Redartz: Greetings! As another occasional departure from our usual "Follow the Leader" tradition, we have a topic today prompted by some discussions I've recently read on Facebook.Also inspired by a current project at our house: going through boxes of photos and negatives, scanning and sorting all those images. Seeing some of those photos for the first time in 40+years helped trigger this flashback. Specifically, it's one of those "a favorite book and how I got it" stories.
Anyway, after the program ended, my comic collecting buddy and I left the school: with Earth, Wind and Fire still ringing in our ears. We were determined to walk downtown to the the comic shop and see what was in. Walk, because the school buses didn't run to that location; besides it was a fine, warm Spring day. So walk we did, about a mile and a half, past the graveyard, past the park, over the river, and downtown to our destination.
Our rather small town was blessed with the existence of a comic book store; an uncommon thing back then. My pal and I were there each week, religiously. And this week held a bonus: my favorite title was in, Amazing Spider-Man. Grabbing a copy, I opened it up to find another surprise: this issue had inks by John Romita Sr.! I liked Ross Andru's version fine, but Romita was always my favorite. So it was great to see him inking Andru this issue, giving the book that classic Romita polish.Then there was the story. Continuing the Scorpion story from issue 145 , and the Gwen Stacy return; plus an appearance by the Jackal! Top all this off with a dramatic Romita cover (what kind of creep is Scorpion anyway, threatening a helpless old lady in a hospital bed?), and you have a real winner. So waiting to read it was impossible. My buddy lived a short distance from there, so while walking to his house, I eagerly read the comic (and somehow managed to avoid walking off a curb or into a tree).
Ah, to be 14, out of school for a week, in the sunshine, and carrying a beloved comic- doesn't get much better than that. And there you have it, many thanks to you all for patiently allowing a bit of reminisce today. Feel free to comment about this issue, or about any such special comic /day you might recall!
25 comments:
April 1975 was only five months after I first discovered Marvel comics so the Marvel Universe and its' myriad characters were still new to me. I was a regular reader of 'Planet Of The Apes' (the Marvel UK weekly) and I'd also started reading 'Spider-Man Comics Weekly' (which also featured Thor and Iron Man) and 'Dracula Lives' (also featuring Werewolf By Night and The Frankenstein Monster).
Could somebody explain Spring Break? Did it occur on the same week every year? What about Easter? In my school we always had a two-week holiday beginning on the day before Good Friday.
Wonderful reminiscence, Red! That book is etched in my memory as well. I was in 4th grade, and vividly recall being over to a friend's house and trading for that book. I don't recall what I gave up, but I loved that new book. It was only years later that I was able to read the complete clone saga, and have loved it. I know the Gwen-clone has its detractors, but overall I thought it was a fun epic.
Hi, Colin (and thanks for the Christmas wish on the BWBC - I did see it). Spring Break in many school districts is tied to the Easter holiday. Depending on when Easter falls, the week off of school may be before or after the holiday. In districts that have a high non-Christian population, Spring Break has been separated from Easter - in those districts, kids will then get the week off for break and another 4-day weekend over Easter. The district I teach in has gone to a set break time, which is always the last week of March. In the past few years, with Easter in April, we've then enjoyed an additional holiday just a few weeks later.
Doug
Doug, thanks for that information :)
By the way, do Americans use the word fortnight? It means two weeks.
Colin -
Haha - I think the only Americans who might use that term would do so in trying to sound sophisticated!
Doug
I wouldn't have had that issue when it first came out (I was only 3), but I'm sure I had the Marvel Tales reprint from a few years later. The Jackal always kinda creeped me out as a kid.
We always got a week off at Easter here in Canada too, but we didn't refer to it as Spring Break; of course, up here there's usually still snow on the ground during Easter :(
Colin- that era, 1974-75, was pure gold (or should I say, pure bronze) in comics. Truly a magical time to get addicted to the four color habit! And you started out with a pretty nice variety; monsters, heroes and PoTA...
Doug- glad you enjoyed it. You're right, the original clone saga was pretty enjoyable. It holds a favored place among my top comics arcs. Yes, some folks didn't care for it (and still don't). But I liked it. Now, the later clone tales, especially the one in the 90's with Ben Reilly- not so great.
Mike W- the Jackal was rather creepy. Kind of skinny and lanky, angular and disjointed; with those funky ears. Sort of like the Green Goblin but with no costume, just hair...
