Spider-Symmetry: Rock Reflections

 

For today’s post we have a brief 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 leap outside the comics. But don’t worry, the other half of this mirror is once again delivered by MC2 co-creator, artist extraordinaire and friendly fella, Ron Frenz.

 

Released in 1975 by Lifesong Records and featuring vocals from members of Crack the Sky and Brooklyn Bridge with (unusually flat and dull) narration by Stan Lee came ‘Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero’, a rock opera which retells Peter Parker’s story from his origin through to the death of Gwen Stacy. Not only did it feature Stan Lee but iconic Spider-Man artist John Romita provided the art for the album’s front cover.

 

 Meanwhile in the MC2, tucked away in the pages of 2007’s Amazing Spider-Girl #4, we have sneaky Ron Frenz slip in a subtle homage to John Romita’s gorgeous work with a panel featuring May ‘Mayday’ Parker standing in front of a very familiar mirror which has been in Mayday’s Room for quite some time prior! I wonder if Mr Frenz owns that rock opera album?

 

Until I stop contemplating my life choices in front of large reflective surfaces, I remain

 

frogoat

Symbiote-Symmetry

 

Yes, it’s that time once again! For today’s post we have a brief 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, a look at another example of Symbiote-Symmetry, once again delivered by MC2 co-creator, artist extraordinaire and friendly fella, Ron Frenz. And yes, it’s another Venom Symbiote post too so consider this a sort of  Venom: The Last Dance tie-in!

 

First up, we have the trippy one-shot Carnage tale, Carnage: Mind Bomb. Specifically, this gnarly cover by artist Kyle Hotz, who’s unique rendition of the psychotic red symbiote inspired the look of Carnage in the Spider-Man Unlimited animated series:

 

And here’s an interior page from Spider-Girl #83 depicting the Venom symbiote bonded with Normie Osborn (after receiving a hellfire burn from the vigilante Darkdevil) as drawn by Ron Frenz:

 

 

Until I stop seeing the systematic similarities of symbiotic and spidery symbolism, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

MC2 Legacy: Did Mainframe Influence the MCU Iron Man?

 

This will hopefully be the first instalment in a new occasional series touching on the various instances of an MC2 character, concept or…whatever that is later used elsewhere. Basically, a record of the many times the MC2 has influenced the comic’s Main Marvel Universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a variety of animated series, etc.  

Many years ago, I wrote about the MC2’s Mainframe being loosely adapted in the Marvel animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. which led to a follow up post and a short video. The episode, ‘Wheels of Fury’, debuted on the 29^th of March 2015 and concludes with the Mainframe Artificial Intelligence taking on a familiar yellow and black armoured form resembling his MC2 design.

 

But this wasn’t the first time we’d seen Iron Man himself in a yellow and black armoured suit. The Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode ‘Fun with Lasers’ which first aired on the 4^th of September 2009 debut’s the teenage Tony Stark’s ‘Space Armor’ when he uses it to reach a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. Orbital Station.

 

Some might argue that this is a reference to the ‘Iron Man Armor Model 42’ which was the first Iron Man Armor to feature the yellow and black colour scheme. However, the Model 42 didn’t debut until years later with Iron Man (Vol. 5) #1 in November 2012.

 

One of the dozens of Iron Man Armors seen in the climax of the 2013 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Iron Man 3, the Mark 20 or Mark XX also known by the nickname ‘Python’ is believed to be inspired by the above-mentioned Model 42. Additionally, it also appears in the official Iron Man 3 mobile tie-in video game from Gameloft, thus making the leap to yet another medium.

 

Thus, I’d argue they are all in some way originally inspired by Ron Frenz and Rich Yanizeski’s frankly classic Mainframe designs which debuted all the way back in A-Next #1 from 1998. Here’s an excerpt of what co-creator and artist extraordinaire Ron Frenz had to say about the design of Mainframe on episode 744 of Adam Chapman’s Comic Shenanigan’s podcast:

 

‘We went through a couple of different designs, the early designs still had red and yellow in them and everything. I’ll be perfectly honest with you, what occurred to me about what I like about black and gold is that I’m from Pittsburgh and that’s the colour of all of our sports teams.’

