feel cheap. It also smells nice.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover. 

Review- SPIDER-MAN BY ROGER STERN OMNIBUS

SPIDER-MAN BY ROGER STERN OMNIBUS (Marvel, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #43-61, 85, The Amazing Spider-Man #206, 224-251, and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, 17 (cover dates June, 1980- May, 1984)

Writers: Roger Stern with additional writing by Marv Wolfman, Steve Leialoha, Bill Mantlo, Marie Severin, Jan Strnad, and Tom DeFalco off of plots by Roger Stern

Artists: Pencilers- John Romita, Jr., Ron Frenz, John Byrne, Denys B. Cowan, Bob Hall, Ed Hannigan, Greg LaRocque, Rick Leonardi, Steve Leialoha, Luke McDonnell, Al Milgrom, Jim Mooney (also inking), Marie Severin, Jim Shooter, and Mike Zeck

Inkers- John Romita, Sr., Terry Austin, Brett Breeding, Vince Colletta, Gene Day, Kevin Dzubian, Frank Giacoia, Al Gordon, Dan Green, Dave Humphrys, Klaus Janson, Bob Layton, Pablo Marcos, Steve Mitchell, Bruce Patterson, Josef Rubinstein, Dave Simons, Frank Springer, and Bob Wiaceck

I've bought and read these comic books so many times across various formats over the past 35 years. I go into greater detail in my previous reviews of this material: Essential Spider-Man Vol. 10 and Vol. 11, Spider-Man: Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut, and Spider-Man: Origin Of The Hobgoblin.

If you are done reading those nostalgic ramblings linked above then you are about to be subjected to more. I feel lucky to have been a 9.5 year old kid on that cold morning of January 9, 1983, when my mom let me get one of those Whitman three-packs of Marvel Comics at Farmer Jack (RIP). I didn't realize that I was witnessing the dawn of a villain who would go on to dominate the next four years of the title, or that I was reading something by a writer whose run would go down in history as one of the best in the history of the character. I was just a kid who liked reading comics and was bit by the collector bug that day.

Stern starts off slow over in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, but over the course of his 19 issue run he finds his voice with the character. By the time he gets promoted to the flagship title, The Amazing Spider-Man, he has shifted into high gear. We see the rebirth of The Vulture, an outstanding issue with the Foolkiller, and a two-part Black Cat story which would set the stage for what Al Milgrom would build on over in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Stern did lots of two-parters. 229-230 are the legendary Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut, which are possibly the most inspiring underdog comic books of all time. I am sucker for the Cobra/Mr. Hyde two-parter (231-232) ever since I got a quarter box copy of 231 back in 1983. 238 and 239 were the introduction of The Hobgoblin, with 240 and 241 showing the Vulture as a major contender, something not truly seen since the '60s.

After that Stern plays it a little looser, running subplots behind the main issue's action, all building toward #250. Then Stern decided to jump ship for reasons I'm unsure of. Tom DeFalco comes on board without missing a beat, and his run is as much a favorite of mine as Stern's.

I can't wait to buy this material again when the Marvel Masterworks reach this era. Kill me now.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: This is the Blu-Ray/4k version of these comics. While they have been remastered before for various collections, many of these issues were remastered again by the same team which does the state-of-the-art Marvel Masterworks.

Left: Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut PHC restoration. Right: This book's restoration. Night and day. 

Paper stock: Lightweight coated stock with a slight sheen to it. Marvel switched to a thinner paper in their Omniboo back in 2013 and I don't like it as much. The only plus that I can give this paper stock is that it makes the book lighter. This book is nearly 1,300 pages as it is, and it was still a heft beast.

Binding: Sewn binding. The book lies completely flat, a real feat when you are dealing a book this size. The downside with Marvel's more flexible binding is that the heavy book block has a tendency to sag a pinch when stored vertically. Many collectors advise storing these book horizontally, while others customize Post-It note pads to the exact height necessary to support the opposite end of the binding. I'll be dead and gone before this is a concern and my kids can deal with this crap.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has the same high quality lamination and weight as always, but it's the casewrap which has been decontented with the 2013-on Omnibus book. Gone are the faux leather grain and dye foil stamping, in are paperwrap with a chintzy coating which is easily scuffed. 

