So what the hell else happened to me?

[jjreason]

Regular MTU or Ultimate? I have a full run of Ultimate here that I could likely get $3 for, if I offered free shipping that is.

[Rollo Tomassi]

It was the Kirkman run from 2004. And its a series that I've never been 'oh gawd! Gotta have THAT!' I only bid on it because I was going for the SMBlue and the guy had that 8-25 run for like 2.99 and I figured more books+ combined shipping= better deal. But the guy (on top of NOT ACTUALLY SHIPPING BOOKS) didn't combine shipping anyway. Tool.

[Ben Reilly]

You know what happened to you now?

You're a black kid! And a Mexican! You're a Blaxican!!

Which means you illegally cross the border to steal our fried chicken. Haw haw!

[Rollo Tomassi]

Did I miss something? When did Ben Reilly become a TeaPartierBagger from Ohio?

[Rollo Tomassi]

I just read a reprint of Amazing Spidey #1 which I don't think I've ever sat down and read cover to cover. I've read Amazing Fantasy 15 many times, but never his first ongoing issue. I knew the gist of the story with Col. Jameson's rocket crashing and the FF stuff, but never actually read it.

I think it's hilarious that the entire rescue hinges on a pilot who's willing to take Spider-Man in his jet to get close enough to the rocket to save it. let's clarify, shall we?
A loony dressed head to toe in blue and red pajamas and a creepy mask that completely covers his face breaks into a Military Airfield and beats up a bunch of soldiers, then demands a pilot to fly him (essentially a hijacking) and the pilot basically says "I've got a good feeling about this guy. So, okay!!"

That's awesome!!

[Tom Foolery]

They just announced at WonderCon.

They're doing "Minimum Carnage".

<-------- times 1,000.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

The 50 Greatest Spider-Man Covers.

As usual with these kinds of lists, people mistake the Cover for the content or the significance of the issue. That's why ASM 36 (it's a completely BLACK cover people!!) and Amazing Spidey 1 are on the list. Because ASM 1 is a fairly shitty cover design. It also looks like, for the most part, people didn't bother looking at series other than Amazing, even though Spectacular, Web, Marvel Team Up, Sensational, and a billion mini series have all had some great covers. And at least some that deserve to be on the list more than half of these turds.

[vynsane]

agreed. there were quite a few notable covers themselves, but some of them are notable stories. glad spectacular #101 made it in, that's a great freakin' cover:

[anarky]

After OMD, does Spidey remember Skip?

The way they bring up old stuff best left forgotten, I'm surprised he hasn't become a supervillain.

Actually, in a way, that might be interesting.

I'm assuming that, since he didn't get mentioned AT ALL in the fucking epic "The Child Within" storyline, he didn't exist in the 616.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Now that I'm done with the Amalgam books, onto other 'A' titles. Up next,

Amazing Fantasy 16-18 A 1996 "mini series" by Kurt Busiek that bridges the "gap" between Amazing Fantasy 15, and Amazing Spidey 1 a few months later. Pete learns exactly what "great responsibility" means as he forgoes TV celebrity to become a "Friendly Neighborhood" do-gooder. Along the way he earns the animosity of a certain publisher when he bumps an astronaut from a local Talent Program.

And while we're at it, the second Amazing Fantasy series. Technically not A Spidey book, but whatevs. I had a few unread issues of the 20 issue ongoing. Including
5,6. The last two issues of Araña's story before she got her own ongoing
7,8. The first two issues of ScorpionII's story arc. Which is pretty good. She needs to be in more books.
13,14. A two parter with a forgettable chump named Vegas.
15. The first appearance of Amadeus Cho! And a bunch of other characters never heard from again.
16. First appearance of Death's Head 3.0

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Amazing Spider-Girl 0. Primer book for Spider-Girl's second ongoing series. Recaps the 100 issues of the first series. Damn, Tom DeFalco really set himself up a nice little cottage industry for awhile. In addition to Spider-Girl, there were A-Next, Fantastic Five, DarkDevil, and a bunch of other miniseries set in the same universe. Spider-Girl is one of those books I ALWAYS see in the quarter boxes. It's not high on my want list(or at all), but when I put it on there I'll be able to find a huge chunk of it quickly.
Reading the "history" of Mayday, I see several 'inacuracies' as it were, where history has already 'branched'. Lyja Storm is part of the F5. Phil Urich didn't kill Roderick Kingsley and is not the Hobgoblin. Kaine isn't Scarlet Spider and is still scarred and a killer. Marla Jameson isn't dead. And Black Tarantula went good a lot sooner in the 616.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Caught up on some Amazing Annuals and an ASM oneshot. Most of my Spidey books are under 'S' for Spidey, but for some reason I keep Amazing in the 'A' box.
Amazing Spidey:Fear Itself This has nothing to do with last years MegaEvent. It's a 2009 oneshot with Man-Thing. Spidey gets into a fight with Manny in the Everglades, and a cut he receives in the fight starts growing weeds out of it. Spidey has to figure out how NOT to turn into a plant.
Annual '96 During Ben's stint as Spidey, but has two flashback tales. One when Captain Stacy first figures out Pete's secret. And the other right after Pete and MJs wedding where a Russian Spy who got effed over by Pete's parents comes for revenge and kidnaps MJ. At the end, they reaffirm their endless love for each other. Little do they know...
Annual '97 A d-list villain Spidey put away ten years ago gets out of prison. He tries to go straight, but they try to pull him back in. Instead he teams up with Spidey and then goes straight. Peter and MJ reaffirm their never ending love for each other.
Annual '99 The Wizard and Paste Pot Pete fabricate some contraption that makes Pete and Betty Brant think they're in some alternate dimension with little green Neanderthals. Or something. Howard Mackie's run on Spidey sucked.
Annual 2001. After MJ "died" in the plane crash, then got kidnapped forever, she and Pete finally reunite. But their first night back together, Spidey races off to save people trapped in a building. When he gets back, MJ breaks up with him. But they reaffirm their never ending love for each other.
-1 Flashback issue Li'l Peter Parker finds a bunch on Uncle Ben's Golden Age Marvel Comics in a box in the attic and dreams of being a super hero like Captain America. At the end of the book, he's designing a webshooter(this is years before anything resembling a spider bites him). Also Wilson Fisk kills his boss and takes over the Mob.

[anarky]

What's up with this Alpha guy? It really looks from what I've read that he's Drift to the Nth power. But people are already claiming to like him. He hasn't even debuted yet, right? People don't even know his powers. WTF?

[RoIIo Tomassi]

I have no idea. But reading between the lines I think Amazing Spidey is ending with issue 700.

And here's my prediction. Alpha will become the "New" Spider-Man in a brand new Marvel NOW! Amazing Spidey #1. He will be the Azrael of the Marvel verse. After about six months or a year, Parker will be back, Alpha will become a quasi-villain, and Spidey will have more guilt fuel because he will see Alpha as a failure and feel responsible.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Happy 50th Birthday, Spider-Man!

On August 10th, 1962, Amazing Fantasy 15 hit newsstands everywhere.

Congratulations, Spidey!