Damage Control Vol 1 4 - Inferno

A flashback to the time Wolverine got a pie in the face.

Damage Control #4

Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Ernie Colon
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Sid Jacobson
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Multiple construction sites have been raided with a large quantity of building materials stolen. The police turn to Damage Control to investigate and John Porter immediately spots a pattern so takes a team to investigate the site of the X-Mansion. John and Bart Rozum see rubble after its recent destruction but Robin Chapel, Lenny Ballinger, Gene Strausser and Albert Cleary see a mansion as normal and Robin remembers visiting before John and Bart joined the company. She remembers how Damage Control did repair work for Professor Xavier during which Gene fiddled with the electronics of the Danger Room. The members of Damage Control and the X-Men found themselves trapped in the room as a simulation of Groucho Marx led a stream of clowns in attacking them as they tried to reach the emergency controls to shut it down. Professor X declared that he had to protect knowledge of the Shi'ar technology in the Danger Room so he used his powers to remove Damage Control's memory and make them see nothing out of the ordinary at the house until their wills overcome it. Back in the present this has caused the team to not see the ruins until now. It transpires the Danger Room's systems are stealing the building materials to rebuild the mansion so they shut off the power. As the company hasn't been contracted it doesn't try to rebuild the mansion. The materials are returned and John tells the police he will maintain confidentiality, privately telling Robin the X-Men died as heroes and he wants to honour their memory.

"Inferno continues... interminably" proclaims a triangle on the cover but complicating matters is that this limited series was clearly delayed in publication with earlier issues featuring either the Avengers line-up of Dr Druid, She-Hulk, Thor and the Black Knight or the Thing in his extreme mutated "pineapple" form after both those were no longer the status quo in their own titles. Similarly here we get an Inferno issue four months after the event is over. To be honest this is more of a satire on the way some crossover events seemingly go on for ever rather than a forgotten part of the story that successive collected editions keep overlooking and I guess in 1989 this was more funny than "Secret Wars II continues in this issue" which at the time could still send people running for the hills.

Damage Control is a very tongue in cheek series, taking a serious concept such as how all the damage from superhero fights gets fixed so quickly and adding in a lot of satire. This first series starts by playing on the various conventions of superhero comics but then evolves into more general humour with the third issue poking fun at corporate publicity and stunts whilst this issue is mainly an excuse for slapstick comedy. Dwayne McDuffie would later admit one of his ambitions had been to throw a custard pie in Wolverine's face and he gets to do that here both on the cover (which wrongly depicts Wolverine in his costume from his solo series) and in the book, with Professor X declining to erase that memory. The flashback is played straight, an invariable consequence of the X-Men's current status quo that makes it difficult to do this sort of guest appearance in the present day, rather than parodying the way series often resort to this mechanism to insert extra adventures, usually emergency fill-in issues.

Overall this issue isn't trying to make any wider points about comic conventions or the industry or wider corporate practices. Even the way some characters use their powers to keep things secret for the public is played straight to force a flashback rather than explored as a means by which the illusion of the ordinary world is maintained. There's a moment where John immediately spots a pattern in the robberies that points to the site that nobody else can see which may parody contemporary amateur detective fiction that often had such moments of instant deduction but otherwise this is really just an excuse to get a pie into Wolverine's face and have him on panel with Groucho Marx. Inferno collected editions are missing nothing by not including it but it's a fun little tale nonetheless.

Spectacular Spider-Man 148 - Inferno

Betty Leeds and Flash Thompson encounter demons and not just the ones who've come from Limbo.

Spectacular Spider-Man #148

Script: Gerry Conway
Art: Sal Buscema
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Betty Leeds has been staying with Flash Thompson since she was rescued from a cult. She has a vision in which her former husband Ned rises from the grave along with Gwen Stacey and Spider-Man who admits he isn't even dead. Coming to her senses she and Flash opt to stay in the flat, the only occupants of the building to do so, and keep out the demons. Flash tells her not to use the gas heater from his camping equipment indoors because of the danger. He goes up to the roof to board up the door only to be attacked by Spider-Man. Down in the apartment the decayed corpse of Ned breaks through a window and chases after Betty. Flash is webbed to the television antenna by Spider-Man who removes the connection to the lightning rod so that the next bolt to hit will kill Flash. Flash releases himself with a screwdriver and realises this isn't Spider-Man. He pulls off "Spidey's" mask to reveal a monstrous face. In the flat Betty hides in a living room and remembers the men she depended on who died including her brother Bennett and then Ned when she sees an image of Ned's ghost telling her she can't depend on them and she has to save herself. She determines to take control and confronts the corpse form which reveals itself to be a demon impersonating her husband. Flash and the demonic Spider-Man crash off the roof and into the flat whereupon Betty shoves the camping gas heater into one of the demons and tells Flash to run as she's broken the valve. They get out just before it explodes, killing both demons. Outside they see things returning to normal and the Empire State Building its regular size. Spider-Man swings by in the distance and they realise they were saved not by heroes outside but the heroes within them.

The final Spider-Man issue of Inferno is an oddity, detached from the rest. Was it a product of confusion over the schedules or did somebody feel that with so many other members of the supporting cast given moments throughout the crossover it was right to look in on Betty and Flash? Either way we get a very close and personal tale in which the star of the book only appears in one panel. Instead there's a focus on two individuals and how they have developed.

Betty Leeds (née Brant) has not a good time over the years. She was Peter's girlfriend but his responsibility as Spider-Man kept coming between them. Her brother was shot dead right in front of her. She married Ned Leeds but it was an unhappy marriage and she twice had affairs. Then she discovered was the Hobgoblin and he was killed not long after. She had a breakdown and ended up in the hands of a cult until Spider-Man and Flash rescued her. It's been a pretty rough ride for her and time and again she's come to rely on others, losing so many along the way. Now even Flash isn't present when the demon comes into the flat. The scenes as she realises that only she can save herself are strong though tempered by inspiration coming from what appears to be the ghost of Ned but could just be her subconscious speaking.

