Sunday 22 July 2012

MARVEL TALES SPIDEY COVER GALLERY - PART THREE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Have you ever looked at one of your comics and thought to yourself "I remember buying that a few years ago", as if it's only a fairly recent acquisition?  Then noticed the date on the cover or in the indicia and been amazed to recall that you purchased it around 30 years back?  That's usually how I feel when I look at certain favourite comics in a dreamy daze - it often seems that it wasn't so long ago since they came into my possession, and it can be a shock to the system when the realization dawns (as it always must) that over half my life has passed since I first bought them.

This feeling is no doubt compounded by the fact that my comics are in the same condition as when I first obtained them; if they were well-thumbed, dog-eared and with covers hanging off the staples - had an appearance of age in other words - then perhaps I'd view them in their proper context, time-wise.  However, because most of my comics appear to be brand-new, that's a difficult thing to do.  The only comics I have which look their age are ones that were in that condition when I purchased them - usually back issues from long, long ago.

Anyway, that's enough philosophical profundity for today - let's get straight down to the business at hand.  Which is, you'll be glad to hear, appreciating the next six issues of early SPIDER-MAN covers by STEVE DITKO, as re-presented in MARVEL TALES back in the 1980s.  If you're not lucky (or rich) enough to have the original first printings of these stories, then these reprint mags are the next best thing.  So sit back, cup of tea in hand, and simply salivate at these exquisite pictorial presentations of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man at his very best.

Click here for Part One, and here for Part Two.





7 comments:

Dougie said...

The Daredevil cover is my favourite. I'd forgotten that the Man of Fear was "yella".

baab said...

I dont know if you have seen the new spider-man movie but there is a stan lee cameo(of course) during which spider-man fights the lizard .
It only lasts about eight seconds,but i actually gasped during it.
It seemed to scream ditko ditko ditko at me!
And a wee murmur at the same time ,Kane!
It is quite powerful.



eight seconds...ha!

Kid said...

Dougie, I always preferred that costume for some reason, even 'though the all-red one more suits the character's dark image.

Baab, haven't seen the movie yet, but hope to when I get the chance. I take it you enjoyed it?

baab said...

It is very different to the sam raimi movies which in hindsight are comicbooks using real actors.

The new movie is very realistic (well as real as cgi can be)
I remember the whole gwen stacy storyline as a big soap opera and the movie reflects that quite well.
Some of the fight scenes are very quick and maybe too fast for my old eyes,but it is a wise crackin' spidey and the peter parker is very believable.
They do manage to cram a lot into the time and it is what it is.I think it was a John Romita and Gil Kane presentation.(I only read comics according to the writers involved when I was in my late twenties)
I did enjoy it.
But I could just watch those eight seconds slowed down on repeat.

I find that I enjoy the movies more when sitting at home,tonight I watched x-men first class which I hated at the cinema but really enjoyed it at home.
I forgave all the naff elements and soaked up the good stuff.

Hamilton Vue-plenty seats!

Kid said...

Ooh, I'm looking forward to it now.

Nick Caputo said...

Kid,

the Kraven cover is one of my favorites. As a child it conveyed a sense of danger for Spider-Man, trapped as the villain approaches. Clear, simple and dramatic. Ditko fashioned an excellent scene to attract a buyer.

Overall the reprinted covers are well-represented and the coloring often echoes the original. The Sinister Six has a nice use of orange as a background color.

It is hard to believe that over a quarter century has passed since these reprints appeared.

Kid said...

Nick, you know something? Despite having loads of '60s Marvel stories in Masterworks and Omnibus editions (plus original issues), I'd love to see early tales of FF, Thor, etc., reprinted as actual comicbooks with their original covers. There's just something about a comic that is hard to beat.



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