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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
In 2002, MARVEL reissued their 1968 The SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN Special. This was a black and white, larger sized magazine, though the second and last issue was in full-colour. Read the spiel on the back cover of the reprint (below) - if you're a Spidey fan you want this mag after reading that, don't you? Well, don't get excited - the reprint was a major disappointment.
Most of the lettering was replaced by inferior computer-style fonts that completely ruined the look of the pages. Logos and display lettering were also replaced, diminishing the 'Marvel' effect that comics had in the '60s, especially when lettered by SAM ROSEN and ARTIE SIMEK. Honestly, this is a car-crash of a reprint and I'm surprised it was allowed to see print in this form.
The story was reprinted once again in a volume of MARVEL MASTERWORKS with the original lettering intact, leaving me to wonder why the earlier reprint's lettering was ever replaced to begin with. I can only hope that Marvel will reissue a second edition, but this time done properly. Go on - how about it, Marvel?
And below is the cover of the original '68 edition, followed by 'before and after' comparisons of two interior pages - as you can see, the differences are screamingly obvious. Even the contents pages (not shown) are infuriatingly different. Some replica!
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| The original - compare the above final caption with the feeble effort below... |
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| Again, the original - is the second version (below) better in your view? Nope! |
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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE:
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Update: Since I first wrote this post, Marvel have reprinted both Spectacular issues in a single volume - see the cover below. Under that is the UK Annual for 1976 (mentioned in the comments section), which appears to have been retouched to make it look like a line drawing.