 

Until the MC2 stops being the secret inspiration for the ‘House of Ideas’, I remain

 

frogoat

Spider-Symmetry: Amazing Spider-Man 199 and Spectacular Spider-Girl 6

 

Today’s post is part of an occasional series where I try to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. For this entry, I wanted to demonstrate an example of not just homage but reverence from Spidey artists Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema.

 

I’ve briefly touched on Amazing Spider-Man #199 (which has the unlikely pair of Mysterio and the Burglar) while discussing the Parker Family Home but I failed to mention it is features the guest pencils of ‘Our Pal’ Sal Buscema, an unsung icon, stalwart professional and fixture of the Spider-Mythos across his storied career. After decades working on various Spidey titles, Sal eventually became the permanent inker for the various Spider-Girl titles.

 

Here's where we come to the Spider-Symmetry part of the post, because penciller Ron Frenz loves to sneak in various homages and references to past Spider-Man artists and issues. For Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol.1) #6 (as it was initially released digitally before being printed in the pages of Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #2) Mr Frenz recreated a few panels of Sal’s work from Amazing Spider-Man #199, evidently knowing full well he’d be inking it!

 

Until I run out of examples of exactly this kind of deep comic knowledge and appreciation, I remain

frogoat

 

  

 

Spider-Symmetry: Spider-Man '67 and Spider-Girl

For today’s super-quick post we have another entry in the shamelessly swiped Spider-Symmetry series. Ron Frenz presents Spider-Symmetry: Spider-Man ’67 and Spider-Girl.

 

Spider-Girl and MC2 co-creator and artist extraordinaire Ron Frenz is an admitted lifelong fan of the original 1967 Spider-Man cartoon and he once again took the opportunity to slip several direct references into Amazing Spider-Girl. I’ll let Ron’s own Facebook post provide the explanation:

99% Inspiration!

Remember the 1967 Spider-man cartoon? Every frame is pretty much burned into my frontal lobe!

As the show changed production teams they would spend(waste?) several minutes of any given episode with a traveling montage of the web-spinner web-swinging through the concrete canyons of New York City accompanied by some of the coolest soundtrack music known to man IMHO!

We've spoken before of my cartoon-addled brain and my tendency to indulge it in my comics work, well here's another example from the pages of The Amazing Spider-Girl!

Mayday Parker is desperately searching the city for her missing Father and infant Brother who have been taken by Carnage! (I know!)

Inks by Mr.Sal Buscema, colors by Gotham, letters by Mr.Dave Sharpe and words by The Legendary Tom DeFalco!

This calls for a traveling montage! Cue the music!!

 

For anyone wondering, the issue referenced is Amazing Spider-Girl #11 and an example of previous ’67 homage would be La Fantome aka Staci Smythe. Mr Frenz has even talked about some unused concepts such as a Halloween story idea ‘Night of Evil’.

 

Here’s the page and referenced shots for comparison:

 

Until I stop appreciating the deep love the Spider-Girl creative team has for all things Spidey and more, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Star Wars in the MC2

 

This might be a little late (it’s already the 5^th of May here) but I did want to put out something to celebrate Star Wars Day while, as always, trying to tie it back to the MC2. So here is a smattering of references to Star Wars in the MC2.

 

First for today, and probably the most well-known and oft-cited reference to Star Wars in the MC2 comes in the pages of J2 #12 where Doc Magus mentions he has tickets to ‘the new Star Wars movie.’ Given the issue was released in July 1999, it’s presumed this is a reference to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace which was released mere months before. However, if we apply the Marvel sliding timescale rule, this could refer to a more recent film, perhaps even an upcoming future film.

 

Next up, on the cover for Spider-Girl #33 which features our heroine May  ‘Mayday’ Parker in a battle with the mysterious new Spider-Man accompanied by hyperbolic cover copy ‘Spider-Girl VS. Spider-Man!?! (That’s not true, that’s impossible!)’ This is an obvious reference to the iconic scene in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back where Darth Vader reveals himself as Luke Skywalker’s father, with Luke responding ‘No. No. That’s not true. That’s impossible!’