Review- SPIDER-MAN: THE DEATH OF JEAN DEWOLFF

SPIDER-MAN: THE DEATH OF JEAN DEWOLFF (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Peter Parker, The Spider-Man #107-110, 134-136 (cover dates October, 1985- March, 1988)

Writer: Peter David

Artists: Pencilers- Rich Buckler (#107-110) and Sal Buscema (#134-136) with Inking by various artists

The year was 1985. The summer was hot as Hell, and since my family was poor we did not have air conditioning. It was in this hot, humid setting that I read issue 107, and that feeling of oppression still resonates every single time that I read this issue. I bought it off the spinner rack at the 7-11 by my house an as 11-going-on 12 year old kid. I pulled out my original comics to compare to the remastered versions found in this hardcover, and was surprised to see that my 108 and 109 were Direct Market versions. The first Direct Market comic book shop within walking distance of my house opened up that summer, and so I must have bought those two issues there before returning to 7-11 for 110. It was during the spring of 1986 that I started buying comic books exclusively at comic shops, since they came out three whole weeks ahead of newsstands like 7-11.

My original issues from 1985.

 Peter David was a newcomer to the comics scene, a fact that I was unaware of at the time. He had scripted a handful of self contained, mostly unremarkable issues in both this title and Amazing Spider-Man, but it was with The Death of Jean DeWolff that he hit the big leagues, at least in my opinion. It was dark, way darker than any Spider-Man comic book had been. Certainly darker than any I had ever read at that point, and I loved it. Comics getting edgier and darker were fresh and new in the '80s. Now they are stale and old. I can see a modern comics fan picking this up now and shrugging their shoulders in indifference since comic book deaths are a dime a dozen.

Rich Buckler's artwork is gritty and hard edged. It has held up very well nearly 30 years later. Sal Buscema's artwork was wretched on the sequel, though. I liked Sal's '70s output as a kid, but even as a 14 year old reading #134-136 off of the stands I could tell that this was phoned in, workman like art. Sal Buscema is a good storyteller with good layouts and panel composition. He understands the medium and how to make it work. He just didn't put any effort into these issues. He has done good work after these issues, further cementing my opinion.

One of the few spots where the recoloring doesn't work well.

Comic book deaths are now a cliched sales gimmick, but they still carried some weight in the mid-80s. This was hard hitting and coarse to me as a kid. My fun, lighthearted Spider-Man was nowhere to be found in 107-110. Bear in mind that this predates Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. There was a groundswell of darker comics at this time, only nobody seems to ever mention this arc when they have that conversation.

Original comic book of same page for comparison. 

 The addition of the sequel from #134-136 was the impetus for me to upgrade from the Spider-Man: Wizard Masterpiece Edition hardcover which featured the main arc. That book was an upgrade from the original Spider-Man: The Death Of Jean DeWolff trade paperback. While these three issues are vastly inferior to the original arc they are a nice sort of bonus feature. The steep decline in nearly all current Marvel titles circa 1988-89 are what caused me to eventually drop all comics as 1989 gave way to 1990. If I were buying only new comic books today, the situation would be identical. Luckily for Marvel they are cranking out plenty of books of vintage material to drain my wallet month in and month out.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Buy SPIDER-MAN: THE DEATH OF JEAN DEWOLFF HC at InStockTrades!

Also available in softcover!

The OCD zone-The late, lamented Marvel Premiere Classic Hardcovers were a sort of junior Masterworks line. While they weren't quite the “Blu-Ray” version of these issues like you would see in a Marvel Masterwork, they are still have decent production values at a reasonable price.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Back cover of the dustjacket minus trade dress (itself a fully rendered version of the cover of #109). (1 page)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. The original color palette is maintained for the most part with only a very minor deviation here or there. All in all it could be marginally better but most sane folks would never notice.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Sweet smelling toxic ink Chinese printed on (possibly made with) virgin Amazon rainforest tree-sourced coated stock paper with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Smyth sewn binding, 6 stitches per signature. The book lays mostly flat.  

Review- SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 3

SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 13-19, Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2000, Peter Parker, Spider-Man Nos. 13-19, and Spider-Woman No. 9 (cover dates January- July, 2000)

Writers: John Byrne and Howard Mackie with Gregory Wright and A.A. Ward

Artists: Pencilers- John Byrne, Lee Weeks, Graham Nolan, John Romita, Jr., Klaus Janson, Erik Larsen, and Andy Kuhn; Inkers- Al Milgrom, Robert Campanella, Dan Green, Randy Elliot, Scott Hanna, Klaus Janson, John Romita, Sr., John Beatty, and Harry Candelario

Spider-Man is my all time favorite character when done right, like he is here in this book. This was from an era of legitimate character development for Peter Parker. He finally had his “real job”, he was married to Mary Jane, they had a place of their own...and then all of these things are undone in a spectacular fashion to restore the previous status quo. The main difference between the way that they did it then and the way that they do it now is that the new normal didn't disregard the old. They built layers on top of the old, whereas nowadays they seem to either jettison or outright disregard what happened before.

