Hello, and welcome back, Spidey fans! I hope you’ve all been doing well. I, myself, have been sick for the past month or so. I, like many of you when you’re sick, I assume, like to read. And very recently, JM DeMatteis and Sal Buscema’s work on “The Spectacular Spider-Man” was finally collected in omnibus form! So, although sick, I’ve been very thoroughly entertained, at least! I was flipping my way through this heavy, beautiful beast and making my way through the Puma storyline when it hit me that this would be a perfect topic for this month’s Spider-Tracer! I’ve done a look back at the entirety of the first volume of “The Spectacular Spider-Man” before, but it wasn’t really focused on this era. With that said, in no particular order, let’s start with…
That Captain America Moment… You Know the One…
Say what you will about “Maximum Carnage”, but those last few pages in issue #202 of “Spectacular Spider-Man” are awe-inspiring! JM DeMatteis and Sal Buscema were both very familiar with the character of Captain America at this point in their careers (both having worked on his title for many issues), and it shows in this glorious moment! If you’re a fan of Spider-Man and his interactions with the larger Marvel Universe, then this issue can’t be missed!
“Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter”
The omnibus starts off with this graphic novel, and features the same team that brought you the “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline. This was my first time reading it, and it was a nice epilogue to the aforementioned Spider-Man story. So if you enjoyed “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Rhino
It’s amazing what a little background work can do for a character. Up until this point (issue #190), Rhino hadn’t shown up in a ton of Spider-Man stories, despite being so closely associated with the hero these days. Not much had been revealed about him up until this point, at least to my knowledge (if you can think of any issues before this that do, let me know), but by revealing that Rhino took a quick job to harass Peter Parker from Harry Osborn, which he simply did for the money so he could go back to Russia and see the his family, Rhino was suddenly more interesting than he had been in years! For me as a reader, this was the first time I saw Rhino as a man, and not just a punching bag for our heroes.
“The Child Within”
I believe this may be the first time that the 7-issue storyline has been collected in its entirety, which I find kinda shocking, considering that Marvel seems to collect everything these days. For me, this storyline is important for three reasons. One, it further cements Vermin as a member of Spider-Man’s Rogues Gallery. Two, this is where we see Harry Osborn slowly begin to sink back into the mire of his father’s twisted legacy once and for all. And three, this is where we first really see some of Peter’s innermost thoughts about the loss of his parents. Sure, Richard and Mary Parker had been mentioned a handful of times over the years, but up until this point, I don’t believe we saw just how deeply this affected Peter as a child, and into his early adult years. It all makes for a most fascinating read, and it delights me to see this story fully collected in one place for both old and new readers.
Vulture
I don’t know what it is about Adrian Toomes, but he seems to bring out the best in any creative team that tackles him. In this story (issue #s 186-188), Vulture learns that he’s dying, and, not one to forgive, decides he’d gonna get even with everyone that’s ever crossed him, including his old business partner, Gregory Bestman, and, of course, Spider-Man. Oh, and May Parker. That’s right, the old buzzard has set his sights on Aunt May, but not for the reasons you might think. While this is a very strong Vulture story, it’s also a very strong Aunt May story! I see a lot of fans complain about Aunt May, but I’ll bet they never read this story before; anyone that can slap the Vulture and live demands a little respect, no?
Two Frogs, a Rabbit, and a Walrus Walk into a Bar…
While I often see JM DeMatteis praised for his writing (and rightfully so), one thing I see some fans mention is that his writing can get a little too dark, a little too focused on the psyche. But let’s not forget, this is one of the writers from “Justice League International”; JM DeMatteis knows humor, as “The Spectacular Spider-Man” #185 clearly demonstrates. Spider-Man goes to dinner at the Fabulous Frog-Man’s house, along with his father, and former criminal, Leap-Frog! This, along with the Terrible Two (White Rabbit and the Walrus), make for one of the most hilariously memorable stories in all of Spider-Man’s long career.
Harry’s Dinner Party
The story in “The Spectacular Spider-Man” #189 will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Harry returns following the events of “The Child Within” and decides to host a family dinner party (which includes himself, wife Liz, their son, Normie, and uncle Mark Raxton, the Molten Man) along with a special, uninvited guest: Spider-Man. You can feel the tension with every panel. You never know when or how things will go wrong, but you just know they will! It’s like watching a trainwreck in slow motion: You know things are ugly, but you can’t look away! And it all makes for some fantastic storytelling!
JM DeMatteis’s Writing
While a lot of Spider-Man fans will name JM DeMatteis as their favorite Spider-Man writer for “Kraven’s Last Hunt” alone, his run with Sal Buscema shows how great the guy is when he’s given a monthly title (something Marvel should seriously consider giving him again). JM can make you laugh, he can make you cry, and everything else in between; he has a command of human emotions other writers would kill for, and can peel back the layers on a character with ease! The man’s a master of his craft, and it’s easy to see why Marvel keeps bringing him back for mini-series; but seriously, give the guy a monthly title again, Marvel!
Sal Buscema’s Art
I’ll never pass up a chance to speak at length about Sal’s artwork. It’s as powerful today as it was coming out monthly over 30 years ago! Sal can deliver on the emotion, which is a huge reason why his pictures meshed so well with DeMatteis’ words. But man, can Sal also bring that POW! action! If you know, you know… Sal’s work evoked a classic Marvel art style that I miss seeing, a style that few others continue producing these days. I would say that this span of issues set during his eight years on the title were some of the best he ever produced during his long, wonderful career at Marvel!
The Death of Harry Osborn (Issue #200)
The Death of Harry Osborn was so monumental that is still affects modern Spider-Man stories over 30 years after it was first published! What made this moment in issue #200 even more powerful was that it had slowly been built up to over 22 issues; this was a culmination of everything JM and Sal had been telling since issue #178. It was powerful, and my God, was it heart-wrenching! Without all of the build-up, it probably wouldn’t have resonated quite as deeply as it had with readers. That’s not to say the issue doesn’t stand up on its own, because it does! Rather well, in fact! But a delicious prime rib is made all the more memorable by the side dishes that go with it, of course, and together, they make for an even more satisfying meal. I can’t say enough good things about this issue. I remember pulling it out of a back issue bin years ago, and I returned so much to it over the years that it’s rather quite worn; I was a little embarrassed at the time to show it to Sal for him to sign during the handful of times I had the pleasure of meeting him. Looking back, I wish I had brought it for him to sign, as I’m sure he’d have appreciated seeing the enjoyment I had gotten out of it. It’s one of my all-time favorite single issues, and I’ll never part with it.
Were you guys as excited as I was when they announced this omnibus? Have you gotten it yet? Did some of your favorite elements of this run make my list? Either way, let me know in the comments section below!
English (US) · 