From a writing point of view, there is something profoundly wrong if a character goes toe to toe with the Hulk and then struggles against The Kingpin.


Look, One More Day has a lot to answer for, but at least it shows how a fight between someone who is capable of lifting 10 tons, dodging a shot fired at point-blank range, and having an ability to sense danger and a normal human being should unfold.



I have to say that in the 70s Spider-Man was written in an almost schizophrenic way: he always had to be the underdog, no matter what enemy he was in front of, whether he was a legless criminal with asthma or the Hulk. I know that Spidey at the time was the closest thing to average Joe the reader could identify with, but really, couldn't Daredevil have handled ordinary criminals and left the middle-heavyweights to the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? I was little kid when I was reading this particular period of his adventures, but I still remember finding tedious his constant struggling for each. Single. Small. Nonsense. In the end it simply belittled the character.

And by the way, I really, really, really loved when he totally humiliated Tarantula in the 80s...




"When I came on the series, I felt that some of the 'wow' factor had been lost, that people had forgotten just how strong and agile Spider-Man was. Some of his lesser villains were having way too easy a time in fighting him. So in my stories... well, I just had him stop holding back as much." -- "Roger Stern, the Spectacular Spider-Writer", MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: SPIDER-MAN, Marvel Comics, March 2007

I used to have that Spidey Super-Stories!

Marvel team-Up #43



Spdey & Dr Doom!

"Hey Doc, it hurts when I do this...."

"Doom does not concern himself with base jokes."

"How about infield ones?...........Outfield?....Locker room?"

"Bah!"

Creative Team: Bill Mantlo-writer, Sal Buscema-pencils, Mike Esposito-inks, Karen Mantlo-letters, Janice Cohen-colors, Marv Wolfman-editor

Synopsis: We are still in Salem, MA, 1692, with Spidey, Scarlet Witch, Vision; and, now, Dr Doom! Cotton Mather has brought in his boss, the Dark Rider, which sounds like either a lame 70s biker comic or similarly lame 80s syndicated tv series. Rider gives Cotton Mather to Doom , as his servant, but Doom has a weird view of labor relations...



Doom and Rider try to out-pompous the other, while Doom seeks to know why he has been drawn there. Rider demands the power of witchcraft, as carried within Doom, because of his mother. Spidey interjects and he and Vision are whammied by the Rider. He sicks his puddy-tat on the pair, while we get a rather dull 2-page spread form Sal & Mike, recapping Doom's history, including gypsy healer/sorceress mother.



Neither of the heroes proves strong enough to defeat the dark Shoulder Rider and it takes a hex bolt from Wanda to stop it, but she is back to being useless again.

The Rider sucks up magic, to justify Wanda being useless and why Doom hasn't flamesprayed the dude and he grows larger, then takes off the hat and cloak, revealing him to be one of the Road Warriors, complete with mohawk. Doom flips him the energy bird and it's on.

For some unknown reason, and without much transition, we switch to John Proctor being condemned by the witch tribunal, then are back to Doom vs the Rider on the subsequent page. They trade bolts and barbs and little is achieved. Wanda tells Spidey and Viz that they have to help Doom. They attack and distract him, but he shrugs off Vision's energy bolts (and KOs him), Doom's bolts and Spidey's feet and ends the issue with bodies at his feet and Doom unconscious in his mitts.

Thoughts: This is really going nowhere. 3 issues and all we have is Wanda completely useless, Vision not much better and Spidey not using his best material. Doom turns up without ever revealing how or how his time portal came to be used by Mather and we still aren't done with this. Mantlo is stretching what little plot there is way beyond its natural lifespan. We are told Moondragon is next issue, so don't expect an epic ending. I have tried to find a positive in this; but, this is really mediocre material and it just shows that no one was manning the helm, at Marvel. This shows why one editor for the entire line didn't work anymore, as they couldn't give attention to every book and were ignoring the books that really needed an editor to guide the team in favor of the big books and the ones they were writing, themselves. Mantlo needs an Archie Goodwin, dedicated to his book, who can teach him how to craft a better story that has a destination. This reads like fan fiction that somehow got published, because the writer had pictures of the editor, at a convention appearance, or something! Mantlo was capable of better; but, you wouldn't know it by this.

Buscema and Esposito continue to treat this like just another number on the paycheck. I can't entirely fault them for not giving a #$%@, when Marvel doesn't; but, I'm one who thinks you always give it your best when you accept a job, even if it turns out to suck. If the deal is bad, then get out of it, rather than defecate the work.

This book is decidedly in need of a jolt, creatively.

