Amazing Spider-Man Classics

Bring back!  Oh, bring back!  Oh, bring back my Goblin to me!  Welcome again to Amazing Spider-Man Classics where this episode, Jon, Josh, and Donovan take a look at the only two-part Green Goblin story that Steve Ditko gave us.  And along the way, we are aided and abetted by the one and only J.R. Fettinger, a voice on the Spider-Man Crawl Space podcast panel and also the author of the Spidey Kicks Butt website.

This episode deserves a good posting with some awesome art, but frankly, I am completely exhausted tonight.  I will probably come back and revise this post, but right now I just want to get the episode out there.  Two important announcements, though.  Amazing Spider-Man Classics is now proud to be sponsored by Roll2Play, an online vendor for games and gaming accessories.  They can be found at www.roll2play.com or at their Facebook page.  I invite you to check out their product line and consider them when purchasing for your gaming needs.  Also, this is 10-10-10, and the designer of our website here, Jim Wilson of jimwilsondesigns.com, has turned 30 today.  So, happy birthday, Jim!!

We’re wrapping up September with a bang, Spider-Fans!  Not only is this our longest episode yet, not only does this episode include the silver anniversary issue of Amazing Spider-Man, not only do we get to see the first (kinda) appearance of Mary Jane Watson, but also we are joined this episode by none other than Gerard Delatour, reviewer of The Amazing Spider-Man for the Spider-Man Crawl Space (check out those reviews here)!

In Amazing Spider-Man 24 and 25, Mysterio returns in the guise of a psychiatrist, out to catch Spider-Man by proving that he is INSANE.  Then, two years of publication come to a head as J. Jonah Jameson uses a robot to catch that web-slinging menace, but at the same time Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, and Liz Allan all converge at Peter’s house right in the middle of a visit by the mysterious Mary Jane Watson.  The fit really hits the shan, and you can see the actual page here!  And you know you want some funny art, so here you go:

Emails, emails, and more emails!  Between the recording of this episode a month ago and its publication, the emails have begun to stack up, so rather than make you wonderful people wait longer for a response, we recorded an email segment to accompany our somewhat shorter coverage of Amazing Spider-Man 23.  And that ended up being half the episode.  But keep sending them in.  We have a strategy now for addressing emails in a more regular fashion, so never fear to write.

This week, Spider-Man is faced once again by his nemesis from Hollywood, the Green Goblin.  We also see the Goblin maskless for the first time, though neither Spider-Man nor readers of the day realized it at the time.  That insight adds some extra dimension to the story, which we explore on the episode.

We also explore the ginormity of the Goblin’s ears:

Gasp!  Shock!  This time around, the Classics gang is going SOLO!!  Or…um…trio.  What do you call it when a group of three is going alone?  Whatever that is, that’s what we’re doing.  It’s no big deal.  We’re just changing up some behind-the-scenes stuff which will mean more guest co-hosts sometimes, as well as the occasional episode with just the three of us.

In this, our latest episode, Jon Wilson, Joshua Bertone, and Donovan Grant venture beyond the realm of the three Pocket Books reprints that Jon had as a youth, looking at Spider-Man’s first fight with the Beetle, and his last fight with the Circus of Crime (at least for a long, long time to come).  Along the way, we laugh at Dorrie Evans’ insane demands on Johnny Storm, and Betty Brant’s insane jealousies of Peter.

Hey, check it out!  New page design!  Pretty righteous, eh?  My brother has put his visual design skills to work for us here at Amazing Spider-Man Classics, and I am forever in his debt.  The line art is, of course, straight from the books, but the layout and coloring are his.  His name is Jim Wilson, and more of his work can be found at jimwilsondesigns.com, so I invite you to mosey on over there and have a look-see at the other imagery to spring from his fertile mens.

In the meantime, we are wrapping up our recording session with the ever valiant, but by now somewhat sleepy Stephen Lacey, of the World of Superman Blog.  After this, Jon, Josh, and Donovan have sworn off seven-hour recording sessions.  We’ll be recording more frequently for shorter durations, which means more guest co-hosts, and episodes with no guest co-hosts.  It’s just gonna be easier.  Stephen was great, but we hate to torture people with hours and hours at the mike.

