Conan the Barbarian: Marvel Treasury Edition #4 by various artists and authors

 

(oversized pb; 1975: Marvel Comics graphic novel. Based on two of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories: “Rogues in the House,” originally published in January 1934, and “Red Nails,” originally published in July-October 1933. . . This oversized graphic novel is a collected reprint of several Marvel Comic comic book issues: Conan the Barbarian #11 [1971: “Rogues in the House”] and Savage Tales #2 and 3 [October and December 1973: “Red Nails”].)

 

Review, story by story

“Rogues in the House”: Betrayed by one of his many women (Jenna) after he “revenged” himself on “that priest of Anu,” Conan finds himself chained in a dungeon. An opportunity presents itself in the form of Murilo, a nobleman who offers to free Conan in exchange for the Cimmerian’s services as an assassin. Murilo’s stated target: Nabonidus, “red priest” and “master” of the unspecified city they’re in.

Conan accepts the offer, unaware that his liberator (Murilo) also has snuck into Nabonidus’s castle to make sure the targeted “man of science” meets a violent end—a mission further soured with a just-discovered horrific twist: Nabonidus is also a “wereman,” a giant ape creature calling itself Thak. Conan and Murilo immediately decide it’s best to flee the castle, as dealings with the supernatural rarely result in a survivable, positive outcome, something Conan knows all too well. They quickly find out escape is not an option for them.

Further twists in this illustrated tale make themselves known, making this fun, tightly penned and fast frame-paced comic, based on Robert E. Howard’s tale of the same name, originally published in Weird Tales magazine, January 1934.

Fans of Howard’s oeuvre might especially appreciate “Rogues”’s explicit reference to another Howard-penned Conan story, “The Tower of the Elephant,” originally published in Weird Tales in March 1933.

The artwork, perhaps because it was blown up for the oversized edition, has linework that is hazy, not solidly defined as well as slightly washed-out colors. This is not a complaint; I note this so readers of The Savage Sword of Conan magazine, which sports stellar, highly defined black and white artwork, don’t compare Savage to this more mainstream, less adult Marvel Treasury version.

 

“Red Nails [henceforth referred to as “Red”]”: Conan, trying to get into the loin cloth of a loath “Aquilonian she-pirate” (Valeria) he met in Sukmet, stalks her—he’s beguiled by her sword skills as much as he is by her wild beauty.

Just as she becomes aware of Conan’s creepy attentions, they sight a walled city in a barren plain. About the same time, Conan and Valeria fend off a horse-eating “dragon” (which looks like an uncommonly aggressive stegosaurus), compelling them to enter the mysterious, fortress-like city.

Upon entering the city-fort, Conan and Valeria encounter complicated dangers: they get caught in an intrametropolitan conflict between two feuding factions: the superstitious Xuchotl and the magick-wielding Xotalancs, whose long-term, internecine warfare is rooted in a broken brotherhood (Tecuhltli and Xotalanc’s), further betrayals and a seemingly ageless “witch,” Tascela.

“Red” is one of Howard’s most ambitious and character-complex Conan stories, even with its basic Hatfield/McCoys feud structure. Its original, print 1933 version, while impressive in intention, felt “weak. . . part of the reason for its disappointing delivery is because of its extended length—it’s a novelette, not a short story” (so I thought on 8/23/11, in my review of the print/story collection, Red Nails).

This Marvel Treasury Edition comic book version trims “Red”’s print-only excessive verbiage and length to its core, between its storytelling (if line-hazy and color faded) artwork and concise descriptions and dialogue. This makes the Marvel version of “Red” a better, more fun read, one that makes me appreciate Howard’s expansion of Conan’s world, along with his more fully realized characters, namely Valeria, whom even Conan recognizes as more than a beddable conquest by tale’s upbeat end.

(Valeria appears in director/co-screenwriter John Milius’s 1982 classic, Conan the Barbarian. Sandahl Bergman played the fierce “Aquilonian she-pirate.”)

This is a good, worth-owning read if you’re a Conan and/or early-1970s comic book fan.

“Red Nails” originally appeared in Weird Tales (July – October 1933, published in three serial parts).

Epic Collection: Ghost Rider—Hell on Wheels by various artists and writers

 

(oversized pb; 1972—1975, 2022. Collects Marvel Spotlight #5-12, Ghost Rider #1-11, and Marvel Team-Up #15.)

From the back cover

“In 1972, one of the most iconic characters in comic book history, the flame-skulled Ghost Rider, burned his demonic presence into readers’ minds. Forevermore, a legion of fans were addicted to the Rider’s combination of hell-on-wheels drama and action-horror adventure. And it begins here when Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil to save his friend’s life. The payment due? Transformation into the Ghost Rider. The stories that follow will take the horror hero to Hell to battle Satan, pit him against the tempting Witch Woman and team him with Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan. Written by Gary Friedrich and Tony Isabella and gloriously illustrated by Mike Ploog, Tom Sutton and Jim Mooney.”

 

Overall review

Caveat: (possible) minor spoilers in this review of these fifty-year-old comics.

GR = Ghost Rider

JB = Johnny Blaze

These opening issues of GR are fun, sometimes above-average reads, especially toward the later issues shown in this collection. Initially, there’s a lot of repetitive framing in consecutive issues (Satan, having made a crooked deal with a naïve, curiously childlike JB, seeks to reap JB’s soul via different, malefic operatives). Then there’s the issue of why JB sells his soul, his reasoning—beyond his short-sightedness and masochistic personality—reading as paper-thin. If you can get past that (I eventually did), GR, at least in these issues, is entertaining, with more plot variation and character deepening. Good tween-to-teen-mindset stuff, for the most part, with consistent, stellar artwork.

Followed by Epic Collection: Ghost Rider—The Salvation Run.

