BooZeR

ASM - volume 2 This will be my last entry for this series of journals. To start this off, I should explain that from late 1991 to late 2001 I did not collect comics of any kind. The terrible quality (and quantity) of what Marvel was pumping out in the early 90s destroyed my desire to read anything they made. The comics I had were in storage and forgotten, never to be looked at again. Needless to say, I was in a very bad place in regards to comics and comic collecting, and as far as I was concerned, I would never buy or read another comic again... SET DESCRIPTION: This set is very important to me, and here's why: I had been collecting Spider-Man comics for about 9 and a half years when I decided to call it quits in late 1991. I had been collecting every Spider-Man title up to early 1991, and by mid-1991, Web and Spectacular were going straight into a comic box without being read (they were sooooo bad), and ASM was getting worse and worse with every issue that came out. So, I finally decided to call it quits, and I swore that I would never buy or read another Spider-Man comic ever again. Until... ...One day, about 10 years later, a friend of mine at work shoved a comic in my face and said that I had to read it. He knew that I had been an avid Spider-Man fan but that I had soured on the whole experience and stopped collecting. I looked at the book he put on my desk and I saw that the title said Amazing Spider-Man, but the cover was all black and the issue was #36. I asked him what the hell this was and he just looked at me and calmly said, "Just read it." So, I turned the cover and began reading one of the greatest and most emotional stories that I have ever read in a comic book. When I was done reading, I had to sit there for a few minutes to collect myself before I could walk over to my friend's desk to return his book. "Pretty good, eh?" he said, nodding at me. I nodded back. He then went on to say how ASM has really improved, especially with this JMS guy as the new writer. I nodded again. Another bonus was that JRJR had returned to the comic, so right after work that day I went to my local comic shop and purchased the previous 10 issues or so of Amazing Spider-Man. And that night I read them all. Spider-Man was great again! Reading those issues reminded me of why I started collecting in the first place. The writing was strong, the artwork was fantastic, and JMS's treatment of Peter was perfect! I was back! So, it was really the JRJR/JMS issues from this set that made me fall back in love with Amazing Spider-Man, and the reason why I haven't looked back since. (regardless of things like "One More Day", or Dock Ock as Spider-Man, or whatever else). And I finally have this entire set in a 9.8 or higher. A lot of these issues were impossible to find for sale in a 9.8, so I ended up sending in quite a few to be graded by CGC. Luckily for me that I took care of my comics because most of them came back as 9.8s (after a nice little quick press by CCS, of course). Here is my top 5 comics/story arcs from this set: 5) #43 -- Damn! I love this cover!!! 4) #39 -- The 'NUFF SAID issue -- A comic with absolutely no dialogue -- They did a great job pulling it off and it was fun comic to experience 3) #30 -- 1st JMS story in ASM -- From this point on until JRJR left, this title was unbelievably good! 2) #38 -- The May confronts Peter about his being Spider-Man was perfectly done -- Not in a typical, "Oh My God! You're Spider-Man!" way, but a, "We are family, and I support you and love you." way -- Perfect! 1) #36 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ASM #301-#400 SET DESCRIPTION: Ah...AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #301 to #400... ...What can I say about this collection of comics... ...From the first appearance of Venom to the start of the clone saga... I went from loving Amazing Spider-Man and really hitting a high in my comic collecting, to hating everything about Marvel and not collecting comics anymore - Which at one point looked like it might have been forever... Things started out well enough - McFarlane's Amazing Spider-Man was a huge hit, and it was the first time that non-Spider-Man collectors were starting to jump on the ASM train. I had friends that were buying 5 or 6 copies every month of McFarlane's ASM (I still only bought one copy). The writing was decent, the art was original, and the vibe of the comic was fun. Then McFarlane left to do the horrible over-hyped Spider-Man title and the penciling duties were left to Erik Larson. Now, don't get me wrong, Larson was decent, and looking back it's not as bad as I remember thinking it was...But McFarlane had BIG shoes to fill, and Larson came up short in my opinion. The stories started becoming very derivative, with tons of "Who's Hot Now" special guest stars...And the early 90s being the age of mega cross-overs and special editions didn't help things either. Bagley took over from Larson in issue #351 and that was pretty much it for me...I stuck around for a few more issues, but I was finally done after issue #359. Now I know some of you are saying that if I had just stuck around a little longer