The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #6

As this annual contains nothing but reprints, this is going to be a much shorter post than usual. Regular readers will also see that I've dispensed with my usual bits of information on the writer, penciller, inker etc, as all of that has been covered in my original reviews of each story featured in the annual. I've provided links to each of those reviews if you're interested.

First up is the main event, and the story represented by that absolutely incredible John Romita cover: the Sinister Six epic first featured in ASM Annual #1. This was a solid choice to include, as it had been several years since that first annual, and consequently one of the best Spider-Man stories ever had been out of print until they republished it here. It's a phenomenal story and one of my all-time favourites, and as I say, Romita's rendition of Spidey being besieged by the six villains is up there with the best Spider-Man covers ever. I still might prefer Ditko's version because of the pose he put Spidey in, but for action and excitement, Romita's wins out.

Next we have something that I have admittedly not covered yet on this blog: "The Fabulous Fantastic Four Meet Spider-Man!", a feature that first appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #1. It's essentially an expansion of the brief tussle between Spider-Man and the FF that we saw in ASM #1, and I'd say that it's an improvement on that initial fight, mostly because we get some more creative action and it's not over so quickly. Spider-Man uses his web to create an electrified cage over the Thing, runs rings around Mr Fantastic, creates a shield to block a laser fired by the Invisible Girl, and knocks away Human Torch's fireballs like a baseball player with a homemade web-bat. It's fun stuff and a nice reminder of just how cocksure and kind of obnoxious the web-head could be in the early days, and despite not being in the same calibre as the Sinister Six story, it's a cute addition to the annual.

Last, and most definitely least, is a reprint of "Spider-Man Tackles the Torch!", a tedious and stupid back-up story from ASM #8 that should have stayed where it was. This is by far my least favourite tale from the Ditko era, and the great man himself only provides inks, so at least he managed to avoid being too involved with this dreck, but I'm still not keen on seeing it turn up again here.

So overall, a kind of mixed, but mostly good selection. The Sinister Six is a pure classic, the FF fight is a neat little expansion of an all-too-brief moment from ASM #1, and the less said about tackling the Torch the better. Not perfect, but at the time this would have been worth picking up for the Sinister Six alone, not to mention that stunning cover artwork.

Next time we're back on track with the monthly adventures of ASM, as one of the web-head's oldest enemies, the Chameleon, makes his return...

The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #79

 "TO PROWL NO MORE!"

Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.

Synopsis: Spider-Man and the Prowler meet in combat atop the roofs of New York, but who will emerge the victor...?

Review: The conclusion to the Prowler story is another really solid issue, if not quite as good as the previous one. The splash page for this tale tells us that the two-part storyline was originally intended to run for three issues, and reading this issue, you can kind of see how the story's been truncated; things just feel a bit rushed towards the end, but it's an entertaining issue all the same.

One thing that this issue has over its predecessor is action. ASM #78 was sorely lacking in the action department, instead focusing on the respective character dramas of Peter Parker and Hobie Brown, and whilst I personally love the issue for that, it's undeniably exciting to actually see Spider-Man and the Prowler fight each other this time around, and Buscema's artwork really pops off the page; Prowler's shooting out gas pellets and blasts of air that take chunks of masonry off rooftops, and Spidey's doing his usual wonderful dynamic, acrobatic thing. It's a bit of a stretch to believe that someone so inexperienced at fighting as Hobie could not only hold his own against, but actually defeat Spider-Man, but at least this means we get two great fights between the pair, rather than just one, and seeing the Prowler in action is just terrific fun.

The conflict between them is also rather interesting; as we saw last issue, Peter and Hobie are both in a similar place in their lives, experiencing relationship troubles and feeling directionless as a result. I don't think quite enough is made of this similarity between them, but I do like the way in which Stan makes you question who you want to come out on top in the fight scenes. Whilst Spidey is who we're all here for, Hobie isn't really a villain, and certainly isn't deserving of the treatment that the web-head's hardened foes usually face. I also absolutely adore the final three panels of the issue, after Spider-Man lets Hobie go, telling him to make things up with his girlfriend, Mindy; this last moment really re-connects with the solemn atmosphere of Issue #78, and concludes this story of loneliness in the Big Apple on a high note.