 

Review, issue by issue

Marvel Spotlight: “Ghost Rider” (#5): A desperate situation leads an adolescent, stunt-motorcyclist Johnny Blaze to make a dumb decision: he sells his soul to Satan, who cheats Johnny via a sly loophole. Johnny now turns into a flaming-skull, nighttime demon (Ghost Rider), even though Satan has yet to fully claim Johnny’s soul.

This origin-story issue works if Johnny is a sixteen-year-old; such is the adolescent emotionalism that drives him to sell his soul. . . for what? That an emotionally abusive old man and supposed friend (Crash Simpson) has a few more years of life? Both Crash and his daughter, Roxanne—also Johnny’s potential girlfriend—treat Johnny like crap over a misunderstanding, one he doesn’t bother correcting them on. This is all too plot-convenient dumb, even for a comic book. While this doesn’t entirely ruin the issue, it makes for an at-times badly written read with two key emotionally schizophrenic characters (the Simpsons) who are wildly inconsistent in their mood swings.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “Angels from Hell” (#6): Johnny Blaze tangles with a biker gang, led by the temperamental, ginger-Afro’d Curly Samuels. When it’s revealed that Curly worships Satan, who seeks to claim His bounty on Johnny’s soul, things get worse for Johnny.

This is an interesting, okay issue story-wise, as Curly’s character (and his true identity) ring strange, when one considers that he’s eager to sacrifice Roxanne “Roxie” Simpson (Johnny’s emotionally schizophrenic romantic interest) to Satan.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “Die, Die, My Darling!” (#7): Curly Samuels, Satanic biker—revealed to be the angry soul vessel of Crash Simpson (Roxanne’s father)—is commanded by Satan to sacrifice Roxanne, something Samuels/Simpsons struggles with.

Meanwhile, Blaze/Ghost Rider, looking for his kidnapped girlfriend (again, Roxanne) evades motorcycle cops and maintains his stuntman roadshow while his surly road manager (Bart Slade) plots against Blaze.

Fun, slightly ridiculous issue: Why would Simpson sell his soul to Satan to right a minor-at-worst slight against Johnny? Still, the artwork is appropriately dramatic, as is the dialogue and overall writing.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “The Hordes of Hell” (#8): At the end of the last issue, GR and Crash Simpson/Curly Samuels were about to fight in front of the altar where Simpson’s daughter (Roxanne) was soon to be taken by Satan. Simpson’s strange revenge on Johnny (over an imagined “cowardice”) is reiterated by the frustrated Simpson.

Melodrama takes a downturn as a bigger threat to Crash and GR appears—a threat that Simpson/Samuels might have to fight too. This situation gets a curious, just-as-shifty-dangerous resolution.

Johnny Blaze/GR finds himself in further (possible) danger when he preps for a stunt, a motorcycle jump across Copperhead Canyon (part of the Grand Canyon). This section of canyon is a hotly contested territory, once part of Apache/Native American land: seems the Apache want it back, and they’re willing to fight for it anew, led by a fierce-minded shaman (Snake Dance), who has an intense dislike of Blaze/GR—as do Snake Dance’s followers.

Another cliffhanger finish to this action-packed, uneven but ultimately entertaining issue.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “The Snakes Crawl at Night. . .” (#9): Blaze/GR has a thought-to-be-fatal encounter with his Copperhead Canyon motorcycle jump.

Meanwhile, Bart Slade (Blaze’s surly road manager) tries to take over his Blaze’s traveling roadshow. Not only that, Snake Dance, the Apache shaman, with help from an ambivalent fellow tribesman (Sam Silvercloud, introduced in issue 8) mean to sacrifice Roxanne Simpson to their fiery snake god!

 

Marvel Spotlight: “The Coming of Witch-Woman!” (#10): GR rushes to get Roxanne Simpson to the hospital before she succumbs to the snakebite she received during Snake Dance’s sacrificial ritual.

Meanwhile, Sam Silvercloud and other Apaches challenge the gone-wild Snake Dance—just as Linda Little-Tree (aka Witch-Woman), Snake Dance’s twenty-something daughter, shows up. Can she provide the anti-venom snake serum that Roxanne desperately needs.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “Season of the Witch-Woman” (#11): Linda Little-Tree, aka Witch-Woman—in the employ of Satan—recounts her life journey to Johnny Blaze/GR thus far while holding him prisoner in a metaphysical realm. (Is there anyone in this comic book who isn’t somehow under Satan’s sway?) She means to give him over to the dark overlord, but GR manages to escape, rushing to make his scheduled/roadshow jump across Copperhead Canyon.

 

Ghost Rider: “A Man Possessed!” (#1): Johnny Blaze, shot by police—unlike his GR alter-ego, he isn’t bulletproof—rides to protect Roxanne Simpson and winds up in a hospital.

“Several miles away” from Blaze’s “crash site,” Sam Silvercloud and Snake Dance (the latter no longer under malevolent influence) grapple with how to waken Linda Little-Tree (aka Witch-Woman) from her Satan-induced coma. To do so, Sam contacts a helpful Daimon Hellstrom, also known as a “Son of Satan.”

At Copperhead Canyon, Blaze’s treacherous road manager (Bart Slade) prepares to make the jump that Blaze can’t make (given Blaze’s injuries and hospital stay). Few, it seems, believe Slade can make that jump.

 

Ghost Rider: “Shake Hands with Satan” (#2): GR confronts Satan, who’s possessed Linda Little-Tree (aka Witch-Woman) in the netherworld while a biker gang (Ruthless Riders), led by Big Daddy Dawson—a huge, intimidating man—threaten Roxanne Simpson, Blaze’s girlfriend.

Daimon Hellstrom, rebellious “Son of Satan,” arrives at Snake Dance’s house, only to find Linda/Witch-Woman gone. But there’s a greater danger Sam Silvercloud and Snake Dance must face, one even Hellstrom can’t save them from.