things would have improved a bit with the introduction of Carnage, but that means I would have had to endure Cardiac, Peter's "parents", a billion terrible Venom and Carnage appearances, a horrible ASM #50 cover swipe on issue #392 by Bagley, all the lame clones and such that were introduced in the 390s, and, of course, the death of everyone's favorite Aunt May in issue #400. NO THANKS! I should also mention that the other Spider-Man titles were even worse garbage and I had already stopped collecting them months ago. It's all great and fun to read those issues in retrospect, knowing where everything eventually ends up, but you have to believe me when I say that as much as I loved collecting Spider-Man comics in the 80s, I hated them just as much by the time I quit collecting in late 1991. With all this in mind, here are my top 5 issues/story arcs from this set: 5) #334 / #335 / #336 / #337 / #338 - I was glad to see the Sinister Six back - I really love those classic villains (especially Doc Ock!) and the cover to #336 was a nice tribute to #90 (death of Capt. Stacy) 4) #312 - The Green Goblin and Hobgoblin in the same issue - NO WAY!!! 3) #311 - Mysterio has always been a favorite villain of mine and I didn't think he was ever used enough - An original Sinister Sixer that was made into a B-list super villain?!? McFarlane made him creepier than usual in this issue, and it was good to see him back. 2) #316 / #317 - The return of Venom and two of the best covers that didn't have a circle around Spider-Man. 1) #301 - I love this cover, I loved the return of the original costume, and I still couldn't get enough of McFarlane's version of Spider-Man. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ASM #201-#300 SET DESCRIPTION: These are the issues where my love affair with Spider-Man comics first began and to this day the Roger Stern/John Romita Jr. run of ASM is my favorite and most memorable. The first new issue I ever bought was a copy of #227 right off the newsstand. The beginning of the love affair between the Black Cat and Spider-Man that would span the next few decades started right here. It was not until years later that I got the first part of this 2-issue arc, but I still re-read #227 over and over again. And it just got better. Two months later the 2-part fight with Juggernaut began. These two issues were the inspiration behind everything I did to get to where I am today professionally. And where did it go from there you ask? Another great 2-parter with Cobra and Mister Hyde, followed by a great 4-part story involving the Tarantula, Will-'O'-The Wisp, and the Brand Corporation, in which the Tarantula is turned into a giant tarantula and ends up killing himself during a fight with Spider-Man after realizing what he's become. The splat and mess that he makes when he hits the pavement below is unforgettable! And then...Just two issues later in ASM #238...One of the best new Spider-Man villains created since the Punisher and Jackal back in the early to mid-70s was born -- THE HOBGOBLIN! He would torment Spider-Man for the next, oh, I don't know, 450+ issues (in different incarnations of course) -- Which is over 30 years -- crazy! And I still think of him as a new villain. The entire mystery of Hobgoblin's identity was fun to follow and spanned the next 51 issues. The only thing I was disappointed in was the way the Hobgoblin's secret identity reveal was handled. If you read about the decisions that were made behind the scenes, it was a big mess. Stern's version of the Hobgoblin was Roderick Kingsley, but he left before it was revealed. The next writer, Tom DeFalco, wanted it to be Richard Fisk, but also moved on before being able to reveal it. From here it bounced between the Foreigner and Ned Leeds, with Peter David finally writing a flashback issue revealing Ned Leeds as the Hobgoblin just before he dies. A FLASHBACK?!? One of the best mysteries of all time and they reveal it, almost as an afterthought, in a flashback? Ugh. Anyway, here are my top 10 issues / story arcs from this set: 10) #298 - When I first saw Todd McFarlane's version of Spider-Man in this issue I remember being excited. It was different from anything I had ever seen before. 9) #295 - Weird and quirky, but solid story, and a great cover. 8) #261 - Even though most of the issues from #253 to #292 were weak I thought this was a strong issue. And it has one of the best covers of all time! 7) #246 - I do not know what it is with me and filler issues, but I loved this one! Showed a nice perspective on the other characters in Peter's life. 6) #293 / #294 - "Kraven's Last Hunt" -- AWESOME! Mike Zeck's best work! 5) #249 / #250 / #251 - These 3 issues were superbly written and really put an exclamation point on how great Stern's Hobgoblin was (or could have been). Too bad it was pretty much Stern's last ASM. (and J.R.J.R.'s for now). 