Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 42

    

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: September 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Sgt. Bob Miller, Glen, and Kevin
• The story picks up where the last left off, with Peter dumbfounded and believing that Teacher really can cure cancer, though in truth, it's slight of hand magic
• Peter overhears Betty speaking to another cult sister, this one named Tracey (see oddities)
• Teacher meets Peter in the yard, pulls out the Spider-Man mask, and informs him that he believes it belongs to him
• Mary Jane goes to the lingerie photo shoot set up by Lorraine, but decides she cannot go through with it without first talking to her husband
• Teacher walks Peter to the exit of the compound, and tells him that their way is not with fists, and while he feels Peter could benefit from being part of their family, he's not ready for that
• He gives him bus fair, and sends him on his way
• Peter returns to the Bugle, and tells Kate and Ben about Spider-Man finding the compound, and seeing a girl named Tracey
• Kate, thinking it is her sister, demands to know the location, but Peter says that Spider-Man didn't tell him
• Peter calls Mary Jane, and when she wants to talk to him about the modeling gig, he blows her off saying that it's her career, and her decision
• She does the photo shoot
• Spider-Man goes to see Flash, and tells him that though he's found Betty, she's happy, and they should respect her wish to stay at the compound
• Bob, and officer working with Flash in the youth program, overhears the conversation, tells him about a run in he and other officers had with them before, and offers to give Flash the address, as long as he doesn't do anything illegal (wink, wink)
• Flash goes to see Reverend Tolliver, and convinces him to help with Betty
• Spider-Man goes to see Anthony Druid, who fills him in on the slight of hand trick that Teacher most likely pulled
• Flash Thompson and some "deprogrammers" infiltrate the compound, and grab Betty
• Before going back to the compound, Peter first goes home to check in with Mary Jane, but she isn't there
• Flash calls in a panic, and tells Peter to get to his place fast
• At Flash's place, Betty begs Peter, saying she's been kidnapped, and needs help

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: In Web Of Spider-Man 40, Kate Cushing refers to her sister as "Tracy", however, in this issue, she's referred to as "Tracey"
  

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Marvel Fanfare 42

   

Title: Marvel Fanfare
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

• First appearance of Simon, Doris Kannon and  her children, Simon Johnson, and Mr. Holden
• Spider-Man swings towards the Bugle, ecstatic to have taken photographs of the mayor emerging from the Hudson River after a helicopter crash
• Peter returns extra money given to him in a bank error, see oddities below, and finds out the teller who made the mistake was fired
• Spider-Man goes to Doris, and overhears her landlord saying she owes $1,600.00 for past due rent in thirty minutes, or she's out
• Despite being behind on his own rent, and admitting the check he wrote his own landlord would bounce, Spider-Man withdraws everything he has from his account, and secretly puts it on her table near the door
• Doris picks up the money as the landlord arrives, who takes it all
• Doris calls her sister, and tells her about the money, and how she was fired when she turned down advances from her boss at the bank

Low Points

• Spider-Man blackmails Mr. Holden with photographs of him with an escort and a letter telling him to hire Doris back or his wife will get the photos
• There's a second story included, but it features Captain Marvel and Dracula - I didn't even bother reading it
• A very boring and unnecessary issue - Easily zero Stans

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Peter heads to the bank with his cashed check, emphasis on cash, and realizes the teller gave him an extra hundred dollar bill, he struggles morally with keeping it or returning it, and then says, he'll return the "check" tomorrow
• Spider-Man misses the photograph he was attempting to get of Mr. Holden, and in response, web's it to the wall, and puts it on automatic to catch the needed photo as Holden exits the building - Except where putting it on automatic would start firing off photos, and he'd be out of film in no time

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 42

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: May 1980

Highlights

• Debra Whitman takes an interest in Peter Parker
• First appearance of Earl and Roy, a pair of night watchmen
• Electro disguises himself as Human Torch, yup, that's him on the cover
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1, and Fantastic Four 178

Low Points

• Issue has a cliff hanger that continues in Fantastic Four 218 - Readers shouldn't have to read titles they're not interested in just to get the whole story

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off - Electro says, "I don't need to be reminded to my duties, Trapster."
• Editor's Continued Day Off - Spider-Man's web shooter is colored flesh tone, as if it were part of his arm.

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 42

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: February 1976

Highlights

• First appearance of Abigail Williams, George Burroughs, Mary Walcott, Betty Parris, Dark Rider, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Sarah Good, most of which are real historical figures during the Salem witch trials
• Confirmed from my confusion in the prior issue, that Spider-Man did indeed time travel to the year 1692
• Reference is made to Avengers Special 3
• Awesome Twinkies ad starring Spider-Man

Low Points

• Time travel in a Spider-Man comic
• Ugh...This painfully boring story cliff hangs for yet another issue

Oddities

• Spider-Man tells Vision that they need to find the time machine that brought him here, but Vision never took the time machine there - He just showed up

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 42

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man

Issue Number: 42

Release Date: November 1966

Highlights

• John Jonah Jameson gets super powers from the spores which covered him in the last issue
• Tony Stark, though he doesn't appear, makes a suit for him
• Rhino returns
• Foggy Nelson, of Daredevil, is asked to represent Rhino in court
• Peter starts to really think about Gwen Stacy - a lot
• First full appearance of Mary Jane Watson

Low Points

• As a result of alien spores, John Jonah Jameson turns into the aggressor of the story

Oddities

• It's interesting how some of the books with the weakest stories have very key moments in them, which save them from being complete duds

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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