How was Spider-Man's Free Comic Book Day in 2024?
Plus a review of Ultimate Spider-Man #4!
Another year has passed and all the major and minor publishers have gotten together to help celebrate Free Comic Book Day (FCBD). It’s a great time for readers to learn more about what is coming to their local comic book stores (LCBS) over the next year, while also supporting retailers. As the standard-bearer for Marvel Comics, Spider-Man got his own free comic this year with Free Comic Book Day 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man #1 (available to read here and here, if you missed the print version). Join us today for a discussion of that comic and more on the Amazing Spider-Talk Substack!
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!
On the past few weeks of the Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast we reviewed the recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man and talked to writer Cody Ziglar, but in this Substack we wanted to use this entry to talk about our thoughts about this year’s Free Comic Book Day. But first, if you enjoy this Substack, please Subscribe!
And, if you want to help support what we do, plus get bonus episodes of the Amazing Spider-Talk, digital artwork, prints in the mail, and early access to every episode of the show, please check out our Patreon. Putting this together takes a lot of time, energy, and funds, so we would be hugely appreciative of your support.
We’ve even got our review of Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #49, for you to watch/listen to! Here’s our humorous recap of the issue that teases the opening of our full review:
Now, let’s get to our discussion of Free Comic Book Day 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man #1!
Discussion of Spider-Man’s Free Comic Book Day 2024
The following is a discussion of Free Comic Book Day 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man #1. There will be spoilers for the comic, as much as it can be spoiled, so if you want to follow along it is probably best that you read the comic (see links above to read).
Mark: OK, Dapper Dan. Another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone, and once again, Marvel used the occasion to preview some of its upcoming work from the Spider-Office, including a short Amazing Spider-Man story courtesy of Zeb Wells and Ryan Stegman (listen to our interview with him).
You’re more tapped into the solicits than I am, but this story very much seemed to be setting up the upcoming “Spider-Goblin” storyline that’s set to begin in ASM (vol. 6) #50. Peter is still trying to date Shay and having some very Spider-Man-type problems doing that (which I celebrate every time modern creators go down this route because dating SHOULD be hard for Peter, but not because he’s a loser but because he’s Spider-Man), and Ryan Stegman is just throwing 100 mph per usual, this time penciling a demented Chuck E. Cheese animatronic band. With that said, the focal point of the story seems to be the suspicious behavior of Norman Osborn, and while we knew from the very beginning of the “Peter and Norman are friends” arc, this was not meant to last forever, the transition to this place of clear distrust for Norman still feels a bit sudden and unearned for me. With all that said, Dan, what were your overall impressions of the story that we got and where does this FCBD installment rank with past ones from Marvel?
Dan: Marvel typically rolls out some pretty exciting stuff for Spider-Man in the pages of FCBD issues, at least in terms of art, and this one was no slouch either. In the past we’ve gotten Humberto Ramos depicting a fight between Spider-Man and Shang-Chi, Patrick Gleason pitting Spidey against a rampaging gorilla, and now a Five Nights at Freddy’s adventure within the Marvel Universe as drawn by Ryan Stegman. We are a long ways away from getting the level of substance that we got when the debut of “Brand New Day” was stealth teased in a full-length Spidey story in a FCBD issue, but this particular story at least provided a meaningful wrinkle in the Norman Osborn story that has been the backbone of Zeb Wells’ Amazing Spider-Man run, and probably the most interesting story of the bunch (between Tombstone, Chasm, Paul, and the sins of the Goblin threads).
But, if I’m being totally honest here, despite the minimal substance, it was actually the writing that I enjoyed the most from this issue. This is a bit due to Stegman, who has shown a real penchant for illustrating in Spider-Man’s world, who I think turned in some fairly weak pencils here, at least in terms of his own work, especially when it relates to characters outside of costume. It’s almost impossible to connect his lithe interpretation of Norman Osborn with any version we’ve ever seen before. His monstrous creations, the robotic band led by Calzone Raton, fall more into his sweet spot of over-the-top, exaggerative creations. It’s hard to resist watching his Spider-Man wield an animatronic tomato against someone called “Buffalo Mozzarella”.