 

The last few for today are sneaky ones slipped into the background of Spider-Girl #92 while the Avengers are being briefed about the apparent return of Magneto. I’ll present the original pages first and you can try and spot the references.

 

Here, I’ve adjusted the colour saturation to help. While I was not able to identify all of the shots hidden in on the viewscreens, the image seen center-left is taken from Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones depicting the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett’s patrol and attack craft called the ‘Slave I’ on the planet Kamino.

 

Next to it we have another image lifted directly from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones this time depicting a shot of the Senate Apartment Complex on the planet Coruscant.

 

If anyone wants to try and work out where the rest of the images are lifted from, please let me know!  Other than those mentioned above, it should go without saying that the brilliant Ron Frenz worked on the Marvel Star Wars comics during their original run. I’m sure there are more references to Star Wars in the MC2, but I’ll save them for a future date.

 

Until I work out the how in ‘somehow Palpatine returned’, I remain

 

frogoat

Spider-Symmetry: Harry and Normie Osborn

 

Occasionally I like to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. Today I wanted to demonstrate another fine example of artist Ron Frenz showering adoration upon one of the comic industry’s most underappreciated artists, Sal Buscema.

 

Presented for your consideration, Spectacular Spider-Man #189, where a deranged Harry Osborn is arrested and being loaded into the back of a van before threatening to reveal Spider-Man’s secret identity.

 

Now, compare this with the ending of What If #105 wherein Normie Osborn is being loaded into the back of a van and graces everyone with his own rendition of the 1967 Spider-Man theme song, complete with altered lyrics tailored to Spider-Girl.

 

Until I figure out the full lyrics and find footage of this lost cartoon, I remain

 

frogoat

Moonshadow: Kraven's Daughter

 

With Sony and Insomniac Games’ release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on Playstation 5, I thought now was the most opportune time to take a quick look at something the game touches on itself: the Kravinoff Family. No, today we won’t be doing a Family Tree, but instead we’ll be talking about a character who didn’t make it to the printed page: Kraven’s daughter in the MC2. Let me explain.

 

Among the many unused ideas and concepts conceived by Ron Frenz, shared on his own Facebook page is ‘Gazelle Kravenoff’ aka Moonshadow, and I quote Ron here ‘The daughter of Kraven the Hunter and Calypso!’

 

Now a quick history for everyone! Kraven the Hunter first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #15, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Kraven’s real name ‘Sergei Kravinoff’ was apparently first revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #7 from 1986, though it should be noted that the initial 1983 volume of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #6 gave Kraven’s real name as ‘Sergei Kravin’ and makes what I believe is the first reference to his Russian heritage and parents, the latter of which are strangely absent from the Deluxe Edition’s list of known relatives.

 

Writer J.M. DeMatteis and artists Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod gave the world Kraven’s definitive depiction in the critically acclaimed 1987 story Fearful Symmetry: Kraven’s Last Hunt published in six parts across all three Spider-Man titles at the time in Web of Spider-Man #31-32, Amazing Spider-Man #293-294 and Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132. The story simultaneously elevated Kraven’s status among Spider-Man’s rogues gallery by having the hunter bury the hero alive and assume his identity and remains impactful for its psychological explorations of both men ultimately culminating in Kraven ending his own life.

 

As for Calypso, she’s a Haitian Voodoo priestess and lover of Kraven’s, created by writer Denny O’Neil and penciller Alan Weiss. First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #209, Calypso would later gain notoriety in the Torment storyline when she enthralled The Lizard aka Curt Connors and forced him to commit murder in a plot to kill Spider-Man following Kraven’s death (Spider-Man #1-5). While she has always been known as Calypso, the character’s full name was first revealed as ‘Calypso Ezili’ in 1991’s Gamer’s Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 7. Ezili is a variant spelling for a member of the Vodou or Voodoo pantheon of spirits.

 

We don’t have many additional details for Gazelle’s character, and Ron himself mentions during an interview for the podcast Make Mine Mayday Episode 43 he didn’t even pitch the concept to Spider-Girl co-creator Tom Defalco. What’s noteworthy is her alternative name, Moonshadow, which is a direct reference to Kraven’s Last Hunt writer J.M. DeMatteis’ creator-owned series of the same name, itself a reference to the song by singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. Talk about fearful symmetry!