4) #233 / #234 / #235 / #236 - Great story arc. And the way Tarantula went out -- The best ending to a super villain ever! 3) #248 - "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" - I was only 11 years old when this came out, but I could still appreciate a fantastic story and this one really moved me. Maybe Stern's best?!? 2) #238 / #239 - I remember when these issues came out. You knew that you were reading something special. Too bad the whole Hobgoblin story was eventually ruined. One of the most important reveals of all time was done in a flashback (#289) 1) #229 / #230 - In my opinion probably the greatest Spider-Man battle of all time. This was Spider-Man at his absolute best trying to fight an unbeatable foe -- The Juggernaut! And the cover for #230 is #@&!% amazing! And that is that! I know I called issues #253 - #292 weak, but I should add that I did like the Ron Frenz version of Spider-Man...I just thought the writing was terrible. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ASM #101-#200 SET DESCRIPTION: When I started collecting comics, I was years 9 old and the year was 1982. Back issues were still affordable, so when I went to my local comic store to buy new issues, I would also pick up a copy or two of something in the 100s. The first issue I picked up from this set was #136 - I read this before I even knew that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin or how he had died - So, to this day, I still consider Harry Osborn to be the real Green Goblin. When you really think about it, the origin and treatment of Harry as the Green Goblin was far more interesting than anything they ever did with the Norman Osborn Green Goblin. And...as I was reading about Norman's death and Harry becoming the Goblin for the first time, the Hobgoblin was making his first appearance in ASM #238. I was also reading about Peter's relationship with Mary Jane getting serious after Gwen's death at the same time I was reading about Mary Jane coming back into Peter's life in the new issues (which resulted in the two of them getting married). I think the juxtaposition of the events of the comics in this set to the new ones being released at the time made these stories that much more powerful - Being able to immediately see the results of what had happened in the past and how it now affected Peter's life was awesome. And interwoven through all of this was the whole Jackal/clone story that spread across 2 years and introduced some of the best characters and villains of all time. Too bad they (almost) destroyed the memory of what Conway and Andru had created with that clone saga krap in the 90s. Anyway, these are definitely some of the most memorable Spider-Man comics of all time... ...Well, for me at least. Here are my top 10 comics / story arcs from this set, starting with number 10: 10) #198 / #199 / #200 - These 3 issues were a nice way to transition from the 70s to the 80s. Probably Marv Wolfman's best work on ASM. 9) #169 / #170 - Jameson confronts Peter about the pics that showed him disposing of the clone. Dr. Faustus messes with Spidey's mind. The stories really had a Lee/Ditko old school feel to them. 8) #138 - "Madness Means the MINDWORM!" This was a bit of a filler issue, but I liked the creepiness and the pacing of the story. And for some reason I was really drawn to the Mindworm character. 7) #129 - ...And not for the reason that everyone thinks. I love this issue because it is the first appearance of the Jackal. For the next 20 issues the Jackal would make life hell for Peter (and Spider-Man) and the team-up of Gerry Conway and Ross Andru on this run was unbelievable! 6) #150 - The moment that Peter realizes that he cannot be the clone because of the way he feels about Mary Jane is one of the best moments in Spider-Man history. Too bad the clone saga in the 90s (almost) destroyed it. 5) #113 - Love the cover! Doc Ock is my favorite Spidey super villain and this is also the issue that introduced Hammerhead, who was also a great villain, and not only for Spider-Man but for Doc Ock as well. 4) #134 / #135 - Two great covers! Seemed like all the covers that used yellow as the background color were great back then. And #134 was the first appearance of Tarantula, who was one of my favorite Spidey villains. 3) #121 / #122 - This is an obvious one, but I remember re-reading these 2 issues over and over and over again. Very powerful stuff! 2) #136 / #137 - The return of the Green Goblin! Crazy Harry Osborn was awesome! And another great yellow cover on #136. 1) #147 / #148 / #149 - Great stories...Great reveals...Great art...Great covers...Great ending to the Jackal saga! This was Conway and Andru at their very best! And there you have it. A bunch of issues that really stood out for me (and still do). It is comforting to know that I have this entire run slabbed and well preserved. Thanks CGC! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ASM #1-#100 Here is the next one - My AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1-#100 set: SET DESCRIPTION It was tough, but worth it! I finally have a set that I can be proud of...The complete run of Amazing Spider-Man #1-#100 + ASM annuals from the same time period (Hey, why is AF #15 in there?). I had already obtained the full run about a year ago, but was unhappy with some of my grades -- Like the 5.5 on my #93, or the 6.5 on my #69 -- So, I scoured the comic shop bins until I found better versions to submit for grading. For those that I couldn't find to submit, I waited until a fairly priced one popped up. And now, I am (pretty much) happy (kind of)... ...Urgh! When does it end (I still really want to upgrade a few more)? Anyway, I am pretty much kind of happy (for now I guess). There! Done! Here are a few of my favorite issues/story arcs from this set starting with number 5 (not including issues #1-#25 as I've already covered these in my ASM #1-#25 set): 5) #88, #89, #90 - I remember seeing Doc Ock's arms moving on their own and thinking, "Uh-oh, Spidey is in BIG trouble!" (This was the first time I had seen them move on their own.) And the story arc ending with the death of Captain Stacy -- Perfect! 4) #97, #98 - Drugs were so foreign and exciting to me as a kid that these two comics really intrigued me. The situation with Harry felt so real and visceral and so different from anything I had ever seen in a comic -- We had come a long way from guys in green suits and pointy yellow faces shooting lightning bolts. 3) #31, #32, #33 - This story arc has always felt epic -- Aunt May on her death bed, Spider-Man fighting for his life, Doc Ock's evil genius -- These three comics had it all! And probably the three best sequence of Ditko covers ever. 2) #50 - BEST COVER EVER!!! 'nuff said 1) #39, #40 - There was something about these 2 issues that felt like things had really changed for Peter Parker, and Amazing Spider-Man in general. There was more of an adult feel to the comics after Ditko left. And the big reveal that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin and he knew that Peter was Spider-Man set up the next 35 plus years of great Spider-Man stories! And there you have it. Thanks for reading... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ASM #1-#25 My set descriptions as Journal entries Hi...I've decided to jump on the "A journal a day" bandwagon...but only for a few days. I'm going to be posting some of my set descriptions that I think are worth sharing with you guys. And I would love to hear any of your collecting experiences as it pertains to what I am writing about. I'm going to start off with my AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1-#25 set description. Though these were not the first comics that I collected, in a way they kind of were... SET DESCRIPTION: Back in early 1982, when I first discovered Spider-Man comics, it was a great time for a young, new fan to start collecting. Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. had just started their run together on ASM, back issues were still cheap, and starting with Marvel Tales #137, Spider-Man stories were being reprinted from the very beginning. I remember I was reading the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko run, the Gerry Conway/Ross Andru run, and the Roger Stern/John Romita Jr. run all at the same time, and life was absolutely wonderful! I know this 26 issue collection was released before I was even born, but because of those Marvel Tales reprints (starting at #137), they still remind me of that wonderful time in my life. So, it makes me very happy to not only have a complete and readable collection of these books, but to also have a complete CGC collection as well. Here are my top 10 comics/story arcs from this set, starting with number 10: 10) #8 - This is really the first issue that Peter interacts with his classmates and Flash Thompson starts to develop as a solid supporting character. No crazy super-villain, but a great story nonetheless. 9) #6 - Spider-Man in the swamps of Florida, completely out of his element, and he still manages to kick the Lizard's butt! 8) #18 - This is a great comic that shows Spider-Man/Peter's vulnerable side and makes you remember that Spider-Man is just a teenager. 7) #25 - Spidey vs. Jameson (as the Spider-Slayer). Just awesome! 6) #13 - Mysterio is such an interesting and weird character. Not sure why he hasn't been used in one of the Spider-Man movies yet. It's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned!!! 5) #9 - A great comic that introduces Electro for the first time and has Spider-Man once again using his science brain to defeat his foe. 4) #11, #12 - I like anything with Doc Ock in it and these two issues are no exception. 3) #4 - The cover and the way that Spider-Man uses his brain and not just his brawn to defeat Sandman makes this one of my favorite all-time comic books. 2) #3 - This is the comic where I felt that Ditko and Lee hit their stride. And it was the first time I ever saw Doc Ock in a comic. He has been my favorite villain ever since. 1) Annual #1 - The very first appearance of the Sinister Six! This comic is action packed with villains, and Ditko's splash pages throughout the book are spectacular! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