Meanwhile, the writing is exciting, packed full of jokes, and finds Peter in a situation that could be plucked out of just about any era of Spider-Man comics, which makes for a good intro for new readers. The teases for the upcoming “Spider-Goblin” arc will probably fall on deaf ears for new readers, but the implication that the Ultra Living Brain is using machines and data systems to try and warn Peter that something is up with Norman is an intriguing wrinkle in this ongoing story, one that seems set to showcase Wells’ strength at finding naturalistic ways of intertwining his multiple narrative threads together.
I guess, the thing that keeps me from fully embracing this as a full-on promise of what’s to come from the Spider-line is that Stegman is already confirmed to be on the X-Men titles for the foreseeable future. I’m sure all the Spidey artists are hard at work on upcoming stories for the conclusion of the Wells run, and Stegman is a huge pull, but I guess I was hoping for something more forward-thinking from a tease like this. What’s the future of Spider-Man? Drop a stealth tease of what the next “Brand New Day” is on my lap. Please Marvel!
Am I wrong to want something like that?
Mark: I don’t think you’re wrong, but I would likely say unrealistic. Like a lot of the Zeb Wells run, this FCBD made the motions of pulling several potential interesting ideas together, but even as far as “teasers” go, there didn’t seem to be a terrible amount of connective tissue to lead me to believe the end result is going to be some kind of meaningful, impactful story that will contribute to the legacy of the Spider-Man mythos. Now am I wrong to want something like that? I’m assuming your answer for me will be similar to how I just responded to you.
As I insinuated in the first part of this discussion, the storyline with Norman has never really progressed to a point where this current (albeit expected) turn is stoking the fires of intrigue for me. For the duration of the Wells run, the Peter/Norman dynamic has been the epitome of telling-not-showing where the reader continually gets the lip service hand delivered to them that Peter is “aww shucks, just ready to give you a chance to break my heart Norman.”
Apologies for the glibness here, but like so much of the modern Amazing Spider-Man, there’s just an underlying lack of substance and stakes to Peter’s predicament that I hardly noticed whether or not Stegman’s pencil-work was a tonal match or not for the story being told. Bringing in the Ultra Living Brain, a character I still regard as a novelty act who has been primarily played for gags a la the robot from Rocky IV over the past decade, is not helping matters on that front either.
Since I’m already fairly revved up on the crankiness, my larger question following the FCBD exercise is was this even a necessary installment/teaser for the Spider-Office. We’re only a couple of months removed from the Web of Spider-Man one-shot (which we reviewed here) which was a $10 book of teasers which makes me think if this model of storytelling is losing its luster. Is what I just wrote the equivalent of the Sheriff of Nottingham telling people that he’s “cancelling Christmas” or do you think there’s some merit to the idea that maybe we’re evolving past comics like this for FCBD?
Dan: Well, that’s just it… the scope of the past few Spider-Man FCBD issues have been so narrow, dedicated to purely the hardest of the hardcore reader, to the point that they seem only marketed to only those already reading the title. Sure, there’s a fun, little Spider-Man adventure here, with the teases for Norman and the Ultra Living Brain operating at the edges of the story, but I can’t really imagine many people picking this up and thinking, “What an exciting direction for Spider-Man. I must pick up this title!” Even last year’s was Spider-Man fighting a gorilla in a set up for a Kraven story. That Kraven story turned out to be awesome, but it came months later and was just a single arc in a much bigger story that has been embedded throughout the run.
I don’t know what your FCBD experience was like, but my shop saw lines around the block and enjoyed record sales, at least as they have described it. That seems to be the sentiment, at least in our Amazing Spider-Slack, with many of our dedicated listeners/readers unable to get a copy of the free issues because of demand. I can tell you, also because my shop begs customers to pick up their pull boxes to help them stay in business, that this couldn’t contrast my experiences on Wednesdays any more starkly. This isn’t any attempt on my part to be damning to my LCBS, who I think are awesome (shout out to Collector’s Paradise), but at least anecdotally these FCBD issues don’t seem to be moving the needle to convert new readers. I’m going to be keeping my eyes on sales numbers for the next few months to see if numbers on Amazing Spider-Man increase, though issue #50 will likely be impossible to compare anything to, because you’d hope to see anything in the wake of FCBD receiving a significant new-reader bump.