There's not much in the way of subplot developments, although we do get a continuation of Peter's belief that Gwen has left him for Flash. He's mistaken of course - he's always mistaken about stuff like this - and you can't help but wonder why he doesn't just ask Gwen about the situation and give her a chance to explain, instead of just giving her the brush-off. He's turning into Betty Brant. Any meaningful character drama is dropped in favour of just switching back to the Prowler action; I often feel that Stan underestimated the patience of his readership, thinking that they only read Marvel comics for the action and fight scenes, when in reality, we love the soap opera melodrama just as much as we love the ZAPs and KAPOWs. We do at least get a lot of nice focus on Hobie, and at the end of the day, this is really his story, not anyone else's.

ASM #79 may not have the atmosphere as the last issue, and its character work isn't quite as strong, but it's still a really fun issue with plenty of great action, and a good central conflict between Spidey and the Prowler. It would definitely have been interesting to see what the story may have been like with the third issue intact - it certainly would have allowed for more subplots - but for what we get, I think this is pretty great stuff.

Rating: 4/5

Next time, we'll be taking a trip back to the annuals, and back in time, as we look at ASM Annual #6, the first annual to be made up entirely of reprints...

The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #78

 "THE NIGHT OF THE PROWLER!"

Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.

Synopsis: Two lost souls drift through the night-time streets of New York: a lovelorn Peter Parker, and down-on-his-luck window cleaner, Hobie Brown...

Review: After a pretty mediocre outing with the Lizard and the Human Torch, ASM is back on form with the beginning of an excellent two-parter, one that has always been one of my favourites. Not only is Issue #78 a return to the high quality we consistently got throughout the Petrified Tablet Saga, but it's also a great reminder of just why Spider-Man is such a special character, especially during this time period.

This has to be one of the most beautiful looking issues of ASM ever produced. We open with a gorgeous splash page of Spider-Man swinging over New York at night, the city's lights twinkling like slivers of gold far below him, and this dazzlingly moody visual of the Big Apple after dark is retained throughout the entire issue; there's this wonderful sense of atmosphere in ASM #78 that I don't think has ever been matched in any other Spidey comic. More than any other adventure for the web-head, this is the one that I think would be perfectly accompanied by the jazzy, swinging score composed for the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon, music that's practically the sound of a city's nightlife. As well as giving us some highly effective atmosphere, Buscema throws in some really cool dynamic angles for things that in concept aren't all that exciting, but in the hands of a master artist, even the sight of Spidey retrieving a dime from a drain is dazzling to the eyes. Not only that, but he loads the backgrounds with detail: I've always loved the glimpse of an office worker on the night shift that we can see through a window on page 5. This is an issue that you just want to take your time with, soaking up every drop of its mood.

This issue also brings back some of the more mundane inconveniences that Spider-Man would face a lot in the Ditko era, hammering home the idea that despite being a superhero, he really is just a normal guy with normal problems. I love seeing him have to search for some money so he can use a phone booth, and I love even more that the booth he chooses has a burnt out bulb, meaning he has to dial by feel; these are such minor nuisances that no superhero other than Spider-Man would ever have to deal with, and I can't get enough of them. A good chunk of the issue is spent with Peter out of costume as he wanders the lamplit streets trying to come to terms with the fact that he may have lost Gwen to Flash Thompson, and as someone who also used to walk through the streets aimlessly in the early hours of the morning whenever I'd have something similar on my mind, I can really relate to this, and both Stan and John depict the anxiety and loneliness of such a night-time walk perfectly. Not only that, but some of these panels are just hauntingly beautiful portraits of alienation and longing, as we see Peter surrounded by fellow night-time walkers, but looking completely alone.

