Ross Andru's Amazing Spider-Man Club 9 9

[Spider-Variant]

Yes, that ASM 151 art is really nice.  

[MGsimba77]

On 12/3/2018 at 3:34 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

   

Marvel super heroes #14, 1968 first Andru penciling Spider-Man. 

I initially thought it was ASM 136 or 138 since the the explosion symbol by his forehead looked like it was from a goblin Jack-o'-lantern or just having someone mess with his head. The artwork seemed a bit silver age though.

I can't be on the site everyday always but I'll get to it soon as I can

[MGsimba77]

Andru's Spidey artwork is somewhere between early Romita skinny somewhat muscular physique & McFarlane's steroid filled jacked up Spidey physique. Personally I'd prefer that Andru style. It was the most credible since the character is an agile gymnast not a bodybuilder. I wouldn't even include Ditko's style since everyone drew superheroes back then like they'd never ever seen a gym!.. except for hulk maybe

[Get Marwood & I]

16 hours ago, MGsimba77 said:

Andru's Spidey artwork is somewhere between early Romita skinny somewhat muscular physique & McFarlane's steroid filled jacked up Spidey physique. Personally I'd prefer that Andru style. It was the most credible since the character is an agile gymnast not a bodybuilder. I wouldn't even include Ditko's style since everyone drew superheroes back then like they'd never ever seen a gym!.. except for hulk maybe

Yes. Except for Hulk. 

[Spider-Variant]

I think this just arrived in the mail today to be placed under my Christmas tree.  Actually, only thing I asked for.

 

[Spider-Variant]

Below is the Double Page Splash from Amazing Spider-Man 139 (disregard the page numbers, because I think this pick is actually from a reprint).  Below that is the original art for the DPS.  But there is something different about these two pages of art.  Who can identify how these pages differ than most ASM art?

 

 

[seanfingh]

Is it the centerfold splitting the image without it being a double page splash?

[Get Marwood & I]

Is it that the top one is from the US original, whilst the bottom one is from the longways UK reprint, Spider-Man Comics Weekly? Making the top one two pages, the bottom one page. 

Either that or I shouldn't have had that last cherryade 

[Spider-Variant]

You guys are both on the right track.

The page I posted is in fact the original art as completed by Ross Andru , Frank Giacoia & Dave Hunt, but it is two story pages on one original art board.

The other ASM issues that I feel have the two story pages on one original art board are 131, 133-136, and 139.  

Here's a thread that goes into all the details.

Here's the crux of the matter:

Sometime around late 1974 (maybe earlier), Marvel tried cutting production costs and had artists draw two story pages on one art board. The below is borrowed from the previous thread (that thread wasn't about this subject matter):

Here is what Tony Isabella, (who worked for Marvel at that time), had to say:

"What you have is an attempt by Marvel to cut the actual story page count of their comics without making it obvious that they had done so. All of the issues produced during that period, which I think lasted less than a year, had a page like this. Editorial didn't want to cut the story count to 16 pages of our 32-page comic books.

We were told to plot our stories designating two pages which the artists would draw on a single board. Then the production department would blow them up to full size and run them as two separate pages. Some of us did double-page spreads. Some of us plotted so that the two pages would not appear next to each other and make it obvious that there was something not quite right about them.

Eventually, someone figured out that all the extra production work was costing Marvel as much as it was saving by paying for one less page."

 

[Spider-Variant]

 

Edited December 9, 2018 by Spider-Variant

[Get Marwood & I]

4 hours ago, Spider-Variant said:

The page I posted is in fact the original art as completed by Ross Andru , Frank Giacoia & Dave Hunt, but it is two story pages on one original art board.

The other ASM issues that I feel have the two story pages on one original art board are 131, 133-136, and 139.  

Here's a thread that goes into all the details.

I didn't know that, thanks SV. An interesting snippet of how things were, back in the day 

[Spider-Variant]

32 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

I didn't know that, thanks SV. An interesting snippet of how things were, back in the day 

Any time.  I love chatting about the bronze age, Amazing Spider-Man, and Ross Andru.  I think this thread gives us a good platform for all 3.  

[Schmakt]

I picked up the bookends to my 151... what's a good stopping point for this storyline so I can pick the rest up before I start reading? (Next I need a 121, and *then* I'll dive into that GG storyline from 176!)

[Schmakt]

On 11/17/2018 at 4:51 AM, SECollector said:

As a kid growing up in a small country in Europe I never had the chance to read the original Spider-Man titles. I started collecting and reading them as a big kid and I haven't got to the Andru issues yet. But I do have them and finally found the time to make some scans of these. Now if I only find the time between job and kids to get some reading as well 

 

 

On 11/17/2018 at 5:35 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Take a day off sick! 

Never mind the waiting... WW Comics had them all in grade... should get to dig into these in a week or so!

[Spider-Variant]

7 hours ago, Schmakt said:

I picked up the bookends to my 151... what's a good stopping point for this storyline so I can pick the rest up before I start reading? (Next I need a 121, and *then* I'll dive into that GG storyline from 176!)

I was not quite 9 years old in August of 1975, when that Amazing Spider-Man 150 hit the stands.  I remember my older brother buying two issues, seeing as it was the 150th issue.  All I knew about the clones, I had learned about in issues 145 and 148, having missed all the others.  Ah, those were the days...

[MGsimba77]

10 hours ago, Schmakt said:

I picked up the bookends to my 151... what's a good stopping point for this storyline so I can pick the rest up before I start reading? (Next I need a 121, and *then* I'll dive into that GG storyline from 176!)

152 is where it stopped. If I remember right it was mostly if not all involving Shocker. 151 is where he figured out he wasn't the clone. Issue 153 starts anew with Kingpin's henchnen & that memorable cover with Spiderman jumping over the goalpost on the ECU football field

[Spider-Variant]

Ok, time for a little more Ross Andru trivia.

Which future comic super-star penned this letter to Marvel at the age of 19, praising Mr. Andru's work?

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Spider-Variant

[Spider-Variant]

And the page that garnered a shout out...

[MGsimba77]

1 hour ago, Spider-Variant said:

Ok, time for a little more Ross Andru trivia.

Which future comic super-star penned this letter to Marvel at the age of 19, praising Mr. Andru's work?

 

Frank Miller wrote that in '77 when he was 20. I think he wrote another letter to Stan years earlier regarding "the Cat" if I'm not mistaken

Oops, I suppose he was 19 not 20...

Edited December 20, 2018 by MGsimba77

[Spider-Variant]

Yup, a young Frank Miller. Excellent work.