Spider-Variant

Mrs. Spider-Variant and I just spent the last two weeks putting this 3000 piece puzzle together. Although, it's not Ross Andru's work, I liked the fact that it had several villains pictured that were introduced during Ross's glory days. It was fun to work when the cat and dog weren't wrecking havoc. Only two missing pieces.....

This little joke comes to mind whenever I think of ASM 153. For years I read it without the question mark, making Pete's thoughts "Kung Fu Fighting is our song." I have always wondered if Ross drew his friends in comics, or perhaps even his wife.

Wow Steve, if I worked on it a year, I'm not sure I could have captured my feelings on my experiences growing up with Spider-Man better than you just did.

ASM 153 started my 35-year run on collecting the title. My original copy is the only book I held onto. Yes, Paine was the bird-crushing fiend from that issue. It opens with Spidey in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Just a really poignant story to my nine year old self.

Yes, oddly enough, I never flinched at the thought of the marriage either. In some ways it felt in character for Doc Ock. I never bought this issue off the stands and obtained it through mail order. It must have not made a bid impression on me, as I don't recall being excited about it.

Hey Steve, is this an issue you bought as a kid?

I purchased every one of these issues through mail order back in the day. Probably the best time of my collecting life. Ah, the anticipation, seems like yesterday I was saving my coins and begging my older brother to write me a check or asking my mom to take me to the Post Office to get a money order.

Mrs. Spider-Variant and I went to see it yesterday. It was fun for what it was. We liked it better than the Ant Man and the Wasp.

Here's another take of the Splash page from Amazing Spider-Man 131, this time by Steven Stiles and inks by Mike Esposito. As many know, for the British Super Spider-Man issues (here #180 from 1976), the splash was redone in the horizontal format to fit the book. I actually like Steven's point of view better than Ross's original, but I love the calendar depiction the best. Maybe Ross liked Steven's version better as well and made changes for the calendar.

Yes, that storyline was the impetus for this thread. But five issues weren't enough to talk about, so we expanded the discussion to all of Ross's ASM run, and then some beyond.

It wasn't much, but it was all we had in the 70s.

Congrats. That Twinkie should still be eatable with all the preservatives used back in the day, lol.

The Sound of Music was released on this date back in 1965. This young lad displayed his talents on this movie, but what in the heck does he have to do with Spider-Man? @Get Marwood & I's half eaten Twinkie from the 70s for the first correct winner.

My older brother and I bought both of those off the rack.

If Ross did any work on this, I would think it would only be on the Human Torch. I did not enjoy Mr. Heck's work either.

What if all of Ross's work was recreated by some cool French artist? I'd be ok with that...

Yes, that's a great cover. I still remember opening this one up from a mail order shipment back in the day. I miss the days of discovering gems like these for the first time.

Hmmm, not sure there was an "after Ross" back then. The Spidey looks like Al Milgrom and the Thing arm looks like Sinnott inks to me. But the Human Torch looks like it is a little more detailed than the Spidey. Hmmm

Back in 2016, Heritage Auctions sold the cover to Marvel Team-Up 61. They accredited the pencils to Ross Andru and the inker as unknown. I see Comic Connect is now offering this cover, but they put Al Milgrom as the penciler and Joe Sinnott as the inker. Other sources I reviewed also have this duo as the art team for this cover. It doesn't look like Ross's work to me either. Especially if I flip the image. But here is the million dollar question? Why did Ross sign it in pencil at the top of the artboard? That looks like Ross's signature to me and not someone assigning the cover to Ross. Any thoughts?

Yes, I put those books in the Copper Age as well.

Grade of C for me and D - from Mrs. Spider-Variant. She's a tough grader.

Here is another correspondence between Joel Thingvall (the actor and comic art collector) and our man Ross Andru. From Feb. 1973, this would have been pre-ASM by about a few months. The first past is interesting and alas sad. Ross states that Marvel would sell the art back to the penciler/inker for $5 a page, but only if the same person did both. Marvel must have changed their policy shortly afterward, as in the letter I own, Ross states he got the original art for the entire book for every other issue as penciler for the Amazing Spider-Man. The second part talks about the value of the art being in the published page and not in the original art. Joel must have asked about buying Ross's original art for aid in drawing.

To me the Bronze age ended with Amazing Spider-Man 185, Ross Andru's last issue. Everything just seemed different to me. I'm probably the only one who will say that, but that's what my eleven year old self thought.

She's got a couple of brothers.