AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113
NOW: How to make a GOOD Comic Book Story!
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with cover art John Romita)
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Note to Heroic Adventure Super Hero Comic Book Artists. THIS is how you stage a 3 page battle between a superhero and one of his most deadly foes. Because Spidey isn’t well… his banter is almost nil (we hear his thought’s, but they are about survival). You can’t have a hero on his heels and yet make him smug - and Doc Ock SOUNDS and LOOKS like he’s moving in for the kill… the difference between writing dialogue like this for the Porcupine or the Cowled Commander is crucial…. THIS is a dangerous foe.
I don’t know who those other clowns were.
Also… notice (with use of narration), the exo-skeleton as it falls…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Conway, without sounding overly pompous, has narration only when its needed… too many of the 70’s Marvel writers blabbed on and on and on in those yellow (or blue) narration boxes… here its just enough to keep the story flowing. Peter/Spidey is obviously not well…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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I always liked Robbie Robertson, as I think he made a great yin to JJJ’s yang when it came to his interaction with Spider-Man (Spidey was respectful to him, so Robbie treated him with respect back and didn’t ASSUME anything he didn’t have proof of). Same with Peter Parker, who he gave a much more warm face to when he visited the office.
HOWEVER… the dialogue amongst black characters in Marvel Comics, at some point, I realized sounded kind of forced…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Conway’s bad guys shot and killed people - they were violent and ruthless - making them even more interesting. This IS a story involving Heroic Adventure… I wasn’t entertained by silly Porpupine’s and Cowled Commanders… give me something intense.
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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I thought Conway (with Romita and then Ross Andru) created some… useful villains to go with Spidey’s exceptional rogues gallery. Doc Ock’s going to be a gangster running crime in New York? How about an old school style gangster to go up against… with a weird, almost grotesque Dick Tracy-ish power himself… this would be the first appearance of…
But WAIT… this is just the tease…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Doc Ock, with a savage streak and yet an intellectual calm. Well written.
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Most other heroes had no reason - in my mind - to keep their identities secret. The most important reason for Spider of course was that it would KILL Aunt May, who would either a) never understand and be horrified at him being in danger and presented as a public menace and b) make her a target of his enemies.
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Peter Parker has an ulcer. At 9 years of age I had to ask my mom what that was.
Gerry Conway understood and wrote this character so well…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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To think… back in the early days, Lee, due to pressure from uber nerds who read the comics and felt their voice MUST be heard as far as how things went in the book - tried to convince Ditko to STOP making JJJ take so much delight in Spider-Man’s misery.
Lucky for all of us, Ditko completely DEFIED him.
(See: ASM #18 where Ditko showed JJJ grinning like a madman over Sider-Man’s misery about 20 times)
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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I wonder if Batman ever had to swipe (sorry, ‘borrow’) a mask from a costume shop in order to go fight crime.
The correct use of narration for a few panels…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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...mixed with the character talking to himself in a few panels.
Conway balances it perfectly here.
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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Now it’s time for the REAL battle. SpiderMan is feeling better AND…
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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…finds the exo-sekelton to power himself more. Romita knows how to stage a battle… but this is just the beginning of our story as we finally get to see..
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))r 5th, 1972, with art Sal Buscema and inks by John Verpoorten)
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Hammerhead.
THIS is what I expected of a Comic Book at the age of 9-10, and really… what I expect now.
Hammerhead seemed dangerous, I mean... they have machine guns! Compare this to that final panel of Cap #158 with those dorky Stan Lee Ant-Man villain rejects and...
It doesn't compare.
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #113 - cover-dated October 1972, on newsstands July 11th, 1972, with art John Romita and inks by Tony Mortellaro and Jim Starlin))
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I’m going to explore the comics that I loved and that made me like what I like as a kid (and still like).
And along the way, show the one’s I read that I DIDN’T like (some I later changed my mind about, and some I STILL don’t care for…)
I hope you’ll join me!
Hey, if you're glad to see us back, leave a comment!
Thanks!
