HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Hi, we are Dapper Dan Gvozden and Mischievous Mark Ginocchio, co-hosts of the Amazing Spider-Talk podcast. With each newsletter we hope to give you greater access into our thoughts on the world of Spider-Man!
It has been a crazy week for Spider-Man, between the release of Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the announcement of a new Parker family in the pages of Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s Ultimate Spider-Man, and the return of Rek-Rap in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. All of these things are equally Earth-shattering!
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Alright, let’s get to it. In this edition, we are using the launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to look back at Mark’s Comic Collection Mediations on picking up the first appearance (?) of the black suit, we are reviewing all the new B-Titles in Swarm’s B(ee)-Title Reviews, Mark’s Weekly Top 5 counts down his favorite black suit covers, guest writer Alex Galucki writes about playing as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and we answer your submitted questions!
Mark’s Comic Collection Meditations
When Mark launched Chasing Amazing in 2010, the blog chronicled his “quest” to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man and featured a series of posts that recalled memories and meditations around specific comics he came to own. As part of this newsletter, we’re resurrecting these remembrances with some new wrinkles, and will also occasionally chronicle some other comics Mark has purchased since completing his ASM run in 2014.
It was probably a year or so before the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst was released when my then-girlfriend, now wife, and I were at my parents’ house on a Saturday night for dinner. During those visits, my mom would usually put some coffee and dessert out and my father would stay at the dining room table for a few minutes before retiring to the bedroom and zonking out. After he would leave, my mom would always open up a bit more around this other woman who was now commanding so much of my attention.
That particular night, the conversation focused on my mother’s coworker whose Queens, NY, house was used as part of the set for Sam Raimi’s film. My mom talked about how this women met the cast and crew, and even had a piece of cake in honor of Dunst’s birthday. I was obviously fascinated by this story, but as my excitement continued to mount, I realized I never really told my girlfriend about my comic book collection. At that point, I hadn’t purchased a comic in years — this was one of the longest collecting gaps in my life. But it’s also the set-up for a major renaissance for my old hobby.
I knew my girlfriend wasn’t going to be too put off by the fact that I collected Spider-Man comics. She was never the type to put down anyone for something like that, but this was still a big leap for me all the same. It was unlocking a piece of my childhood — and a past that I wasn’t necessarily done with. Somehow, I knew as a 13-year-old that collecting every single Amazing Spider-Man was an impossible goal, so I did more-or-less give-up, and without a particularly good reason (unless you count lack of funds as a reason).
I went to my old bedroom, which at that point only got used during summer and winter breaks, and pulled out of my closet a couple of binders containing all of my “collected” comics. I ran through the list like a kindergartner during show-and-tell: “this is the first Rhino. This is an early appearance of the Green Goblin. Here’s Amazing Spider-Man #300 …”
There was one specific issue missing from that pile — one that really bugged me. Granted, at that point, there were hundreds of issues that had gone uncollected, but Amazing Spider-Man #252 was a key issue that came out in my lifetime — 1984. Yes, it was before I was buying comics with my weekly allowance, but when I was in my initial buying craze in junior high, it was an issue that I should have picked up. It wasn’t a terribly expensive comic, and the storyline kicked off a years-long arc that culminated with the origins of my favorite villain of all-time, Venom.
Of course, ASM #252 was also the first appearance of Spidey’s then brand-new, black suit. I knew of the suit’s connections to Marvel’s Secret Wars because I was obsessed with that miniseries as a little kid. What’s not to love as a kid: it was essentially a Marvel character battle royal, good versus evil with every single character of significance in the fight. Then, in issue #8, Spider-Man is beaten down and his traditional red and blue costume is tattered. A strange black goo crawls up his hands and becomes his suit. Spider-Man feels great with the foreign substance — how could a strange black goo that takes over your entire body possibly be evil? — and a new suit is born.
I had all of these Secret Wars comics as a little kid, but I trashed them. I even had the action figures. For the longest time, my mom actually had the black suit Spider-Man resting on the windowsill in the kitchen by the sink. As an adult, I asked her why she had it there, and she said she was gardening and found him buried — perhaps I was trying to reenact “Kraven’s Last Hunt”? She thought it was funny, and since I was the Spider-Man nerd growing up, sitting him up on the counter there was a perpetual reminder of what a little goon I was/am.
