Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part VIII: Jim Shooter Part IV - Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man

 

Jim Shooter was very generous and accommodating to me during Big Lick NOVA 2023. He could have easily told me to get lost when I asked if he would sign all of my Spider-Man books, yet he didn't. As I said before, he signed them all with a smile, all while telling stories, and all for free. He really made my day. It was so awesome of him to do that for me. 

Today we're looking at the run of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man that he was at Marvel to oversee. The series would later be shortened to drop the Peter Park portion, just becoming The Spectacular Spider-Man. It's coincidental that this change would come right after Shooter left Marvel.

Second ongoing Spider-Man series

1st appearance of Lightmaster

There's a large gap between the above and below issues because Mr. Shooter didn't actually become Editor-in-Chief on the series until issue nineteen. The reason I got issue's one and two signed was because they're part one and two of a story arc which leads to the first appearance of the antagonist he created, Lighmaster, in issue three. He also wrote the latter.

First meeting and battle of Spider-Man
and Moon Knight

First team-up of Spider-Man and
Moon Knight

1st appearance of Hypno-Hustler

1st appearance of Carrion, a human
clone combined with a deadly virus
whose touch destroys living tissue

First artwork on Daredevil by Frank Miller

Death of Carrion

Morbius is cured of vampirism after
being struck by lightning - becomes
a vampire again almost a
decade later in Doctor Strange:
Sorcerer Supreme #10 (1989)

1st appearance of Roderick Kingsley,
later becomes the Hobgoblin, and 1st
appearance of Madam Belladonna

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

1st appearance of the Beetle in his battle suit

Origin of Spider-Man retold

1st appearance and origin of Cloak and Dagger

2nd appearance of Calypso

2nd appearance of Cloak & Dagger

3rd appearance of Cloak & Dagger

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

1st appearance of Ollie Osnick as
Doctor Octopus, later becomes
Spider-Kid and Steel Spider

First battle of the Punisher versus Kingpin

Spider-Man reveals his identity to Black Cat

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

1st cameo appearance of the Answer, in shadows

1st full appearance of the Answer

1st cameo appearance of Jonathan Ohnn,
later becomes Spot

1st full appearance of Jonathan Ohnn,
becomes Spot in the next issue, and
1st and only appearance of Timothy
Quail as the Hermit

1st appearance of Spot, a villain
who has the power to teleport

2nd appearance and first cover of Spot

Cover art featuring Spot

Iconic cover art by John Byrne

Death of Jean DeWolff, and  1st
appearance of Sin-Eater, Stanley
Carter, a former NYPD detective

The Foreigner first appears disguised
as Lieutenant Kris Keating which isn't
revealed until The Spectacular Spider-Man
#129

3rd cameo of the Foreigner, partially seen

1st full appearance of the Foreigner,
a mercenary and the ex-husband of
Silver Sable - it is later revealed the
Foreigner had impersonated
Lieutenant Kris Keating in
Spectacular Spider-Man #113
(April 1986) and The Amazing
Spider-Man #276 (May 1986)

Specialty border printed on select
covers published in November
1986 celebrating Marvel's 25th
Anniversary or more precisely, the
25th year since Fantastic Four #1
was published in November 1961

Jim didn't actually get to see the Kraven's Last Hunt and Mad Dog Ward arcs to fruition before being let go from Marvel. However, being part of their inception, I wanted to have them signed by him for completest purposes. Even though he wasn't there, I'm sure he had a hand in the overall stories.

Kraven's Last Hunt story arc part 3

Kraven's Last Hunt story arc part 6

Let's not forget those lovely, lovely beauties known as Annuals!

1st appearance of Rapier

1st appearance of Tamara Blake, later
becomes Iron Cat, and Origin of Aunt
May and Ben Parker

1st appearance and origin of Ace Spencer,
a reformed drug dealer

This post was one of few words. However, there's definitely more to come, both from the convention as a whole, and Mr. Shooter. Stay tuned as I continue my adventure through day one of Big Lick NOVA...

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 24

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 24
Release Date: August 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Gail Paris, and Moondog the Malicious
• Spider-Man is defacing a billboard of J. Jonah Jameson by blacking out some of his teeth, doodling glasses, and scribbling on facial hair
• Loads of fist fighting action

Low Points

• Another villain of the week story that ultimately has no relevance to the continuity of Spider-Man

Oddities

• Without knowing what room Gail is in, Spider-Man runs up the exterior side of the hospital building, right to her room on the 19th floor
• Brother Voodoo knows that the man he is fighting is not only innocent, but possessed with Moondog's spirit, yet still throws the guy over a ledge to his impending death - Had Spider-Man not saved him with a web net at the last moment
• Not sure how this issue counts as Moondog's first appearance if he was possessing the body of Wally Bevins - Wouldn't it technically be the first appearance of Wally Bevins?