GREAT saga, that original Jackal/clone arc. The wrap-up maybe didn't live-up to the build-up (entirely), but it was good extended story-telling with a lot of Spider-Man style internal conflict going on in the midst of daggone mystery story (Who Is the Jackal??).
Heh-- you know what I didn't buy at the time? The fact that Prof Wqrren struck me as much physically larger and heavier than the wiry Jackal (much the same problem that always seemed to be true of Norman Osborn-- Norman seemed like darned big guy--- the Goblin? Enh. . .) And of course, since before I could read it annoyed me to see masked characters whose masks took on all the expressive characteristics of a face. . . c'mon already. . .(Lookin' at the Green Goblin again. . .)
Related to the topic-- what I distinctly remember is that the stretch of months between Hulk #178 to Hulk #184 (6 months!) seems like several distinct different lifetimes. That month (more or less) between issues being released weighed like epochs of time upon an adolescent fan-kids' shoulders. And you start checking the racks after two weeks, even though releases almost never get that badly boggled in their schedule. And the very young teenager who was picking up, say, Hulk #186 would look back on the one buying #176, and think, Man, what I newbie-goober I was 'way back then--- I didn't know ANYTHING--!
HB
Colin - if you are still out there, lol...
I was born in 61 and we did not have a spring break in the public school system. THough we did get off Good Friday in public school to recall Jesus. Teachers were like a rock: always there. Always.
The only ones having a spring break were University students. It was roughly 8 weeks into the 16 week winter semester, putting it in Mid-March. If you had the $ you and your pals drove down to the Florida. It was never tied to Easter, though, unless by coincidence.
Flash forward 40 years with 2 kids and they have xmas break (2 weeks), spring break (1 week), numerous "teacher institute" days off, sick days, etc. Times have changed.
I was shocked! (Really!)
B.t.w. the US kids have about 12 weeks off in Summer (June, July, August) a holdover from the days when kids were needed in summer to work the farms. (Unlike at least France and Germany where it is maybe 6 weeks?) So the kids spend several weeks being re-taught what they have forgotten in September due to such a long break!
I'm really into that mid-70s era too Redartz, but I think theres quite a bit of truth to the idea that the golden age of comics is 10, and most eras (outside of major industry slumps maybe) are probably great when you're that receptive.
There are plenty of specific issues from back then that I loved, and memories of reading them for the first time really stick in my head - Kamandi #10 and Captain Marvel #29 immediately spring to mind.
I can think of later comics that are better - say, from the 80s (when I was still reading a lot of superheroey stuff) like Daredevil #181 and Simonson's Thor - but they don't have quite the same kind of appeal.
All the best for 2020 everyone...
-sean
Wow Charlie - I didn't figure you for the type to complain about "kids these days", and how things aren't like when you were young anymore ;)
-sean
Nice story and recall Red!
Funny enough my first Spider-Man comic was #147. I had been reading comics for a couple of months before that, but for some unknown reason hadn't picked up a Spidey yet.
I did end up getting that issue and a bunch more from an older kid down the street a few months later.
A fun time to be reading Spider-Man to be sure. Molten Man, Grizzly, Cyclone, fun stuff!
HB- perceptive observation about the Jackal's physique. I noticed that too, but never really put it into words. And Prof. Warren had a pretty good head of hair; that Jackal mask his it well...
And yes, the wait time between issues could be maddening. Many were the times we were at the shop waiting when the comic shipment came in!
Sean- your point is well taken! That special age when we 'catch the fever' adds a fine veneer to the books we read then. In my case it was 13 rather than 10. Perhaps I was behind the curve...
Killraven- that was indeed a fun time to be following the web-slinger. Sounds like you did well by your friend. That seems a common thread to many of us, getting a bunch of issues as cast-offs. Wonder if any of those benefactors later regretted their generosity?
Hi Sean - FWIW - my only gripe about "school these days" is as a parent. When both work, you need a regular schedule for child care before and after school when kids are younger.
The large number of half days, fridays off, early releases, late starts plays hell with a parent (s) b/c the day care facilities don't care about the school's change in schedule that day. I mean, it was a real pain in the ass.
HI All, As a "true believer" who started reading Spidey regularly with issue #100 (those issues really had the "veneer" on them that Red talks about, lol) once Gwen died, the bloom was way off the rose and Spidey became a farce.