Agree about the for the most part, but I kind of like the double page with with the Dark Rider spreading his cloak and various scenes appearing in its shadows. Yes, it's executed in a pedestrian kind of way, but nice idea. It at least stands out a bit from the rest of the issue.

I think the inkers included John Tartaglione and Bruce Patterson, who also lettered the issue. Walt Simonson inked Byrne's cover.

Psst......keep it down man....copyright police might hear.......



Sorry, couldn't resist.  In the last 5 years, I have had to tell hundreds of people that we could not copy something from a book or magazine they had, without the copyright holder's permission.  Which usually led to an argument that ended with "Are you the author or publisher?.....  No......  Then you do not have the authority to grant us permission to copy this, legally."

Of course, now, the company just inserted an electronic acknowledgment that you are the rights holder or have permission for us to print whatever you request, indemnifying us, while making it easier for people to steal someone else's artistic work.  Gotta love corporate legal weasels!  Uphold the letter of the law to protect the company, but violate the spirit for commercial gain!

Marvel Two-in-One #44



Thing & Hercules!

Creative Team: Marv Wolfman-writer/editor and he brought the wife, Michelle, to do colors; Bob Hall-pencils, Frank Giacoia-inks, John Costanza-letters

Synopsis: Ben is volunteering at Camp Run-A-Mok....





Ben tries to settle down the little bas......ically nice kids (in a pig's eye!) with a story. it starts with Johnny giving him a hot foot and Ben tosses his weights at Johnny, only to have them reduced to slag. he went for a walk , before he killed the Torch and ran into Hercules, who is out joyriding in his flying chariot and snaps Ben off the ground, because he needs his help. Someone trashed Olympus, while Zeus was on vacation and Hercules was with the Champions, in San Francisco...



Yonder lies da castle of my fadda.......

It was done by the Giants, though I'd say Olympus had more to fear from the Dodgers. They go to the castle of the first giant and fight past some flying pythons (named Monty, from the circus, no doubt). then, they are jumped by a crimson Tiger of the Titans, who Herc hip-tosses out a window. They climb over some king-sized furniture and come face to hoof with the giant, while he is busy doing Schlitz beer commercials....



Zeus isn't there and they aren't exactly whooping Andre, so they scram to the Tower of the Sun, where Zeus is supposed to be.

The tower rotates, always facing the sun, so anyone inside is getting a baked. Well, maybe, if they brought some stuff, but...you, know, cooked....flambeed, fricaseed, char broiled....

Zeus is inside, rotating on a spit (after a fashion)...



Zeus does the noble bit, telling Herc to hit the bricks; but, Ben hops over, punches the pole and tosses it to Herc, to catch. He frees Zeus and they head off, until they run into Big John Studd, who uses a club to knock Ben for 6. Herc tries to hold him off with the pole and Ben ankle dives Manduu, the giant and then Herc double teams him and they dump him into the barbecue pit.



They head over to rescue the rest of the Olympians, at a Watergate (and Marv inserts a Washington joke) and get dumped outta the chariot, by Krokarr the Cruel, who last week was wrestling in Memphis as the Masked Canary. They plummet to the ground. Zeus whistles for the horse and the chariot zips under them, catching them and he then freezes Krokarr, which leaves you wondering why he didn't do that in the first place.

The kids enjoy the story and want more, so Ben obliges.

Thoughts: this is a hoot, largely thanks to the framing device of Ben telling a yarn to the kids, while they groan at his jokes and heckle his originality. The adventure reads like a Harryhausen film, with the Three Stooges. Marv is a pretty good hand with Ben's personality, which makes it all fun. Herc is mostly there to react and recruit Ben, but Zeus saves the day, which drives me nuts as Zeus is THE most powerful Olympian and shouldn't need rescuing from Hercules, especially when he proves powerful enough to stop the villain, without Herc. i hate it when they don't establish a limit on the character and let it be related to plot convenience and that is just about every supernatural and cosmic character. You have to set a limit, if you want drama, as they work to get past or around the limit. it's like Superman and Kryptonite or a Red Sun, or Ultraman and his timer, Hourman and his ticking clock, or the old days of Iron Man, with his battery charge, before he could do whatever was required by the plot, even if there is no way he could conceive such a thing when he built the armor (looking at you MCU!). the kids don't question it, so Marv gets away with it; but, only because he doesn't have one of the cynical kids (and they heckle a lot, through the early half) question the ending.

These two comics are 2 years apart in their timeline, but, this demonstrates better how to have entertaining stories in a team-up book and Marv has already proven to be able to do longer stories, with changing guest stars. Compare to Mantlo and it's like night and day.

Captain Marvel is promised for the next issue