This episode addresses the first appearance of the Scorpion, Mac Gargan, later of Venom fame.  We also see Spider-Man co-starring in an issue of The Avengers, or so Stan would have us believe.  This episode does run a bit shorter than most of our two-issue episodes, but there is much art fun to be had, mostly with the Avengers book.

Welcome back, Spidey fans, to the British invasion!!!  Yes, we are joined again this week by UK Superman blogger Stephen Lacey, to take a look at Amazing Spider-Man 18 and 19.  Thrill to every minute as Peter Parker runs from a fight, flirts with his aunt, and smashes through glass with nary a scratch.  The Sandman and the Enforcers are out in … erm, force, and enjoy them while you can, because neither will grace the pages of a Spidey book for quite some time to come.

The new Facebook link to the left points to a NEW Facebook page.  If you were a member of the previous group, I invite you to “Like” the new page, where I will be notifying you of new episode postings and such.  If such activity doesn’t interest you, that’s fine too.

I compiled quite the collection of images from these two books.  It was a fun couple of months, and there was plenty more I could have pulled, but these are the highlights.

 

Hello?  Anybody still out there?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that’s right!  After 40 days of spider-fast, Amazing Spider-Man Classics is back!

This month, Jon, Don, and Josh are joined by British blogger Stephen Lacey (author of the World of Superman blog) as they discuss and deliberate the beginning of Ditko’s first great trilogy.

Also, introducing a new feature on Facebook.  A bit of fandom fun may be had at the pages for Team Betty, Team Liz, and Team Mary Jane.  This is in addition to the main Facebook page for the show.

Six sinister welcomes to all you Spider-Fans out there who have returned for another round of shenanigans with Jon, Josh, Don, and our guest this month, Michael Bailey (of Views from the Long Box).

This episode we have served up for you a full plate of Spider-Man annual goodness from 1964 as Spider-Man tackles the Sinister Six!  Along the way, Dr. Octopus meets his future beloved and Aunt May acts like she smoked a fatty before the story started.

We also read emails this time around, and a letter from Stephen Lacey references a Silver Age Superman review that can be found here.

Welcome to our latest episode of Amazing Spider-Man Classics, the show dedicated to covering every feature book, as well as every guest and cameo appearance we can find of the amazing Spider-Man. Our June episodes are a bit behind due to scheduling conflicts, but we think you’ll find they’ll be worth the wait. This week, Michael Bailey (of Views from the Long Box) joins Jon, Josh, and Don to take a look at Tales to Astonish 57 and Amazing Spider-Man 16, and it’s quite the wild ride. And the daughter Lily makes a cameo along the way.

Just a word of warning, Spider-philes. We’re talking about Hank Pym this issue, and what is the most common single topic in regard to the Pyms? Did you say wife-slapping? Yes, indeedy! And the ASM Classics gang takes the topic to bold new frontiers in the latest episode. So have a laugh with us!

During the course of the episode, our guest Michael Bailey mentions that Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel would eventually write for Strange Tales. He did this under the nom de plume of Joe Carter for issues 112 and 113, introducing us to kooky villains the Eel and the Plantman. Little FYI there for you…

Welcome back to Amazing Spider-Man Classics, where we are committed to covering every feature issue, as well as every guest and cameo appearance we can find of the amazing Spider-Man.

Kicking off the month of June, the Amazing Spider-Man Classics group is joined by the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Brad Douglas of the Spider-Man Crawl Space.  He helps the usual crew of Jon, Josh, and Donovan take a look at the first appearance of the man who engineered the Clone Saga, the mastermind who replaced Tony Stark and gathered a group of criminals to rule in place of the Avengers, the one, the only Green Goblin.  And for his first ingenious plan, he will…..take Spider-Man to Hollywood so the Enforcers can beat him up.

Well, I guess we can’t win them all.  And this wonderful masterwork is followed up by the debut of Chameleon’s prize chump, Kraven the Hunter….who doesn’t seem to be Russian yet, since he comes over from Africa and gets deported to South America.  But we’ll get origin stories later.  That’s what the eighties are for.