 

Marvel Spotlight: “The Son of Satan!” (#12): Daimon Hellstrom, now under the nighttime influence of his aggressive alter ego, seeks Satan to usurp his power.

Elsewhere, Big Daddy Dawson and his bike gang menace Roxanne Simpson; Dawson claims the cowering young woman as his property.

This is an entertaining, good issue that brings together GR’s multiple characters and plotlines from previous Marvel Spotlight – GR issues. Unlike issues 5-11 of Spotlight, this issue ends on a less dire cliffhanger note. There’s still danger and imminent death situations for its lead characters but it’s relatively less melodramatic.

 

Ghost Rider: “Wheels on Fire” (#3): Daimon Hellstrom leaves GR and Linda Little-Tree (now free of Satanic possession) in the desert—thing is, when GR reverts to his Johnny Blaze alter ego, the wounds he sustains while GR (when he’s impervious to bullets, broken bones, etc.) afflict him when he’s no longer his flaming-head self. . . this is important, because in recent issues, GR/Blaze has accrued some physical damage. Can GR maintain his relative invulnerability to natural wounding until he and an unconscious Little-Tree escape the deep desert?

Meanwhile, Hellstrom has more pressing issues. One aspect of his alter (“night”) ego is that he wants to rule Hell as an innovative head—this means he must depose Satan first, while he’s still in his “night” self, and not in his “day” (more chill, humble) self. And since he’s in “night” mode.

GR finds a way to try and rescue Roxanne Simpson from Big Daddy Dawson, lead biker of his gang; when that rescue goes awry, Blaze (now the predominant alter ego) winds up in the hospital. Can he recover in time to track the on-the-run Dawson, who’s kidnapped Roxanne Simpson, Blaze/GR’s love? And is GR willing to commit murder to protect her?

This is one of the best GR issues I’ve read. It’s consistently solid, good, with no melodrama and it reveals a latent power GR didn’t know he had: he can create an on-fire motorcycle, one that exists while he’s in his GR persona.

 

Ghost Rider: “Death Stalks the Demolition Derby” (#4): After running afoul of a police roadblock—Blaze/GR is wanted for some of his supposed actions in previous issues—he’s arrested and hospitalized anew, his wounds still fresh. A new employer (the shady Duke Jensen) hires Blaze after he’s cleared of charges, and two months later, Blaze, as GR, rides in Jensen’s destruction derby, one that might kill GR.

Roxanne Simpson works undercover for the local Attorney General in Jensen’s office, to catch crooked operator Jensen. When she overhears a conversation she wasn’t supposed to, she’s in immediate danger again.

 

 

Ghost Rider: “And Vegas Writhes in Flame!” (#5): As cops bust into Duke Jensen’s derby-arena office, he reveals his true form; he’s Roulette, a reptile-faced demon! Alongside him, his right-hand man (Slifer) also transforms into his demonic self before they vanish into a ring of fire—Roxanne Simpson is safe from the demons, but the fire enveloping the office may claim her life.

Roulette, slinging fire bolts at GR, give him a choice: save the tied-to-a-chair-in-the-burning-office Roxanne, or save Las Vegas, NV, which is being set aflame with Roulette’s fire bolts. This is Roulette’s revenge, getting back at the crooks who ruined his life when he was a mere mortal. Can GR save Roxanne and Las Vegas, or will one, or both, be torched out of existence?

Good issue, with a villain whose backstory is interesting, and who (of course) is in the employ of Satan.

 

 

Marvel Team-Up: “If An Eye Offend Thee. . .” (#15): During one of Johnny Blaze/GR’s roadshows (poster-advertised as “Ghost Rider’s Motorcycle Extravaganza”), a new villain—The Orb, with his round eyeball-shaped helmet/mask—hypnotizes most of the packed arena while kidnapping Roxanne Simpson. Seems The Orb wants Blaze/GR to sign over ownership of his roadshow to him; years ago, he was merely Drake Shannon, Crash Simpson’s original/former partner, from decades ago, before an accident disfigured his face and nearly killed him. Now The Orb wants what should’ve been his!

Fortunately for GR, Peter Parker/Spider-man happens to be in the audience. Of course, having encountered GR in the past in a cooperative manner, he helps “flame-head” (as Spider-Man calls him) take down The Orb and his motorcycle thugs while GR tries to rescue Roxanne (again).

Good, entertaining issue, one that seeds GR with an interesting/recurring villain (The Orb).

 

Ghost Rider: “Zodiac II” (#6): In San Francisco, California, a quartet of costumed villains (Leo, Libra, Gemini and Sagittarius)—former members of Cornelius Van Lunt’s Zodiac gang—heist money from their ex-boss’s transport trucks. Their thieving tracks, character-wise, except all of them are also physically in prison!

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Johnny Blaze/GR tries to rescue Roxanne Simpson from gone-mad kidnapper Dave Barnett. Dave is the son of Vegas Attorney General Barnett (also a former FBI agent). It seems Dave was incensed by Blaze/GR’s reluctance to travel to San Francisco to stop the ex-Zodiac gang doppelgängers.

This is a fun set-up issue for GR’s next showdown with Zodiac (next issue), though Dave Barnett’s motivation is especially irrational and short-sighted (even for a comic book character), resulting in a paper-thin plot for this issue (#6)—it’s almost as paper-thin as Blaze’s teen-dumb reasoning for making a deal with Satan at the start of GR’s original run: Satan, as anyone who’s Christian-biased might guess, is almost certainly going to cheat his deal-partners, especially in a Marvel universe work!