 

That’s all I have for you all today. If there’s an opportunity to delve further into the Kravinoff Family Tree, I’d jump at the chance so just let me know! Perhaps Gazelle aka Moonshadow will see print someday? A very big ‘thank you’ to arias-98105, Ron Frenz, the Make Mine Mayday podcast and the Marvel Appendix without which this post wouldn’t have been possible.

 

Until I dig myself out of a grave after being buried for two weeks, I remain

 

frogoat

MC2 Influences in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

 

I have just watched Marvel Studio’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and naturally, instead of a review, my mind leapt at the notion of discussing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s adaption of Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Lang, particularly as I feel many of these influences can be linked to her counterpart in the MC2. Spoilers ahead, though only mild ones, I promise!

 

I am sure by now readers already know that Hope Pym was lifted directly from the pages of the MC2’s A-Next #7 when the first Ant-Man film adapted her into Hope Van Dyne, complete with matching hairstyle and something of chip on her shoulder. Of course, instead of a villainous role, the Marvel Cinematic Universe made Hope a heroine as the present-day Wasp rather than the Red Queen. This on-screen version in turn was adapted back into the comics in the form of Nadia Van Dyne/Pym, the daughter of  Hank Pym and Maria Strovaya, introduced as the Main Marvel Universe's answer to Hope Pym from the MC2 after the release of the first Ant-Man movie (Free Comic Book Day 2016 Civil War II). What a tangle, but regardless, we have touched on Hope quite enough for now. Let us instead look at the Cassie Lang.

 

Many years ago, I mentioned that it was too early to tell where the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Cassie would be headed in terms of influences; would she be closely modelled on the Young Avengers iteration known as Stature or take cues from the MC2’s Stinger? Well, as it turns out, it is a bit of both, with the usual adaptational differences of all MCU characters.

 

Let’s talk visuals: Kathryn Newton’s Cassie has longer hair which recalls the Main Marvel Universe’s Stature. However, Cassie’s apparently self-designed suit is very much inspired by her Stinger identity with it’s purple colour scheme. I have mentioned before that even the Main Marvel Universe Cassie now uses both the codename and costume of Stinger as of Astonishing Ant-Man #6. An obvious case of brand synergy, sure, but the costume and codename Stinger all originates in the MC2 with A-Next #1 by Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz.

 

Speaking of Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz, both gentlemen received a ‘With Special Thanks To’ in the end credits for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is consist with the previous two films in the trilogy. Quite right, too. Presumably this time it is not only for Hope but also the as-yet-without-a-codename Cassie clad in purple. I wonder if they got a cheque in the mail?

 

Another MC2 influence, and one I think is quite important, is Cassie Lang’s great intelligence, demonstrated in the film by her development of a device which can make contact with the Quantum Realm. Unless I am mistaken, the Main Marvel Universe Cassie has not demonstrated any scientific skill or interest. Meanwhile the MC2’s Cassie is an established scientist with at least one doctorate who runs a think tank at Lang Labs, improved on the original Ant-Man and Wasp designs with her father Scott Lang including implanting wings in herself and was working on a cure for diabetes using insect DNA (A-Next #1-#2, #7).

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Cassie Lang also demonstrates a passion for social activism, defending the homeless and has a strong desire to help those around her, inspired by her father, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. While it is not a 1:1 parallel, I think MC2 Cassie’s scientific efforts show a similar passion for selflessly helping others. Furthermore, Scott and Cassie first teamed up as superheroes in A-Next #7, much as they do on the big screen. Still, I must concede that Quantumania does not give Cassie her wings and does show her growing to giant-size, which is most certainly more akin to the Young Avenger’s Stature.

 

I look forward to seeing Cassie Lang develop into her own unique hero in future film (and possibly television) appearances. It seems almost inevitable that some form of the Young Avengers is coming in the years to come, but it would be a mistake to ignore the MCU Cassie’s ties to the MC2. I have not found any official merchandise that gives Cassie a codename, Stinger, Stature, or something else entirely, but I am sure they will acknowledge her MC2 roots eventually.

 

Until I find Marvel merchandise calls Cassie Lang ‘Stinger’ and feel validated, I remain