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Check this out STRANGE TALES #97 out of wack ON EBAY

Started by WEBHEAD,

62 posts in this topic

PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
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... and when I first read the Aunt May/Uncle Ben story I almost soiled myself. This ain't a tentative link. This is really Aunt May and Uncle Ben (well, I confess my memory of Uncle Ben is a bit hazy due to his lack of appearances) but it really IS Aunt May - name and all. When I collected Atlas exclusively the pre-heroes were a great fave and I had pretty much all the prototypes. But I have to say there is no prototype to my memory that was SO close to the "real" character. Aunt May and Uncle Ben's kindness and sympathy were exactly right on. Their look was right on. Their names were right on. In my humble opinion, this really IS Aunt May and Uncle Ben ...

 

I see someone has been reading "Trouble" tongue.gif893applaud-thumb.gif

 

Errr - seriously - I have no idea what that means!???

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blowout

blowout

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You really think that STT 97 is an important part of Spider-Man's history? I always considered the book more of a curiosity.

Don't get me wrong though, I love a lot of the Ditko/Kirby prototype books. I just don't really associate them with the more rounded characters that later followed.

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blowout

blowout

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Just to add, regarding the importance of STT #97.

 

As I said before I like the book, but who ARE May and Ben without Peter?

 

I don't really buy into the who retrogressively important character thing.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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As I said before I like the book, but who ARE May and Ben without Peter?

 

I, too, tend to not buy into the "prototype" concept - granted it is an interesting concept but pretty much the prototypes are in name only and in very loose generalizations.

 

As I said before, the thing about Aunt May and Uncle Ben is that no stretch is needed. They are with Peter Parker exactly who they were in ST97. Plain caring folk who took in one who needed taking in. They could have stepped right from ST97 to ST98 with no modification and taken in a kid named Peter with absolutely no credibility gap. Could you say the same thing about the Thing prototype?

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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OK - I hit ebay and found these...

 

Trouble

 

So I have to ask a couple of questions... 1) Is there a lack of good cover artists around nowadays? 2) What in the name of the 9th canto does this have to do with Aunt May and Uncle Ben?

 

PS - also - these really are comic books?

 

PPS - dead serious - until now I had no clue these even existed.

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Aman619

Aman619

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yeah, but the thing about the "prototypes" is that they were an appearance of a character, an idea or a use of powers, or a concept that Stan and Jack et al, came back to a few years later in their mad dash to meet the deadlines each month. That explains why many of the the other 'prototypes' got their name: a testing out of ideas in a process of development..

 

In ST97, Ben and May were just typical "old fogey" characters that Steve Ditko always drew.... For him and Stan to include them in AF15 seems to me more due to Ditkos unique drawing style, which (as dynamic and awesome as those Spideys were drawn) still revolves around Ditko's same textbook image list. You can identify a Ditko face a mile away! That they were named Ben and May again...well, only they would really know if it was coincidence - - or something one or both got a kick out of reusing. ..or whether they were even AWARE that they had used months before.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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In ST97, Ben and May were just typical "old fogey" characters that Steve Ditko always drew.... For him and Stan to include them in AF15 seems to me more due to Ditkos unique drawing style, which (as dynamic and awesome as those Spideys were drawn) still revolves around Ditko's same textbook image list. You can identify a Ditko face a mile away! That they were named Ben and May again...well, only they would really know if it was coincidence - - or something one or both got a kick out of reusing. ..or whether they were even AWARE that they had used months before.

 

I have to believe they went back to them, mainly based on the coincidence of the names. Also, the fact that they were caring for what may be considered a "freak" in ST further carries over to AF where they are also caring for a "freak" - although unknown to them that time. I still maintain ST97 is the closest prototype that exists to its subsequent established characters. Such is the thinking of Pov. grin.gif

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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So I have to ask a couple of questions... 1) Is there a lack of good cover artists around nowadays?

 

Pov, can't you tell an Alex Ross cover when you see one? tongue.gif

 

2) What in the name of the 9th canto does this have to do with Aunt May and Uncle Ben?

 

May, Ben, Rich and Mary are the stars of this show!!! Turns out they happened to swing as well My latest theory is that Marvel is retconning it so that Uncle Ben is really Peter's shocked.gif biological father...

 

so - these really are comic books?

 

"If it Walks like a duck..." This book is more like Millar channeling Jemas...

 

PPS - dead serious - until now I had no clue these even existed.

 

Ignorance is bliss... grin.gif

 

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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Thanks Darth! I now no more about this than I ever did or probbaly want to. But you know what? Those images and the hints of storyline are gonna stick in my brain and some day I will be overwhelmed and hit one of SF's legendary "our back issues are over there in the section called TPBs" and look at these.

 

I pray for me.

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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I now no more about this than I ever did or probbaly want to.

 

You are definitely not missing out. It's as bad as Marville frown.gif ( I hate them for tricking me into picking up Marville 7 only to be treated with a how to guide on submitting work to the resurrected Epic line ) The rest of the forum has given up on it already...i'll stick it out another 3 issues and report in the Modern thread as I read them smile.gif

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blowout

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or whether they were even AWARE that they had used months before.

 

This is the way I am thinking too, heck Stan even got Spider-Man's name wrong in ASM #3. blush.gif I believe he also got May's neighbour Mrs. Watson's name wrong once or twice too.

These things considered, I think it is just a co-incedence that May and Ben re-appeared after STT #97, and it is only with the benefit of hindsight that they have been considered to be the same characters.

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