Product Description: From classics like Doc Ock to lesser known law breakers like Cyclone, we've got more villains than you can shake the proverbial stick at (although webbing is actually more recommended)! Illusion's the order of the day with the miscreant misdeeds of Mindworm, Mysterio, and Mirage - but the Jackal's got something much more enduring in mind! Witness the birth of the Clone Saga! Spidey faces a lashing from the Lizard, a scrap with the Scorpion and a tussle with the Tarantula - but can any menace truly match... the Spider-Mobile? Featuring the origins of the Jackal, the Grizzly, the Fly, Mose Magnum, and more! Collects Amazing Spider-Man #138-160, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10, and Giant-Size Spider-Man #4-5.
Send in the Clones! More than the Fantastic Four, more than the X-Men, Captain America, the Hulk or Iron Man, the face of Marvel Comics has always been Spider-Man. When Stan Lee and company created a new type of superhero in the early 1960s, the distinctive aspect was that the characters were distinctly human, with flaws that earlier heroes lacked. And the most "human" in the bunch was Peter Parker, nerdy teenager transformed into a superhero by chance.
Though initially almost friendless, by the time of the issues in Essential Amazing Spider-Man Volume 7, Peter Parker has improved his life in certain respects, most notably with a rocky but generally good relationship with Mary Jane Watson. On the other hand, there are still problems to contend with: the constant struggle to earn money and do well in school, all while dealing with a belligerent boss and a sick aunt. And if that isn't bad enough, when Parker tries to escape into his alter-ego, there are a number of super-villains waiting to kill him, or at least get him out of the way.
Many well-known Spider-Man foes are in this volume, including Mysterio, the Scorpion, the Lizard, the Tarantula and Dr. Octopus. The key villain in this set, however, is the Jackal (first seen in the previous volume). The Jackal is one of those baddies who likes to lurk in the background and have others do his dirty work, but eventually he will come to the forefront with a plot that involves nothing less than the clones of the late Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man himself (a plot that would be revisited a couple decades later with the controversial "Clone Saga").
There are a variety of artists and writers in this set of books, though Ross Andru does most of the penciling and Gerry Conway and Len Wein do most of the writing. Fortunately, the occasional changes--while not seamless--are not jarring either. This set of comics is standard mid-1970's Marvel work: not exceptional but still quite fun to read.
B/W reprints of ASM #138-160, GS #4-5 and Annual #10 This seventh "Essential" volume collects black-and-white reprints of "Amazing Spider-Man" issues #138-160 (plus Giant Size #4-5 and Annual 10) that Marvel Comics originally published between November 1974 and September 1976. Most of these issues were also reprinted as "Marvel Tales" #115-136 between 1980 and 1982. This run features two prominent writers: Gerry Conway for #138-149 & GS #4-5 and Len Wein for #151-160. Ross Andru penciled most of these issues (#138-149, #156-160 & GS #4-5) with past ASM artists Gil Kane and Sal Buscema handling two issues each. Conway's plots usually span two issues and feature old villains like Mysterio and the Scorpion or forgettable new ones like The Grizzy and Cyclone. The middle of this collection (#147-150) is the Original Clone Story featuring the Jackal and the introduction of Peter Parker clone Ben Reilly. The highlight of Wein's issues is #157-159 with the return of popular villains Doctor Octopus and Hammerhead. This medicore ASM run does not meet the high standards set by previous "Essential" volumes. I prefer the Amazing Spider-Man DVD-ROM for its complete collection of the entire ASM run in full color PDFs. However, the Marvel Essentials series offers convenient, inexpensive access to these 30-year old Spider-Man comics without needing a computer.
Great Stuff This can hardly be considered an objective review, as this volume contains many of the first comic books I ever bought, some 30+ years ago.
Nonetheless, I have to say that the stories in this volume seem to hold up very well over the years. Gerry Conway is my favorite of Marvel's "B-List" writers (compared to Len Wein, Bill Mantlo, et al); Conway's stories zip along at a quick pace and they never seem "stagy" the way Wein's or Roy Thomas's often do.
The art, by Ross Andru, is top-notch. While Andru's artwork tends to be a little "formulaic" (i.e., similar poses and facial expressions used repeatedly), he gives you a real "sense of place"; whether Spidey is trying to relax in his Chelsea apartment or swinging over Madison Square Garden, you always know that he's in a real part of the real New York City. There's a sequence from Issue 151, where Spidey is hanging from a helicopter and watching the Shocker black out specific buildings to spell out his name over seven city blocks, that's an all-time classic.
This volume is also noteworthy for containing the original seeds of what would later be called "The Clone Saga". While the 90s Clone Saga is widely viewed as one of the worst messes ever published by Marvel, the original story -- featuring the return of Gwen Stacy and a Spidey/Parker clone -- is quite good, and builds well on the history of the characters over the previous years.
In short, this is just another great Spider-Man volume. Pick it up if you're a fan, and you won't regret it. If you're not a fan yet, start with Essential Volume 1 and work your way forward, and you'll probably be buying this one before you know it.