 

Ghost Rider: “. . . And Lose his Own Soul!” (#7): GR and The Stunt-Master (making an impromptu decision to aid GR) pursue former Zodiac supervillain Taurus on motorbikes. Can they stop him before his full powers—and true identity (“Aquarius. . . the one man Zodiac!”)—are revealed, and the one who makes them possible (duplicitous demon Slifer, from GR #5) succeed in their plans?

This is another fun read, a solid wrap-up to the Zodiac II storyline (began in issue 6), with a clever, character- and GR-true twist, making this is one of my favorite GR issue-endings.

 

 

Ghost Rider: “Satan Himself!” (#8): Satan works against JB/GR on two fronts: first, he torments Roxanne Simpson with  visions of her father (Crash) in Hell—he does this because Roxanne is Blaze’s pure-soul key to staying out of the Devil’s clutches. Second, Satan transforms diminutive sized demon Slifer (GR, issues #5-7) into a kaiju eiga-sized, Cyclopean hell-beast, “Inferno the Fear-Monger.” With his terror-causing hand rays, Inferno creates widespread panic in San Francisco, CA.

Meanwhile, Satan reveals to Roxanne that he was actually the robed, seemingly benevolent “Messenger” who told JB that he’d take Crash Simpson’s soul out of Hell (Marvel Spotlight #8)—a promise that wasn’t kept!

This is an exciting, firing-on-all-creative-cylinders issue, one of their best thus far.

 

 

Ghost Rider: “The Hell-Bound Hero!” (#9): GR, still warring against Inferno in San Francisco, CA, seems doomed. Satan has him dead to rights when an unexpected, but-not-entirely-egregious divine being blocks Satan’s intentions, reframing the elements, relationships and limits of JB’s life and powers: as GR, he’s no longer invulnerable to bullets and other weapons, but he’s also no longer beholden to Satan for the crooked deal he made with the giant, horned demon king.

Not only that, Slifer—no longer in his Inferno manifestation—gets a new physical form and more powers, to further bedevil JB/GR.

While the last-minute divine intervention element/character feels cheesy, bordering on writerly, this shift and its repercussions also ushers in a new, possibly more varied and exciting period for GR and those around him. . . a mixed-bag issue, it’s still above average for most of its visual and plotted delivery.

 

Ghost Rider (#10): This issue is a reprint of the August 1972 issue of Marvel Spotlight (#5), where GR battles The Incredible Hulk. See that issue review for details (it’s the first listed issue in this collection).

 

Ghost Rider: “Desolation Run!” (#11): During a desert motorcycle race—JB was told about it by The Stunt-Master (GR, #8 and 9)—GR and his fellow bikers are forced to contend with The Incredible Hulk, who’s been tricked into thinking that GR attacked him earlier that day. The trickster in question is Slifer, shape-shifting demon, and recurring GR villain (issues #5-9).

The writers included the following “Note”: . . . these events “occur between page 6, panel 2, of Hulk #184 and page 10, panel 3 of that same issue.”

Fun, solid issue, one that is “respectfully dedicated to the memory of [Batman co-creator] Bill Finger, giant motorcycle and all.”

Rom: Cold Fire, Hot War by Chris Ryall, Christos Gage, David Messina (artist), Ron Joseph (artist), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Guy Dorian (artist) and Sal Buscema (artist)

(pb; 2018: graphic novel, collecting “all fourteen issues of the 2016—2017 IDW-imprint/comic book series, the 2017 Annual, and the Rom: Revolution one-shot”)

From the back cover

“The evil Dire Wraiths have escaped to Earth, but are hounded by  a Knight of the Solstar Order, the one feared more than all others.

“He is Rom, the Wraith-slayer. Rom the Spaceknight!

“Having followed the Dire Wraiths across the galaxy, Rom finds they have infiltrated all levels of society, hiding in plain sight. Replacing many humans in key leadership positions, the Wraiths’ plan to dominate the planet─and everyone on it─is gaining momentum. But Rom finds resistance from the humans as well, who fear he is just another alien invading Earth. He is joined in the battle by two other Solstar Knights. . . but are they here as friends or foes?”

Review

Cold Fire is a fun, smart and character-interesting update of the original Rom comic books series, which ran under the Marvel imprint from 1979—1986. (Even the villains, the Direwraiths, are presented as fully realized beings, making them─and their viewpoints─more fascinating.)

Not only that, this IDW-based update incorporates modern elements and artwork (that, thankfully, does not suck in the way that computer-generated drawings sometimes do). Rom also respects the action-based storyline and spirit of the original run, as well, which made me, who read the 1979 series as a child, just as happy now (as I was then). This brief series ended after fifteen issues, which is a shame, because it looks like they were gearing up for some intriguing tale-spiral possibilities. Worth owning, this.

Essential Marvel: Spider-Woman Vol. 1 by various authors and illustrators

(pb; 1977–1979, 2005: graphic novel. Collects Marvel Spotlight #32, Marvel Two-in-One #29–33, and Spider-Woman #1–25.)

From the back cover

“Before she was an Avenger, she was. . .a Hydra agent?! Witness the Arachnidian Adventuress’s dire debut against Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a follow-up arc alongside the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing! After working out a few bugs out of her origin, she set up shop in California and faced an array of eccentric enemies rarely equaled to this day! Featuring Shang-Chi, the Werewolf By Night, the Shroud and more!”

Overall review

Spider-Woman is a fun read if you can get past the initially awkward, fumbling-to-define-the-title-character plotlines of early issues─the first six issues of this collection─as well as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman’s initial romantic, childish neediness with her early male date-mates. Part of this latter complaint can be explained by Jessica’s traumatic childhood (stemming from Hydra-forced experiments upon her, and her expulsion from her village of Wundagore, in the country of Transia─also the birthplace of the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver). But Spider-Woman, being a comic book character, has these attributes exaggerated a bit too much.

Despite these rough-start nits─the Seventies and early Eighties were not a politically correct period─Spider-Woman has flashes of action-punctuated and character-building excellence, and by the eleventh issue, the writers and artists have worked out most of the glaring-even-for-the-Seventies sexism to a time-appropriate acceptable level.

If you are a patient reader with a presentist mindset and an appreciation for pulpy, supernatural-fringed storytelling, this back-then incarnation of Spider-Woman might entertain you. (Presentism: “The notion that we should not judge the actions of people in the past using modern-day standards.” Definition provided by dictionary.com.)

Issues / story arcs

“Marvel Spotlight”─‘Dark Destiny’ (#32): Spider-Woman’s first appearance in comics. Recruited by and experimented on by Hydra after being driven out of her village, she is sent on a mission to kill Nick Fury (Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Her Hydra name: Agent Arachne.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Shang-Chi–Master of Kung Fu”─’Two Against Hydra’ (#29): The two heroes battle Hydra minions in order to rescue a scientist, Dr. Louis Kort. They are unaware that a bigger threat─a brainwashed Spider-Woman─looms in their future.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Spider-Woman”─’Battle Atop Big Ben!’ (#30): Spider-Woman, still brainwashed by Hydra, clashes with Ben Grimm. Meanwhile, thieves hit the famous clock tower.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing Alone Against the Mystery Menace─’My Sweetheart─My Killer’” (#31): Ben Grimm and Spider-Woman fend off the Hydra-mutated Alicia Masters (Grimm’s kidnapped girlfriend), trying to stop her without killing her. . .a near-impossible feat.

““Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Invisible Girl”─’And Only Invisible Girl Can Save Us Now!’ (#32): Spider-Woman, Ben Grimm and Invisible Girl try to contain Alicia Masters, mutated into a giant eight-legged creature.

“Marvel Two-in-One Presents: The Thing and Mordred the Mystic”─’From Stonehenge. . .with Death!’ (#33): The thieves from issue #30─now four elemental demons─hold human hostages at Stonehenge. Mordred, Ben Grimm and Spider-Woman attempt to defeat the elementals and free the hostages.

“Spider-Woman”─’. . .A Future Uncertain!’ (#1): The first issue of Spider-Woman provides more information about her origins. She is now knows her non-hero name, Jessica Drew, and her inhuman powers are revealed. She also attracts the unwanted attention of a police officer, Jerry Hunt, whose intentions are unclear to her.

All following issues are also Spider-Woman issues.

“A Sword in Hand” (#2): Spider-Woman confronts Excalibur, a thief possessed by Morgan La Fay, in a museum. She also meets Magnus─an old man with mystical powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. associate/lawman Jerry Hunt continues tracking our titular heroine.

“The Perils of Brother Grimm” (#3): In L.A., Magnus tells Jessica (a.k.a. Spider-Woman) that her father was murdered two months prior. While investigating the traumatic mystery of who did it, she tangles with Brother Grimm, a constumed odd character, and Congressman James T. Wyatt, who is somehow linked to the death of her father, John Drew.

“Hell is the Hangman!” (#4): Spider-Woman is trapped between Brother Grimm (who continues to kill people) and the Hangman, a vigilante who seeks to bring Grimm to justice. . .Also: Spider-Woman gets a new lead in her investigation into who murdered her father. And, beknownst to her, Jerry Hunt─S.H.I.E.L.D. associate─arrives in L.A., teaming up with Bill Foster, an employee of Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.

“Nightmare” (#5): Spider-Woman, prisoner of violent hallucinations, tries to escape what appears to be a sorcery-ruled house.

“End of a Nightmare!!” (#6): Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf By Night, is drawn into a battle with Morgan La Fay and Magnus. . .Also pulled into this conflict is Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt, who has fallen for her. Their mutual, wild attraction is sudden, plot-convenient and not well-explained at this point.

“July 4, 1978. . .” (#7): Jessica and Jerry discover what happened to her father, why he died and who killed him. They, once again, face off against Brother Grimm, Congressman James T. Wyatt and minor bad guys. . .Magnus reveals that his not Merlin, Morgan La Fay’s teacher, but her student.

“The Man Who Could Not Die!” (#8): Jessica rescues Samuel Davis (a man doomed to eternal life), and finds herself in a strange, sympathy-tinged fight. . . There is a second, separate story in this issue: “The Suit!”. In this second tale, a haunted suit brings about a case of mistaken identity. This is an especially oddball mini-work, one that requires more than the usual suspension of disbelief.

“Eye of the Needle” (#9): Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt try to end the nighttime terror of the Needle, a silent and vengeful stitcher of his victims’ lips.

“Things That Go Flit in the Night” (#10): Gypsy Moth─a winged mystery woman with a penchant for weaving people in gossamer cocoons─attacks the attendees of a party Jessica is at. Magnus, now a celebrated magician, is also there. . . Jessica and Jerry Hunt have a melodramatic tiff over her focus on her alter-ego’s activities.

“And Dolly Makes Three” (#11): This is an especially fun issue. Jessica Drew and Jerry Hunt are assaulted by Brother Grimm─who looks like two dolls Jessica’s landlady owns. . . these dolls were glimpsed in issue #10. The landlady’s name: Priscilla Dolly.

Meanwhile, Magnus returns to Priscilla Dolly’s boardinghouse, where he also lives, pretending to be Jessica’s uncle. Of course, he walks into a trap. This excellent issue has a cliffhanger finish.

“The Last Tale of the Brothers Grimm!” (#12): Magnus─full name Charles Magnus─is forced to perform a ritual to resurrect Nathan Dolly, Priscilla’s husband, from his possession-slumber. It seems his spirit is split between the man-sized doll forms of their sons, Jake and William, a.k.a. Brothers Grimm. . . Magnus does this because Priscilla holds Jessica/Spider-Woman and Jerry Hunt hostage.

Like the previous issue, there are effective twists in this one. This is one of the more fun issues in the series, thus far.

“Suddenly. . . the Shroud!” (#13): Jessica gets a receptionist job at the Hatro Institute For Emotional Research, an organization─unbeknownst to her─with a secret agenda. When the Shroud, a villain-turned-hero, sneaks into their headquarters, Jessica’s alter-ego is there to stop him.

“Cults and Robbers!” (#14): Jessica, with the Shroud unconscious and in her custody, is confronted by knife-wielding thugees (cultic devotees of the dark goddess Kali).

After the Shroud is kidnapped by the thugees, Jessica tries to  track down the thugees’ lair to rescue the Shroud.

“Into the Heart of Darkness!” (#15): The Shroud─whose powers stem from the positive aspects of the goddess Kali─and Spider-Woman further investigate the in-name-only cult of Kali. The head of the cult, unknown by the heroes, is headed by Jessica’s reclusive boss, Adrienne Hatros, a.k.a. Nekra.

“All You Need is Hate” (#16): Spider-Woman fights Nekra. Nekra’s source of invincibility is her hatred, a weapon that may or may not help her defeat Jessica/Spider-Woman. . .There are lesbian overtones to this issue.

“Jessica’s Night Out” (#17): Jessica, depressed about breaking up with Jerry Hunt, goes to a disco─a place she’s not been to before─to lift her spirits. Result: a theft, a rescue, and a meeting with a questionable, strangely-afflicted man.

“Sins of the Flesh!” (#18): Spider-Woman tracks the “Melting Man” who attacked her in issue #17.

“The Beast Within” (#19): Continuation/crossover of Werewolf By Night (issues #42 and #43). . .Spider-Woman and Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf By Night, repel The Enforcer, a silver-pelt-shooting and bolt-throwing masked villain.

Russell last appeared in Spider-Woman issue #6. The Enforcer previously appeared in Ghost Rider (issues #22—24).

“Tangled Webs” (#20): Spider-Woman and Spiderman meet under semi-friendly circumstances.

“Beware the Spider-Woman─Bounty Hunter!” (#21): Taking Spider-Man’s advice (from the previous issue), Jessica focuses on her strengths and goes high-tech, with help from her wheelchair-bound neighbor (Scotty).

As this issue’s cover noted, this is a positive turn-about for Jessica Drew─and this series.

“Bring On. . .the Clown!” (#22): A greasepainted misogynist terrorizes women, drawing Spider-Woman’s ire.

“Enter the Gamesman” (#23): Spider-Woman meets─and is romanced by─Tim Braverman, a reporter who may be more than he says. She also stalks and battles the masked thief (Gamesman), whose gang has been stealing high-profile jewels. Silly, romantic melodrama in this one, given how fast certain characters connect.

“Trapped in the Doomsday Room!” (#24): With Tim Braverman (a.k.a. the Gamesman) in prison professing his love for her, Spider-Woman deals with Braverman’s old gang, who are still on the loose─and perhaps more dangerous.

“To Free a Felon!” (#25): Spider-Woman continues to thwart the Gamesman’s gang as they try to get the loot that Braverman stole from them.

There are some ill-timed inner-dialogue plot explanations in this issue, but it is otherwise okay.

#

On August 30, 2018, Marie Severin, co-creator of the Marvel comics character Spider-Woman, “died at age 89, following a stroke”. The “longtime Marvel Comics artist and colorist. . . was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2001”. Severin designed Spider-Woman’s “iconic costume. . .in 1976”.

I got this from Brian Cronin’s online/CBR article “Spider-Woman Co-Creator Marie Severin Dies At Age 89” (posted 8/30/18). The article also said: “Severin broke into the comic book industry in the early 1950s when her older brother, comic book artist John Severin (1922—2012) asked her to color one of his stories for EC Comics. She did such a good job that she was soon the regular colorist for EC Comics. When EC Comics’ comic book line went out of business following the institution of the Comic Code Authority (which seemed almost specifically designed to put EC Comics out of business), Severin worked for Atlas comics a little bit before leaving comic books entirely to go work at the Federal Reserve.

“In the late 1950s Severin began to get back into comic books, working for Atlas again doing some production work. As Atlas turned into Marvel and began to expand, Severin’s work for them expanded as well. By the end of the late 1960s, Severin was the main colorist at Marvel while also doing the occasional penciling job. When the Hulk gained his own series, Incredible Hulk, Severin was the penciler for the first five issues. . .

“In the 1980s she began working in Special Projects (again, her likenesses were always amazing). She was let go by Marvel during their restructuring following their late 1990s bankruptcy. She continued working as an artist until retiring in the mid-2000s.”

Essential Marvel: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man by various artists and writers

(pb; 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 2006: graphic novel. Collects Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1-31.)

From the back cover

"Spidey faces some of his most fearsome foes - including Tarantula, Kraven, Lightmaster, Vulture, Hitman, Morbius, Brother Power, Hate Monger, Beetle and the Enforcers! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, Inhumans and Champions!"

Overall review

Spectacular is a fun, action-intense and occasionally ridiculous comic book. Many of its storylines loosely tie in with those of The Amazing Spider-Man. What separates Spectacular from Amazing is the former series, which debuted years later, shows a more mature Peter Parker, and Spectacular’s writing is often better. Spectacular Vol. 1 is worth owning.

Story arcs

"Twice Stings the Tarantula!” [#1] ─ “And There was Lightmaster!” [#3]: A mysterious man hires the Tarantula, a South American assassin, and Kraven the Hunter to kidnap civic leaders and a college professor ─ leading the Tarantula and Kraven on a collision course with Spider-Man. This three-issue arc introduces Lightmaster, a head-blaster of a bad guy.