Flash also gets some good moments as he thinks about both the situation in the city and his own situation, reflecting on how he's come from the days as a high school sports star but also that he regrets some of the choices he took. Spider-Man is still his hero which makes the demon taking his form all the more hurtful. The demon plays on how he clings to past glories and his hero worship of the real Spider-Man. But Flash proves he still has what he needs as he manages to break free of his bonds and then use his sports experience to fight the demon (who unmasked looks rather like Spider-Carnage later would - was this where the inspiration came from?) and dodge the attacks. Again it's a tale of personal discovery.

This is a surprising good little tale that could be easily overlooked. It doesn't contain big name villains or major developments but instead gives two of the longest standing supporting cast members their own chance to shine in a situation where there's no help coming. It shows that you don't need flashy moments or big names but just good well told stories and strong characters.

Amazing Spider-Man 313 - Inferno

Multiple searches for family members see the unexpected slithering in.

Amazing Spider-Man #313

Writer: David Michelinie
Art: Todd McFarlane
Lettering: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharen & John Wilcox
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Peter and Mary Jane take a taxi out to Aunt May's house in Queens, narrowly avoiding a giant shark swimming in the air of the Midtown Tunnel. In Queens they learn Aunt May has headed off to Manhattan to find them so Peter sets off again, missing Aunt May who returns as public transport is down. Meanwhile Martha and Billy Connors are driving into New York to see their estranged husband/father who has recently got control over his transformation into the Lizard. However in New York Curt Connors has lost control amidst the Inferno. Spider-Man searches for May and concludes she may have gone to the university campus so heads there, dealing with a giant parade balloon of himself that has come to life on the way. On campus a possessed security guard lures Martha and Billy into the library and unleashes demons from the card catalogue but the Lizard intervenes as he wants them for himself. Then Spider-Man arrives, knocks out the Lizard and administers the formula to cure him. At first it doesn't work and he realises he needs an electric shock to reinforce it. The Lizard's left arm proves to be under the control of Connors and grabs a cable and applies it to transform him back. Curt tells his wife and son they must stay away from him and he will make arrangements through an intermediary. Mary Jane arrives by cab and tells Spidey May is safe at home. Meanwhile in a prison Jonathan Caesar consults a lawyer about a plan to destroy Mary Jane.

It's hard to shake the feeling that the Inferno issues of Amazing Spider-Man were structured in part to allow Todd McFarlane the opportunity to draw a number of classic Spider-Man villains, many of whom haven't been seen in the title for a very long time. It's also hard to ignore the feeling that the Amazing issues are deliberate action heavy whilst the Spectacular and Web ones have many subplots due to the respective artists' strengths and interests.

The Lizard is one of the more difficult villains of the Lee-Ditko era to do much original with. Curt Connors only rarely transforms into him and his reptilian form is rarely able to engage in subtlety or planning. Instead a typical Lizard plot see Connors become the creature who terrorises those around him whilst planning some scheme to have lizards overrun humans often through transforming them. Spider-Man fights the Lizard and administers a serum to revert him to Connors who is seemingly permanently cured but a later story will show that is not the case. The main obstacle to development seems to be the determination to always rescue Connors from his reptilian form which means the latter can never do anything long term or have time to imagine. This issue follows much of the same pattern and indeed from Spidey first encountering the Lizard to Connors re-emerging happens across just five pages.

There are some other moments in the issue such as a random shark appearing in mid air or a parade balloon of Spider-Man coming to life and attacking some kids (including the winner of a competition to appear in an issue) that also requires McFarlane to draw Spider-Man's traditional look that he'd otherwise deviated from. And the final page is a set-up for an interesting plot that sought to solve the objection that Peter shouldn't be married to a high flying model and living in a luxury apartment - by having an obsessive stalker take revenge to get Mary Jane blacklisted in the industry and the couple evicted. It's brutal but it's a much better way to solve that objection than a deal with the devil.

Overall this is another issue that's big on images and light on original plot which was becoming all too common amongst books drawn by some of the future Image founders. McFarlane draws a great Lizard but the story follows the same pattern as many before making for a rather unimaginative outcome. Still it's nice to see the artist made to conform to house style at least once.

Web of Spider-Man 48 - Inferno

The All-New All-Daring Jason Macendale the Replacement Hobgoblin pursues Spider-Man into the sewers.

Web of Spider-Man #48

Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Alex Saviuk
Inker: Keith Williams
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: J. Cohen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Spider-Man briefly hallucinates about the demons and flees the Daily Bugle. Coming to his sense he realises New York is even worse then he imagined and sets off to find Mary Jane. Others deal with the demons in their own way. Gloria Grant's date Eduardo Lobo takes out a fork-lift truck with a pipe, winning her affections. The Kingpin punches a demon into oblivion, irritated by the distraction. Meanwhile the Hobgoblin is struggling with the changes inflicted on him and thinks he's mad when he sees a giant lizard the size of a man. Spotting Spider-Man he follows him as the wallcrawler reaches the studio where Mary Jane had a session then goes down into the sewers where the model and her crew are under attack by demons. The Hobgoblin catches up with Spider-Man and is now much faster and more powerful, with Spider-Man at times barely able to sense his foe's blasts. Meanwhile Mary Jane comes up with the idea of setting off a gas explosion to deal with the demons and when Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin come into view the latter's cape proves highly flammable. Out in Queens Aunt May sees the storm over Manhattan and worries about Peter.