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Giant-Size Spider-Man 2

   

Title: Giant-Size Spider-Man
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: October 1974

Highlights

• Reference is made to Bruce Lee
• Reference is made to Master of Kung Fu 15, 18, and Daredevil 112
• Spider-Man uses Thing's catch phrase, "It's clobberin' time!"
• Lots of action
• Issue contains a second story, which is a reprint of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 3

Low Points

• Multiple use of racial slurs for Asian people - Not cool, Marvel

Oddities

• None

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 23

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: July 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Equinox
• The first page of the story picks up from Giant-Size Spider-Man issue 1, just as Human Torch provides Spider-Man with a jet to take him to find Doctor A.J. Max
• Lots of action to keep you turning the pages

Low Points

• With Spider-Man's exit to the pages of Giant-Size Spider-Man issue 1, that means he's not part of this overall story
• Not sure if the overall story arc will be relevant to Spider-Man in the future
• Classic Marvel misunderstanding between Human Torch and Iceman - Fight first, talk later
• The motive of Equinox is never provided to the reader, making it a pointless story in the long run

Oddities

• Spider-Man makes a cameo in his own monthly title, then exits for Human Torch and Iceman to take center stage
• If Iceman uses his ice powers to make ramps all over the city for travel, what happens when they melt - Wouldn't deadly ice chunks break off an fall on people or property?

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Giant-Size Spider-Man 1

   

Title: Giant-Size Spider-Man
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: July 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of  Anthony Cavelli, A.J. Maxfield, Dexter Bixby, Elvira Kaufman, Seymour Simms, and Whisperer
• Spider-Man launches an all new ongoing series - Though it didn't last long
• Reference is made to Marvel Team-Up 23, an issue we'll talk about next time in my chronological reading of Spider-Man
• Death of Whisperer, and Anthony Cavelli
• Issue contains a second story, which is a reprint of Strange Tales Annual 2, an issue that takes place after The Amazing Spider-Man 17

Low Points

• The whole plot revolves around Peter Parker trying to find a doctor who has a new vaccine for a flu strain that has Aunt May sick
• It's never explained why Dracula wants to kill A.J. Maxfield

Oddities

• None

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 22

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 22
Release Date: June 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of N4256
• Reference is made to Avenger 109, Defenders 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and Amazing Adventures 14

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• Hawkeye shoots arrows at Spider-Man, but not because he wants to fight, but rather, get his attention - Um...Use your big boy words?
• Hawkeyes arrows are like a Swiss army knife - A tool for every job, including a parachute

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Retro Spins: 'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry

I guess 'Til Tuesday is considered a one-hit wonder band for their song, Voices Carry. However, after hearing their 1985 album of the same name, I'm a little shocked by this. It's pretty solid.

Led by bassist, lead vocalist and songwriter, Aimee Mann, 'Til Tuesday hit the Boston scene in 1982, finding hometown success with their song Love In A Vacuum. This eventually gave way to the band scoring a record deal with Epic Records.

With the aid of their single, Voices Carry, and the help of steady rotation in MTV's videos, 'Til Tuesday's debut album became certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies in the USA alone. The song would debut on the charts at number eighty-three in April of 1985 and continue to climb up to the number eight spot by July, beating out the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams and Tears For Fears. For those of you who weren't there, it's probably difficult for you to understand the achievement this was. 1985 was a solid year for 80's hits, and while it's no small achievement to have a top ten hit, to do so in this particular year was a big deal.

Looking Over My Shoulder debuted on the charts in August at number seventy-eight, but disappeared the following week. It's because of this that the band remains known as a one-hit wonder. As I said above, this is a little surprising to me, because of how good the album is.

Now with that said, you're not going to find "massive" hits here, and I think that may have been the problem with this albums overall success. While the remaining tracks are good, Voices Carry is really the only one with that "commercial" sound to it. The rest just aren't very airplay friendly. They're not catchy or peppy, so to speak. They feel a bit deeper and more complex - Something that definitely wasn't going to be on the radio in 1985.

