Bill Mantlo Archive

Over the years, I’ve occasionally referred to the litany of losers and D-list villains introduced in the Spider-Man universe during the late 1970s/early 1980s as Spidey’s “Bronze Age Bums.” While there were a couple of guys who were created during this period that had some longevity like Jackal and

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Despite it usually clocking in as the “No. 3” romance in Spider-Man history (behind Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson), Spider-Man’s dalliance with Felicia Hardy, aka, the Black Cat, in the early/mid-1980s is arguably more interesting in terms of characterization and complexity than any others relationship in Spidey’s history.

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Chasing Amazing continues with its Reader Request November with a request from friend of the site and Spiderfan.org writer, Tyler Barlass: @ChasingASMBlog “I Cover the Waterfront” — Tyler Barlass (@TylerBGoode) October 21, 2013 Great choice Tyler and one that’s personally relevant for me! For a full archive of my

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As the only non-Amazing Spider-Man issue grouped in to the “Original Hobgoblin Saga” storyline – and the first one not to be scripted by Roger Stern – Spectacular Spider-Man #85 reads like it has two separate agendas. It marks a very critical moment in the development of the Hobgoblin

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In Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1, the reader is asked to lend some sympathy to lifelong D-list crook Boomerang, aka Fred Meyers, a former baseball player who threw games, and then took to throwing boomerangs as his weapon of choice. When I first saw the solicitation for Superior Foes

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A majority of the Spectacular Spider-Man series remains my most shameful “blind spot” since the title churned out so many quality stories, especially during the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of my favorite all-time writers like Roger Stern and JM DeMatteis had extensive runs on Spectacular, but the title’s

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