Spider-Symmetry: The Swinging 60's Spidey

 

For today’s post we have another entry in the occasional series where I endeavour to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. For this entry of Spider-Symmetry, we are taking a look at a silver age era comic classic and a modern era classic. This instalment, we must credit the amazing penciller and Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko and MC2 and Spider-Girl co-creator, artist extraordinaire and friendly fella, Ron Frenz, but we have a few stops on the way…

 

First up we have the iconic cover to 1964’s Amazing Spider-Man #19 by sturdy Steve Ditko, featuring our webbed wonder, Spider-Man swinging directly toward the reader with various familiar faces surrounding him in a stylized web. Seriously, this guy was talented.

 

It would be remiss of me not to mention the amusing Spider-Man cameo from the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #3 released in 1965. I’ll let it speak for itself.

 

For the generations of Spidey fans who know the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon will no doubt recognize this pose, as it (along with many other poses) was ‘recycled’ for various episodes’ swinging segments.

 

Now, here’s the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #68 by jazzy John Romita Senior, coincidentally released in 1968, which features a similarly swinging Spider-Man albeit rendered very much in the style of Mr. Romita.

 

 

One more time, we have the original Steve Ditko pose brought back and referenced in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #261 by artist and major Marvel fanboy Ron Frenz.

Coming full circle, the cover to Spider-Girl #42 pencilled by Ron Frenz and released in 2002 demonstrates a combination of both Mr. Ditko and Mr. Romita’s cover poses and art styles, no doubt influenced or informed by Mr Frenz’s own affection for the 60’s Spider-Man animation.

 

Once again, it’s wonderful reverence and references like this that really make the MC2 feel familiar and inclusive of the whole history of the Spidey mythos.

 

Until I make a post about the 70’s series, I remain

 

frogoat

Spider-Girl Versus Doctor Doom

 

Thank goodness for the Internet Archive! The Wayback Machine is an invaluable source of information on the lost and long gone days of the wild west internet. Today, as a sort of early present, I thought it would be nice to post the promotional comic commonly referred to as ‘Internet Super Heroes Meet Internet Super Villains’ in its entirety.

But what is it, exactly? Well, for starters, it has two names. ‘Internet Super Heroes Meet Internet Super Villains’ is the title that appears on the cover, but the comic’s indicia gives it the title ‘Wired Kids’, along with listing it as ‘No.1, November 2005’. I would argue this latter title should be its official title on places such as the Marvel Wiki, but that’s not important right now.

 

The comic was a custom comic printed under exclusive licence and donated by Marvel to Wired Kids Inc., a charity in the United States which was partly dedicated to promoting internet safety for children and teenagers. It appears Microsoft contributed to the comic’s production, as they are also attributed on the cover and in the indicia, along with their own internet safety program at staysafe.org. And yes, this comic was originally distributed for free. Here’s a few examples of the groups aiming to educate the public about internet safety, courtesy of the internet archive:

 

The comic is written by C.B. Cebulski with pencils by Scott Hepburn, with Cebulski and Nicole Wiley acting as editors. The latter name, Nicole Wiley may be familiar to Spider-Girl readers where she also served as an editor for a time. I have to point out that Mayday does appear visually familiar and similar to her MC2 or Earth-982 counterpart but as will become clear, this is not the MC2 Universe.

‘MayDayOne@internetsuperheroes.org’ is May’s email address, while Queens, New York is her physical address, though the Parker Family Home depicted does not resemble the design we are used to, and in my opinion resembles more the one from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. May is definitely out of character with her actions in this story, though perhaps it’s forgivable given the purpose of the comic. The less said about this facial hair free Peter Parker the better!

 

The Human Torch is a younger, more immature version, while the Thing…isn’t half covered in metal. So this appears to be an incarnation of the Fantastic *FOUR* closer to the early days of the Main Marvel Universe or Earth-616, albeit with a mature adult Peter Parker who’s a father to a teenage daughter and has an obsession with internet security! Evidently, Mayday is known to Johnny and Ben in her civilian identity. That’s nice.

 

The mysterious secret shadow-dwelling big-bad ‘Mood Dood’ is revealed to be none other than Doctor Doom! Not only does Doctor Doom know Spider-Girl’s secret identity as Mayday, having used her personal email to infect and spread his trojan horse virus, but the story rather uncomfortably suggests Victor Von Doom formed an entire online identity and parasocial relationship to do so. I’ll let that sink in.

Another contact of May’s is targeted, Bruce Banner aka the Incredible Hulk. Bruce’s Xbox gaming session is interrupted by one of Doom’s emails leading to him hulking out. The Human Torch, Thing and Hulk all track down Spider-Girl, three adults knowingly plan to beat up a teenage girl. And keep in mind, they all know her secret identity and therefore know Peter is Spider-Man.