Without any real data to support my argument, like the true armchair quarterback that I am, my feeling is that stories like this Amazing Spider-Man FCBD tale find themselves too stretched to appeal to desperate groups to work for either. It’s a sort of generic Spider-Man tale without a ton of vision for what sets this era of the character apart, but also too in the weeds of what’s currently going on during this specific arc of the title. I enjoyed it, as a light, free(!) story with a minor update to a book that I’m already reading. But… I’m already reading this title!
On the other hand, the back-up story that serves as a prelude to the upcoming The Ultimates (vol. 4) #1 managed to serve all audiences, in my opinion. It both teased an exciting new take on familiar characters that distinguished itself from what came before, while also serving up some teases and nods to more dedicated readers. What’d you think of that story?
Mark: Oh I definitely found The Ultimates to be a fun quick-hitter and more effective as a “tease” than what came out of the Spider-Man story. Obviously, for the reasons you mentioned, there’s far more latitude to tell a story like that when Marvel is essentially using the comic to introduce a familiar yet still “new” concept to the masses (I’ll be curious how many non-Avengers fans will know who the original Human Torch is). And clearly, even if the Spider-Man story is primarily serving the hardcore fans already reading the book, there’s something tried and true about Marvel’s long-standing marketing strategy of putting Spidey on the cover of something and then using that to sell something non-Spider-Man to a larger audience.
Cue the Scarface “print money” meme.
And yet still, I just find myself troubled by the “latitude” scenario I mentioned here. We’ve talked about this in the context of other situations since launching this Substack, but the fact is there continues to be larger industry factors that are, in my opinion, holding back the quality and audaciousness of Spider-Man as an ongoing comic book story. I know, I know, why can’t I just enjoy a short story that features some vintage awkward Peter and some goofy but still ultimately fun artwork from one of my long-standing favorites in Ryan Stegman? The reason is because this comic comes across as another “check the box” moment from an office that really REALLY loves to check boxes and generate marketing boilerplate. At the end of the day, we’ll see if the juice was worth the squeeze, or if there’s any juice TO the squeeze when the “Spider-Goblin” storyline hits. But again, there was nothing about this comic that left me particularly hyped for it, just my status quo skeptical that when it’s all over it will have said anything effectively impactful about Peter or Spider-Man.
Dan: As the eternal optimist, at least when it comes to comics, I wanted to close this off by reflecting on Free Comic Book Day as a whole. It’s one of my favorite days of the year, not just for the free comics but for the spotlight that comics get in our society. When even the biggest conventions have moved away from their focus on the actual comics, it’s great that every year people line up outside of comic shops to eagerly get their hands on some free books that tease stories that they can enjoy throughout the year, all while hopefully supporting their shops. I know that I’m sure to buy at least three items each year, even if my “to read” pile has evolved into a federally recognized landmark at this point.
But, this one was extra-special for me because I brought my son Ben with me for the first time. Honestly, I took on more than I could handle, as the crowds, lines, and general chaos of the day made it almost impossible to shop and supervise Ben, but it was special nevertheless. Ben loves nothing more than reading and while he doesn’t understand anything about the nature of comics, books, or the concept of “free”, this was still a special trip for him. That’s because he loves “Spidey and his Amazing Friends” more than just about any other television show, now that he’s graduated from “Ms. Rachel”, and not just because the George Stacy character appears to have been designed off of my Facebook profile. And, lo and behold, there was a free comic book based on the television show for him to pick up.
I grabbed two. These have been as good as gold in our house.
Ben has been running around the past week, shoving the tattered pages of his first copy into my hands with every chance he gets. The cover is already torn, the binding destroyed, and yet it is still the most valuable book in the world to him. And, despite my Ditko books, Amazing Spider-Man #1, and all the other riches in my collection, it has quickly become the most valuable book in my collection as well. And, truly, that’s what Free Comic Book Day and comics are all about, sharing the joy of storytelling with others. I hope this becomes a yearly tradition for Ben and me, even if it’s the only comic he picks up each year; I don’t believe in forcing my son to like the same things I like. I suspect it will be, he can already name every member of the Avengers thanks to a collection of board books we were gifted, and I can’t wait to discover what joys there are to find in these funny pages with him.