While I won't profess that anything on the album was better than their single, I will say that overall, I'm interested in hearing their two follow up albums. Though that won't be today, or probably even tomorrow or next week. However, until then, hush hush. Keep it down now. Voices carry.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part VII: Ron Marz and Mark Waid

 

If you were to look down the row of artists and writers at Big Lick 2023, it would have been Art Suydam, Rick Leonardi, a few unknown people (to me), Ron Marz, Mark Waid, and then Jim Shooter. Hidden behind them on the other side of a wall were Michael Golden and Renee Witterstaetter. This area was my main focal point of the convention, and where I spent the majority of day one.

Making my way down the row were my next two stops, the aforementioned Ron Marz, and Mark Waid.

Mr. Marz was one of the few comic related folks who I didn't initially have anything to get signed. However, in preparing for the show, I spent a lot of time on Comic Vine perusing the various attendees work, and in the case of Ron, found Batman / Aliens. The covers alone were enough for me to say, "I want these." Though I didn't note this at the time, these were the two books that Art Suydan asked if he could look at, and seemed really enthralled with.

Battle of Batman vs the Xenomorphs

Two-issue limited series co-published
by DC and Dark Horse

I'd love to say that my plan is to find a show where Bernie Wrightson is at, and have him sign as well to complete the duo's signatures. Sadly, he passed away in 2017, something which I found out from Mr. Suydam as he looked at the books.

Mr. Marz was charging ten dollars per signature, which wasn't too bad. Other than that though, I didn’t spend too much time at his table. Still, he was really friendly, and seemed genuinely happy to be there to sign books for fans.

Sitting next to Mr. Marz was Mark Waid.

For as widely popular as Mr. Waid is in the industry, I was surprised to see how very little I actually owned from him. The biggest thing, by far, was my mini-series run of Kingdom Come, which naturally got packed up to bring with me to the show. 

I would love the opportunity to get these signed by Alex Ross. Until that opportunity arises, Mark also did a few Spider-Man books which I was keen to get signed.

House of M was a series that was on my want list for a while, but which I never got around to picking up. When I saw that Waid would be at Big Lick NOVA 2023, they quickly became a priority. Fortunately, I was able to check them off my list, and have them in time to take with me.

There were just two odds and ends left that I wanted to get his signature on.

Also signed by Rick Leonardi that same day!

Mark was charging just five dollars for each signature, which made me wish I had more from him to get signed. Unfortunately, he didn't dabble too much in characters that really interested me. With that said, what he did do, such as the stuff above, I REALLY like! He is a great writer!

The next table down the row was the man of the hour, as far as I was concerned. Mr. Jim Shooter was next on my list, and though I have already posted several in my Big Lick NOVA 2023 series already about him, there are definitely more to come...

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Giant-Size Super-Heroes 1

   

Title: Giant-Size Super-Heroes
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: June 1974

Highlights

• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 125, Marvel Team-Up 3, and 4
• Peter Parker is nominated for photographer of the year, resulting in J. Jonah Jameson being unusually nice to him
• Peter Parker has an epiphany that he shouldn't be wasting his abilities chasing down thugs, but instead focusing on the real villains that the cops can't deal with - The super variety of villain

Low Points

• Oohph....First page has a building with the number 666 on it as the address
• Teases a second issue that never got made

Oddities

• Editor's day off - "Some strange homicides occurring across the Eastern seaboard in a pattern that that apparently leads towards New York."
• John Jameson thinks getting a cup of coffee will stop him from turning into the Man-Wolf?

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 133

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 133
Release Date: June 1974

Highlights

• Death of Molten Man
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 28, and 122
• Spider-Man gets tired of the cops shooting first, and asking questions later, and kicks the snot out of two of them

Low Points

• Spider-Man may inadvertently be the villain in this one - Raxton was only trying to cure himself of his molten curse before it killed him, but couldn't because Spider-Man kept slowing him down and interfering
• Molten Man's death could have, and should have been more epic than it was

Oddities

• Molten Man, who burns everything he touches, is able to carry a bag over his shoulder, wear a coat, a mask, gloves, pants and shoes, stating they are all fireproof

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 132

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 132
Release Date: May 1974

Highlights

• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 28, 30, and 35
• Peter Parker and Ned Leeds are on death's doorstep with radiation poisoning

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• The police open fire on Spider-Man without cause
• The maid at the motel thinks she has a thief staying there so she calls the Daily Bugle instead of the police

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 21

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 21
Release Date: May 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Melinda Morrison
• Reference is made to Doctor Strange 179

Low Points

• It's neither good, nor bad. It's just villain of the week material

Oddities

• Xandu takes control of Spider-Man, and makes him steel a gem from Doctor Strange...Because steeling is clearly easier than just asking Strange for help

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.