Spidey Super Stories # 11

Writer: Jean Thomas

Artists: Winslow Mortimer, Mike Esposito, and T. Mortellaro

Publisher: Marvel

Published: 1975

With the new Spidey film in works, there has been a call for Donald Glover to audition. The debate has been whether Peter Parker/Spider-Man can be black...this whole debate kinda reminds me of todays issue.

After having one of Peter Parker Spidey bindle webs fall into Valerie's hands, she gets the idea to be a superhero!

And after a few training sessions, The Sensational Spider-Woman is born!

Spidey seems ok with this...

Then trouble strikes! The Vulture! Good thing Valerie is there!

And after Valerie's wall suction cups fall off, Spider Woman is no more. The End?

This is a fascinating story. It has a black Spider-Woman, but the fact Valerie is black has no bearing on the story. Valerie's a down on her luck gal, who has her luck turn around when she dons the costume of Spider-Man. And then in the end, she returns to just Valerie, while the real Spider-Man continues his adventures.

This tale has certain elements that are surprisingly similar to the plight of Don Glover and his quest to don the mask of Spider-Man. He's wants to have some of the fun as it were, be a hero. And as much as internet fans photoshop him into the costume, at the end of the day, he'll most likely not be the next Spider-Man. But, unlike Valerie's story in this issue, where she did become Spider-Woman and happened to be black, Don Glover will not be Spider-Man because he is black.

Call me jaded, but the proofs in the pudding. Take for instance the up-and-coming movie The Last Airbender, where 3 of the 4 lead actors are white and are dressed to look Asian/Inuit. If Hollywood won't even cast Asians/Inuit to play originally intended Asian/Inuit characters, they sure as hell won't cast a Black actor to play a White Peter Parker/Spider-Man. (Note: I am not comparing skin colours, but actors to character roles).

But, I'm ambivalent on the issue. Part of me wouldn't want a black actor to be cast as Spider-Man because it would be a gimmick at best. However, another part says yes to a black Spider-Man because characters of such resonance shouldn't be determined by what colour their skin is. Another part of me says why should there be a black Spider-Man when they're are so many other great characters who were written as black. Then again, when I close my eyes and think of Spider-Man and other heroes I enjoy reading, they are always white; my own mind is "white washed" - maybe a simple change of colour could shakes things up for the better?

As a thought experiment on the debate, I photoshopped this image together. Sorry to J. Scott Campbell!

I don't know about you guys, but after looking at this image, I think a world of fresh, controversial, and exciting stories could be culled from making Peter Parker/Spider-Man black.

*****Update*****

So I added this photo to a comic site and the responses I got were awful, and then it opened up the doors for really bad comments. I don't get it. This image wasn't created as a form of blackface. It's trying to imagine what a world would be like where Peter Parker/Spider-Man is black. And as the image suggests, just because Peter's black, doesn't mean his supporting cast would be black as well. I think that is what would be so awesome about a black Spider-Man - he'd tackle racial politics. So this image can be taken a number of ways. Is MJ shocked at Peter cheating, or is she shocked at a black man and a white woman kissing, or both? What exactly would happen if Spider-Man was black?

On a related note: Years ago I saw Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and Snake (Stefan Brogren) do a live show where they talked about their experiences growing up filming Degrassi. One of the stories that stood out was when Degrassi started airing down in the States, their biggest complaints they received weren't the episodes where they tackled child abuse, abortion, drugs, suicide, etc, but the episode where BLT (black) and Michelle (white) kissed. Wow. Living in Canada, where we embrace (or at least pretend to) our differences, I find this to be perplexing. Colour is just that - colour. It makes our world brighter, better, and beautiful.

So either people are offended by this rendition because it's photoshopped, or they immediately think it's a blackface, or they are offended at the potential racial politics therein. I don't know. Any thoughts?

Check out my follow up!



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Solo: Mike Allred

The Goon #8

Heavy Metal Presents Moebius

Writer/Artist: Moebius

Publisher: Heavy Metal

Published: June 1979 (based on the intro by Federico Fellini)

Moebius, the alter ego of Jean Girand, is a force unto himself. Moebius's work is a psychedelic blend of space, time, and power. His illustrations force the viewer into a new realm of experience.

