I can never come to terms with the passing of time. It's now a fortnight since I made my annual trip to Galloway and I still have vivid impressions of long-ago visits there in 1973, 1976 and 1977. In the case of the latter, I remember reading the second Conan Treasury Edition in the back of my dad's Hillman in the rain at the level crossing at Dunragit ("ragg-it" not "radge-it")
Still looks the same...
I had actually seen this comic in the Aberdeen branch of Forbidden Planet, a week or two before travelling down to the south-west but I had already ordered it online.
The treasury reprints the first three issues of the all-ages Spidey series, I was delighted with it and the unwieldy oversized format is one of its attractions.
The stories recall the cinematic universe, with pizza delivery boy Parker, although Flash Thompson and the Osborns are a bit off- model. The artwork by Nick Bradshaw reminds me of Art Adams and the bantering narration of the Flash tv show. The villains are classic Ditko: Doc Ock, Sandman and the Lizard with cameos by Kraven, Mysterio and the very-obscure White Rabbit.
You also get two parts of a Miles Morales story, where the two Spider-Men save the Avengers from Blackheart, the son of Mephisto. I criticised Bendis previously for introducing Avengers who never actually did any avenging, really- Daredevil, Storm, Quake- but through Miles and his very believable school environment, he's given Marvel quite a contemporary flavour. And it was, I think, something of a heritage site in the late 90s.
I'm actually not a great Spider-Man fan, really, although I read a decade's worth of UK Spidey comics and he was one of my favourite things about Civil War. I was actually preparing a school library talk about female role models in comics when I discovered Silk and Spider-Gwen.
SPOILERS AHEAD....
Spidey author Robbie Thompson ( a very Spidey name, to be sure) is also the writer of Silk:Sinister. The second collected of Cindy Moon's arachnid adventures see her in deep cover as a double agent in Black Cat's organisation, reporting to her handler Mockingbird.
As the other victim of the radioactive spider-bite and after a decade in isolation, Cindy has a world-weary, cynical wit : " Do kids today still know who Dr. Evil is? I am so old". I enjoyed the combination of blocky, Manga-style art and longtime Marvel lore - Black Cat employs the Melter and Killer Shrike and the villainous Goblin King is Phil Urich , briefly the heroic Green Goblin of the 90s. Also, sexy nerd king Peter "Matt Smith" Parker makes an appearance.
It's hard to choose between Marvel's new generation of Spider-Woman: I like Cindy's conflict with her two mentors but the parallel Earth Spider-Gwen is funnier and has the better costume. In Radioactive Spider-Gwen: Greater Power, the sad story of Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, familiar to movie-goers, undergoes further twists.
A new Lizard goes on the rampage while George Stacy struggles with Gwen's double life and Harry uses Goblin tech to hunt down Spider-Gwen . The stylish Robbi Rodriguez, who has announced his retirement from comics gives the series a fresh, neon look and Jason Latour's malevolent, theatrical Matt Murdock steals every scene.
Two story elements in particular struck me. I was surprised how easily Gwen pops back and forth from her world to the prime MU Earth, to be mentored by a very pregnant Jessica Drew
.Also, clearly the universe is demanding a black female Cap- in addition to this one, Samantha Wilson, see also the appearances of the adult Danielle Cage in the last year,
Both books are very fresh and although they are derivative of Spider-Man, the young female protagonists are feisty and engaging.
Coming soon: Ant-Man and the Two Masters
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