Spectacular Spider-Man #185 is one of my all time favorite issues. Released Jan 2, 1992, I would have been 13-years old and in the 8th grade. I pushed hard into comics as a teenager. I remember hoping that my dad would stop for his morning paper at a different gas station, and I'd be able to find one there. The early January release would have it sit on the rack for a few days, since I would be "stuck" at home for the Winter Break. Luckily all of the Spider-man books were in high supply at almost every grocery store magazine rack. Just finishing up a very dark storyline with the Green Goblin and Vermin this issue was a breath of fresh air in the new year. Spider-man has always been presented as funny, in this issue we get to see all kinds of silly, even wacky bordering on zainey, visuals and ridiculous non stop comic relief. Spidey has been compared to Daffy Duck (DareDevil is Bugs) in that we laugh along with Spidey even though he always losses. He may win a fight but his personal life is a mess, or his financial stability is less than optimal, etc. This issue shows us a Spider-man that, with some coaching from Mary Jane, is still able to enjoy time with his friends & not be afraid to laugh, hilarity ensues. Side note, Frogman finally gets an action figure in 2021!