This issue is a showcase of some of Moebius work...I won't go into detail as I think the art speaks for itself.

Challengers of the Unknown # 82

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Mike Nasser
Publisher: DC
Published: August 1977

The Challengers of the Unknown are Red Ryan, Rocky Davis, 'The Prof' Haley, Ace Morgan, and together they CHALLENGE THE UNKNOWN! Issue #82 has the Prof Haley dying. He has some weird sickness that is inside him, and the only cure is in Perdition, PA. This town earlier had a visit by the Swamp Thing who levied some justice on an unspeakable evil.




Too bad it lived on!

The 3 remaining Challengers and Miss Robbins, travel to Perdition, only to be beset by this lurking evil as the town is under the beasts commands, and this beast demands sacrifice!


The issue ends with Miss Robbins being served to the evil beast! Behold it's tentacle gruesomeness!


Behold a good time with the Super Friends!

Doctor Strange: The Most Mystical Hero of All! Treasury Edition

Writers/Artists: Various
Publisher: Marvel
Published: 1975

I picked up this gem in St. John's NL for $5! The book itself is 13" by 10" printed on sweet sweet old comic pulp print. You know the kind! The kind that given a little more time, will soon capture the smells of whatever room and life they are exposed to. I hope my comics someday will smell like bacon and Old Spice (as those are the smells that best embody my true essence). It has 8 reprints of Dr. Strange and 1 pin up. The stories range from 1966 to 1973 and include:

1. The End at Last! (Dr. Strange vs. The Dread Dormammu)
2. The Origin of the Ancient One!
3. The End of the Ancient One!
4. To Dream - Perchance to Die! (Dr. Strange vs. Nightmare)
6. Face to Face with the Magic of Baron Mordo!
7. The Cult and the Curse!
8. Finally, Shuma-Gorath!

The last one has Dr. Strange battling a giant tentacle thingy with a giant eyeball. Over the years I've really taken a bizarre liking to horrific monsters being inspired by Lovecraft. That guy really detested tentacle like things. There's a game based off his writings called Arkham Horror. I used to play it when I lived in St. John's. It was an interesting game, in that, unlike most games that can be fairly easy to defeat, this game was insanely hard. The monsters were tough to beat, and more often than not, to live you had to run away, lest you die or go insane.

One time when we were playing, I was the female Jewish author character (can't remember her name), and not even half way through the game, I had gone insane twice, and my only weapons were a .45 hand gun and a bottle of whiskey. This was amusing on so many levels.

The Sissy?

Writer/Artist: Jack Chick
Publisher: Chick Publications
Published: 1978

Jack Chick is the king of Christian comics. That's really all I can say about the guy.

I was given this comic when I was in Calgary at a flea market. The lady that gave it to me seemed extremely happy that I was interested in the comic. She seemed kinda fanatical as well, which I didn't quite like, so I took a few of the comics and left. I've held onto these comics ever since. I fear if I get rid of them I'll be drowned in a burning pool of fire and snakes.

Anyway, The Sissy, is about a tough, dirty unshaven, truck driver. This tough truck driver calls Jesus a sissy after seeing the back of a big rig that says: "Jesus Saves."


The man who owns the big rig with the sign is a bigger, clean shaven, man who invites the tough truck driver to supper.


At dinner the clean shaven truck driver advises that Jesus is the "God-Man" who can defeat anyone (he's God after all), and that he died for our sins, and that he will return soon to clean house (my words, but more or less the basic point).

At this point the dirty unshaven truck driver repents and says Jesus "had more guts than any man that ever lived...and I love him for that!"

Anyone seen The Passion of the Christ? Now that's some intense sh*t. Religion stuff aside, story wise, when you see a dude get tortured and martyred, I don't care who you are, but that is going to affect you. Religion stuff now, I don't think the best way to encourage someone to live a 'better life' is to base one's beliefs on the fact that someone died for you and your sin-ly ways.

But man can that Jack Chick draw eh?