Although Inferno still has two more Spider-Man issues to go we've come to the climax of the Hobgoblin part of the story. However with so much else going on in the issue we get little more than the Hobgoblin coming to terms with how he's been changed, with his face taking time to become truly demonic, and then a brief fight with Spider-Man. But it's sufficient to establish the Hobgoblin's new enhanced powers and gives the character a sense of dignity and menace for about the first time since he took over the costume. It somewhat puts the character's weakness in earlier issues in perspective as they have been setting up his search for strength and greater power whilst it also provides a personal angle to the conflict as the Hobgoblin blames both Spider-Man and Harry Osborn for the events that led him to become a demon and now seeks revenge.

There's a few scenes of other characters with some interesting moments. Harry Osborn pops by Aunt May's and from his thoughts it seems as though he knows Peter helped him last issue - so has he remembered Peter's identity? It's a subtle moment not touched upon for a while. Another mystery comes with the strange super strength of Eduardo Lobo but the standout moment has to be with the Kingpin. Coming out of his office to find his henchman the Arranger and various thugs cowering from a demon in the reception the Kingpin calmly destroys it with one punch and then tells his subordinate to get back to day to day business whilst he makes further plans for dealing with Daredevil. Despite being less than two pages long the scene is promoted on the cover and provides a fantastic moment that is all the better for its briefness.

This issue is struggling to balance the immediate needs and the ongoing storylines but manages to provide a good set of moments to bring a satisfactory conclusion to the Hobgoblin saga that serves to re-energise the character and make him a viable threat going forward.

Spectacular Spider-Man 147 - Inferno

Spider-Man teams up with J. Jonah Jameson whilst the Hobgoblin tries to deal with demons.

Spectacular Spider-Man #147

Script: Gerry Conway
Art: Sal Buscema
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Sharen & Wilcox
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Hobgoblin is frustrated after his battle with Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Still seeking power and encountering the Limbo demons he decides to try seeking it from them. He goes to N'astirh and offers his soul for the power of a demon. N'astirh laughs at the idea he would want such a soul but rewards him for the amusement. A wounded Spider-Man staggers into the Daily Bugle office where he finds Jonah leading the staff in defence against demon attacks and the two find themselves fighting side by side. Elsewhere both Mary Jane and Harry Osborn see off demons whilst Robbie Robertson faces down a panicking neighbour.

This is another multiple cast issue again looking at how many of the supporting cast are handling the ever growing menace. And many are standing their ground firmly with especial courage shown by both Jonah and Mary Jane. When the demons attack the newsroom it's fun to see Spider-Man and Jonah teaming up but there's also a monologue about many of the frustrations of urban living and how for the staff this is just another thing to get through. I don't know if Gerry Conway was still living in New York when he wrote this issue but it does feel like a statement of defiance and pride in a city that had a lot of problems at the time.

But the big focus in this issue comes with the Hobgoblin. Let's cut straight to the chase - Jason Macendale was a lousy loser even long before he first donned this costume. As Jack O'Lantern he frequently screwed up and got his butt handed to him. He couldn't even take down the original Hobgoblin (as he and everyone else thought at the time) himself but had to resort to hiring assassins. As the second Hobgoblin his career so far has consisted of blundering through, getting chucked about to establish the credentials of new villains like Tombstone, equipment malfunctions and so forth. Other underworld figures openly mocked him including to his face. And he spent a lot of time whining about his situation including at the start of this issue.

It's now well established that this situation did not come about by design as briefly discussed when looking at Web of Spider-Man #47. To put a bit more detail the original Hobgoblin's identity was a mystery that got tangled up as multiple writers and editors came and went with their own plans that either made it impossible to establish intended characters as suspects or else ruled them out and the revelation issue was effectively a fill-in commission between regular writers with Peter David discovering to his horror that all the clues led to Ned Leeds who had just been killed off and no other suspect fitted. So came the unusual revelation that the Hobgoblin was Leeds and a replacement was hurriedly found in the form of his killer. And thus the legacy of not one but two of the biggest villains in Spider-Man's history was now held by a loser.

The Inferno issues of the Spider-Man titles seem to be trying multiple ways to resolve this. Putting Harry Osborn back into the Green Goblin costume may at first seem a one-off to allow for a long expected battle and set the Hobgoblin up for the next stage. But it might also have been a deliberate plan to have Harry back as the Green Goblin permanently though as it turned out this would take a little while to happen. However either way something still needed to be done up the Hobgoblin. And the end of the issue shows that's he's been changed by his meeting with N'astirh. Giving him enhanced powers seems a natural step. Having him transformed by a demon is a bit far out from the normal run of Spider-Man foes. Although the crossover provides the opportunity for it to happen, it does seem a rather odd route to go down. But how the changed Hobgoblin will work is a matter for later issues.

Otherwise this issue continues the pattern of Spectacular Spider-Man doing a lot of the subplot and character work whilst the other titles carry the main action. The battle in the Daily Bugle newsroom is hardly essential to the grand scheme of things but provides for a fun encounter and some great moments between Spidey and Jonah. Sal Buscema continues to provide the best Spider-Man art for the period able to capture the full range from the comedic to the dramatic with an especially strong final page as we see the Hobgoblin's face beneath the mask. This is a title living up to its name.

Amazing Spider-Man 312 - Inferno

Inferno brings out the goblins in more ways than one.

Amazing Spider-Man #312

Writer: David Michelinie
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Harry's memories of having been the Green Goblin have returned and he once more dons the costume to protect his family. Meanwhile Curt Connors is wondering if he still has the Lizard under control and Mary Jane is modelling as Cleopatra when gold snake jewellery comes to life. Spider-Man comes across the battle between the two goblins.