Thankfully Peter shows up in costume and clears things up, shortly before a page stuffed with dialogue balloons that delivers the message the whole story has been laying on thick. Oh, and Victor? Maybe next time don’t use your work email to troll people online? ‘Mooddude@Latveria.com’, I mean come on, really!

As much as I am dunking on this harmless and well-intentioned promotional comic, I will say ‘We’ve beaten him so many times, maybe he feels cyber-crime is the only way he can take us down.’ Is possibly the most savage take down of Doctor Doom I’ve come across. Then again, Doom delivers a rather shocking self-own after he is arrested at the Latverian Embassy by the police (can they actually do that?): ‘I wonder if they have internet access in prison…hmmm…so many kids, so little time.’ I know he’s a villain, but I’m surprised Marvel approved portraying their most high-profile villains in this way.

 

Well this was fun. Happy Holidays! I’m off to update my internet security!

 

Until I decipher what THINKB4UCLICK means, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galactus in the MC2

 

Eons ago, we were all hotly anticipating the release of Marvel Studios Fantastic Four: First Steps. Mere millennia ago, the movie debuted on Disney+ and now, just centuries late, I would like to finally deliver this post about everyone’s favourite planet-devouring, eternally hungry space giant. This is Galactus in the MC2.

 

The prerequisite backstory: Galactus made his debut in Fantastic Four #48 after being preceded by his herald Silver Surfer, a figure of fear among the shape-shifting Skrulls which causes even Uatu the Watcher to break his vow of non-interference by attempting to hide the entirety of planet Earth from Galactus and warning the Fantastic Four of the space titan’s threat. Fantastic Four #48-#50 form a trilogy of issues known colloquially as ‘The Galactus Trilogy’.

 

Galactus’ origin would be first detailed in the pages of Thor #168 and #169. This story would be largely reprinted in Super-Villain Classics #1, reworked and combined with material from other prior appearances, albeit with altered and additional panels which changed the original context to harmonise and update elements of the story. This version of the tale is the one consistently referenced in future retellings, establishing Galactus (formerly a scientist Galan) was a survivor from a universe before the current Marvel Universe came into existence before becoming a universal threat with insatiable hunger.

 

It's possible that Galactus’ last MC2niverse-relevant appearance in the Main Marvel Universe (prior to the two universes branching into divergent realities) is 1996’s Fantastic Four #414, wherein Galactus clashes with powerful foe Hyperstorm, leaving the two trapped in a dimensional void. Alternatively, Silver Surfer (vol.3) #144 which was published in 1998 depicts the space-god Galactus’ return from this void.

 

Now let’s look at the Galactus of Universe-982 aka the MC2. During the events of the Last Planet Standing mini-series, Galactus is poised to destroy the entire universe in an attempt to rid himself of his never-ending hunger, having stockpiled the energy from planets across various galaxies. A gathering of the Great Powers of the Universe took place to discuss the threat posed to reality. The cosmic forces in attendance included Master Order, Lord Chaos, The In-Betweener, The Shaper of Worlds, The Stranger, The Gardener, The Collector and of course The Living Tribunal (Last Planet Standing #2).

 

The Great Powers of the Universe’s attempt to reason with the World-Eater one last time fails. Ultimately deciding they must destroy Galactus using a combined destructive bolt strong enough to wipe out the Earth and the entire Milky Way Galaxy, the Great Powers are halted in their attempt when Reed Richards is forced to use his Transdimensional Cannon's single shot on the cosmic beings (Last Planet Standing #3).

 

With Galactus enacting his final solution on Earth, the combined forces of the superhero community work to penetrate his force field and combat his doomsday weapon’s launch. When Spider-Girl, Stinger and American Dream manage to reverse the polarity of the device’s flow, the resulting backlash causes Galactus to be overloaded with enough energy to kill him and destroy the entire galaxy. As his end approaches, Galactus perceives the presence of Death coming to embrace him.

 

However, at the last moment, Galactus’ former Herald, the Silver Surfer encases them both within an indestructible ethereal force cocoon.  Soon after the assembled heroes of Earth witness the birth of a new gestalt entity composed of the Silver Surfer and Galactus which could harness a new form of energy known as The Power Essential (Last Planet Standing #5).

 

Fortunately, the newly birthed gestalt being composed of Silver Surfer and Galactus harnesses The Power Essential to reassemble The Vision, resurrect others killed during the battle and repair the mass destruction before departing the Earth with a new mission of restoration (Last Planet Standing #5).

I think it is important to mention at this point that the concept of reforging Galactus into a kind of cosmic ‘life bringer’ first appeared in the Last Planet Standing series written by Tom Defalco, pre-dating by nearly a decade a similar storyline in the Main Marvel Universe in the pages of Ultimates (vol. 2) series by writer Al Ewing. Just another example of the MC2 being ahead of the Main Marvel Universe!

 

I’d love to read suggestions for new names for the new being birthed in Last Planet Standing #5, and here’s hoping we see the silver celestial sentinel again some day.

 

Until I satiate my own endless hunger, I remain

 

frogoat