In the weeks following my big reveal to my girlfriend, I would wander onto eBay to see how much Spider-Man comics sold for. And I’d keep routinely going back to #252. Again, there were more significant and expensive comics out there, but it just felt wrong that I didn’t own the stupid thing.
Months passed and I still wasn’t ready to dive in head first, but then my girlfriend came back with an offer that I couldn’t refuse. She had been working for more than a year at a New York City nightclub as a bartender and door security guard. I would routinely go visit her there because it was an opportunity to hang out on a Friday or Saturday night, plus it was the only way my under-21 behind was going to get served a drink. The staff at this place was always a quirky bunch – bouncers with biceps bigger than my head. A guy, who I don’t even think actually worked there but hung out there every night in a suit was called “Well Dressed Mike”. These guys were all great to me, even if I sometimes wondered if they would have been the same guys stuffing me into a locker years earlier during junior high. Regardless, my collection and I are totally indebted to one of them — a guy who I don’t even remember meeting in the flesh (at the time), but was captivated by my story all the same.
I imagine my girlfriend and this guy were shooting the breeze one night while working security in front of the club. He was an aspiring comic book artist — who PS, would “make it” as a semi-significant name in our industry — so she probably told him about my old collection and how I once set out “to collect every Amazing Spider-Man.” He mentioned that in his spare time, he worked at a comic book shop in Manhattan, and he would look into using his “employee discount” to get me a deal.
When my girlfriend shared the news, I was skeptical, but still intrigued. He wanted a list of every comic I owned so there wouldn’t be any doubles. “Whatever,” I thought. At best, he’d probably pull out the same 30-40 issues that I had already picked up during the comic book boon of the 1990s. I gave the list to my girlfriend and on a whim mentioned, “see if he can grab me ASM #252.” I was sure he couldn’t.
The following week he showed up at the club with a “short box” (which holds about 100 comics) stuffed with issues from the 1980s and 1990s. My girlfriend was stunned by the vast amount of comics and when she asked him how much we owed, he took $50 and called it a day. He refused to take more. Was this even legal?
I sifted through the box and pulled out key issue after key issue from the 200s and 300s. The first Hobgoblin (#238), the death of the Burglar (#200), the first Todd McFarlane (#298). I couldn’t believe it. All of these comics for $50? And sandwiched in the middle of the box, stuck in there like it was just any other comic — and in retrospect, I guess it was — #252. In all its glory. “Introducing the New Spider-Man” splashed across the cover. The inexplicable absence of ASM #252 was no more.
More importantly, my once dormant collection had been reinvigorated in a way I never expected. I’d still have a bunch of comics in the first 200 to get, but pretty much all of my holes between ASM #200-#500 were accounted for. Getting a boost like that for so little in return still baffles my mind to this day — that someone I didn’t even really know, who was just a co-worker and friend with my girlfriend, would do that for me. There are certain people in your life who you expect some measure of generosity from. Then there are people like this who are here and gone in an instant, but still make such a tremendous impact that you’ll never forget them.
After ASM #600 came out, and I had amassed enough older Spidey’s in the first 100, my wife suggested I designate one box for every 100 issues to better organize my collection. That way, I wouldn’t have to take comics in and out of boxes every time I got a new issue to place in its proper order. The box all of those comics were delivered in a few years before had such a distinctive look. It is significantly more aged than the others, with some yellowing and rounded corners. And there’s a note taped to the top of the box — written on the back of a folded-up set list from the club’s performance that night — telling people that the box was off-limits for anyone but my wife (written much more colorfully than that — I believe a word that rhymes with trucker was used).
For several years that followed, that box was designated for ASM #’s 1-99. Unfortunately, the box gave in to age and degradation before it could hold that precious issue #1. However, I can always thank my fascination with the black suit for hitting my collection with the accelerant required to even be able to complete the entire run of this series.
Swarm’s B(ee)-Title Reviews
With every new edition of the Amazing Spider-Talk Substack, Dan and Mark will venture to write short reviews of all the various Spider-Man books (and major Marvel releases) that have released since the previous newsletter. Sometimes our arch-villain Swarm might chime in as well. So “bee” prepared!
Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #1
Mark: I still kinda question the premise and purpose of this book. Why, of all Marvel flagship characters, does Spider-Man necessitate a “spooky” book? Outside of Morbius, it’s not like he has any monster adversaries, and it just seems like such a random concept for a new series. With that said, it’s undeniably enjoyable, even if it feels nothing like a Spider-Man book. I’m still not 100 percent sure Saladin Ahmed understands that he’s writing Peter Parker, and yet, Peter getting haunted by some kind of demonic spirit that makes everyone forget who he is does, in its own perverse way, feel like a Spider-Man problem. Meanwhile, Juan Ferreyra is such a fantastic artist. It’ll be interesting to see how long this thing holds my interest, but two issues in (or whatever you want to count that issue #0), I’m into it.
Dan: This one was a bit of a head-scratcher for me, mostly because as incredible as Ferreyra’s art is and how much I think Ahmed has a strong grasp on Peter’s internal monologue, I find the suggested premise to be fairly warmed-over genre fare. The whole, “I’m having a nightmare where no one remembers who I am” is a story as old as time. It’s a Wonderful Life being the prime example, and in that story the filmmakers use the conceit to tell us more about George Bailey and his town, while commenting on the corrosive nature of capitalism. As Peter encounters his family, friends, and life without Spider-powers, the creative team here does nothing to provide any commentary on what the world of Spider-Man would be like if he didn’t exist and thus miss out on making a statement. Perhaps they don’t want to, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
I do suspect that in the end this will likely be some sort of dream-state, especially if it is a continuation from Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0. If there is a warmed-over genre trope more common than “it was all a dream/nightmare”, I can’t think of one. I know most B-title superhero comics almost operate as dreams, as most never get brought up or represented in the main comic of the character, but ideas like this don’t help to make these books feel any less perfunctory.
Perhaps I’m wrong and Ahmed has a clever twist up his sleeve regarding Mysterio or some other thing that will make this a meaningful story that tells us something interesting about Peter and his world, but that statement hasn’t really started to appear yet. I will admit, it was interesting to see Peter and MJ’s current status quo somewhat represented here. We see Peter unsure whether or not he should involve MJ in his life, despite what are obviously lingering feelings from him. None of the other titles, outside of Amazing Spider-Man, have dared to touch that particular story but I was surprised that a seemingly “evergreen” tale, as I assumed this one was, reflected other current plots. In some ways, it signals that perhaps Spine-Tingling Spider-Man is being set up as a proper side-title to Amazing Spider-Man and not just a brief lark.
As a beautiful adventure story, this thing is a triumph, even if Peter spends a lot of the issue running around outside of his costume. Ferreyra’s monsters are horrifying, he’s developing a stronger grasp on his version of Peter, and his trippy page-layouts work as well here as they did in the Marvel Unlimited format (as translated to the printed page for the previous issue). I was surprised to see Spidercide make an appearance here. Could this be the final reveal of Chris Yost’s tease of Spidercide 2.0 from Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #20 from 2013?
…
Remember that? I did.
I did.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #11
Mark: Odds are high that I’m going to get called out by one of the Hines brothers for the commentary in this review following my review of Spine-Tingling, but what the heck is going on in Miles Morales: Spider-Man right now? Through the first few arcs, Cody Ziglar was a welcomed new voice on Miles, providing some real direction for a character which has struggled to get his footing despite immense popularity brought on by two amazing animated movies. And yet, here we are in a story where Miles is wielding a flaming sword, fighting vampires and teaming up with Blade? Yeah, not adding up here for me. I’m not sure if this is the direction Miles needs to be going at the moment.