It's amazing to realise that the Green Goblin hadn't been seen outside of flashbacks for over a decade at this point. Instead an alternative had been created in the form of the Hobgoblin and although the original had twice confronted Harry Osborn over his father's legacy, Harry had got little further than picking up some pumpkin bombs to throw back. But the goblin legacy was always there and it was probably only a matter of time before someone realised what a mess of a character the second Hobgoblin was and looked elsewhere.

However at this point Harry is only concerned with protecting his family, nothing more, and shows no sign of remembering Spider-Man's identity or seeking revenge upon him. He scoffs at the suggestion that New York could use another crime fighter, declaring he has responsibilities as a married man. It's also clear he is utterly unready for this battle. Time and again he thinks how he's no longer insane and how that had given him an advantage in the past until he eventually realises that rationality could be the way out. The Hobgoblin is clearly the superior fighter but constrained by the intervention of Spider-Man and overconfidence to the point he doesn't realise the Green Goblin has outmanoeuvred him for an aerial bombardment. The Hobgoblin also continues to demand something without actually saying what until the end when Harry tells him it was destroyed years ago and "You're an idiot." A narrative caption adds "Sometimes -- the truth hurts!" Although not too blunt it continues the habit of treating the character as a fool and of little danger to a competent experienced foe.

Neither goblin is the original and with Harry having only just got back onto the glider there's a clear limitation to this battle that reduces the impact. But an eventual confrontation between the different heirs to the Goblin legacy had been much expected for several years and it's good to see it finally happen. A rematch when both have had further development is naturally anticipated here.

This is very much the action issue with limited development of subplots beyond showing that the Lizard is returning for a future issue and a surge of demons coming into New York to make things even worse. Presumably this is a deliberate structuring to put the main battle in the series with the future Image artist drawing a lot of splash artwork and leave the more character and plot focused developments to the titles with more traditional artists. As a result the main attraction is the long awaited battle and the art doesn't disappoint.

Web of Spider-Man 47 - Inferno

The series finds a writer who will last a good while.

Web of Spider-Man #47

Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Alex Saviuk
Inker: Keith Williams
Letters: R. Parker
Color: J. Cohen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Whilst New York continues to experience random demonic madness and Peter and Mary Jane briefly stay with Aunt May, placing Kristy with her for a time, the Hobgoblin is searching for something first at the ruins of the Osborn chemical factory and then later at Harry Osborn's home out just outside the city. Peter is visiting Harry to find him obsessed with finding something when the Hobgoblin attacks demanding Harry give him some unspecified formula. Peter becomes Spider-Man and fights back but the Hobgoblin is only sent away when Harry claims the formula can be found in the safe at his factory. The whole situation is contributing to Harry's anxiety as he realises the face in the mirror was his own.

Web of Spider-Man had long been the runt of the litter. Launched back in 1984 as a replacement for Marvel Team-Up (at a time when team-up books where generally fading away; reportedly this was because it was one of the concepts that did not transfer well from the newsstands to the direct market) it soon got into a creative mess. A glance at the credits would suggest that a new Spider-Man editor ditched the initial creative team of Louise Simonson and Greg LaRocque (carried over from Marvel Team-Up) too rapidly then struggled to find not only replacements but also a purpose for the book. There was a brief period when it focused on Peter Parker going out of New York with reporter Joy Mercado on assignments for Jonah's magazine but that ended after a terrible story involving the Troubles in Northern Ireland with David Michelinie and Marc Silvestri hurriedly moved on and the series then drifted into an almost permanent fill-in without even making a virtue of being a showcase book. The presence of Spider-Man's name in the title kept it as one of the top sellers but something had to give. By this time the series had finally found a lasting penciller with Alex Saviuk having reached nearly a year (albeit with the odd issue skipped for other projects) and he would go on to chalk up nearly seven years in total on the book but no writer had done more than seven issues in a row. Until now.

At first glance it appears that this and the next issue were simply assigned to a regular writer on one of the other Spider-Man books simply to make it easier to co-ordinate the crossover. But after one further issue by a passing writer Conway would stay around for nearly two years and together with Saviuk the title would finally get some stability. Perhaps some warning siren should have sounded that only two lasting Spider-Man writers could be found at any given time and maybe there should have been a reassessment of the need to have three separate Spider-Man titles on the market although it probably wasn't commercially viable at the time to simply cancel one and permanently double the frequency of another. But for now big things were finally happening in the title.

This is the second Hobgoblin and already signs of problems with the character are apparent. How the original Hobgoblin's identity was revealed and the situation that led to the character being killed off and replaced by Jason Macendale (previously Jack O'Lantern) has been discussed in many places as a sign of the general editorial mess in an earlier period of the title. It's not worth going into detail here save for noting that one consequence was that one of Spider-Man's major foes was now a character generally treated as a loser whose incompetence often led to his downfall. Here it's notable that he charges in on the attack and doesn't stop to specify just what he is searching for. A more rational approach would have been to capture Liz and little Normie Osborn as hostages then calmly present his demands to Harry. This is basically what the original Hobgoblin had done although by that stage the only secrets of the original Green Goblin to be discovered was a notebook with a duplicate list of hideouts already raided. But this Hobgoblin was never written as being on the same level as the original. Instead he was all too often a mindless thug to hit first, think later and was sometimes used to demonstrate other foes' strength such as when Tombstone had thrown him out of the Kingpin's window in one of his earliest appearances. Although he presents a clear danger to civilians such as the Osborns and does make good use of some new weapons such as a tear gas sprayer, one way or another something needed to be done about the legacy of the Green Goblin to have a more dangerous goblin foe.

The Hobgoblin's not the only one who doesn't think things through too carefully. Peter is very concerned that Harry may come to remember his identity as Spider-Man yet he changes into costume to deal with the Hobgoblin all too quickly and makes no attempt to protect his identity such as suggesting he's been following the goblin or declaring that he's got Peter to safety. At the end he swings away to go to Manhattan with no indication that Peter would make a further appearance. It may be a convention of the genre that those around the hero don't notice such things very often but this is in a storyline when Peter is especially concerned about keeping his secret.

