Spider-Variant

It's very curious to me as well. I'm sure there probably were a few more, but what made the determination? And where did all the home owners go? Did the city buy their houses and they simply moved on? And how does it take 30 plus years to rebuild?

Thanks Steve.

Yes, these examples are kind of like comics met history. I have learned so much just by trying to reconstruct the 1970s as Ross drew them.

Thanks @ADAMANTIUM. Hmmm, not sure about a lot of fun. Sometimes it feels like I am rambling to an audience of one, lol. I do appreciate all the kind words from you and the rest of the posters here.

Like a moth to the flame, I am inextricably drawn back to the Ross Andru depictions in Amazing Spider-Man 138 (cover date 11/74, drawn 7/74). After finding photographic evidence of the house Ross used to model the Mindworm’s home after, I thought this issue number would fade from my mind, and just be remembered as another of the wonderful story layouts Ross gave us. But I was wrong (which I so often am) and instead found myself not satisfied with the photo of the home from 1940. No, I wanted a picture from 1974, July preferably. Well, I knew that was the stuff of dreams, owing to the fact that it took me 2.5 years to find the first photo. I thought perhaps even a glimpse from an aerial shot, even if it were a different decade, might give me final closure. And amazingly, I did find the house (barely discernable) from a July 1968 aerial photo of the Rockaway area. Sure enough, like my 1940 photo, there was the house next door as well. But also, in the photo were houses and houses around it. Recalling Gerry Conway had said in an interview that Ross found a house in his neighborhood and it was the only house around, surrounded by vacant lots and kind of eerie and weird, I found this odd. (Gerry also said it was in Howard’s Beach, which it was not, so I took Gerry’s statement with a grain of salt, astounded simply at the detail he could recall after 45 years). I recently found a photo from Sept. 1975 though that changed my entire perspective on Ross’s art from Amazing Spider-Man 138. I always thought Ross borrowed the image of a real house from a neighborhood and placed it in a rundown, vacant area for dramatic story effect. I never dreamed in a million years that what Ross drew was his reality in 1974. As seen in the 1975 photo, the houses in my 1968 photo were all gone. So, what the heck happened? Designated a Title I Urban Renewal Area by the City of New York in 1968, the land bounded by Beach 32nd Street, Beach 84th Street, Rockaway Freeway, and the Rockaway Boardwalk was bulldozed to accommodate new low-income housing projects that never materialized. Gone by 1969. Still gone until the early 2000s, that’s over thirty years. By 1974 when Ross put pencil to paper, the houses around the Mindworm’s real life home were all gone. That explains why this house stood out and why the kids could easily recognize it. I wrongly assumed that Ross’s house was recognized perhaps by one kid and he spread the word; but the house was so distinct and isolated, that every spider-man fan must have known where it was. That just leaves the apology note in the letters page of Amazing Spider-Man 149. The note read “We regret the fashion in which we depicted the Mindworm’s house in the November 1974 issue, as it is an actual residence located in the Rockaway section of Queens.” What an odd apology? Not we’re sorry we used this guy’s house in our book and caused him headaches. No, it was “we’re sorry the way the house was depicted.” In the story, the house is boarded up and depicted as formerly being abandoned. Maybe the owner was angrier that his house was shown as dilapidated than the fact that it was used in the story. Maybe he took pride that his home was one of the last few standing. It was a beautiful home in 1940 and maybe it still was in 1974. I find this more than slightly intriguing. What’s the take-away from all this? “Ross Andru used a real residence and a real location to model the Mindworm’s home and locale for his story art in Amazing Spider-Man 138.” In my photos across the decades below, I try to bound the streets (between which the real house was located) with the blue & yellow lines and identify buildings to help set the location relative to the viewpoint.

Thanks @ganni. Only thing I no longer have access to after selling off my collection, Letters Pages.

If anyone has it, can they please post an image of the letters page from Amazing Spider-Man 149?

If we had any sense at all, we would Steve. We got stuck with a passion for funny books that has just stayed with us all our lives.

Oh, and we're getting this little thread you started to 2000 posts and 100,000 views.

For me, it's been a hell of a ride, and I appreciate all the kind words and support from the folks who have posted in this thread. Maybe I'll tackle the entire bronze age focusing on the real life references contained across the Marvel universe (sorry DC). Or maybe I'll simply get a life, lol...

I'm just finally relieved I could make sense of what my eyes (older now, for sure) were seeing. I knew that building had to be St. Patrick's Cathedral but wasn't happy that this vivid image of my childhood wasn't "perfect". But after digging, analyzing, and opening my mind, I will now say that Ross's depiction of St. Patrick's Cathedral is "nearly perfect". I can sleep well. Maybe subconsciously I was saving it for the last of Ross's real life references to tackle. Someone sent me this quote when I found the Mindworm's house back in February: "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." Ah, now what to do...