A few things relating to my WW Chicago 2014 experience... Hi there, I thought I would share my experience from the Wizard World Fan Expo that was held in Chicago this year. First off, I should explain that I have been a Spider-Man fan since I started collecting Amazing Spider-Man comics (way) back in 1982. The very first comic that I ever bought off the newsstand was ASM #227 and I was pretty much hooked from the first page (actually I think it may have been the cover). Since then I have managed to acquire every regular title Spider-Man comic ever published (Amazing, Spectacular, Team-Up, Web, Spider-Man, etc.) including a lot of appearances by, one-offs and mini-series. So, as you can see, I am a pretty big Spider-Man fan. My convention experience prior to Chicago was limited to just one event -- Toronto 1991 -- Where I had Todd McFarlane sign my copy of ASM #300 (in gold ink). I remember feeling a bit weird about having to stand in line to meet him, especially since none of the other artists or writers had line-ups. I also remember that Mr. McFarlane was not very friendly and seemed (was) very arrogant. All in all, it was not a very fun experience, and since then I have stayed away from conventions -- Until now! I should also mention, however, that a few years ago I purchased a CGC 6.0 copy of ASM #1 from someone on Craigslist for $6,000.00. ...(Now, I know that some of you will cringe at the next part of this story, but I have to tell it in order for any of this to matter)... Once I got my newly acquired ASM #1 home, I cracked open the case, and carefully read through the comic (this was the first time ever that I had read an original copy). After reading it, I put it away with the intent of getting it graded (again) some day -- But I really wanted Stan Lee's signature on it, and I also didn't want to send it through the mail. So, I waited... Cut to August 2014: Convention Day 1: I arrived in Chicago after a 7 hour drive from Toronto, Canada. I had 43 modern books (mostly ASM#1 vol.3 variants) and 7 silver age Amazing Spider-Man comics with me, two of which were Amazing Fantasy #15 and my aforementioned Amazing Spider-Man #1. I finally found my opportunity to not only get Stan's signature, but CGC was grading on-site as well, so I wouldn't have to worry about sending my expensive comics through the mail. I've sent tons of comics to CGC in Florida to be graded, but I had never been through the on-site process so I was very nervous, anxious, AND stressed out! Carlos, who owns Gotham Central Comics in Mississauga (near Toronto), gave me the name of someone that he said would help me out -- Mike B., a CGC on-site rep. I visited Mike at the CGC booth as soon as the convention opened on the Thursday and, I have to tell you, he was amazing! He really helped me out -- My anxiety level even lowered to the point where I could talk without throwing up. Actually, everyone at the CGC booth was awesome! What a great group of people -- Super energetic and super helpful -- They really made the experience that much better! Of the 50 comics that I brought with me, I subbed 40 comics for modern tier grading, 4 for silver tier pressing and grading, and the remaining 6 comics I wanted to get signed (by Stan Lee), pressed, and graded (various tiers). Convention Day 2: Stan Lee was signing at 6pm so I showed up 3 hours early to get in line. Lucky for me that I did, because at 4pm we found out he was going to be there earlier than expected. At around 5:30pm he showed up, and 10 minutes later I finally met one of my childhood (and adulthood) heroes. It was unbelievable and I was in comic nerd heaven! Watching him sign my copies of AF #15 and ASM #1 was euphoric. And because I was getting six comics signed by him, I was able get one question out before I was herded along -- I asked him why he had named Peter Parker "Peter Palmer" in the second story of ASM #1. He paused, looked up from the comic he was signing, and said: "I made a mistake -- That's all it was -- Just an terrible mistake" After getting my books signed (and recovering from my meeting with Stan), I dropped them off with the CGC guys and rushed back to my hotel room where I lay down and replayed the events of the day in my head. I was exhausted, but numbly happy. Convention Day 3: I received all my modern subbed comics (that was fast!) -- Of the 40 that I got back, 34 were 9.8s. The issues that didn't get a 9.8 were duplicates of subs anyway, so I was really, really happy with with my haul! Convention Day 4: I got the rest of my graded comics back -- Of the 6 that I got signed and graded I received: - 6.0 (restored) on my AF #15 (I knew it was restored before I got it signed and graded) - 4.5 on my ASM #3 (I thought I would get a 3.0) - 9.8 on my ASM #700 Ditko variant; (I did not expect that! Woo hoo!) - 9.8 on my ASM #1 vol.3 Ross sketch variant (Nice!) - 9.8 on my Collectible Classics: Spider-Man #2 chromium cover (What a relief) And my ASM #1 that was a 6.0 before I cracked it open to read? ... I got a 6.5!!!!! Can you believe it? Words cannot describe how happy I was (am). When does that ever happen? All in all, my experience in Chicago was unbelievable -- From meeting Stan Lee and getting his signature on a few of my favorite Spider-Man comics, to getting to meet the extremely nice and helpful CGC crew, to everything else at the show, I would have to say that I would definitely do it again! Thanks for listening... 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