This issue serves to reintroduce the Hobgoblin and set him up as a threat to Harry Osborn but also demonstrates well how something needed to be done to get past the mess that had been left by replacing the character in the first place. It also shows a Spider-Man surprisingly casual about his secret identity. This may have been a rush assignment given the wider problems on the book but it isn't the best start for a permanent writer.

Spectacular Spider-Man 146 - Inferno

Harry Osborn is attacked by his factory pipes and a face in the mirror.

Spectacular Spider-Man #146

Script: Gerry Conway
Art: Sal Buscema
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Spider-Man deals with a ventilation pipe that's come to life then heads home where Peter and Mary Jane are continuing to handle the problems of having MJ's young cousin Kristy living with them. Joe "Robbie" Robertson has decided to plead guilty to charges of not speaking out about a murder twenty years ago. A lot of mob lieutenants are found slaughtered in a sign someone is gunning for the Kingpin. J. Jonah Jameson is not happy with his acting editor-in-chief's choice of headline for the Daily Bugle. Glory Grant literally bumps into a man who sweeps her off her feet. Harry Osborn has moved his family back to his old home on Long Island but is suffering nightmares from a face in the mirror. Outside the Hobgoblin is flying around. He meets Peter at his New York factory when suddenly the pipes come to life and attack him. And it seems his memories of the past are returning.

This is an issue mainly advancing subplots. It had been less than a year since Gerry Conway had returned to the title and already a huge number of plot lines are in motion. Some will come to the fore in Inferno but others would run on afterwards. One that particularly stands out is Robbie's impending trial. Earlier issues had revealed how in his youth he had become aware of Tombstone's activities but pulled a story due to intimidation. Later he witnessed Tombstone murdering a man but did not report it at the time. When Tombstone re-emerged Robbie collected and supplied evidence of his crimes to get him sent down but found himself charged with "accessory to murder after the fact" or "misprision of felony" over his failure to report the murder twenty years earlier. There's something that doesn't sit right about the way a witness is prosecuted for being intimidated even if he has gone on to reach a highly respectable position in society. Robbie's acceptance of the situation and decision to plead guilty just makes it more awkward.

Other plots are more simmering and show Conway has a good grasp on the supporting cast. Together with Sal Buscema's artwork, which I much prefer to Todd McFarlane's over on Amazing Spider-Man, this gives this title quite a traditional feel that's also using the current situation to the advantage. Getting married usually doesn't bring just a spouse but also in-laws and so it's good to see Peter having to deal with the situation of one of Mary Jane's relatives staying with all the complications of having to conceal his identity at home and also with the problems she brings with her. There are also some fun moments, especially when Jonah comes onto the Bugle's editorial floor to berate acting editor-in-chief Kate Cushing about the headline and shows her how it should be done.

But the main focus in this issue and indeed of the Spider-Man Inferno issues as a whole involves Harry Osborn and the Hobgoblin. Harry has come to terms with his father having been the Green Goblin but long suppressed the memory of having taken on the role himself despite the original Hobgoblin having twice come after him. Now though his dreams are bringing memories back to the surface and it's not helped by the way his factory comes to life to attack him. The shadow of his dead father is looming again and the issue ends with him seeing the Green Goblin's face in the mirror.

This is very much a calm before the storm issue, building up the characters and especially re-establishing the backstory to Harry Osborn and the Green Goblin. It's good to see the series in such strong hands with a fantastic cliffhanger.

Amazing Spider-Man 311 - Inferno

Spider-Man must deal with the consequences of the death of a would-be hero.

Amazing Spider-Man #311

Writer: David Michelinie
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharen & Evelyn Stein
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Outside New York's main library two lion statues come to life and Spider-Man tackles them. Swinging down an alley he rescues a couple from a mugging when a wall suddenly turns into a giant and attacks him. One of the couple tries to help by hitting the giant's ankle and gets crushed into the ground. Spider-Man destroys the giant by throwing a car through it but the man's death eats away at him and over the next day Peter is permanently distracted. Then at a bar he steps in to help subdue a bully and Mary Jane explains that like the man in the alley Peter stepped in to help regardless because that's who he is and the man died of his own choice. Peter comes to accept the situation and as Spider-Man he goes to retrieve his camera from the alley - only to discover there's no sign of the fight as if it was all an illusion. After getting information from the mugger he locates and overpowers the true cause - Mysterio.

Up to this point the Spider-Man titles had generally avoided crossovers especially those that required the creative teams to all work together. Kraven's Last Hunt and Mad Dog Ward were each done by a single creative team and run over all three titles instead of in just one. Secret Wars II crossovers had dipped in and out of the three series but never involving more than two at any given point. The crossovers with Inferno were thus the first time all three books would come together to tell a linked story though at this stage the only hint is on the final page as Harry Osborn deals with dreams about a goblin not realising another is watching his house. It was quite a significant step forwards though it would take several years before all then four titles would regularly crossover for years on end. Reportedly it was also unpopular with some readers at the time who either only subscribed to one of the series or who didn't have all three easily distributed in their neck of the woods which in part explains why it remained a rare thing. But it makes sense to tie the series together when taking part in a bigger crossover rather than giving three separate storylines within one big event.

This first issue is surprisingly tame though and rather working through the obvious. In a scenario where everyday objects are suddenly coming to life and attacking people there's an obvious suspect within the Spider-Man rogues' gallery. So it makes sense to get him out of the way. This is a pretty straightforward Mysterio story in which he fakes a situation to make Spider-Man doubt himself with a showdown on the set of a science fiction movie ("Star Fight IV: The Return of the Sequel") with some special effects. It's perhaps over simple with the scenes with Mysterio over focused on splashy art at the expense of plot, a sign of what would come to be called the Image style growing in prominence at the time. As a result this is a rather dull start to the Spider-Man part of the crossover.