And… that brings me to my final wrap-up thought. Mark and I spend a ton of time waxing on and on about Spider-Man, and comics. Wishing that they’d be the best they can be, if only so that we can continue to advocate for the special place that comics and Spider-Man can have in the lives of many. But, in the wake of my son’s smile, I suspect our critiques don't really matter one bit. Free Comic Book Day is special.
This Week in Spider-Man History
It’s been a minute since Dan and I released a Substack, so let’s catch up on some milestone moments in Spider-Man comic book history that you’ve might have missed.
60 years ago in April, arguably (I mean, look, this is a fairly accepted fact but I’ll say “arguably”) Spider-Man’s greatest villain, the Green Goblin is introduced in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Amazing Spider-Man #14. Dan and I talked the Goblin and other Lee/Ditko rogues in our Season 1 episode, “The Bad Guys.”
50 years ago in April, a new Spider-Man series was launched with Giant-Sized Spider-Man #1. Not quite an Annual, and not a regular issue, it certainly doesn’t count from Mark’s perspective, but an important moment all the same. Len Wein and Ross Andru were the creators.
Another comic celebrating it’s Golden Anniversary, 50 years ago in May, Gerry Conway and Ross Andru dropped Amazing Spider-Man #135, which marked the second full appearance of Frank Castle, aka the Punisher. Check out this classic Amazing Spider-Talk interview with Conway where he talks (among other things) the Punisher in pop culture.
As part of Marvel’s early 2000s resurgence, 20 years ago last month, superstar creators Mark Millar and Terry Dodson were brought in to create the Marvel Knight: Spider-Man maxi-series. This 12-issue series basically utilized every major character in Spider-history AND introduced a new Venom, making it a fan favorite.
Can you believe 10 years ago in May Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos brought us the first issue of the third volume of Amazing Spider-Man? After Peter Parker’s “death” during Superior Spider-Man, Peter was upgraded to “living” and even styled and profiled in his web underwear for all the fans clamoring for THAT. Check out the original Amazing Spider-Talk review from the release of that issue.
Ultimate Spider-Man (vol. 3) #4 - REVIEW
Mark: Look, we’re four issues into this series and the creative team still seems firmly entrenched in methodical world building. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this approach from Jonathan Hickman, but we are absolutely getting to a point where the need to get to the fireworks factory approaches.
Let me be clear that I’m still greatly enjoying Ultimate Spider-Man. I started to write “new take on Spider-Man” but had to stop myself. Because at this point in the story, outside of the origin and Peter Parker’s “why,” I don’t really know what’s so different here. Dan has dissected this phenomena far more gracefully than I have in past reviews — and I still maintain that the fact that this being the one Spider-Man book that is not under the direct influence of the Spider-office is it’s greatest asset in terms of my good will and patience. But again, when is the story of the series actually going to start? Because we haven’t gotten a story yet. We’ve gotten moments and vignettes.
The sequences involving the Parkers and the Osborns out for dinner are the kinds of character-centric comic book narratives that reinforce my love for this medium — when they’re part of a larger STORY that is going somewhere. I can feel in my bones that this book is the cusp of greatness. But now it needs to stop being coy and to embrace the fantasy of a Spider-Man comic.
Dan: I appreciate you, Mark, giving me a shout out in your review. I have been a fair bit colder on this title than the rest of the Internet (and boy, I’ve heard it), while still actually enjoying it a fair bit. There’s a lot to like and the more I learn about this world, the more I’m excited to see what else Jonathan Hickman has up his sleeve (though my interest in his work is currently focused on the conclusion to G.O.D.S.). It seems clear to me that we are slowly building to a point where the themes, ideas, and characters that have been set up will be put into play for some grand drama. At least I hope. But, we aren’t there just yet. We are still firmly in set-up, and beyond the thrill of the “new”, mostly conveyed through a series of subversions of our expectations, I’ve found very little to invest in thus far.