“The Vulture is a Bird of Prey!” [#4] ─ “Spider-Kill!” [#5]: Spidey squares off against the Vulture and Hitman, the latter a gun- and gadget-using professional. Behind the scenes, Mr. Morgan works a protection racket and keeps Hitman in work.

On the Peter Parker’s-friend front, Flash Thompson continues to be concerned about the sudden reappearance and disappearance of his Vietnamese friend, Shan Shan ─ she was last seen in The Amazing Spider-Man, issue #109.

“The Power to Purge” [#6]: Spider-Man and Johnny Storm (a.k.a. The Human Torch) battle Michael Morbius (a.k.a. the Morbius the Living Vampire) on a college campus.

Meanwhile, Flash Thompson obsesses over his kidnapped friend, Shan Shan.

“Cry Mayhem ─ Cry Morbius!” [#7]: Morbius the Living Vampire, in part controlled by a mysterious being ─ the Empathoid ─ returns. Morbius kidnaps Glory Grant, a Daily Bugle co-worker of Peter Parker’s. Morbius’s reasoning: to lure Spider-Man to him. The living vampire succeeds in doing so. This is the Empathoid’s first appearance in Spectacular Spider-Man.

“And Only One Shall Survive!” [#8]: The web-slinger, now possessed by the Empathoid, fights Morbius, who wants to end the mega-destructive threat of the alternate world creature. But not all is at it seems.

While this happens, Flash Thompson rescues Shan Shan from her captor ─ only to receive a heart-rending blow.

“. . . Like a Tiger in the Night!” [#9] ─ “Tiger in a Web!” [#10]: Spider-Man must contend with another college campus protest. While doing so, our hero must recover a stolen and priceless document, the Erskine Manuscripts (named for the scientist who wrote them, and created the “Super Soldier” formula that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America).

A more immediate concern for the wall-crawler is the appearances of the tough-to-beat White Tiger (also seen in another Marvel title, the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu), and a group of criminals, known as the Black Hand.

“A Life too Far” [#11]: While trying to retrieve an anti-venom vial to save a boy’s life, the web-slinger is forced to confront Medusa from the Marvel series the Inhumans, who has the vial for her own desperate reasons.

“Brother Power, Sister Moon” [#12] ─ “The Final Rage!” [#15]: Spider-Man, Razorback (a.k.a. Buford Hollis) and Flash Thompson try to eliminate the global threat of Brother Power (Achmed Korba, a former Vietnamese smuggler) and the Hatemonger (Korba’s animalistic puppeteer), who have taken Shan Shan and Bobby Sue Hollis (Razorback’s sister) into their cultic thrall.

Parts of this story are crazy fun, others feature dumb character interactions. This is Razorback’s first appearance in Spectacular Spider-Man.

“The Beetle and the Badge!” [#16]: Sad tale about Joey Macone (a NYC cop) who gets caught up in a dust-up between Spidey and the Beetle. This issue has a PSA feel to it.

“Whatever Happened to the Iceman?” [#17] ─ “My Friend, My Foe!” [#18]: The web-slinger and the Angel (a.k.a. Warren Worthington III), formerly of the X-Men and the Champions, combat a brainwashed Iceman (a.k.a. Bobby Drake). Iceman is being controlled by a physically crippled villain, Rampage, also called Stuart Clarke.

This issue ends on a cliffhanger note, with an appearance by lovebirds Flash Thompson and Shan Shan.

“Again, the Enforcers!” [#19] ─ “Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?” [ #20]: The Lightmaster (a.k.a. Edward Lansky) hires The Enforcers (Fancy Dan Montana and the New Ox) to fight Spider-Man, before Lansky enters the fray. Unfortunately for the bad guys, the White Tiger ─ also called Hector Ayala ─ is in the same area at the same time. (The Lightmaster was last seen in issue #3.

“Still Crazy After All These Years” [#21]: The Scorpion ─ once a P.I. named Mac Gorgan ─ comes gunning for the man who helped turn him into a villain: J. Jonah Jameson. Of course, Spider-Man is there to save the day.

“By the Light of the Silvery Moon Knight!” [#22] ─ “Guess Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb” [#23]: Spider-Man and Moon Knight meet each other, then tangle with Cyclone, who has been hired by M [a.k.a. the Masked Marauder], leader of the Maggia.

“Spider-Man Night Fever” [#24]: Maggia soldiers hijack a plutonium truck. Peter Parker, against his will, is taken to the Beyond Fever disco, where the Hypno-Hustler and the Mercy killers stage a robbery.

“Carrion, My Wayward Son!” [#25] ─ “Till Death Do Us Part!” [#31]: Spidey, with help from the White Tiger and Daredevil, engages in extended conflicts with the Masked Marauder and his Maggia minions, as well as Tri-Man, a living biped bomb. Things get creepy when Carrion, born of a tragic misunderstanding, unleashes his clone-based horror on the web-slinger and those around him. This may be one of my favorite multipart story arcs in this collection.

Essential Marvel: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 5 by “Stan Lee, John Romita, Sam Rosen & Friends”

(pb; 1970, 1971, 1972 and 2006: graphic novel. Collects The Amazing Spider-Man #90-113.)

From the back cover

"Granted amazing, arachnid-like abilities by the bite of an irradiated spider, Peter Parker has vowed to protect his fellow man! In this volume: The return of the diabolical Doctor Octopus! A side trip to the Savage Land that time forgot! The first-ever appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire! The death of Captain George Stacy! Plus: the wall-crawler's climactic battle with the grinning Green Goblin!"


Overall review

Caveat: possible spoilers in this review.

The fifth volume of The Amazing Spider-Man shows Peter Parker maturing, in fits and starts, and sports some experimental – for the series – storylines and backdrops for the webhead to explore and fight in. There is less adolescent melodrama and less roll-your-eyes filler issues, making this one of the better entries in this series. Even the oddball issues that do not work, and there are a few, have something interesting in them, something that later issues build upon in a more effective way.

