The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: December Defenders and Daredevils

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published December 1, 2017.

Well, we got through another year, very nearly! And let's celebrate with a full-page, full-color montage of Spidey's Pals 'n' Gals by John Byrne! As a special bonus: it's before he went insane online!

"December Is Teaming with Dynamic Do-Gooders!" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by John Byrne, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by George Bell
(Click picture to Marvel Team-Up-size)
And, for your bonus final-month amusement and edification, here's even more Bullpen Birthdays and a special essay intoned by December birthday boy Stan Lee!

(Click picture to Stan's legend-size)
Finally, as a special treat, here's the Amazing, Spectacular, Sensational, Web of, Adjectiveless back cover of the 1978 Spidey calendar!


So remember to keep Spidey in your heart all year long, and to quote the final days of the 1978 calendar, but in full-color:


Final panel from Marvel Team-Up #1 (March 1972), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, October 26: Happy birthday, Jack Morelli!

Born on this day: comic book letterer and writer Jack Morelli (occasionally listed as John and nicknamed "Squid")! He's worked on Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, The Thing, Elektra, Avengers, lots of Archie comics, and more!


from Marvel Age #34, 58, and 94 (Marvel, January 1986, January 1988, and November 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#34), Mike Carlin (#58), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#94); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Adam Philips (#34), Paul Becton (#58), and Marie Javins (#94)

Today in Comics History, September 28: Happy birthday, Confucius!

Born on this day in 551 BC: Chinese philosopher Confucius, star of many comic books and graphic novels! Why, you can't point at a comic book anywhere without finding him somewhere in the middle!


cover of Action Philosophers Giant-Sized Thing #3 (Evil Twin, November 2007), art by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, December 24, Christmas Eve: The True Meaning of Christmas (along with Hostess Fruit Pies, Cupcakes, and Twinkies)

from Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #127 (Marvel, March 1983), script by J.M. DeMatteis, pencils by Kerry Gammill, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, November 20: Run faster and make sure that nuclear blast doesn't scorch your asses, X-Men

from Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 (Marvel, 1976), co-plot by Chris Claremont and Bonnie Wilford, co-plot and script by Bill Mantlo, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, finishes by Mike Esposito, colors by Hugh Paley, letters by Jim Novak

Today in Comics History, September 21: Happy birthday, Bill Murray!

Born on this day: actor, comedian, and comic book star Bill Murray! Go ahead, wish him a happy birthday. No one will ever believe you met him.



cover of Marvel Team-Up #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by Dave Cockrum, pencils and inks of celebrity faces by Marie Severin, letters by Irving Watanabe

Today in Comics History, September 1: Happy birthday, Joe Jusko!

Born on this day: painter Joe Jusko, whose illustrative work has graced many fantasy/science fiction books and collections, including the groundbreaking 1992 Marvel Masterpieces trading cards that initiated the painted trading card boom of the 1990s!



from Marvel Age (top) #117 and (bottom) 118 (Marvel, October-November 1992), photographs by Christopher Ebel

Today in Comics History, August 19, 1692: Spider-Man Arrives Too Late to Save a Hanging Witch

from Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #44 (April 1976), script by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Sal Buscema, figure inks by Mike Esposito, background inks by Dave Hunt, colors by Janice Cohen, letters by Karen Mantlo

Today in Comics History, August 2: Happy birthday, Carroll O'Connor!

Born today in 1924: actor, producer, and director Carroll O'Connor, who was the star of Ben Grimm's favorite TV show! (Also, I imagine the Thing liked In the Heat of the Night, but that wouldn't premiere for another 16 years.)


from Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #3 (Marvel, July 1972), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, July 1: Happy birthday, Dan Aykroyd!

Hey, it's somebody's birthday today, and not just mine: comedian, actor, singer, and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Dan Aykroyd! He was one of the freshman team of Not Ready for Prime Time Players on Saturday Night Live!



cover of Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by Dave Cockrum, SNL caricature pencils and inks by Marie Severin, letters by Irv Watanabe

Today in Comics History, June 28: Happy birthday, Gilda Radner!

Born on this day in 1946: the late great comedian and actress Gilda Radner, my favorite performer of the Saturday Night Live Not Ready for Prime Time Players!

But did she ever appear in comic books? Well, yes.



cover of Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by Dave Cockrum, SNL caricature pencils and inks by Marie Severin, letters by Irv Watanabe
Gilda, like all the cast of the second season of SNL, appeared in this unlikely-to-ever-be-reprinted (so look for it in backissue racks!) Spider-Man comic!


from Marvel Team-Up #74; script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bob Hall, inks and colors by Marie Severin, letters by Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki
A lovely thing about their weird and wonderful book is that Claremont gave every cast member (plus Lorne Michaels) a spotlight scene, and here's Gilda as Weekend Update commentator Emily Litella (along with Jane Curtin).



Take a bow, Gilda and Company!



Gilda, you are very much loved and very much missed.


"Young Woman of the Month" from Young Love (1963 series) #122 (DC, November 1976), text by Ellen Spencer (who was possibly Tony Isabella?), pencils by Joe Orlando, inks by Vince Colletta
Happy birthday, Gilda Radner!

Today in Comics History, June 7: Happy birthday, Dean Martin!

Born today in 1917: Singer, actor, comedian and comic book star Dean Martin! Let's all raise a glass of something alcoholic to toast ol' Dino and celebrate his appears in the comics!


house ad from DC comics dated October 1953

Today in Comics History, May 6: Happy birthday, David Michelinie!