It's here that we come to the namesake of the issue: Hobie Brown, alias the Prowler. I'm sounding like a stuck record here, but I just adore the way in which Peter and Hobie briefly see each other on the street, both of them thinking how much easier the other guy must have it; this is another thing I'd love to do on my night-time walks: imagine what the lives of the people I walked past must be like. What makes them happy? What makes them worry? What are their ambitions? What's going on in their life right now? It might sound weird, but I find it a helpful way to increase my empathy towards others. Hobie is a marvellous creation - not to mention the first contribution John Romita Jr made to Spider-Man - and his experiences with prejudice fit right in with the more socially conscious Spidey comics of this era; I really appreciate how well Stan manages to portray the casual racism of Hobie's employer, and how this contrasts with Jameson's more liberal attitudes - this issue features one of my favourite Jameson moments, when he tells Hobie's employer with disgust to get out of his office. Hobie's journey to becoming the Prowler feels all too believable; a young black man suffering from discrimination who ends up feeling that turning to crime is the only way he can ever make a name for himself. It may seem a bit silly having a costumed character who uses gadgets based around window cleaning equipment, but I think it's a nice reflection of Hobie's engineering skills, and come on, the Prowler just looks cool.

We may not see much of the Prowler in this first part, but we get enough of Hobie's backstory to understand who he is and why he decides to turn to crime. And hey, I would argue that in many ways, it's actually Peter who serves as the 'Prowler' of the title; after all, it's him that takes to wandering the streets at night with no real purpose. This is a truly sublime issue of ASM, a tale of two young men who are both at an impasse in their lives, who both feel lost and directionless. For me, it's the perfect Spider-Man comic to sum up the mindset of late-60s America, with the Vietnam War raging, and a generation of people wondering just where the hell their country - and indeed, the world - is headed. I absolutely adore this thing, and can't wait to revisit the conclusion.

Rating: 5/5

Next time, Spider-Man and the Prowler battle across the rooftops of New York, but only one will be the victor... 

The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #77

 "IN THE BLAZE OF BATTLE!"

Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr

Synopsis: The Human Torch joins Spider-Man in the fight against the Lizard, but unlike Spidey, the youngest member of the FF has no qualms about hurting their reptilian opponent...

Review: In many ways, this issue is a rehash inside of a rehash. Continuing from last issue we have the same old Lizard story we've had three times now, and here we get a pretty typical conflict between two superheroes added to the mix, and whaddya know? The superhero that opposes Spidey in this is issue is none other than his old pal, the Human Torch. In other words, who it almost always is. I will admit that this issue isn't quite as weak as I remembered it, an in many ways it's an improvement over the last one.

We get no check-ins with the supporting cast, which is always a shame, but considering the few brief scenes we had with them in Issue #76 were so lacklustre, I don't really mind their absence here, as we would probably have got some similarly mediocre moments. The issue is pretty much entirely dedicated to the big fight between Spider-Man, the Torch and the Lizard, and it's not half bad. You've got some great action courtesy of Buscema and Mooney, and I like the added jeopardy of having the Torch involved; it really adds some extra tension to the fight by forcing Spider-Man to keep on top of two opponents, and is honestly one of the better examples of two superheroes being on opposing sides against a common foe, certainly of this era. The Lizard himself looks great, though I still wish that Buscema gave him some teeth; the poor guy looks like he's left them in his glass of water overnight.

It's also nice seeing Billy Connors (or 'Bobby', as he becomes halfway through the issue for some reason) rushing into the battle to try and save his dad from the Torch, though it is a tad contrived how he just conveniently stumbles onto the exact warehouse that Spider-Man takes the Lizard at the end; I know it's a comic book, but that's a leap of logic too vast even for me. Even more ridiculous is the way in which Spider-Man reverts the Lizard back to human form: by throwing some 'dehydrating powder' at him. This supposedly saps the moisture from the Lizard's body and weakens him, which I can just about buy, but asking me to believe that such a thing would revert Connors back to himself is a bit much.

