Spider-Variant

On 10/10/2022 at 3:00 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

@Spider-Variant Have we done this before, Reggie? I'm getting shocking deja-vu 

No sir, but I like it....

That's neat. 

On 10/10/2022 at 1:11 PM, Krydel4 said:

From my Superman 100s collection.

I remember buying this book off the stands.  Probably my first exposure to Infinity Covers.  

On 10/10/2022 at 6:44 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Morning 

I've probably told this story before, but back in the day I used to buy the UK published Spider-Man Comics Weekly as a kid from my local paper shop in Barking (get your jokes in now). The comic went through a number of title changes in its 666 issue run, and was titled Super Spider-Man from issue 158 all the way up to #310, the latter of those issues being the ones I collected each week. I loved the format and everything about that comic, especially its 'longways' phase as I used to call it (portrait and landscape weren't in the average ten year old's vocabulary back then).

Here are two examples from the run I collected and loved:

 

Anyway, one of my earliest memories as a collector was when I went to the paper shop to pick up the latest Super Spider-Man and found this:

It's actually #312, dated January 1979, so I must have missed #311 which was actually the first in this 'new' format.

To this day I can remember how gutted I was that they had changed - and ruined - my favourite weekly comic. Devastated, I was. For some reason, the interior story is etched on my mind and I can remember thinking "No - that's not the drawing style I like", or something to that affect. Everything was different and I hated it.

I spotted the copy above for 25p at the London Fair yesterday and the memories came flooding back, especially when the interior story, which I'd forgotten the specifics of, was again revealed to me 40+ years later (I only remembered that I hated it):

Whoops! 

Awesome (and painful it appears) story Steve.  

Were you able to discern the reworked Splash pages from the rest of the story art during the 'longways' phase?  Some of it was quite close, others not so much.  And it was never credited (to my knowledge, though I don't study these books too often).

On 9/30/2022 at 12:14 PM, Lee B. said:

Sure Reggie, please feel free to share the splash on other forums!  If anyone has questions about this material, please send them my way.  Best, Lee

Thanks Lee.

On 9/30/2022 at 10:18 AM, Lee B. said:

I had sent this batch of Heritage for one of their auctions, but Heritage decided to pass on it because perceived challenges in describing this kind of item.  When I get it back, I will take some more photos or make some more scans while I try to find a better place to try to sell these on behalf of the Dave Hunt estate.  

Thanks Lee for updating that.  I do hope these find a great home my friend.

Ok to share the Splash on other forums?

On 9/29/2022 at 12:29 PM, Lee B. said:

Yes, this photocopy is from Dave Hunt's estate.  This stapled bunch includes photocopies of every page from ASM #129.  Pretty cool!

Oh snap, would love to see more Lee. 

Really appreciate your inputs to our little Ross Andru thread. 

On 9/28/2022 at 3:27 PM, Lee B. said:

Hi Reggie and all!  I wanted to share another vintage photocopy of a partially inked ASM Ross Andru page, this time from ASM #129.  Cheers, Lee

OH man, is that nice.  Thanks @Lee B. for sharing.  Is this a Xerox from Dave Hunt? 

So Awesome.

On 9/28/2022 at 10:04 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

...great...panel....love it....when...they....use a series of....full stops....between....the...words....to.....indicate......they're....struggling.... 

W-What--?!          because I really need to exclaim my question.  

Here's a panel from the original art from Marvel Super-Heroes 14.  Pencils by Ross Andru and inks by Bill Everett.

I have never been a fan of the art in this book, but understood Ross hadn't hit his stride yet.  But it looks a lot better in black and white, I will admit.

I love reading the pacing notes in the margins of the art, the top margin reads 'Harry walks girls "Out" on his way to pick up'...

I'm sure it would finish Prescription.

Also in the left margin it reads "Fix Girls"  Hmmm, wonder what was changed.

This is the only time (hmm would need to check the first 11 issues of MTU to be sure of that statement) Ross drew the real Gwen Stacy, not that fake clone, lol.

On 9/8/2022 at 1:00 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Nice book!

