Tag: The Night Gwen Stacy Died

A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #365 (1992)

A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #365 (1992)

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Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Spider-Man fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the early 1990s to examine a small part of the Marvel Comics shared universe through a tale of the Amazing Spider-Man monthly series.

Back in 1992, Marvel Comics organized the celebration of what was back then the 30th anniversary of their most famous icon Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man monthly series that year had an anniversary celebration issue that had hologram covers and page content that was higher than usual. I previously reviewed Web of Spider-Man #90 and Spider-Man #26. The purest Spider-Man monthly series – Amazing Spider-Man – also had the anniversary treatment.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Amazing Spider-Man #365, published in 1994 by Marvel Comics with the main story “Fathers and Sins” written by David Michelinie and drawn by Mark Bagley. Other stories here include “How I Created Spider-Man” by Michelinie and Aaron Lopresti; “I Remember Gwen” by Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco and John Romita; and “A Friend in Need” by DeFalco.

Cover of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book, issue 365, featuring a ghostly image and spider web design, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the series.
The cover.

Early story (main story)

The story begins with the Lizard (Dr. Connors) prowling from one building to another during the night in New York City. He secretly stays outside the windows of the apartment of his wife Martha and their son. A birthday celebration is happening inside the apartment and among the guests are Peter Parker and his wife Mary Jane. Peter knows that growing up without a father is rough and he remembers that no one has seen Curt Connors since he last turned into the Lizard (refer to the Spider-Man: Torment storyline written and drawn by Todd McFarlane).

As the celebration goes on, the Lizard silently sneaks into the apartment through an open window. This alarms Peter through his spider sense which compels him to decide to secretly change into Spider-Man.

As Martha Connors enters a dark room to get a prepared gift for her son Billy, the Lizard shuts the door and confronts her. In his reptilian form, the Lizard communicates to his wife in English and assures her that he (Dr. Connors) is in control. He tells her that the evil sorceress Calypso sent her into a berserker rage to kill Spider-Man but his human consciousness was aware all the time. He tells her to bring to him their son. Martha is frightened and she knows that there is too much risk to grant her husband’s command…

Quality

A comic book panel featuring Spider-Man fighting a green-skinned villain, with action words like 'SPUSH' and 'THROK' illustrated around them. Spider-Man is depicted in a dynamic pose as he attacks the villain, who is wearing a white coat and green pants, surrounded by debris.
The main story has a rematch between Spidey and the Lizard. Unlike Todd McFarlane’s Torment, the story and visuals here have more subtlety, suspense and balance.

The main story “Fathers and Sins” is the anticipated rematch between Spider-Man and the Lizard following the very violent events that happened in the Torment storyline. Unlike that tale authored by McFarlane, this one has more depth and subtlety balanced with superhero spectacle.

David Michelinie carefully crafted the tale with clear progression in mind for the enduring rivalry between Spider-Man and the Lizard. He also took the opportunities to develop the characters whenever possible, and he did so with Dr. Connor’s wife and son. In fact, there are family dynamics within this story and the Lizard – portrayed here with multiple personality disorder (MPD) switching from Dr. Connor and the wild animal itself – is simply not the murderous entity seen in Torment. That said, this tale opens up questions such as how Dr. Connors will live on knowing the murders he committed as the Lizard, does he have any chance of keeping his family intact, and more.

More on Spider-Man himself, he was portrayed as a sensible and caring superhero. Even though he had traumatic encounters with the Lizard in Torment, he engaged his rival with reason instead of head-on violent action. He consistently believes that he could overcome the Lizard and somehow get Dr. Connors back intact knowing that the family needs him. When it comes to problems related with science and technology, Spider-Man here makes efforts to solve them using the knowledge he gained in university. The iconic webslinger here is pretty versatile, strategic and calculating. I should state that Mark Bagley has really fine artworks here and it is clear he truly captured the essence of Michelinie’s script.

The short story “How I Created Spider-Man” follows J. Jonah Jameson’s recollection of Spider-Man. This was cleverly written by Michelinie to revisit key moments from the origin and early superhero days of Spider-Man through Jameson’s memories, his own perception of the hero and his history of abusing his publishing power to make him look like a menace to society. The nostalgia and related details are easily the main attractions of this short story. This is something that fans of Spidey will enjoy.

A comic book page depicting a tense scene with a humanoid creature with green scales and claws confronting two women. One woman appears frightened while the other is trying to remain calm. Dialogue bubbles convey urgency and fear as the creature discusses control and a boy named Billy.
There is absolutely nothing like encountering a family member who has turned into a large, dangerous reptilian!
A comic book page showcasing several characters engaging in conversation at a party. The scene includes characters with distinct hairstyles and outfits, expressing emotions and interactions amidst a festive backdrop.
The short story “I Remember Gwen” is a great way of revisiting the past of Spider-Man, Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy. The art by the late John Romita is great to see!

The Spider-Man nostalgia intensified in the 2nd short story “I Remember Gwen” which features artwork by the late John Romita. This one is about Mary Jane Parker recalling her friendship with the late Gwen Stacy (who back then was romantically linked with Peter Parker) and key moments she remembered from Spider-Man. This short story has fine art by Romita and this resulted in a retro visual ride that captured the 1970s aesthetics. As this tale revisited Spider-Man’s past relationship with Gwen, it also offered readers a close look at the MJ-Gwen friendship. That said, long-time fans of Spidey will enjoy this.