Born on this day: David Michelinie, comics scripter of Iron Man, The Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, Action Comics, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Aquaman, Star Wars, Marvel Team-Up, and others; co-creator of Venom, Carnage, Scott and Cassie Lang, Jim Rhodes, Taskmaster, Star Raiders, Madame Xanadu, and many more!


from Marvel Age #29, 53, 89, and 101 (Marvel, August 1985, August 1987, June 1990, and June 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#29), Mike Carlin (#53) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#89 and 101); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Paul Becton (#53) and Renee Witterstaetter (#89 and 101)
He arrived at Marvel in a cloud of dust and a hearty "heigh-ho, Silver!" Oh, excuse me, I've made another one of my silly mistakes. That was actually Bob Layton who did that.


from "Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated November 1978, text by Jim Shooter
Page 7 of iron Man #116 provides a mind-shattering surprise? Well, let's check out page 7 of that comic and find out what the Sam Scratch is just so fantastic, amazing, incredible and uncanny!


from Iron Man (1958 series) #116 (Marvel, November 1978), co-plot and script by David Michelinie, co-plot and inks by Bob Layton, pencils by John Romita Jr., colors by George Roussos, letters by Annette Kawecki
Oh, I guess the big surprise is that when you hit him, Iron Man goes BLANG BLANG BLANG.

Wait, didn't Shooter say page 7 of the script? That's different: that would be around the final panels of the story.


Oooh, that is surprising! Okay, Bullpen Bulletins, I'll give ya this one.

But say! How do you pronounce "Michelinie?" Me, I'm been pronouncing it "Throatwarbler Mangrove," but I might have it wrong.


letter column from Amazing Spider-Man (1962 series) #338 (Marvel, September 1990)
So there ya go. Don't pickle her knee, or his or even your cat's: pick my knee.

Can you find Michelinie among the guests at Superman's wedding?

from Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot (DC, December 1996), pencils by Dan Jurgens, inks by Jerry Ordway, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by Bill Oakley
Click top picture to honeymoon-size
Here's a trickier one: find David (and other DC chiller creators) in the House of Mystery! (If you can't, don't fret it: it's a mystery!)

from "Do You Dare Enter The House of Mystery?" in House of Mystery (1951 series) #226 (DC, August 1974), script by Paul Levitz, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés
(Click top picture to ogre-size)
Finally, just in case that comic book writing career never becomes lucrative, Dave also runs a automobile tire business. They're having a hard month finance-wise, but if they can just deliver this van of radials without incident or accident...D'OH!


from Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #121 (Marvel, September 1982), script by J. M. DeMatteis, pencils by Kerry Gammill, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Joe Rosen
A very happy birthday to you, David Michelinie, from me an' Mrs. Arbogast!


from DC Comics cover-dated August 1977

Comics Do Shakespeare: The Sonnets, Verse 4: That's nice and all, but you're still goin' to S.H.I.E.L.D.* jail

Sonnet 166:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
     If this be error and upon me prov'd,
     I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.


from Marvel Team-Up #139 (Marvel, March 1984), script by Cary Burkett, pencils by Brian Postman, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by George Roussos, letters by Diana Albers
* Shakespeare Haters Immediately Enter Locked Detention

Today in Comics History, March 2: Happy birthday, Laraine Newman!

Born today, so ya better wish her a happy birthday: Laraine Newman, actor, writer, and comedian! She was one of the first generation of Saturday Night Live's Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players (and you know what that means, Marvel Team-Up collectors!) as well as appearing in films, TV shows, and as a voice actress for some fairly big animated movies like Despicable Me and its sequels, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing, Wreck-It-Ralph, Toy Story 3, Monsters Incorporated and many more! She was also one of the two voices of Batman villain Baby Doll from Batman: The Animated Series (the other was Alison La Placa).


from Batman: The Adventures Continue #6 (DC, March 2021), script by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Ty Templeton and Sean Parsons, colors by Monica Kubina, letters by AndWorld Design
But Laraine's biggest starring role in a comic book has got to be the one we always turn to when we get to celebrate a SNL alumni, the one that'll never get a reprint so it's best to look for it in the longboxes at your LCS: Marvel Team-Up #74, teaming up the original* *okay, the second season Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players with your friendly 30 Rock-visiting Spider-Man!



cover of Marvel Team-Up #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by David Cockrum, Saturday Night Live pencilled and inked by Marie Severin, letters by Irv Watanabe
Here's a cramped corner panel to introduce everyone: Laraine is at the upper-right in green, and clockwise from her: John Belushi, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris, DeForest Kelley, Jimmy Carter, and that's NBC anchorwoman Maria Shriver comin' in though the door.


from Marvel Team-Up #74; script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bob Hall, inks and colors by Marie Severin, letters by Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki
You, readers of my blog, well-know this story by now: Belushi has accidentally come into possession of a high-tech ring belonging to the Silver Samurai, and his goons are scouring the NBC Studios looking for it, faced off by Spider-Man and the cast of the show. Here's Laraine dressed up as Ms. Marvel for a skit. Excuse me while my eyes momentarily bug out over the table and my tongue rolls out to make a carpet. ... Ahem. That's better.


And she helps out Dan Ackroyd attack the baddies in full military style using fire extinguishers. Hey, you kids! Those aren't for fooling around with! Make sure Lorne has these recharged after this stunt!


Now, if you're feeling clever, you might proclaim at moi right now: "Hey, Laraine Newman played Connie in SNL's Conehead sketches, and Marvel did a Coneheads miniseries, so she also appears in that!" And you would be wrong, for I am nothin' if not a little stuffed nit-pickler. The Marvel Coneheads comics are based upon the Coneheads movie (1993), and Laraine did not play Connie in the movie: Michelle Burke (Dazed and Confused did! (Laraine did appear briefly in the movie as alien Laarta, but that character's not in the comic book.)

So with a hearty thank you to Marvel Team-Up #74, we bid a very happy birthday to Laraine Newman!