Dan: This issue’s story was a big downgrade from the previous ten issues of Miles Morales: Spider-Man. First, it’s important to note that despite my disinterest in the plot, Ziglar’s voice for Miles remains as authentic as it has from the start of his run. I’ll also note that elsewhere in Marvel’s lineup of titles, I’m really enjoying the new Blade series from Bryan Hill and Elena Casagrande, check it out if you haven’t yet. I get the desire to do a crossover to spread the love that Miles is getting right now, especially before the big “Gang War” event, but I didn’t find any of the characters or scenarios here all that interesting. Especially the way that Ziglar writes Blade as this sort of exposition dumping know-it-all. This is kind of what I’d point to as a stock, forgettable Marvel tale. Some new, big baddie enters the picture with mountains of lore and rules, of which we’ll probably never hear of again after this story, and it feels perfunctory from the start. Miles never leaves his costume, so you just know that this story isn’t going to impact anything outside of its self-contained continuity.
Speaking of costumes, Miles gets a new one here and man… as the “dapper” member of the Amazing Spider-Talk podcast, you wouldn’t catch me dead wearing this thing. As Peter B. Parker says in Into the Spider-Verse: “And… it’s a no on the cape.” As someone who liked Miles’ previous turtleneck look, despite its impracticalities as something he could wear under his clothes, I think this might be his worst look yet. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Otherwise, Federica Mancin is an appropriate match to the work of Federico Vincentini, almost as much as their names are similar. Vincentini’s work carries with it a much more harried, cluttered, detailed kineticism to it that is sometimes overwhelming but always intoxicating. Mancin’s work is much cleaner, but carries some of the thin linework similarities as Vincentini’s depiction of this world. It’s a smart pairing, even if her character posing and distorted faces don’t quite stand up to Vincentini’s run-defining work.
Hallows’ Eve: The Big Night #1
Dan: Hallows’ Eve was almost totally overlooked as a character during the “Dark Web” storyline, but in her own mini-series by Erica Schultz and Michael Dowling she became a pretty fun character to read about. How her powers work is interesting, but mostly just a bit of an ambiguously limited version of a standard shapeshifting character, but for a Halloween-timed, giant-sized, one-shot her monster forms remain fun.
And that’s what I’d call this issue: fun. It doesn’t really move the ball forward on the ongoing Limbo and Chasm plot that Hallows’ Eve spawned from, nor does it tell us much new about Janine, as she makes her march towards the title of “anti-hero”. But, it does give us a simple plot that lets Hallows’ Eve transform into Captain America and the Hulk, which is mostly an excuse to flex Dowling’s incredible pencils. How Dowling hasn't graduated up to the big leagues after his time working on “Beyond” and the mini-series with this character is “beyond” me. Few people can nail the dramatics in and out of the spandex quite like he can. His sensitive approach to faces and weighty physicality adds so much heft to even a silly story like this. I’d love to see him get another shot at tackling Peter’s world, but for now I am glad that his co-creation is giving him time to shine on something he can legitimately call his own.
Mark’s Weekly Top 5
Who doesn’t love a Spider-Man black suit comic book cover? In this week’s Top Five list, Mark ranks his five favorite Spider-Man comic book covers featuring the black suit. Does your favorite make the cut?
This Week in Spider-Man History
Before he was Peter Parker’s best friend, Norman Osborn was apparently a bit of a jerk to Spider-Man… like in the famed storyline by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr., “New Ways to Die”, which concluded 15 years ago in Amazing Spider-Man #573.
“Be lesser. Be Peter Parker.”
Editors’ Note: This article comes from our video editor Alex Galucki who reached out about writing about this game. Mark and Dan both haven't had a chance to dive into the game and so were eager to get Alex’s take. Additionally, while there are no major spoilers below, some of the themes of the video game are discussed and as such, a few small plot and gameplay details are revealed that were previously not shown in any of the trailers. So, consider this a very light spoiler warning.
Dear, humble reader. Before offering my take on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, I must make a confession: I am not an avid gamer.
At best, I would describe myself as a casual gamer, despite the fact that I own a rare Playstation 5. So, if you were ever on a waitlist to get one, just know that one went to an undeserving person. (I primarily got one to play Insomniac’s Wolverine game, whenever that comes out.) While I may not be an expert on the subject of gameplay mechanics, I do enjoy the sometimes quality storytelling and escapism that video games can uniquely offer.