I can relate to all the thematics set up, but I’m unsure how I’m meant to feel about these ideas in relation to these characters. There’s a clear allegory for the mid-life crisis as seen through Peter’s adoption of powers as a sort of way to shake up his life, all while hiding it from his wife, as if Spider-Man was “the other woman”. But I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this. Is Peter doing good as Spider-Man? Should I be rooting for him to continue to fight crime (at least, I think he’s fighting crime) if it means lying to his wife? I have so many questions about how I’m meant to be reading this book, and most of them are the result of not really knowing these characters and their motivations.
There’s also this thematic idea of the modern working-class hero (despite Peter’s swanky high-rise apartment) who has had his potential stolen from him by a group of elites. These are the same elites who have literally taken the power from the people, in the form of superpowers. Is Hickman making a grand statement about the difference between earned power versus institutional power (Harry Osborn) and the ways each can push back against a system that oppresses the powerless? As a millennial, who very strongly feels that the previous generations have stolen my generation’s earning power, and continue to destroy our potential by hoarding the country’s wealth for themselves, I find this book is rich with themes that reflect my life and seem rife for interpretation. I read this and can hear the think-pieces about how this is the true “modern Spider-Man” that we all need, an updated representation of modern America, writing themselves. And I want to write them, lord knows I feel like I’m halfway there, but the books needs to fill in the other half.
Harry and Gwen offer a compelling, aristocratic alternative to Peter and MJ. Free of the responsibility of children, Harry can use his wealth to cavalierly attack Wilson Fisk as the Green Goblin in a way that would be irresponsible for Peter (at least… I think so…). Hickman paints a great picture of these various characters in Ultimate Spider-Man (vol. 3) #4, but I don’t really understand the stakes here. Sure, there are a lot of philosophical ideas teased underneath the contours of the dinner conversation, but like Mark said… what’s the story? I’m told that The Maker is ostensibly the antagonist, but given little evidence of what that means or why I should care. For now, I’m enjoying the glimpses into this new world (I do wish that four issues in we could have maintained a consistent art team), but I’m ready for something to happen. Hickman needs to stop expanding and start folding his ideas inwards to form something more coherent and compelling.
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!
Taylor Murphy
If you could commission a “nostalgia mini” who would you put on a book? Is there an era of Spider-Man lore that you’d like to see a Spider-Man writer tackle that they might not otherwise have a chance to write?
Mark: I would love to reunite Gerry Conway and Ryan Stegman on a “nostalgia mini” and set it during Conway’s initial run on Spectacular Spider-Man where he introduced Tombstone and the trial of Joe “Robbie” Robertsone. Giving we’re supposed to get Zeb Wells’ last Tombstone story later this year, the timing of this prequel would be apropos and I love the idea of Stegman illustrating Tombstone and even the Lobo Brothers. I also feel like Conway and Stegman were legitimately a great fit for each other during their Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows run.
Dan: Ok, reading that page from Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (vol. 2) really takes me back. Can I just ask that Gerry Conway and Ryan Stegman get more time to work on that title before editorial shoved a symbiote into it and triggered Gerry’s departure?
No? Well, it didn’t hurt to ask. Let’s pivot to another idea. Does a “nostalgia What If…?” count? Here’s what I want(ed): Matt Fraction writing a road trip, escape from New York, series of one-shot or micro-stories of Peter and MJ on the run from the law in the wake of “Back in Black”. What is it like to see Peter outside of New York City and fighting foes he encounters in the heartland of America, all while the Sinister Six (recruited by Tony as part of the Superhero Registration Act) are hot on their heels? If Fraction could bring the sort of “Bonnie and Clyde”, lovers on the run, bounty on their heads, energy of Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1, “To Have and to Hold”, to the title for a lengthier run of stories… it really would have appealed to me. Man, that’s super specific. I don’t know why a status quo like this appeals to me so much, but I guess I figure that it would push Peter and MJ to learn to rely more strongly on their relationship with each other while encountering new challenges. Also, watching those two try to get their busted-ass car to make it to Los Angeles, where something that could clear their names (‘natch) awaits, sounds like fun.
Anyway, I think Matt Fraction would do a good job on that story, which admittedly I made up and think would be seriously cool. “Please, Matt Fraction. Write my fanfic.” But, if I could get a time machine, comics clout, and a lot more talent, I’d do it myself. But hey, we are in the realm of deep fiction and don’t lie to me that you wouldn’t read that. I’m sure we all have some dream version for where Spider-Man’s history could have gone differently if only we could have turned the rudder one way or the other, whether that means hiring talent or writing it yourself.