The artwork continues to be, well, amazing. Vol. 5 is worth owning, and includes a section with diagrams showing how Spider-Man’s web shooter and belt-camera work, as well as Doctor Octopus’s tentacle harness – interesting, well thought-out stuff. Be warned that this graphic novel ends on a cliffhanger note. Followed by Vol. 6


Story arcs

“And Death Shall Come!” (#90): In this carry-over storyline from issues #88 and 89, Spider-Man is still battling Doctor Octopus, a.k.a. Otto Octavius, resulting in the death of a major character.

“To Smash the Spider!” (#91): Sam Bullitt, a corrupt politician, tries to exploit the death of police Capt. Stacy, Gwen Stacy’s father. Bullitt does this by framing Spider-Man for murder.

“When Iceman Attacks!” (#92): The frosty X-Man, believing Spider-Man responsible for Capt. Stacy’s death, tries to bring the web-slinger to justice.

“The Lady and – the Prowler!” (#93): Hobie Brown, a.k.a. the Prowler, comes out of retirement to try his hand at capturing Spider-Man, still thought to be a killer. [The Prowler was last seen in issue #87.] Meanwhile, a grieving Gwen Stacy struggles with a decision – whether or not to stay in New York City, or move to London, England, with her distant relatives.

“On Wings of Death!” (#94): Spider-Man’s origin story is recounted. Also, the Beetle is back, with the intention of stealing something mysterious. While doing this, he kidnaps Aunt May!

“Trap for a Terrorist!” (#95): Peter Parker flies to London, England, to look for Gwen Stacy. While there, he tangles with terrorists.

“. . . And Now, the Goblin!” (#96) – “The Goblin’s Last Gasp!” (#98): Norman Osborn remembers his criminal past as the Green Goblin – as well as secret identity of Spider-Man. The Goblin’s mission this time: to kill his arachnid-enhanced foe. While this is happening, Osborn’s son (Harry) struggles with drug addiction, and Peter Parker’s separation from Gwen Stacy reaches its conclusion.

“Panic in the Prison!” (#99): When rioting prisoners take their warden hostage, Spider-Man swings into action. This roll-your-eyes filler issue has a remarkably upbeat finish – if only all hardened criminals were so innocent and agreeable!

“The Spider or the Man?” (#100): In one of the more boneheaded and bizarre issues, the web-slinger – seeking to rid himself of his super powers – drinks an untested laboratory formula. He has an issue-filler dream, and mutates in a theme-consistent way.

“A Monster Called Morbius!” (#101) – “Vampire At Large!” (#102): Panicked by his mutation, Spider-Man goes to the Everglades in Florida to see if Curt Connors – sometimes the Lizard – can help him undo his boneheaded experiment in the previous issue. The situation is exacerbated when a vampire (Michael Morbius, also called Morbius) shows up, sparking a three-way battle between Spider-Man, the Lizard [a transformed Curt Connors] and Morbius.

This is Morbius’s first appearance in this series.

“Walk the Savage Land!” (#103) – “The Beauty and the Brute” (#104): J. Jonah Jameson leads an expedition into the Savage Land, a beneath-the-earth realm located in Antartica. The reason: Jameson wants to publish a series of stories about a mysterious monster said to be there. His fellow travelers include Robbie Robertson, Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy.

While they are there, another monster – Gog, an oversized reptilian alien – snatches Gwen and escapes into the prehistoric forest. Spider-Man, with help from Ka-Zar and his sabretooth tiger (Zabu), goes after Gog to rescue Gwen. The giant reptile is not the only threat to Gwen, it seems: Gog is the pet of Kraven the Hunter, a villain familiar to the web-slinger and Ka-Zar. . . These issues were especially fun and out-there for this title.

“The Spider Slayer!” (#105) – “Spidey Smashes Thru!” (#107): Dr. Smythe, who has built a new arachnid-like robot, is once again hired by J. Jonah Jameson. Their goal: to kill Spider-Man. Dr. Smythe also appeared in issues #25 and #58.

On the friends-of-Peter Parker front, Harry Osborne – fragile in his recovery from drug addiction and longing for Mary Jane Watson – returns home. So does Flash Thompson, back from the Vietnam War – and it seems he is afraid of something, though he won’t say what. Not only that, his yen for Gwen Stacy, Parker’s girlfriend.

“Vengeance from Vietnam!” (#108) – “Enter: Dr. Strange” (#109): Flash Thompson is kidnapped by Vietnamese monks, who hold him responsible for the death of their leader. This prompts Spider-Man to save Thompson, with unexpected help from Dr. Strange, who has additional information about the monks. This is Dr. Strange’s first appearance in this comic book series.

“The Birth of. . . the Gibbon!” (#110) – “To Stalk a Spider!” (#111): Spider-Man meets the huge, ape-faced Martin Blank, a.k.a. the Gibbon, and tries to discourage Blank from embarking on a superhero career. Blank, who has low self-esteem, takes this the wrong way and is manipulated by Kraven the Hunter [thought dead at the end of issue #104] into joining forces with the vengeful hunter – Kraven is still raging against the web-slinger about previous defeats, as well as the death of his friend, Gog.

“Spidey Cops Out!” (#112) – “They Call the Doctor Octopus!” (#113): Peter Parker, worried about the disappearance of Aunt May, considers – for the zillionth time – quitting the superhero gig. His self-pity session is interrupted by the accidental reappearance of Otto Octavius, a.k.a. Doctor Octopus, who was laying the groundwork for a new criminal scheme while fighting a turf war with Hammerhead, whose head-shape and attitude reflect his moniker. This is the first appearance of Hammerhead in this comic book.