As I think I have about found all of Ross Andru's real life references during his run on Amazing Spider-Man, I wanted to put this one to bed. After spending more hours than I should have, I have convinced myself the building on the splash of ASM 153 is the front face of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The main stained glass looked different to me, but I think that is just the angle from which it is viewed. The small inset photo matches what Ross drew decently, but my bigger picture doesn't appear to, but the glass hasn't changed from 1960 to today. Also, the top of the archway over the door was changed over the years, so what Ross drew matches the older version better than the current version. There are some minor differences from what Ross drew to what the building looks like today (or even when he drew it), but I am now convinced it's exactly what Ross drew. I point out below all the matches, using different colored lines to help keep the left, middle, and right sides identified.

There was a color guide for Super-Giant Spider-Man #1 that was listed on ebay several years back. As many know, the first few issues of Giant-Size books were going to be 100 page issues and named Super-Giant, before they were pared down to 60 pages. I used to have an image to that color guide, but it left with my computer crash of 2014. Would love to see it again...

Agreed. I think ASM 97 may be my favorite all time Spider-Man cover. But all the Goblin covers are good.

This looks like Ross's signature with him then penciling in the inker's name, Mike Esposito.

Happy Father's Day! Amazing Spider-Man 153 was the first issue I bought off the stands. My older brother was a long time collector and had issues 145, 148, and 150 (two copies because he was convinced it was going to be a collector's item), but with issue 153 I took the family reins as the Amazing Spider-Man collector. So, when I started these side by side comparisons of Ross Andru's work to his real world inspirations, I was really excited to tear into issue 153. But when I started dissecting the splash page, I got disenchanted. Things weren't lining up between the St. Patrick's Cathedral and what Ross drew. Coupled with the fact that it's a very complex structure, with all the angles, it was tough sledding. Additionally, the background building didn't look correct and it sure didn't match what is there today. I went on to the second page and found it was a perfect match to south side of the building. So what the heck was going on? Part of the problem is that I made two incorrect assumptions. 1) Ross drew a random building in the background and 2) St. Patrick's Cathedral has not changed since it's been built. Let's tackle the first today and save the latter for down the road. Ross would have drawn this issue in Sept./Oct. 1975. In 1975, the Olympic building which currently stands next to St. Patrick's Cathedral was still under construction. Hmmm, perhaps Ross drew the previous building. The Best and Co. building stood there from 1947 to 1971, but looks nothing like what Ross drew. But if I go back to the building before that, the Union Club building, it's a very good match to what Ross drew. To me, the building Ross drew always looked out of place and I think this is the reason why, as it was built in 1902 and stood to 1944, when it was demolished. I point out the matching features on the splash. I think Ross just extended the building higher for effect. The balcony height (see inset photo) on the top floor matches pretty well with the balcony height in Ross's depiction. The windows and brick pattern match decently as well. If we could ever find his references for St. Patrick's Cathedral, I am sure it predates 1944. At least that is my theory on this Sunday morning.

This was one of the first comparisons I had done between Ross's work and the real world around him in the 70s. I think the detail of the towers has always drawn me to want to understand how accurate his depiction was to the actual tram. @Get Marwood & I sent me this excerpt from the Partners for Life book written by Dan Best and Mike Esposito. I think it explains it all nicely.

Too funny Steve, I was doing the exact same thing, looking for the specific convention. You got further than I did though. 2/9/92 was a Sunday, so maybe. I did see where Great Eastern Conventions held some events in 1993. The auction said it came with a certificate of authenticity and the date is very specific. Would love to find evidence.

You can see Ross's signature on a few original art pages, here and there. I can dig a few out, if there is interest. The one above posted by @Get Marwood & I look legit to me, but I'm no expert. Would love to own that book, if true.

I do not know the year, unfortunately, but that's a nice find, that could definitely be it. In 1946, Ross would have been the ripe old age of 19.

I tell myself I am going to track down whatever Ross is drawing on that board, but then I think I don't really get pulled down another rabbit hole, lol.

Wow, I turn my back for a second and there's a Ross Andru BDay celebration going on! Love it! Here is the original cover Steve. I will admit I like the published version better. ASM 185 really was the end of the Bronze Age for me. After this issue, Spider-Man just seemed to be in a new chapter of both the character's life and the series' life. Keith Pollard, although a good enough artist, just didn't excite me the way Ross's depictions of Spider-Man did. It really wouldn't be until John Romita Jr.'s first stint on the book that I enjoyed it again. Also, here is my favorite photo of Ross.

Happy 94th Birthday Ross!

Good luck to your friend, but alas, I fear those books are gone forever.

I found this today, from the history of The Detroit Symphony Orchestra book published in 2016. Ross's dad played horn for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. If you look at the dates, that coincides with when Ross was born.