Avengers Annual 17 - The Evolutionary War

The High Evolutionary's genetic bomb is ready to detonate - and the Avengers have disbanded.

(Once again we have an annual with a lot of creators so some of the labels are in a separate post.)

Avengers Annual #17

1st story: Prometheus Mutans!
Writing: Walter Simonson
Penciling: Mark Bright
Inking: Mike & Valerie Gustovich
Lettering Oakley, Heisler, Parker
Coloring: Evelyn Stein
Editing: Mark Gruenwald
Editing in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Avengers' Hydrobase receives an emergency call from the resurrected Jocasta about the imminent detonation of the High Evolutionary's genetic bomb. But the team has disbanded so the computers summon as many reserve Avengers as it can contact. Thus Captain America, the Falcon, Hercules, the Beast, the Hulk and the second Yellowjacket come to the island to deal with the emergency. First they travel to a base on Long Island where they rescue Jocasta and discover the detail of the Evolutionary's plans. They then head to the Pacific where they find a war breaking out between the undersea kingdoms of Lemuria and Atlantis due to false information supplied by the Evolutionary who sends in a weapon to sterilise the two opposing forces. Finally the three pursue the Evolutionary's submarine base to Krakatoa where the bomb will be detonated in the volcano to spread all over the world. The Avengers battle both the Evolutionary's forces and themselves but the cost is high.

As discussed when looking at Avengers #298 this was a period when the Avengers had disbanded and it would take a little time for a permanent new team to be put together. In the meantime that allowed Walter Simonson to have some fun and bring together a one-off team. Some have wished that this line-up could have become the new Avengers permanently but it's hard to see it working in the long run. For one thing no less than three of the characters were regularly appearing in other series (Captain America and the Incredible Hulk had their own titles whilst the Beast was a part of X-Factor) and if it was difficult enough to co-ordinate the appearances of traditional Avengers such as Captain America it would have been a nightmare to fit in with the continuity of the other books even if one of them was written by the Avengers' writer's spouse. But there's also a strong element of dysfunctionality built into the team. The Hulk is in his "Joe Fixit" era of an amoral mob enforcer who shows reluctance to get involved with saving the world, is no team player and also tries to steal power for himself. Yellowjacket is a criminal drawn in purely because the helmet she stole from the original picked up the summons; she was one of the Masters of Evil who occupied the Avengers Mansion beating up Hercules to an inch of his life and also torturing Captain America (although she herself was not one of the ones who directly did either of those) and both still have strong memories of that. Captain America is on the outs with the US government in this era (with a replacement using the name and costume) which would make it difficult for him to assume a role heading a formally accredited superhero team. Jocasta is highly vulnerable. Only the Falcon could easily stay around in such a line-up at this time.

There's also a question of superhero ethics. The traditions of heroes not killing were under strain by this time and some of the team have no qualms about leaving foes to go to their death or even sending them there. Others less so. But oddly this isn't dwelt on here even though the Hulk charges into the Long Island base and kills all but one of the Gatherers present (though the bodies are not shown on panel). Later the Beast and Captain America willingly implement an idea by the Falcon to set the Gatherers and New Men against each other by playing on the former's prejudices and the result is a lot of killing. Then Hercules battles the High Evolutionary until he is "discorportating". Finally the surviving Avengers flee the submarine as the self-destruct is activated but make no effort to take the surviving Gatherers and New Men with them. Superhero comics were getting ever more darker and just a few years later the regular Avengers series would see the heroes facing the question of whether or not to kill so some of these developments aren't too surprising. But it's odd that there's little acknowledgement here of what the Avengers have been forced to do.

The plot does meander a little and it's hard to escape the feeling that the scenes involving Lemuria and Atlantis were added simply to pad this story out to fill the entire annual (bar six pages for the saga chapter at the end). But it gives lots of good character moments with the Beast especially benefitting as he combines strength, science and humour. Yellowjacket has found herself dragged into all this against her will and is completely scared by the whole situation but comes to the fore first in finding the bomb and then in attacking the Evolutionary long enough to buy time for Hercules. Though unspoken it also gives her a moment of redemption for her past.

There's some dodgy science afoot. The Evolutionary's powers seem incredible here including being able to teleport the Hulk all the way out of the base to the Nevada desert and twice making special cages appear out of nowhere to hold one or more Avengers. The Avengers decide the only way to counter him is to come up with their own super being and so subject Hercules to the genetic accelerator to create their own superbeing. The two fight to destruction with the High Evolutionary blasted into particles and Hercules mutating beyond godhood and out of the plane of existence. For a story rooted around a scientist's grand vision the conclusion has at times felt almost too magical to work. There's also the continued misuse of the term "evolution" when the mutations are done to intelligent design - or intelligent accident as the case may be. Fortunately the ending feels more scientific as a dying Jocasta plugs herself into the submarine's systems and activates the self-destruct mechanism to destroy the genetic bomb before it can be detonated.

This is a harsh brutal showdown to a big event and it feels appropriate that it's a much smaller team who escape at the end compared to the one that arrived. The High Evolutionary's plans may have meandered all over the set of annuals but here the focus is all too clear and the stakes couldn't be higher. The Avengers line-up here is not one that could have lasted but makes for a good team with its own internal problems facing down a major threat to the whole world in the Marvel tradition. Although the story is overlong and could have done with the Lemuria and Atlantis element it nevertheless makes for a strong climax to what has been a rather disappointing crossover.


2nd story: The High Evolutionary: Beyond Life
Story: Mark Gruenwald
Breakdowns: Ron Lim
Finishes: Tony DeZuniga
Letters: M. Yee & J. Rosen
Colors: Gregory Wright
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Chief: Tom DeFalco

The final chapter recounts the High Evolutionary's last appearances before this event. It's a straightforward summary of how Counter-Earth was moved across space by a race of alien beings call the Beyonders and placed in a museum with the whole encounter convincing the Evolutionary that despite being the most evolutionary advanced human in existence he was not a god but merely insignificant. This led to despair as he sought to commit suicide but found himself trapped in his armour that prevented him from using his powers on himself. So he manipulated the Hulk into attacking him to rip open the armour then he devolved himself all the way down to a single celled organism. The final page shows how the armour restored both itself and its occupant, who now regained his confidence and concluded that humanity on its own would never evolve to the level of the aliens he had seen and instead the race as a whole needed a guiding hand which he would give.

This final chapter shows how the character had come back to life after what seemed to be a pretty conclusive death and uses the last stories to provide a convincing explanation as to how the character has expanded the scope of his vision to the scheme seen in the event. It also restores an element of dignity that was lacking in the final Hulk story. As a later chapter recounting ongoing comics rather than stitching together multiple backstories the result is invariably straightforward but it serves to bring readers up to date with the character and provide a springboard for the main event.


Because of the length of the main story there are no other back-ups or features in this annual. Instead the whole thing is devoted to the resolution of the big crossover. Space could have easily been found for features by trimming off the unnecessary part of the main tale but that raises the question of just what would have been contained in the features since there was no regular Avengers team at the time. Also with issue #300 on the horizon it was perhaps better to leave the features for that and instead here have an extended climax to ensure the whole event goes out with a bang.

Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 8 - The Evolutionary War

Spider-Man faces new revelations about the Original Clone Saga.

Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8

1st story: Return to Sender
Script: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Lettering: Rick Parker
Inks: Keith Williams
Color: Bob Sharon
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The High Evolutionary is making a couple of final investigations in this penultimate chapter of the event. He goes out into space to investigate the Young Gods, a group of twelve humans genetically advanced by the various pantheons on Earth and taken away by the Celestials, but judges them "only children with god-like powers" and leaves to continue his plans. However Daydreamer reads his mind and discovers his plan with the Young Gods dividing in two over whether they should seek to stop him or not interfere in human destiny. One faction goes to confront the Evolutionary on Earth with the other following to stop them. Meanwhile Spider-Man encounters the Purifiers chasing a woman and is shocked to discover she resembles his dead former girlfriend Gwen Stacy. He soon realises this is her clone and catches up with her when she is captured by the Purifiers. Transported back to the Evolutionary's base Spidey gets caught up in the battle between the Purifiers and the Young Gods whilst the Evolutionary makes a careful study of Gwen's clone and comes to a startling revelation.

There's a lot going on in this annual so let's get the biggest problem out of the way first. The Young Gods simply do not fit into Spider-Man's world. They are a very obscure group of characters originally introduced by Gerry Conway in his early 1970s run on Thor with a later writer refining them and adding the Celestial connection. They have had very few appearances over the years, primarily because few other writers have touched them and Conway was either not at Marvel or working on inappropriate series. Here they just stick out like a sore thumb and it's easy to see why there was no great demand for them to return or be given their own series. The fight scene in the Evolutionary's headquarters (now a giant submarine) could have featured any group of heroes for all the difference it makes. And Daydreamer's role at the end doesn't match her powers which are given in the "Fact Pages" later in the annual as "Limited precognition, verbal and telepathic thought control, the ability to create 'visions'". None of this explains how she is able to neutralise and reverse the effects of a genetic virus that transforms a person "on a cellular level into a near duplicate of the original" and restore "Gwen" to her true self.

This brings us to what the annual should be notable for as the retcon here should by rights have completely stopped one of the most notorious Spider-Man stories of all time. Contrary to myth the heavy retconning of the events of the Original Clone Saga began in the 1980s before anyone had heard of Ben Reilly. The clone of Gwen Stacy had not been seen since the end of the original saga (which was also Conway's last issue of Amazing Spider-Man) when she made her peace with both Peter and what she really was and there was never any real need to bring her back. But here we get the revelation that she isn't a clone after all. The Evolutionary reveals that he wondered how a university professor could have come up with cloning (clearly forgetting that in the Marvel Universe numerous academics have been able to access and develop all manner of advanced technology) and instead that he had developed the genetic virus then kidnapped another woman similar to Gwen and infected her to create what appeared to be a complete genetic duplicate. (Incidentally the name "Joyce Delaney" doesn't appear in this annual despite what some synopses online state.)

There is so much about this that just doesn't make sense. Firstly why is the Evolutionary so concerned about the work of a long dead university professor whose work has left only one remaining clone around? There is nothing indicating that his plans for genetically advancing the human race can be derailed by this. Secondly if cloning was beyond the ability of Warren then how did he come up with the genetic virus? Thirdly if Gwen Stacy wasn't a clone then what about the others? Who was the Spider-Man clone? Carrion claimed to be a clone of Warren gone wrong so who was he actually? Finally if Gwen's clone was actually another woman then how come her disappearance wasn't noticed?

Some of this would be resolved in a forthcoming issue of Spectacular Spider-Man but it began the trend of partial retcons of the Clone Saga that didn't cover every detail and which would require further stories & retcons to clean things up, often including explaining how Carrion fitted into the new version of events. But it's also notable that the revelations in this annual should have closed off the possibility of bringing back any other clones as the genetic virus could simply have been purged from the system. (However instead the annual was largely ignored for much of the Clone Saga with the revelations here simply brushed aside until a persistent assistant editor managed to get the only issue of Scarlet Spider Unlimited to address them. But that's a story for another day.) It's a pity as the genetic virus approach would have been a much easier way to get the story settled once and for all.