I bring all this up to say that I have a soft spot for Spider-Man video games. Why? Because they’re fun. Even the bad ones. In a lot of ways, Spider-Man and his powerset, when handled correctly, offers one of the most unique and fun combinations of gameplay options of any protagonist I can think of. Just shooting webs at enemies and webslinging around town are enough to build an entire game off of, and that only scratches the surface. Older games have their charm and nostalgia, but it was 2004’s Spider-Man 2 that changed the game for me. (Pun intended.) The open world of New York was a revelation for a Spidey game, but the gameplay mechanics were upgraded as well, finally letting the player feel like they were Spider-Man.
Future games would enhance the mechanics and while that’s all well and good, what about Peter Parker? Past games have given you the ability to play as Peter in his civvies and the good ones are sure to showcase the dichotomy between Peter Parker and Spider-Man, but it’s rare you ever feel like Peter Parker. There always felt like something was missing from the Spider-Man gaming formula that made the movies and comics such a compelling stew.
Enter Insomniac's Marvel’s Spider-Man, all the way back in 2018 (time flies). No one knew what to expect, could they improve on or even match the quality of the Batman: Arkham Asylum games? Could Spider-Man work within that formula from a developer known mostly for level-based action platformers?
While I wouldn’t go as far as to say they created the definitive Spidey adaptation, I will go as far as to say it’s a pretty darn great one. It succeeds in balancing the relatable life of Peter Parker with the bombast of Spider-Man. For every horizon-bending action scene was an equally compelling sequence featuring his personal relationships with his fantastically reimagined supporting cast. It was a different take on the story, but it stayed true to the essence and themes of the character.
The downside, as I see it, is that the juiciest drama in Peter’s life comes from the cutscenes, not the gameplay. As a story, the game 100% works for me and left me wanting more, but I kept asking myself, is there a way to make playing as Peter more integral to the experience? And now, five years and a Miles Morales spin-off game later, we finally got a sequel that certainly provides a better answer to that question. Much like the 2004 Spider-Man 2 game, I think this new title sets a new standard for Spider-Man games going forward. That’s right, this game makes you, the player, feel like Peter Parker.
As seen briefly in the trailer, the game features a sequence where Peter, Harry, MJ and even Miles all meet up for a fun time in Coney Island. “Okay,” I thought, “This will probably be a five minute cutscene. I wouldn’t expect any studio to make you ride any of the rides and soak in this beautiful reunion between old and new friends.” How wrong I was. For a brief moment in this action-adventure, you get to ride the “Speed Demon” or the “Big Wheel” and a bunch of other fun villain-themed attractions (Get it? “Hydro Bench”, because Hydro-Man’s secret identity is Morrie Bench). And these aren’t just cutscenes, they are fully interactive experiences that enrich the relationships between the characters and sell you on the joys of being Peter Parker that are sacrificed when it comes time for responsibility to rear its head and force Peter to become Spider-Man. Can anything match the thrill of using the DualSense controller to get Peter to raise his arms on a rollercoaster?
Not only does this offer a bit of variety in the overall gameplay, but it also elevates the story itself. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must know that Venom factors into this game and Peter eventually dons his iconic black suit. We know this will all go downhill, so having moments of joy such as this makes Peter’s eventual downfall all the more tragic.
When you do acquire the black suit, you, like Peter, immediately feel the noticeable difference in power. It feels good and more importantly, it’s even more fun than before. But when Peter starts to go too far while under the influence of the symbiote, the game shifts focus on other characters’ perspectives, namely Miles Morales, the other playable co-protagonist of the game. By having those Peter Parker sequences earlier, we root even more for Peter to find his way back.
The goal of any symbiote Spider-Man adaptation after the defining interpretation in the 1994 animated series is to push Spidey to the opposite extreme and make us root for Peter to overcome this obstacle. The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series did an excellent job exploring the psychology of Peter Parker’s addiction to the symbiote and making the build up to Venom a believable journey. While I can’t quite say the same for Insomniac’s take on Venom (perhaps a discussion for another time), I can say that this game succeeds in giving us the definitive adaptation of the black suit. It turns out that the key ingredient was a simple one: we got to “Be Peter Parker.”
Audience Comments/Questions Answered
With every new edition of the Amazing Spider-Talk Substack, Mark and Dan will answer your submitted questions about any topic that you might be interested in. They will prioritize submissions from the Amazing Spider-Talk Patreon (sign up), but lacking any queries there they will respond to questions asked in the comments below. To get your question potentially picked, the Patreon is the best way to submit them.