Will the return of Gwen Stacy mess up things between Peter and Mary Jane? After listening to me explain in excruciating detail the differences between "Spider-Man 3" and "what really happened" in the Spider-Man comic books by eldest daughter finally asked me, "Do you actually have all of these comic books you keep talking about?" I then proceeded to show her the 11-CD Rom Amazing Spider-Man Complete Comic Book Collection, the various "Marvel Masterworks" and "Essential Amazing Spider-Man" volumes, and all of the actual Spider-Man comic books from the "Volume 2" period. I explained that only a true Spider-Man fan is going to be able to go through the black suit, the cloning, and all the rest of the nonsense that comes from trying to tell hundreds and hundreds of stories about a comic book superhero. I was almost going to tell her that getting through the first six "Essential" collections was sufficient, but I ended up recommending this seventh volume as a good stopping point.
My ambivalence over this collection stems from the fact that there are two big strikes against the issues collected in "Essential Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 7." The first is that Gwen Stacy comes back from the dead in what would be the first major example of the cloning nonsense that eventually persuaded me to stop reading Spider-Man comic books. In the great gulf that exists between the initial trauma of Uncle Ben's death and Mary Jane's declaration that she knows Peter is Spider-Man, it is the death of Gwen Stacy that exists as a major emotional crevice in the life of our hero. Bringing back Gwen, even as a clone, belittles her death and turns it into a sick joke (although the idea that a few cells can be cloned into an adult human being with complete memories makes the idea that a bite from a radioactive spider can give you the powers of a spider [and more] a whole lot more believable). My biggest complaint against the "Spider-Man 3" movie is that they try to work Gwen Stacy into a version of the Spider-Man story where Mary Jane is around from day one as the girl next door to Peter Parker.
Gwen's return in these comic books reminds me of when they brought Spock back and the character's traumatic demise in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." At least in that instance Spock returned to his proper place by Captain Kirk's side, but that is not what happens with Gwen. The irony that as soon as Peter begins to have real feelings for MJ, Gwen returns from the dead, becomes just another part of the sick joke, especially since I do not believe the choice Peter makes. Adding insult to injury, the Jackal could not possibly be more of a third-rate Green Goblin (the Hobgoblin is the second-rate Green Goblin), and the inherent flaw built into the character so that he can self-destruct and thereby preserve Spidey's secret identity is rather lame. What really surprises me is that Gerry Conway, who decided to kill off Gwen in the first place, is the same writer who decides to bring her back, because it would have made more sense to me for somebody else to come in and try to make this work.
The second thing that makes me roll me eyes big time is the Spider-Mobile, which is clearly an effort to get young readers to go out and buy a toy because there is no way that having a vehicle is a good thing for our hero, even if the price of webbing becomes exorbitant. Batman needs the Batmobile because his ability to swing from a rope is limited, but Spider-man flies through the city with the greatest of ease because o fhis webbing. Plus he fights a whole bunch of villains (e.g., the Vulture, Doctor Octopus, the Human Fly, etc.), where he needs to get vertical and not just horizontal. So the whole idea of driving to a fight and hoping the cops do not show up and impound his stupid souped up dune buggy is pretty dumb. True, the last panel of the last issue here bids "good riddance" to the damn thing, but the Spider-Mobile was such a waste of space (Lein Wein, who takes over as writer for the title beginning with issue #151, gets credit for having our hero ditch his ride).
"Essential Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 7" collects issues #138-160, Giant-Size Spider-Man" #4-5, and Annual #10. The "big" stories feature the Punisher, Man-Thing and the Human Fly respectively. There are new villains with the likes of Mindworm (#138) the Grizzly (#139-40), Cyclone (#143), and Mirage (#156), but none of the nubies stack up against the old standards. In these issues that means Mysterio (#141-42), the Scorpion (#145-46), the Shocker (#151-52), the Sandman (#154), and Doctor Octopus (#157-59). There is also a blast from the distant past (#160) that offers an interesting reinterpretation of the lamest villain from the early days of our hero. Most of the issues here are drawn by Ross Andru, with Gil Kame and Sal Buscema each filling in for a couple of stories. I began reading "Spider-Man" with issue #62, so the art of John Romita (Sr.) has defined my ideal look for the web-head, and Andru's art has always been a tad to much in the direction of Don Heck and Frank Robbins for my taste. But ultimately my concerns are much more about the story developments than the art.
In the end I round up on Volume 7 for one reason and one reason only, and that is because this collection has the issue where Peter and Mary Jane take the fork in the road that is going to end up with them being married. So at least get through the Web-head's wondrous 150th issue and end on a good note. I might not appreciate all of Conway's twists and turns for Spider-Man, but between Stan Lee and Micahel Straczynski it is Gerry Conway who had the biggest impact on the character, so his three-plus years on the title cannot be ignored.
This collection is a treat for any Spidey fan. All right, this collection is awesome. It starts off with the Mindworm, and then goes to the Grizzly, the Jackal, Tarantula, Moses Magnum, the new Mysterio, Doc Ock, Hammerhead, and the list goes on. It also has some great guest stars such as the Punisher and the Man-Thing, and starts off one of the greatest sagas of all time, the clone saga. All in all, you should buy this collection.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