The once thought to be resolved subplot of Mary Jane's stalker/kidnapper is resurrected here, and in all honesty, it is not resolved by the end of this book. This would be fine if there were a volume 4 in this line, but as of this writing the only option that I have to find out what happens with that is A) Internet synopsis (boring) or B) hunting down back issues which are not cheap due to the low print runs during that era (undesirable).

Artwork by John Byrne.

The new Rocket Racer is a bore, ditto the new Spider-Woman and the new new Spider-Woman. There are some loose ends tied up from the tail end of the original series numbering (seen in Spider-Hunt and The Gathering Of Five collections) with Madame Web turning up again. We get to see yet another Spider-Man/ Hulk battle. Those never get old, and I say this without a whiff of irony or sarcasm. John Romita, Jr.'s art is a treat.

Artwork by John Romita, Jr. 

We also see Spidey face Doctor Doom, Venom, Sandman, Electro, and the second Kraven the Hunter. The Doctor Doom story is a two-parter that finds Spider-Man going to Latveria pursuing a lead on the whereabouts of Mary Jane. The world at large believes her to be dead in an airplane explosion while Peter believes that she is alive. Venom is seeking revenge against the Sinister Six for embarrassing him by not admitting him into their ranks. John Romita, Jr.'s take on this Venom/Carnage hybrid is much creepier and far cooler than the Venom of the '90s.

Lee Weeks is an incredible artist. Why did he not earn the role as regular artist on this title? He could have been the artist to define the look of the character for the Millennials. He did several issues a few years ago but I want more more more!

Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2000 has a continuity gaffe. It is mentioned that Peter Parker and Harry Osborn were friends in high school, which is of course impossible since they did not meet until Peter started college.

Artwork by Lee Weeks. 

 Amazing Spider-Man #18 boasts the artwork team of John Byrne with inks by none other than the definitive Spider-Man artist, John Romita, Sr. While it is true that Ditko was the innovator who created the costume and set the stage, it was Romita who refined and spit shined the appearance of the character. I remember getting into an argument in a comic shop in the late '80s with some guy about Spider-Man artists. This is what we had to do in the stone ages, argue face to face with people we randomly encountered in comic shops. This oldster was proclaiming his love for Ditko, bashing every other artist who ever penciled the series. I leapt in, defending Romita Senior. I told him at that time that while Ditko pioneered the character's look and initial development it was John Romita, Sr. who defined the contemporary Spider-Man that we all know and love. On a completely unrelated note I could not get a date during this era. Girls were probably too intimidated by my knowledge of comics. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Artwork by John Byrne AND John Romita, Sr...together! You put your chocolate in my peanut butter. No, you put your peanut butter in my chocolate. GENIUS.

The next issue of ASM, #19, has horribly jarring artwork by fan favorite Erik Larsen. I say fan favorite because a lot of folks like his art. I am not one of those folks. Compare his artwork to Byrne or especially Romita and he looks like a bumbling amateur. It would be like having Weezer take the stage after Led Zeppelin.

This book was a blast to read and it has mostly excellent artwork. Lots of fun, lots of action, stuff happens in every issue. My only complaint is that there isn't a follow up volume for me to buy. I need to know what happens next without breaking the bank on back issues. Marvel should make two more chunky books, plugging the gap between this run and when their trade paperback program started in the early 2000s.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I really, really like these chunky trade paperbacks.

The opening page of the book has a typo. It lists this as The Next Chapter Volume Two. Whoops. Still better than DC style goof ups, where they forget to include issues that were solicited to be included in the book.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: All sixteen covers minus trade dress. (4 pages)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Everything looks great.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Glossy coated stock paper. It is a little thin but is really nice.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Thick waxlike lamination.

Buy SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 3 TP at InStockTrades!