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Solo Paul Pope

Toronto Comics Arts Festival 2011

Eternals # 4

Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Publisher: Marvel
Published: October 1976

90 seconds is not nearly enough time to describe how awesome Jack Kirby is. Kirby is one of those guys that has this endless stream of ideas that he was able to convey on paper. His artwork snaps, crackles, and pops. Each panel is a joy to behold.

Take for instance Eternals # 4. Not a major standout issue in the Kirby cannon, but even when it is standard Kirby work it still looks frickin' fantastic! The story has New York under attack by demon deviants. Ikaris is on the offensive to repel the demonic hordes, but soon falls prey to a 'brain mine'. Sersi, meanwhile has troubles of her own when she is attacked at her apartment. She uses her powers to turn her attackers into lizards. The issue ends with the Arishem ready to levy some cosmic justice on humankind.

Red Sonja # 2

Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Frank Thorne
Publisher: Marvel
Published: January 1976


Ladies Night!

Every Monday I'll post a comic that features a lady, and to kick things off, the one and only Red Sonja.

Red Sonja made a vow that she would never submit to any man who could not best her in fair combat. Issue # 2 has Red Sonja being tracked by a merciless killer who will stop at nothing to retrieve an item she possesses. The tracker has killed anyone she has come into contact with and poisoned the water streams, forcing Red Sonja to near death. As she lays beside her dead horse, dehydrated and defeated, the tracker stalks forth and is about to deal the final stroke. Is this the end of Red Sonja?

Nope! 'Cause it's Ladies Night. And the feeling's right! Oh yes it's ladies night! Oh what a night (oh what a night)!

Spidey Super Stories # 33

Writer: Jim Salicrup
Artists: Win Mortimer, Don Perlin, Mike Esposito
Publisher: Marvel & The Electric Company
Published: April 1978

Today's issue has The Friendly Neighbor Hood Spider-Man battling it out with Hulk, The Kangaroo, and the Schemer.

The first tale has Peter Parker and Mary Jane attending the local carnival. Hulk is nearby and he hears laughing. Thinking he is getting laughed at, he storms the carnival. Good thing Spidey is there to take care of things! He ends up dousing Hulk in laughing gas as Hulk looks at himself in a fun house mirror, which causes Hulk to think he is laughing at himself. Once he realizes 'the joke' the Hulk bounds off.

The second tale has Peter Parker getting his ass handed to him by The Kangaroo. The Kangaroo is an Ozzy who hated life in normal civilization, so he intergrated himself in the Kangaroo society. He ate what they ate, jumped like they jump, and so on...The story ends with the Kangaroo knocking out Spidey, then mentioning that all his life he has been a loser, and then getting knocked out by a guitar being smashed over his head. He ends up living in the Zoo with other kangaroos...he's still a loser, but he's happy. There's a moral there...

Finally the last tale has Peter Parker and Aunt May on vacation in the Grand Canyon. Only problem is that the Grand Canyon has been turned into a trash dump, and giant postcards are hiding the trash. The Schemer is the cause of this dastardly, (dare I say) scheme. Spidey has to clean things up by knocking the Schemer's giant sized fly shaped helicopter out of the sky with a giant fly swatter.

Good times.

Gold Key Spotlight # 3: Wacky Witch

Publisher: Western Publishing Company
Published: October 1976

W is for wacky, as in how wacky is it that this issue of Gold Key Spotlight doesn't have an artist or writer? Yeah - wacky!

This issue has Wacky Witch up to all sorts of hex-jinks. The first tale has her magic-ing up a scepter that will punish the bad and spoil the good. The scepter ends up doing the reverse, with the good getting powder and the bad getting gold coins. She ends up replacing the coins with tar and feathers, so the bad guys get what's coming to them....

Ok here's the deal. I'm a bit tired today, and I'm starting to hit the "wall" when it comes to reviewing these comics. However, I will soldier on, but for today's comic, I found that the advertisements were more interesting than the stories. Since I can't determine the writer/artist, I don't feel too bad that I'm going to bypass their work to post the ads. Enjoy!


My favorite is the "Smoking Pets" ad.