Anyone else remembering reading "Still Only 35 Cents" and thinking that's still too much, lol.  Times have changed.  

On 8/29/2022 at 12:04 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

The USA one, I take it? 

No, spoke with a bunch of British blokes, had to be across the pond.

On 8/29/2022 at 2:54 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Roger that, Reggie!

I've said this a million times, but the day I saw the originals of ASM 176-180 hanging up in Rodney's in Barking, as a kid who thought the UK weekly reprints were all there was, is one of my enduring and happiest comic memories. That and when me and my brother found a load of comics on a spinner wrack on holiday in Great Yarmouth. The best times 

Oh, I worked on a project in Great Yarmouth a couple of years back.  Never got to go there though.  

On 8/29/2022 at 10:18 AM, BigLeagueCHEW said:

Both still on my list. Just waiting for an opp to pick them both up.

I didn't start collecting until ASM 153, so all of these issues I got through mail in offers.  Best time of my collecting life.  Loved the feeling of opening those Spider-Man comics and reading these stories for the first time.  Best days of my youth.

On 8/28/2022 at 4:01 PM, BigLeagueCHEW said:

 Between 130-140 is 134 your favorite issue?

It actually probably is.  Love the Tarantula and loved the art in this issue.  Issue 136 is pretty good too.  Both covers are great.

On 8/22/2022 at 12:28 PM, ThothAmon said:

The background to Amazing Spider-Man 175 is recognizable to all, but the background to Amazing Spider-Man 180 is a little trickier to identify.  Loved the way Ross ended this little saga where it began back in ASM 151.  

On 8/19/2022 at 11:14 AM, NP_Gresham said:

Picked up this week.

The #78 was at a nice bin on the bay.

 

 

I loved this cover and loved the Prowler.  Now, he wouldn't have lasted a minute with Spidey in a battle, but I thought he was cool.

On 8/10/2022 at 5:26 PM, Ant-Man said:

Big fan of George’s work.

This was a great resource.  I had a copy for years, can't even remember when I bought. 

On 8/6/2022 at 1:44 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

The latest Overstreet finally gets around to it:

Nice find Steve!

Ross Andru's last penciled page featuring Spider-Man on his run on Amazing Spider-Man.  I personally never enjoyed the White Dragon as a villain, as I felt he would have lasted about one minute in a battle with Spidey.

Lots of action on this page.  

It looks like the cheek and nose were slightly changed on the published cover.  Good find!

On 8/1/2022 at 11:50 AM, sfcityduck said:

I remember seeing a copy of this on eBay for a while for four figures. Always wondered what the full story on it was. Boston Pops also did some cool Star Wars merch.

I sold my copy for around $600 if memory serves me correctly, but that was 10 years back or so.  I would say probably 20-30 copies out there.

This was created and sold as a fundraiser for the Boston Pops, with a print run of only 250. The black-and-white comic was sold for $10 per copy during intermission, and after the concert, on opening night of the 1978 season. The comic was projected onto a screen in the auditorium during intermission. As part of the contractual agreement with Marvel and DC, all copies not sold were destroyed! We doubt that more than a handful of copies still exist, as comic collectors were not much in evidence at the concert that night.
The lineup of teenage creators is actually quite impressive: future star DC writer Busiek's story was drawn by Christopher Bing, who would go on to be a Caldecott Medal-winning children's book illustrator, and lettered by Richard Howell, current editor of Claypool Comics. Also, the "Scott McLeod" in the credits is Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics and artist of Zot!. In the yarn concocted by these youngsters, the governor (yes, Michael Dukakis himself), sends out a televised call to all superheroes (via PBS, no less) and the respondents include Spider-Man, Captain America, the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, Superman, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman.

I once bought a copy of this from a book seller in MA, about 3 months after finding a copy of Amazing Spider-Man 184 All Detergent giveaway that still had the sticker attached.

I would say those were the two rarest comics with Spider-Man in them.  

Max case 250 copies of these but I saw an estimate of less than 12.

Probably not the rarest bronze age comic, but in the conversation.