"THE WEB AND THE FLAME!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Larry Lieber/Inker: Mike Esposito/Letterer: Jerry Feldman/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Larry Lieber
Synopsis: Spider-Man and the Human Torch are lured to a Hollywood movie set under the pretence of starring in a film, but soon find themselves ambushed by the combined villainy of the Wizard and Mysterio...
Review: The story from Annual #4 is in much the same vein as that featured in the last Spidey annual. We get the web-head alongside a fellow Marvel superhero, fighting against a common enemy - in this case, two enemies. Unfortunately, much like Annual #3, this story isn't very good. There's barely anything I can say about this, as there's really no story to speak of; it's all pretty much just big splashy action scenes of Spidey and the Torch fighting each other - which gets tiresome as soon as it starts - or fighting the booby traps laid for them by the Wizard and Mysterio. Of course, I'm always happy to see the Master of Illusion, and it's fitting that he was featured as one of the villains in a story set on a movie set, but he doesn't get to actually fight Spider-Man properly here, as both he and the Wizard are hiding away in a control room for the whole thing. They get captured at the end, the police promptly arrive - I have no idea who called them or how they knew where to look for two webbed-up criminals - and that's it.
The artwork isn't exactly lifting things either. Larry Lieber is a perfectly competent artist, but he ain't no John Romita; if Romita's pencils had graced these pages, I may be more inclined to be kinder to this annual, but the artwork we're given is pretty average. Nothing feels exciting or dramatic, you don't feel the impact of anything - not even Spidey wrenching open the fingers of a giant mechanical gorilla - and all the costumed characters feel like just that: people in brightly coloured costumes rather than actual characters. You know something? This story is essentially an episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Now, let me just say that I absolutely love Amazing Friends; it's a gloriously cheesy and fun Saturday morning kids' cartoon, but when I read the comic, I expect something a bit more substantial, and that's just not what's here. I wasn't too keen on Annual #3 when I revisited it, but at least its new story had some interesting ideas: Spider-Man being invited to join the Avengers, and the web-head discovering that the Hulk is really Bruce Banner, plus it had some classic moments of Peter's introspective internal monologues, none of which you get here. Both stories are pretty thin, but I'd give the edge to the last annual; that story is mercifully shorter than this one, at any rate.
I don't want to be too harsh on this, as at the end of the day, it is still perfectly entertaining, but I just miss the days when Spider-Man annuals were a cause for celebration. The first two annuals felt like special occasions, the stories within them were big events and featured some of the finest Ditko artwork. By the time we reach the fourth one, they've become glorified team-up books, and that's just kind of disappointing.
Rating: 2/5
But of course, this being an annual, there are some fun extras, and this time: no reprints! Yes, this is entirely new material, and it's pretty great stuff, so hang onto your webs as we go for our little whistle-stop tour:
First up is an absolutely gorgeous double-page spread of the Silver Spoon - or the Coffee Bean, as it's known from this point on - where all our favourite characters are hanging out for a hot cup of java. I love everything about this, from the snappy dialogue, to the funny posters in the background, to the small detail of pedestrians walking in the street outside that you can see through the window in the top corner. I especially like seeing Flash in his army uniform, and Peter's self-deprecatory thought that girls love a man in uniform, "except a swingin' Spidey suit!" I get a giggle out of Aunt May and Anna Watson's furtive chat at the bottom corner as well, and even if the whole thing is a bit dated now, it captures the kind of summery, musical 60s vibe that defines the Lee and Romita era for me.
Next up is "What the Well-Dressed Spider-Man Will Wear!" which is another neat addition, essentially going through the details of Spider-Man's costume in a tongue-in-cheek style as if the costume is being advertised in a fashion magazine. It's a lot of fun, and I also like the panel detailing how Spider-Man's web-shooters operate, with specific reference to the length of time his fingers remain on the pressure pad, and the resulting web that will fire out of his wrist. It's a nice detail, and it's nice to know that Stan and team had given such a deep level of thought about how the devices work, although I imagine they only really did that due to endless reader questions.
After that, it's "Spidey's Greatest Talent!" which is a pretty simple showcase of Spider-Man's wall-crawling ability, plus a double page spread on the many uses of his webbing - not sure why they didn't include this with the portion dedicated to the web-shooters - and an extra splash page depicting his spider-strength. Good stuff in general, and Lieber's artwork is actually pretty solid here; I especially like the shot of Spidey walking up the wall towards a gun-toting bad guy.
Another double-page spread now, this time showing a variety of Spidey's villains, most of them original pencils by Lieber, but rather cheekily, Sandman is actually a swipe from Fantastic Four #57. I always like seeing a villain gallery in these annuals, but this isn't anywhere near as good as those seen in the Ditko annuals, and Green Goblin is particular looks a little bit too cutesy for my taste.
Last, but by no means least, is yet another double-page spread: "A Visit to Petey's Pad!" This is a great cutaway shot of Peter and Harry's apartment, with Peter in his bedroom hurriedly shutting his closet door so that Harry won't see his Spider-Man costume hanging in there. I like seeing all the little nick-nacks in Peter's closet, but my favourite thing about this feature by far is the way Harry is sauntering into the apartment like a sitcom dad.
So, that's Spider-Man's fourth annual, and oddly enough, it's an annual where the extras are a lot better than the main event. Things will pick up again next year, however, with a story that gets teased as early as this very annual: we're finally going to learn about Peter Parker's parents!
That tale will have to wait for a while, however, as we've got a lot to cover in the meantime. The next post will see us return to ASM's regular monthly schedule, as we swing into Issue #53, and the long-awaited return of Doctor Octopus...
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