By the final page, not a lot's happened, and the Connors family are once again thanking Spider-Man for helping them out; even Curt remarks that they seem to always be saying the same thing to the web-head (I wonder if this was Stan admitting that he'd run out of ideas for the Lizard by this point?). It's not a bad issue overall, and the fight itself is pretty fun, but much like part one, this is sorely lacking in innovation as a Lizard story, and features very little substance. It's fine enough for what it is, and I'm sure this two-parter handily filled the schedule for two months, but I'm glad we'll be getting back on track with the next issue.

Rating: 2.5/5

Next time, a new masked figure takes to the rooftops of New York, in the form of...the Prowler...

The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #76

 "THE LIZARD LIVES!"

Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.

Synopsis: The Lizard has returned, and Spider-Man's got to stop him. Yeah, sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Review: I don't want to be too down on the first issue I've reviewed since taking a bit of a break, because reading and reviewing Spidey comics for this blog is one of my favourite things to do, but in this instance, as in every review, I have to give my honest thoughts and say that this is a bit of a dud, the first dud in a long time.

One big positive that I'll give the issue is the artwork. John Romita takes a bit of a break for a few issues apart from doing covers, and Big John Buscema takes the artistic duties in his absence, producing some really top notch work during his time on ASM. Allegedly Buscema wasn't too happy about being given the Spider-Man gig (much like Romita himself), as he much preferred working on high fantasy characters and settings, and you only need to look at his work on Thor and Conan the Barbarian to see just how masterful he was over such things. Despite his reluctance to take on the Spidey issues, he does an admirable job, replicating the look and feel of a Romita comic, but still with his own recognisable style (it's the way he draws faces here in particular that really stand out to me as Buscema's hallmark). Buscema did also provide the pencils for a couple of issues during the Petrified Tablet Saga, but I didn't touch on his talents much there, because there was so much else going on. Here though, with so little of interest in the issue, I think it's only right to highlight just how clean and dynamic his artwork is; it's just a shame he's not been given a better plot to work with.

This is only the third Lizard story and already we're starting to see Stan run out of ideas. This is pretty much exactly the same thing as the previous two Lizard outings: Curt Connors turns into the Lizard, Spider-Man has to stop him without harming him...you get the picture. Wouldn't it be a good idea to make the antidote to the Lizard serum in bulk? Is that not something that Connors could do in his spare time, just in case his transformation is ever triggered again (and let's face it, that is going to happen)? Anyway, the issue largely consists of big splashy panels showing Spider-Man fighting the Lizard, and regular readers will know that issues containing little more than a big fight are not really my cup of tea, unless the fight is pretty spectacular, which this one isn't, despite Buscema's efforts to lift the material; there's nothing for a reader to get invested in, nothing that they haven't seen before, anyway. I do like Buscema's dramatic panels of the Lizard prowling along New York's rooftops, and he definitely brings out the scaliness of the monster's skin, but I'm less of a fan of the way he denies the Lizard any teeth. Neither Ditko nor Romita gave him teeth either, but his lack of pearly whites is particularly noticeable here; it looks like he's going to gum you to death, making him significantly less menacing.

Outside of the Lizard stuff, there's no real development of ongoing storylines; all we get is more Peter and Gwen drama that's going nowhere; Captain Stacy and Robbie discussing Spider-Man, which does admittedly lead to a nice bit of tension with Peter, albeit brief, and that's about it, really. Buscema does a great job doing what he can, and toothless Lizard aside, he's the real star of this issue, because everything that Stan's doing is pretty lacklustre. It feels as if Stan introduced the Lizard again during the Petrified Tablet Saga to add a bit of drama (which it did), but then didn't have any idea what to do with him afterward, and this is the result. To make matters worse, this is only part one!

Rating: 2/5

Next time, the Human Torch joins the battle against the Lizard, but unlike Spider-Man, he doesn't know that the reptilian foe is really Curt Connors, and has no qualms about letting loose with his hottest flame...