Alright, let’s dive into the mailbag and answer some of the questions posed to us from Patreon!
Steve Barkema
I like to pick up as many of the random Spider-Man appearances in other Marvel books as I can (especially ones from the 1980s and 90s). What are some of your favorite Spider-Man appearances in a non-Spider-Man comic?
Mark: In another case where my initial gut “take” on something was wrong and time has given me a much more favorable view, the Spider-Man vs. Phoenix-powered Colossus issue of the AvX miniseries remains a big favorite in terms of using Spider-Man in a larger event with stakes and impact.
On a much smaller scale, and considering he had just written the character in Amazing Spider-Man, it’s a bit of a cheat, Spidey’s appearance in an Avengers two-parter (Avengers #236-237, written by Roger Stern) in the mid-80s, is just a fantastic use of the “why Spider-Man can’t be on a team” storyline. (Note: We’ll be covering this storyline in an upcoming episode of Season 6 of the Amazing Spider-Talk podcast)
Dan: Those are great suggestions, Mark! I’m going to be highlighting an issue from the Jonathan Hickman run of Fantastic Four, which is a great run overall in regards to highlighting Spider-Man’s role in the greater Marvel Universe. For a good deal of time, after the Human Torch “dies”, Spider-Man is appointed as his replacement on the team due to a request from Johnny in a pre-recorded message in the case of his death. The stories that follow are great, particularly the back-up story in Fantastic Four #588 where Spidey counsels young Franklin Richards about the death of his Uncle Johnny and how he went through a similar trauma.
After Johnny’s return from “death” in the Negative Zone, he and Peter share an apartment which is notable for one particular issue: FF #17, “The Roomate Experiment”. Basically, Peter grows tired of Johnny’s parties and shenanigans and sets out to kick him out of the apartment. Instead, Johnny throws one final rager to end all ragers. Peter returns to his apartment to find Moloids partying it up, he gets “drunk” on something called Kymel, Johnny kisses Mary Jane, and Annihilus takes up residence in Peter’s bathroom. It’s one of the funniest issues of superhero comics ever, which comes as quite a surprise from someone as lore-heavy and typically serious in his writing as Hickman tends to be.
There are so many other instances of great comics with Spider-Man guest-appearing in them, but I thought I’d mention these because of the announcement of Hickman and Checchetto’s Ultimate Spider-Man comic. Hickman has publicly said he never wanted to write a Spider-Man ongoing, but now he’s doing it. It does seem like an odd fit until you read these two issues. If his Ultimate Spider-Man can capture the character with anywhere near the fun and heart of these comics, we’ll all be in good hands.
Chris Sutcliffe
Which Spider-Man character, who hasn't already been adapted to film, would you love to see adapted to film?
Mark: It’s a bit of a cheat since Wilson Fisk has appeared in the MCU (and I’m not suggesting he be recast) but to be truer to the question, I would love to see a proper “Gang War” storyline involving a lot of Spidey’s street-level underworld rogues, i.e. Fisk, Tombstone, Hammerhead, Crime Master… and yes, you can throw Hobgoblin into the mix as well, though, I also consider THAT a cheat since there are distinct similarities to the Green Goblin.
While not a favorite villain by any stretch, in terms of cool visuals, Scorpion would be another great choice. Hey, they teased him at the end of Homecoming, but I guess they either forgot, or just didn’t feel it tested well enough.
Dan: Mark stole a bit of my thunder on this one with his answer. My greatest desire too is that that with a new MCU Spider-Man production they utilize his new status quo to tell grounded, down-to-Earth Spidey stories. There’s no better pairing for grounded stories than the various gangs of Marvel’s New York. I think of the early Steve Ditko stories that mixed up Crime Master, Green Goblin, and the Big Man as they vied for territory and how Spider-Man got caught up in it all… and I salivate. Yes, perhaps it’s a bit of a step down from the universe-spanning adventures that he’s been on, but I think it is time that this Peter deal with some more murky politics that test his decisions as a young man, as many of the MCU films have already done (see Mysterio and Vulture).