Ooops... here I go... look out everyone, lol... (Sorry, can't stop myself!)
I mean, Peter Parker "drank the hemlock" in #100 because he loved Gwen so much that he wanted to be rid of his Spidey powers forever. Instead he got 4 more arms and a battle with a vampire! So killing her off was like cutting off half of Petey... truly eliminating his raison d'etre. Then to introduce clones... Lord help me!
Hey... Speaking of vampires... Wait! Wrong blog! LOL. (I'm referring to Steve Does Comics and the ongoing "who what / who was your fav vampire movie.)
Only kidding earlier Charlie.
I'm guessing you're not a regular reader of Spider-Gwen...?
-sean
Sean... When I found out Gwen and Norman Osborne had been doing the horizontal bop, and she had twins from him, I was committed to the psyche ward. (I have the papers to prove it.)
I have since learned relaxation techniques and nothing bothers me nor interests me any more regarding Gwen.
Charlie- have to agree with you on Gwen/Norman. The nadir of the title, imho. Showed total disregard for rational characterization. I may be wrong, but I think that story has been 'conveniently forgotten ' by the Powers that Be...
Ugh-- NOTHING tarnishes the memories of a beloved title like mentioning that completely reprehensible, editorially-unforgivable Norman/Gwen abomination of a story. It contributed mightily to my decision to drop buying comics entirely. . .
The side thread about an age "sweet-spot" helping determine what an individual thinks of as Good Comics reminds me of a similar on-going discussion manymanymany years ago on the defunct Avengers Assemble boards (Van Plexico's)-- the team an individual would identify as being the "real" Avengers team-- or at least "their" Avengers team was almost w/out exception the roster in place when they first started reading the book. . .
HB
That sounds right about the Avengers HB; more generally, I would say that continuity already established whenever the reader came in, so to speak, always seems more legitimate.
A good example would be when Hawkeye became the new look Goliath for a while. No-one my age seems to question that - indeed, some have a soft spot for it because its when they started reading (Marvel UK were reprinting that era around '74) - but I think its a fair bet that had it happened in, say, the 90s most would roll their eyes...
-sean
Ha-- Sean, you zeroed DIRECTLY in on my own personal "Real" Avengers Team-!
Issues 57 to, say, 66/67. One of my favorite runs of all time, and the one that largely introduced me to the team. I probably would have been. . . maybe 9?. . when I read it, AND as mentioned above, I was one of those kids who got to read it in one stretch thanks to my pal's older brothers. .
HB
Sean and HB- guess that makes me an 'Avengers youngster'. First issue I ever read was 127, so 'my' group includes Vision and Scarlet Witch,and Beast. HB, like you I first read Marvels back in the later 60's. But I dropped them for years before returning stronger than ever. Did you 'stick with them', or were there pauses in your reading (ok, another side thread)?
Charlie, it's a summer holiday of six weeks in the UK too - from around July 20th to early September (I think Scotland's dates are a bit different but still about six weeks in total).
I should have mentioned that early 1975 was the time I discovered Conan The Barbarian thanks to Marvel comics - in a Roy Thomas/Barry Smith/Sal Buscema story called "The Lair Of The Beast-Men". I've been a Conan fan ever since and Conan is now back at Marvel :)
@ Red-- Although I was reading (and to some degree "inheriting" a lot of my pal's brothers' comics through the late 60's/early 70's, I definitely wasn't buying many at all. Ohhh, my Dad's Depression-Era sensibilities (although he was in fact too young to really remember much of it) would never cotton to THAT sort of Waste o' Money-- and then in maybe 6th grade I went through an extended Sad Sack/Dennis the Menace/MAD Magazine phase. I really did spend a LOT of lawn-mowing money on the surprisingly large stable of Sack titles being produced right then. Those are all long-gone. But me & Bryan were perpetually touching-base with the Marvel Universe all the while. And somewhere late in the first Marvel Value Stamp (ha!) run, I picked up Hulk #176 because I had JUST read the borrowed #175. I may have picked up WWBN at the same time. And then the Defenders. And that snowballed quickly into several titles-- a few of which I never missed an issue for 30+ years. . . There was another semi-hiatus during college, but I was accumulating unread subscription issues even then.
HB
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