The final short story “A Friend in Need” is easily the weakest part of this anniversary celebration comic book. It features the Prowler and does not have much to do with Spider-Man. This one is a shallow filler-type of story.

Conclusion

Comic book panel featuring Spider-Man carrying two women, one with blonde hair and the other with red hair, while a giant Green Goblin head looms in the background. The scene captures a moment of tension and emotion with speech bubbles conveying inner thoughts.
This page drawn by John Romita should compel you to read Amazing Spider-Man #121.

As of now, I can say that Amazing Spider-Man #365 (1992) is easily the best of the 30th anniversary celebration comic books I have read so far. It has a very solid main story that moved the Spider-Man-Lizard rivalry forward (and also has a conclusion that tapped directly into the icon’s origin with a good element of surprise) and two of the three short stories are great offerings for the very dedicated Spider-Man fans. It also has short articles/special messages that highlight the importance of Spidey’s 30th anniversary, and a Spider-Man 2099 preview! In short, this anniversary celebration comic book is the complete package for the fans and is also one of the most defining Amazing Spider-Man comic books of the 1990s. It truly is worth having in your collection!

Overall, Amazing Spider-Man #365 (1992) is highly recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975)

A Look Back at Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 20th century arts and culture enthusiasts, Marvel Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the mid-1970s to examine a small part of the Marvel Comics shared universe through a tale of the Amazing Spider-Man monthly series.

You heard about the notorious Clone Saga of the 1990s that dominated Spider-Man comic books for a few years? That was actually the 2nd saga about Spider-Man and cloning. The first one started in the mid-1970s and it was the result of a move by Marvel’s creative team to let Gwen Stacy return from the dead somehow. A new villain called the Jackal was eventually introduced and in his civilian form as Miles Warren (a character introduced much earlier), he had a personal obsession with Gwen Stacy whose death in Amazing Spider-Man #121 was too overwhelming for him to handle. Warren turned out to be an expert on cloning.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Amazing Spider-Man #149, published in 1975 by Marvel Comics with a story written by the late Gerry Conway and drawn by the late Ross Andru.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins on top of a building just moments after the Jackal revealed his secret identity to a weakened Spider-Man in the presence of the Gwen Stacy clone and Ned Leeds. For Spider-Man, the revelation is shocking because in his private life as Peter Parker, Warren has been his biology and biochemistry professor at Empire State University (ESU) where he and Gwen Stacy studied. Recently, Parker and Leeds visited Warren to check on certain cell samples from which Gwen Stacy’s clone had been created. Warren claimed those samples had been stolen by a man named Anthony Serba. Spider-Man eventually loses consciousness.

Some time later, Spider-Man awakens inside an abandoned tenement in lower Manhattan. He finds himself restrained on a wooden table and the Jackal starts talking to him. For the Jackal, what is going on is his moment of triumph.

As the Jackal keeps talking, Spider-Man suddenly frees himself from the table to get back on his feet to fight him…

Quality

Can you tell who is the real Spider-Man here?

Apart from historical significance of this original clone saga and the other one from the 1990s, this particular tale is finely written by Conway and the stakes were really raised high from the start (preceded by build-up of key events in prior issues). Clearly, what was presented here was a huge pay-off to the build-up of recent issues and the dialogue has lots of details that are thought-provoking.

At the center of the story is Miles Warren who has gone to the extremes as the Jackal and he already knows that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one and the same person. He has a burning hatred towards Parker because he is young, he was loved by Gwen Stacy, and was responsible for her death (which happened in Amazing Spider-Man #121). There is a lot of drama Conway wrote into Miles Warren’s transformation into the Jackal (first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #129 along with the Punisher) as a result of Gwen’s death and there are established connections with his ability to perform cloning. Conway’s presentation of the origin of the Jackal here is indeed a must-see!

When it comes to the known feature of this comic book – Spider-Man’s physical encounter with his clone – this one was presented as a spectacle laced with suspense and intrigue for the readers. It was done to test the readers’ ability to determine who is truly Spider-Man as the fight with the clone (Ben Reilly without the name) went on. The fight itself is an extension of the madness, hatred and the lust for revenge of the Jackal. That being said, there is clearly a lack of impact behind the clone’s introduction as Conway created him only to bring closure to the cloning concept mandated by Stan Lee. The clone was never meant to return and replace Peter Parker as Spider-Man.

Conclusion

Some of the events that dramatized Miles Warren’s transformation into the Jackal.

Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975) is a very intense tale that has the engaging origin story of the Jackal who went on to become a very dangerous foe of Spider-Man. That said, Miles Warren here transformed into a freak sparked by the sudden death of the real Gwen Stacy, and the actions he committed really brought danger to Spider-Man.

There is a lot of intrigue and compelling stuff in this comic book, especially when you ignore the Clone Saga of the 1990s (which itself should be treated as a convoluted follow-up reflecting the chaos behind closed doors at Marvel Comics during the time). In my opinion, this original Clone Saga stood the test of time and the creative stuff that Gerry Conway and Ross Andru came up with is pretty believable and dramatic to read again.

Overall, Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975) is highly recommended!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco