365 Days of Defiance, Day 183: I feel like slapping a henchman today (slap slap)

Yesterday we examined the beginning of Spider-Man's Crisis on Campus/Great Tablet Saga, and today (and in the next issue) the story continues, as it is wont to do. hey, why not let Spidey explain it all for you? He's good at that.


Panels from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #69 (nice) (February 1969); plot and layouts by John Romita, Sr.; script by Stan Lee; finishes by Jim Mooney; letters by Sam Rosen
Meanwhile, over at the subplot, Kingpin continues to plot the theft of the mysterious tablet. Also: he is a wee bit touchy about one subject.


Whoa, a bit of a reflexive reaction there! Still, no harm done:




In the last issue, Randy Robertson and the student protestor have been arrested, and it's surely time for Matt Murdock, The Only Lawyer in New York™ tio make an appearance. Or maybe not! Complicating matters: the police and other authorities think the protest gang were responsible for the bombs thrown by the Kingpin. Dad Robbie Robertson takes some time from his busy schedule of recording at Big Pink to counsel his son.



And everyone's favorite go-go girlfriend of the 1960s argues with the protestors (now picketing the police stand where Randy and the others are being held). WHOA another jerk slap! That's two in one issue! And that's why Stan proudly declared Amazing Spider-Man "The World's Slappiest Comic Book!"



Spider-Man tracks down the famous MacGuffin Tablet...



...The Kingpin gets trapped and captured by the police...



...Kingpin implicates Spidey in the tablet theft...



...forcing Peter to vow that from now on, it's every Spider-Man for himself!



Tune in tomorrow, next Spider-time, same Spider-Channel (WASM-8, Passaic, NJ), to see the all-new, all-vicious, Menacing Spider-Man! he's savage and surly and he don't care who knows it, baby!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 182: ESU — Phew!

Panels from The Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #68 (January 1969); plot and layouts by John Romita, Sr.; script by Stan Lee; finishes by Jim Mooney; letters by Sam Rosen
We begin July with one of the earlier "social conscience" stories of the Marvel Age, presenting issues to appeal to the youth of today (or 1969), even if Stan 'n' the Bullpen are a bunch of white guys approaching middle age. This is the well-intended (but ultimately too-easily solved) "Crisis on Campus" storyline, distinguished by coming in the middle of the Romita renaissance of Spider-Man, plopping him firmly into a supporting cast of his college peers (and Gwen Stacy) and having him deal not only with supervillains but the concerns of his fellow students (and Gwen Stacy).



As outlined in this wordy page of lettering love by Sam Rosen, our friendly neighborhood Peter Parker has to deal with both the A-plot and the B-plot (and I'm not certain which is which): an demonstration against Empire State University (home of the Fightin' Spiders) over the availability of affordable on-campus housing (in the middle of Manhattan?!? Pull the other one out of eight!), plus the Saga of That Mysterious Tablet Which Has Some Sort of Writing on It But Nothing Quite So Pithy as "ESU — Whew!"


Ah yes, that pesky tablet. Which means it's time for an ant's eye view of half-naked Kingpin! Who says this isn't the bountiful Bully Age of beefcake?


Also, Wilson Fisk has a henchman also named Wilson. That's likely to get a bit confusing during Secret Santa.


The exhibition of the valuable tablet and the demonstration against the administration clash! And not the good sort of "London Calling" clash, which would not be around for another seven years. In the middle, as always, is Petey, unsure what to do, how to act, and indeed what to think. He's hesitant to become involved, probably because with great power comes great reticence to take part in political and social debate. But what if Gwen Stacy thought you were a chicken, Peter? Buck buck buck buck! A chicken!


Kingpin uses the demo as a distraction to steal the tablet, conveniently forgetting that a Kingpin of Crime sits behind a big mahogany desk and gives orders to expendable underlings and does not get involved in the action himself. Have you learned nothing from the privately published crime treatises of Professor James Moriarty, Mister King?


Oh sure, now Spider-Man makes an appearance, because however morally problematic an insurrection against his school may be, he's not gonna let Fatso there interrupt his lunch at the food hall. Today's lunch is Sloppy Joes, tater tots, and peach cobbler, and I think the Kingpin and Spidey could sit down over that meal and hash things out, but I bet there's just gonna punch each other. Meanwhile, on the left-hand side of the panel, Angel Love's mom contemplates "LSD?!!"


na na na na BIFF na na na na PAK na na na na TWOP


And that's not the end, no way, true believer! The protesters are arrested (including Robbie Robertson's son Randy) and the Kingpin gets away with the tablet, and somehow in the next episode Spidey will wind up IN THE KINGPIN'S CLUTCHES. Don't ask me how I know; it's just a little hunch of mine.


Tomorrow: more pop art protests and the practice of progressive philosophy! And hey, if you want to learn a little bit more about Peter Parker's troubled history with student protests, there's no better place to peep your eye than pal Jim McGrath's excellent and vitally entertaining New York City and the Marvel Universe blog entry about ASM #38 with pretty intelligent reader letters discussing the story! Check it out or forever be labelled a chicken by Gwen Stacy! Buck buck buck buck!

The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: July Justice

"July Is Just After June!" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Pablo Marcos, colors by George Bell
(Click picture to What's Going On-size)
This month's gorgeous Gene Colan artwork references one of the most important of the Romita-era Spidey storylines, "Crisis on Campus!"


Cover of Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #68 (January 1969); pencils and inks by John Romita, Sr.; colors by Marie Severin; letters by Sam Rosen
Are you an activist to know more? Then tune in later today for July 1st's 365 Days of Defiance, and I don't think you'll protest my spotlight on this issue. Why, I bet you'll occupy Empire State University waiting for it! Also: gratuitous Kingpin partial nudity! Be there or be civilly disobedient, picketers!

Today in Comics History: "Captain Stacy leaves behind one relative, a daughter, Gwen...for NOW."

Splash page from Spider-Man: Death and Destiny #1 (August 2000); script and pencils by Lee Weeks, inks by Richard Case and Robert Campanella, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Paul Tutrone
(Click picture to patsy-size)

The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: June Jitsu*

Remember, you can actually use this 1978 calendar for this year, which is (walks over to fridge, checks my calendar) 2017! Peter Parker would have wanted it that way!

"June is Jam-Packed with Jeopardy" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by George bell
(Click picture to enteroctopus-size)
The month's mightily marvelous mural summarizes Amazing Spider-Man #56, featuring Doctor Octopus...


Cover and panel from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #56 (January 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils and cover inks by John Romita Sr., interior inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Sam Rosen
...and ASM #57, co-starring Ka-Zar! Why, that's practically two issues of Marvel Team-Up right there!


Cover and panels from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #57 (February 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by John Romita Sr. (cover and interior) and Don Heck (additional interior pencils), inks by John Romita Sr. (cover) and Mike Esposito (interior), letters by Artie Simek (cover) and Sam Rosen (interior)
Wow, halfway through the year and we haven't even gotten to eight-armed Spidey or Gwen-Tossin' or oh wait maybe I shoulda put a SPOILER WARNING in there somewhere. Geez though, at this rate we'll never get to the Clone Saga by the end of 2017!

*Oh, and since my post title probably reminded you of her: here's the one, the only, soon to be starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming: June Jitsui!


"Spider-Man Meets June Jitsui" from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1979 (this one's from ROM #1), pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Joe Rubinstein, letters by Jim Novak
Next month: July! oh man SPOILER WARNING

Today in Comics History: Giant, giant newspaper pursues Spider-Man

Portion of the splash page from Web of Spider-Man (1985 series) #5 (August 1985), script by Danny Fingeroth, pencils by Jim Mooney, inks by Greg LaRocque and Kyle Baker, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Phil Felix
(See also.)

Today in Comics History: Kraven's First Hunt

"Spidey and the Short Circus Make May Day Mischief" from Spidey Super Stories #11 (August 1975), script by Jean Thomas, pencils by Win Mortimer, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Irving Watanabe

The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: May Misery

Geez, Peter Parker...you don't know enough to come in out of the rain! What'll Aunt May say when you swing walk home soaking wet?

"May is a Dear Old Aunt" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by Larry Lieber, inks by Frank Giacoia (Click picture to Rainy-Day-Mondays-Always-Get-Me-Downsize)
SPIDER-MAN NO MORE! Until the next issue, at least. This month's calendar girl picture recreates the one of the most famous images in Marvel comics, the classic John Romita Sr. full page where Peter gives up being Spidey, tossing his costume into the trash. Earlier in the day, the same thing was done by Bottle-of-Wine-Man, Bottlecap Girl, Mr. Pack of Matches, and Captain Cigarette Butt.


