Spider-Variant

, forgetting how old we collectors are becoming.

Haven't looked at this list in years. What happened to Amazing Spider-Man 121 and 122? Surprised to see ASM 101 above both of those. What about the 35 cent variant Scooby Doo?

I would totally wear this, if Steve would let me borrow it, lol.

Hey @Get Marwood & I and gang, July 21 (which it already is across the pond) marks the fifth year of us posting about Ross Andru and the Amazing Spider-Man comics we loved as kids. I just wanted everyone to know that I have enjoined the last five years chatting with all of you. Steve started this thread originally as an ode to ASM 176 through 180, but we quickly expended it to include Ross's entire run on the series. I admit I have even snuck in other interesting, non-Spider-Man art as well. Here's looking at another five years!

Better without the hatchings on the roof? I think it makes Spider-Man pop off the page.

This splash looks so much better in black and white to me, almost like the quality of Marvel's printing at the time detracted from the art. I don't like the hatchings on the roof either, but I love this so much more in black and white than colored.

I found this cool scan of the original art for Giant-Size Spider-Man #4 splash page. If you look at the bottom of the art board, there's no room for the indicia below the end of the art and it almost looks like it was glued over some of the art. But if I look at a scan from the actual comic, the indicia fits just fine. But look at the splash itself, it's tilted slightly to the right, where Ross's upper boarder is straight across. It looks like perhaps Marvel reduced the original art page slightly and then added the indicia below it, but they were a little careless and the page ended up tilted. Why these little quirks fascinate me, who knows.....

And even more humility from a man I feel would be a "rock star" in the comics industry if he were alive in the age of Internet and large comic cons.

Here's another letter from Ross Andru to Joey Thingvall (the actor and comic book collector). It proves what we Andru fans had already deduced, that Ross Andru was an unassuming man.

I actually wish I did. We built plywood fake guitars and put smoke bombs in them. We had makeup and platform shoes. Would love to have a picture of those days.

The way Spidey lands here screams Andru to me. Those platforms, Steve, remind me of the time my brothers and I used to dress up like members of the band KISS, lol.

Hey Steve, which panel on these two pages is most Andruey? See if we think alike.

Well, the way he was sporting your clothes from the seventies I thought he may have been a relative of yours, lol.

I really like this two page sequence from Spider-Man vs the Prodigy. Really great inking.

Thanks Lee. Really nice work by Dave on that helicopter.

Thanks Lee, appreciate the heads up. I love these pencil scans with Dave's inks. So cool.

Thanks Terry. Not many left to find, but I do spot a thing or two now and again. I do think Ross used some real buildings in ASM 143 and 144, but none that I haven't identified are famous. In other words, a needle in a haystack to find.

Hey @cosmic-spider-man, how are things going my friend?

Here's another Ross Andru real-life reference I found in Amazing Spider-Man 143. It's nothing major and I should have spotted it before, as there are not many airports Peter Parker was going to fly into in Paris. It's a really good match to Charles de Gaulle airport. As usual, I highlight the matching features. It fits the detailed work did on this book, as Ross depicts a great JFK earlier in ASM 143 and at the end of ASM 144.

I looked around a little, but could not find it. Very nice piece.

I found this email address for him online. No idea if he still uses it. ronadrian@gmail.com

That's what I call a good friend.

That's the panel that my eyes get drawn too, Steve. Exactly my feelings, very Andruey!

I really like Ross's and Mike's art in this one shot from 1976 for Planned Parenthood. Amazing Spider-Man vs Prodigy. I enjoy finding the little notes on the art board. Here, to the Artist: Fix Face. You can see the white out on the guy's nose on the lower right, apparently the needed fix. Another note to the colorist is to keep the villain green. And in great Ross tradition of adding a NYC feel to the story, here Spidey is scaling the Pan Am building.

Thanks, just curious.