TLDR; I wanted a lengthier run of Spider-Man comics from Matt Fraction that would have operated as a continuation of “To Have and to Hold”, but set as a road-trip chase across America. Hey, Batman kind of did it!
Andy T
How does producing a podcast and writing a Substack about Spider-Man comics affect your enjoyment of the books as you read them? Do you ever feel the need to separate “the critic” brain from “the fan” brain to enjoy the stories more? Which brain wins?
Mark: Oh man, I FEEL this question. Something I always find to be humorous is how Dan and I often seem aligned with our opinions about Spider-Man, but we often disagree about ALL OTHER pop culture, i.e. comic book movies, television, etc. etc. I one time brought this up with Dan and he said it’s because he’s also a movie critic and it’s hard for him to separate that critic brain and it got me thinking about how I read and react to Spider-Man. The truth is, I would probably be far more congenial about Spider-Man comics if I turned off the critic side of my brain and just “enjoyed it,” but I also don’t know if I would be quite as passionate and precise in articulating what I like and don’t like. The fact is, even if I’m not digging a Spider-Man run, I’m always at my core a fan of the character and the medium so I’m always deriving some level of enjoyment from it. So I ultimately prefer being the critic because it allows me to be more careful and discerning when I read something (though I still notoriously miss details as I’m sure Dan can attest when he has to edits my recaps).
Dan: I’ve come at this from the opposite perspective. My default setting is: critic. I’ve gotten into comic and film criticism because I wanted a way to express my feelings about each topic without ruining dinner parties. I can’t turn it off, so I’ve found outlets where it makes sense for me to express my passions towards these subjects. When I first read Mark’s Chasing Amazing Blog, I saw a kindred spirit in how he approached writing about and critiquing comics, so it only made sense to invite him to cohost the podcast and now Substack. One of my top indicators that I love a comic or film is when I allow my critic brain to naturally turn off. There is something truly special when the work is so enjoyable and transporting that I don’t find myself critiquing it while reading or watching it. I live for moments when something is working so well that I get to become “the fan” again.
That’s a special occasion that I relish. But, still, the criticism is the fun enjoyment for me. Criticism can become an ugly word when it is linked to negativity. I don’t start with books and movies at 10/10 and count down the score with every problem that I find with it. Instead, any critique I offer is a reflection of a conversation that I’m having with a piece of media, and the more I’m engaged with that conversation the more I like it. Like real conversations (including the ones I have with Mark), I love the ones where I’m enjoying it so much that time flies by without thinking and when I’m left pondering what was said hours later. If I can get both at the same time, as I often do when reading and talking about comics, all the better!
What’s New for the Amazing Spider-Talk?
Since the previous Amazing Spider-Talk Substack we’ve broken the Internet with our interview with writer Cody Ziglar, a totally unintentional consequence of chatting with us about the politics that go on inside the Spider-Office. But look, that’s just the headliney, gossipy stuff. Our interview with him was actually a really nice chat about his work, how he got into the industry, and what it was like to be on the “Beyond” team. If you haven’t listened yet, or only heard the most “spectacular” bits from headlines, check out the full thing here:
With so many revelations coming from the interview (and in Mark’s absence), we thought it was important to discuss what we’d learned and how it might impact our future discussions about Spider-Man comics. So, we put together this post-interview discussion that turned out to be an excellent discussion:
We hope you enjoyed this fifteenth 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:
Plus, if you want our full coverage of issue #50 of the Amazing Spider-Man, be sure to stay tuned for our future newsletters!
10 years ago I went to the comic store and begged my parents to buy Amazing Spider-Man #734 (Vol. 3 #1). I’ve been reading ever since and a month ago I got my first job. It’s crazy to me that I’ve been following this universe for a decade and 210 issues already.
I got moved by Dan’s story with Ben’s FCBD and the reflections from that story. I remember Mark’s quote “makes for great podcasting!” When I read his juice and squeeze line haha. Thanks for this letter guys!