Page from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #50 (July 1967), script by Stan Lee, pencils by John Romita, Sr., inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Sam Rosen
How iconic is this iconic scene that is an icon? So iconic that it's been referenced by more Spider-Man comic book covers than you can count on one hand! That is, six:


Why, it was even immortalized in real life, in the excellent movie Spider-Man 2: Electro Boogaloo:


It's such a classic that frankly, comic books themselves can't stop homaging the image:


Okay, fair enough, that last one doesn't really count: instead of a costume in a barrel and the hero running away, the costume is running away and the hero's in a barrel! It's a switcharoo!

Plenty of comic books do the same on interior pages. And I thought these things copied Romita...on the outside!


And let us not forget Mike Haseloff's (of comics blog Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!) revealing classic "Namor No More!"

Yes, "Spider-Man No More" has even crossed over to all those destroyed-since-2015 alternate Earths that the Watcher used to peep in on. What If... trash cans throughout the multiverse got used for uniform disposal?!?


You can even toss away...BWAH!...your human skin! Ick! Stop that, Zombie Peter!


Yes, it's a comic book tradition everyone has to try once in a while! Even though it doesn't always work.


So, Spider-Man No More, won't you?

The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: April All Together Now

Hey, look, it's everybody from the Spider-Universe all together at one time! Except for the written-out-of-canon Spider-Mite! Also, Spider-Man himself seems to be missing, and I can't figure out why. More important: ginchy groovy Gwen Stacy, va-va-voom!

"April Is an Assortment of Amiable Associations!" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by John Romita, Sr., inks by John Verpooten
(Click picture to GOOD LORD PETER WHERE DID YOU GET THAT JACKET-size)
For those of you new to the Spider-Family or who just need a gentle reminder, that's (L-R), Eugene "Flash" Thompson, Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Aunt Anna Watson, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May Parker, Peter Parker, Ned "No, I'm not the Hobgoblin, Honestly" Leeds, Betty Brant, Robbie Robertson, J. Jonah Jameson, and J. Jonah Jameson's coat. And they're all standing in front of one of the most important places in the Spider-Books, the venerable Coffee Bean, serving caffeinated drinks pretty much steadily right through now in the Marvel Universe. That remarkable tenure as an anti-Starbucks is even more astonishing when you consider it's been a long-time competition since the early Marvel Age with the X-Men's favorite hangout, Greenwich Village's Coffee A Go-Go. I don't know which one you prefer, so here's some help: Coffee A Go-Go has Bernard the Poet, and the Coffee Bean has Gwen Freakin' Stacy. I hope that settles the matter definitively.


Panel from [Uncanny] X-Men (1963 series) #31 (April 1967), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Werner Roth, inks by John Tartaglione, letters by Sam Rosen
By the way, are you wondering when Jazzy John Romita "snapped that photograph" so proudly presented in this month's calendar spread? Worried you can't pinpoint exactly when this happens in Spider-Chronology? Fret no more, gentle reader: it occurred during Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4, no doubt right after this pin-up scene! Note the identical outfits! Good golly, that jacket really is hideous, Peter.

Double-page pinup spread from Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964 series) #4 (November 1967), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Larry Lieber, alternations on Gwen and Mary Jane by John Romita Sr. (and why not?), inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Stan Goldberg (?), letters by Sam Rosen
(Click picture to venti-size)
No, I don't know why Stan's calling it the Coffee Bean Barn here, either.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 89: You Work for Me

Panels from Dark Reign: The List: Amazing Spider-Man one-shot (January 2010), script by Dan Slott, pencils by Adam Kubert, inks by Mark Morales, colors by Dean White, letters by Joe Caramagna

365 Days of Defiance, Day 74: The Web of the Amazing Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man

Peter Parker, the Pulchritudinous Pspider-Man, has been cornered by the Gruesome Grinning Green Goblin! (Gosh!) Also, he's besieged by bonsters monsters! Luckily, Spidey realizes just in time that it's just a buncha playing cards illusions, and he knows exactly the precise way to conquer Green Goblin! Spider-Man knows at last...the way to beat him!



Panels from Spectacular Spider-Man (1968 magazine series) #2 (November 1968), script by Stan Lee, layouts by John Romita, Sr.; finishes by Frank Giacoia; letters by Sam Rosen
He has come upon the clever plan of webbing Norman's Goblin Glider away from him! The superhero equivalent of jamming a broomstick into your nemesis's bicycle spokes!


Let us all salute Spider-Man for coming up with a clever strategy and for defying not only the Goblin but overcoming his own deepest fears. Please try not to remember, however, the storyline that followed this one where the Green Goblin sued Spider-Man for reckless endangerment in Manhattan Civil Court.