Heck, I think they’ve already established a perfect way to bring Hobgoblin into the series. Remember when Norman came to the MCU in No Way Home and ditched his gear in the trash, just like Amazing Spider-Man #50? Well, imagine if a certain Roderick Kingsley or one of his cronies just so happened to walk by and gather that gear. BOOM! You’ve got Hobgoblin and we are off to the races!
Inside joke: You’ve been doing a great job editing this newsletter, Chris!
Jason Carriere
Hey guys, I have a collecting/storyline/completist question for you: when there’s a Spider-Event in the main title (ASM), where do you stand on picking up all the tie-in issues to have a “full story”? For example, the upcoming “Gang War” event will feature an ASM: First Strike kick-off issue and then the regular ASM issues. But, it will also carry over into the new Spider-Woman series, and then multiple mini-series tie-in’s (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Shang-Chi). Will you buy/read them all?
Mark: I’m generally a sucker for buying way too much content from Marvel sometimes, but when it comes to scenarios like the described above, I generally draw the line if the tie-in book isn’t something that is typically a part of the “Spider-Universe,” meaning a character or creative team that isn’t generally affiliated with the Spider-Office. I.e. for “Gang War,” Spider-Woman is a “yes” for me, while Luke Cage and Deadly Hands of Kung Fu are not. During “Dark Web”, I did not buy the X-Men books. I bought pretty much everything during “Spider-Island” but I also loved all of the tie-ins there so no harm no foul.
Oh, and before anyone asks, the tie-ins and one-shots, DO NOT COUNT.
Dan: I have “SUCKER” tattooed on my lower back. I’m not proud of it. I got it at a time where I was especially vulnerable and a little bit intoxicated. And as such, I tend to pick up all the various parts of any Spider-Man event.
Honestly, I think it is mostly due to events like “Spider-Island”, where so many of the various tie-in books were both excellent and integral to following the lead story. One of the most pivotal plot-points that set up the finale of that story happened in the Venom title! It’s also an awesome way to see and judge the kismet in the Spider-Office, how well it is being managed, and the rare time that parts of the Marvel Universe feel legitimately cohesive.
I’m less drawn to books that feel like true inventory titles, like say Spider-Island: I Love New York, unless I think the core premise is an absolute blast or there is a creative placed on the book that I really like. But yeah, I’m buying all of the “Gang War” books because I’m excited about the event and like all the characters that they’ve brought in, not to mention I love the street-level side of the Marvel Universe. I mean, if I hadn’t picked up the Spider-Woman title that spun out of “Spider-Verse” I would have never fallen in love with Dennis Hopeless’ run. And yes, I could wait for Marvel Unlimited, but the podcast and now this Substack gives me enough of a reason to truly feel like I need to be keeping up, at least enough so that my take is supported by actual first-hand knowledge of what’s happening.
What’s New for the Amazing Spider-Talk?
Since the previous Amazing Spider-Talk Substack we’ve seen the release of our review of Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #32, the kickoff to “Spider-Man’s First Hunt".
You can watch it on YouTube or listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Plus, this week in our Patreon, our listeners will get to hear/watch our review of Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #36.
Plus, we’ve got a sneak preview of Season 6, Episode 7 coming out at the end of the week. This time we talk about the start of Web of Spider-Man and how the book was positioned to operate alongside Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, under editorial oversight by a revamped Spider-Office.
To hear both episodes early, subscribe to our Patreon!
We hope you enjoyed this third edition of the Amazing Spider-Talk Substack and that you’ll consider subscribing for our future newsletters.
And, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to our various podcasts, comment below, and consider joining our Patreon:
I always look forward to Mark’s meditations section. This one didn’t disappoint! And it’s always fun bracing for Dan’s obscure knowledge and callbacks on Spider lore to pop in (Spidercide 2.0 wtf 😂)
Solid issue guys, reading your writings are a treat!
Or what if Norman's discarded gear is found by Ned Leeds?! (Did you know he was the original Hobgoblin, Dan? 😉)
But seriously, it might actually be an interesting story after he promised not to try to kill him. Peter also promised to remind him who he was. He thinks Ned is better of without him, but that goes all wrong.
Also... Ned has magic powers now! 🤣🙄