Spider-Variant

This bad boy is currently up for auction.  Love the perspective on this Splash from ASM 182.  Ross gets his name first in the credits, but seems like Marv got the better end of the deal.

But I do love that Ross Andru art.  Throw in the Queensboro Bridge (ok,  well it's close) to boot and you got a page right out of Amazing Spider-Man!  

Here is what comic legend John Byrne posted on his website in a thread he started recognizing the 30th anniversary of Ross Anru's passing "

The man sure knew and loved his 1970's New York City.

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At one point, following Ross, I was considered as penciler on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. "Remember," said the writer, "New York is practically a character in this book."

"The way Andru draws it, yes," I said, "but that's not a major element of the title overall."

I didn't get the job."

On 11/14/2023 at 3:27 PM, comic_memories said:

Two months before the publication of Ghost Rider #2, Beware the Claws of the Cat #5 would have hit the stands, had it not been cancelled.  Here is Gil Kane's preliminary cover for that book.  I see a lot of similarities between the two covers.  Perhaps Gil, knowing about the cancellation, repurposed his design for Ghost Rider #2.

On 11/12/2023 at 3:44 PM, Morganmi said:

Let the jealousy posts commence. 

A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin' to these books!

Remember that time Ross drew Batman punching Aunt May right in the Kisser....

Damn, that's a nicely drawn Batman.  

On 11/1/2023 at 6:37 AM, sledgehammer said:

The census numbers do in fact, bear it out. Substantially so.

 

Must have had nudity on my mind when I posted that.

I know my copy was nice but probably in the 8.5 range grade wise.

On 10/31/2023 at 2:02 PM, ThothAmon said:

Lots of love for Giant Size Spider-Man 3. Here are a few of my tickets to the club. 
 

Issue 175 was the last issue I missed off the stands until 2008 or so.  Nice books.

On 10/30/2023 at 5:29 PM, BigLeagueCHEW said:

Name the book 

 

I won't give it away but it happened at 3:54 am on a Monday.

On 10/30/2023 at 2:23 PM, ThothAmon said:

Early bronze. Hopefully a few nice ones in there. 

 

I don't know what the census numbers bare out, but I always thought that ASM 96 was a harder to find book in high grade.  

On 10/30/2023 at 6:01 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Always worth another look Reggie 

I posted this in my Marvel UKPV thread recently - it shows when the 75p version went on sale in the UK. I didn't buy it at the time, but I must have owned and sold a few copies down the years, pence and cents:

  

The copy on the right is my most recent purchase. Re our offline discussions of a while back, I'll likely hang on to it this time!

I remember searching for this book when it came out, but not finding it.  I ordered it through mail order a few years later.  I loved this book.  

On 10/29/2023 at 7:38 PM, universal soldier said:

Some finds in the wild plus a board thread here. Luke Cage is lower grade but the FF is a nice upgrade from my OO copy.

 

 

 

I remember my older brother grabbing that FF off the stands.  

Sorry, I looked the other day but don't recognize it.  Good luck though.

On 10/16/2023 at 6:08 PM, Junkdrawer said:

Oh I was in park. 

Yes, I assumed it was the case.  

On 10/16/2023 at 6:30 PM, Junkdrawer said:

Very happy to have this back today. Top 3%

Nice book.  Apparently you were so excited you took a picture while you were driving, .  

On 10/15/2023 at 9:34 AM, sledgehammer said:

156 and 157 are two  beautiful Romita covers. I think I like 156 even more than 157, but back to the Ross Andru talk.

Oh, I love the cover to ASM 157 >>> than ASM 156.

As far as Mr. Andru's interiors, on one hand you have Dr. Ock and on the other, um, Mirage.  

Easy winner for me, lol.

On 10/15/2023 at 5:11 AM, sledgehammer said:

It looks like the last sale in March was a drop from average 2022?

Maybe he meant what's down with 156, but that is a very rare book in 9.8, 20 times graded that, vs 155 times for #157.

Ah, got it.  I don't follow prices so much anymore.  I could see the rarity angle pushing up the price though.  Just a kind of unremarkable issue, IMHO.

On 10/14/2023 at 1:45 PM, Jordysnordy said:

What’s up with 156?
 

No idea.  It's got Mirage, who is like a D-List villain, it features the amazing wedding of Ned Leeds and Betty Brant, hmmm.

It does have a cool splash page, but I doubt that's driving the price.

On 10/9/2023 at 6:14 PM, CGC Mike said:

387 pages worth.  

 

Thanks Mike!

On 10/9/2023 at 6:37 PM, peewee22 said:

A thread of happiness, joy, sadness, conflicts, argumentatives, high-fives, and more. I'm sure every emoji was used many times. Lives changed in this thread. People came, people went. Lots of memories here. Gotta be the most loved thread on the Boards. 

You know, when I started it the price aspect didn't even cross my mind.

On 10/3/2023 at 10:36 PM, Spider-Variant said:

I miss being in the club.  Congrats to everyone who is a member.  I started this thread over twelve years ago (I think twelve but you can't even get to that thread now) because there wasn't one and I thought we needed a place to talk about the greatest comic of all time.  Good to see it still growing strong.

Um, make that 15 years ago.  Time flies, so they say.

On 10/4/2023 at 3:14 PM, Prince Namor said:

Wow! I'd have bought that issue!

You know with just reading a page here and there of Issue 5, it doesn't seem very coherent, but once you get most of the book back together, it does flow pretty nicely.  I have never read any issue of the Cat, but always liked Tigra.

One of my favorite issues.  I may have posted this page before but I am too lazy to go check.  Love the little notes littered all on this page.  That's some cool zip-a-tone work by Dave or Mike.