 

Review- SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 2

SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 7-12, Peter Parker, Spider-Man Annual '99, and Peter Parker, Spider-Man Nos. 7-12 (cover dates July- December, 1999)

Writers: John Byrne, Howard Mackie, J.M. DeMatteis, and Tom Brevoort

Artists: Pencilers- John Byrne, John Romita, Jr., Al Rio, Liam Sharp, Sean Phillips, and Geof Isherwood; Inkers- Scott Hanna, Dan Schaeter, Liam Sharp, Ray Kryssing, John Byrne, John Beatty, Rodney Ramos, and Sean Phillips

Wow. This book serves as a textbook example why modern Spider-Man comics suck so bad. Real artwork. No bloated endless crossovers. The Sinister Six reassembled in one issue. I can imagine that one being done in even one trade nowadays. Then having the battle stretched out across a mini-series, one-shot, and an Annual.

Things start out slow. Amazing Spider-Man #7-8 are a Mysterio two-parter which feel more like a Silver Age DC comic than a Marvel one. At least they have John Byrne artwork. Byrne is one of my all-time favorite artists, and was my absolute favorite as a kid in the '80s. While this era is not his strongest, he still turned in good work when paired with a strong inker like Scott Hanna. 

Next up is Peter Parker, Spider-Man #7-8, which is another two-parter, this one about vampires and the mob. Blade The Vampire Hunter (not Slayer- he was called Hunter at this time,) tries to stop them from opening a chest. I'm going to spoil the shit out of this one, folks, because inside that chest was my beloved Morbius The Living Vampire! John Romita, Jr. rules, and here he really, really rules. His artwork is incredible, and his take on the character is easily as good as Gil Kane's or Paul Gulacy's. Why on Earth can't Marvel let him draw a Horror series? I guess that that point is moot since he has left for DC after 36 years of service. 

Peter Parker, Spider-Man Annual '99 is a middle of the road tale featuring a radically different, Alan Moore Swamp Thing-esque take on the Man-Thing and the Scriers. There was some Photoshop work in that issue that must have been impressive to the technologically oppressed neanderthals of 1999. My phone could probably do that stuff now, though.

Things begin building. Doctor Octopus and Venom return, even if Spider-Man doesn't directly deal with them...yet. Subplots begin piling on top of one another. Peter Parker's name appears on a list of survivors of the accident that made Doctor Octopus into, well, Doctor Octopus. In this tweaked and revised reboot era, it is that same accident which gave Spider-Man his powers via a spider bite. There are one or two continuity discrepancies, such as this and the fact that Spider-Man has claimed to never have seen a vampire before. Electro's redesigned costume is another part of this new, temporary alteration to the continuity. That said, pretty much everything else that occurs falls in line with what happened before. This gentle reboot pales in comparison to what would occur shortly after this over in Ultimate Spider-Man, but that is a different conversation altogether. 

John Romita, Jr. rules! Look kids, no Photoshop!

While this is building, things take a side trip into a, wait for it, crossover. The Eigth Day “only” runs across three other titles, though. I find crossovers to be insulting. Expecting, nay, demanding “kids” (I would like to think that kids still read comics, at least) to spend their allowance on other comics is a rub. I remember doing this for Secret Wars II in 1985, buying crap like Daredevil and Doctor Strange that I had no interest in at the time. Part 3 is collected in this book. There is a text recap page for parts 1 and 2 and another for part 4.

The book is capped off by a two issue double-sized extravaganza which runs across both titles. The return of The Sinister Six! This time with a twist, though, as they are going against Doctor Octopus. Joining the Sandman, Mysterio, the Vulture, Kraven The Hunter (II- Junior), Electro (in his horrid blue and white redesigned costume), and Venom. 

I found John Byrne's take on the Vulture to be different yet pleasing.

These comics were so much more enjoyable than modern Spider-Man. It is not nostalgia talking; indeed, I read the first 7 or 8 issues of each title when I found them at a garage sale several years ago. I am simply comparing them to what is going on nowadays. This is the beauty of collected editions and back issues. Even if something is crapped up beyond redemption you can always go back discover “new” things to take it's place.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I really like these thick chunky trade paperbacks. Consider this a proto-Epic line book. Marvel had been playing around with it around this time and finally went all in.

The covers to the three crossover issues not collected here are provided along with the text recap pages.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: All 13 issues minus the trade dress. (3 pages)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Everything looks great.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback. Decent weight glossy coated stock, ideal for this type of computer-assisted colored material.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Thick waxlike lamination makes me sleep soundly at night.

Buy SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 2 TP at InStockTrades!