It's not clear why (presumably) Conway felt the need to revisit the Clone Saga at all. Was it because there was growing public awareness that cloning did not lead to fully grown identical duplicates being made in laboratories? Was it to shut down the possibility of other writers bringing back the clones? If so then it was spectacularly unsuccessful. But the result is a big retcon of a story from thirteen years earlier that could have just left things there and then.

(On the subject of continuity this story also repeats a common continuity error by Conway. For some reason he repeatedly got the details of Peter's high school years wrong, here claiming that Peter and Mary Jane knew each other then when in fact they didn't meet until Peter was at university. Time and again he would make this error and also imply that Peter had dated Liz Allen in high school with Mary Jane disliking her then. This has appeared so many times and so clearly in his Spider-Man stories from both the 1970s and 1980s that it can't be a mere misinterpretation.)

This annual would have worked a lot better as an earlier chapter in The Evolutionary War when it would have made more sense for the High Evolutionary to be exploring genetic anomalies as he is a natural character to use to explore the truth behind Warren's experiments. It doesn't feel like a penultimate chapter at all and instead feels like a fill-in marking time between the two Avengers annuals. The obsession with the Young Gods also weighs this story down further. However there are some good moments such as the two scenes between Peter and Mary Jane as they face the memory of Gwen and just what it says about their relationship with each other. But overall this is a mess of a story weighed down by a disproportionate focus on inappropriate guest stars and a needless retcon that makes little sense.


2nd story: Opposing forces
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inker: Mike Esposito
Letters: Rick Parker
Color: Bob Sharon
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Several of the Young Gods have travelled to Jerusalem where they discover an ancient robot buried in the hills that feeds off anger and is triggered by the presence of the Young Gods and an Israeli army patrol fighting a group of teenage Palestinian protestors. The Young Gods argue over whether to get involved and charge in but only achieve success when several come together to form the Uni-Mind.

Rather than a back-up focusing on some Spider-Man characters we instead get a solo tale for the Young Gods that shows off the differences in their philosophies about getting involved with human affairs as well as a demonstration of their powers and a rather forced message about the power of working together. This tale just shows why the Young Gods have not interested other writers as they're a rather dull cliched set of characters. Putting the story here along with five "Fact Pages" about them just adds to the sense that they've taken over Spider-Man's annual unnecessarily. It ends with a caption announcing "To Be Continued... Watch future issues of Spectacular Spider-Man to find out where!" but instead they wouldn't be seen again until a multipart story in Marvel Comics Presents in the early 1990s. And it's easy to see why. This is just a waste.


3rd story: The High Evolutionary: Kindred Spirits
Story: Mark Gruenwald
Breakdowns: Ron Lim
Finishes: Tony DeZuniga
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colors: Gregory Wright
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Chief: Tom DeFalco

This chapter tells of how the High Evolutionary returned to mortal form albeit far more advanced than contemporary humans, the creation of Counter-Earth and his relationship with Adam Warlock. The Counter-Earth saga has a notably more scientific approach and veers away from the Biblical parallel of the original story whilst there's also a retelling of the final (for then) showdown between Warlock and the High Evolutionary.

Once more the saga is retelling past Marvel stories though the encounter with Warlock was another flashback due to his own title ending before it could happen (although it was prophesised) and he was soon after killed off. That was one of Mark Gruenwald's earliest pieces of continuity surgery so with this chapter he has now come full circle. Also coming full circle is the way the Evolutionary starts and ends the chapter in his energy thought form, almost as though anyone missing this annual (such as someone who read both Avengers books but not the crossovers) would not feel they were missing something. However it's a pity that the reasons behind Warlock's false belief that Counter-Earth has been destroyed is not explained here beyond speculation that his Soul Gem is interfering with his perception. Otherwise it's a straightforward summary of a distinct period of the Evolutionary's appearances.

Other material includes "The Young Gods Fact Pages!" outlining their origin and each of the characters. Yet again it reinforces the idea that this annual wants to be a Young Gods annual. For some reason a lot of 1980s Spider-Man annuals have a tendency to forget who was the star of the series and suggests that many creators were longing for the days of Marvel Team-Up. This is especially disappointing given how important the revelation in this annual should have been for Spider-Man continuity in the long-term.

Alf Annual 1 - The Evolutionary War

There's an alien life form on Earth and meeting the High Evolutionary could be the least chaotic thing to happen to him.

Marvel wasn't just publishing superhero comics in 1988. One of their lasting series was Alf, based on the popular sitcom of the time and its spin-off cartoons. I have to admit to barely remembering the series. Some of the live action episodes were shown here in ITV before it got transferred to Sky which we didn't have. I don't think the cartoons were ever shown here. And I completely missed both the US comic and its UK reprints (both under its own title and in the Marvel Bumper Comic) so this annual is the only time I've ever encountered the comics.

I'll say upfront - this is a comedy comic not a superhero adventure one and so should be approached as such. It's also got many more stories than the average annual so let's see how much they pack in and how comprehensible it is.


Alf Annual #1

1st story: The Return of Rhonda

Story: Michal Gallagher
Pencils: Dave Manak
Inks/Colors: Marie Severin
Letters: Rick Parker
Editor: Sif Jacobson
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The first story is a sequel to an episode from the live action series in which Alf (or Gordon Shumway to give him his real name but "Alf" is how he's usually referred to) got in contact with his old girlfriend from Melmac and nearly went away with her to found a new planet. Now Rhonda has crashed on Earth and wants Alf to come with her. He takes time to make up us mind and in the meantime the Tanner family have to put up with having another Melmacian about.

Visually the characters seem to be based on the cartoon rather than the live action show and Dave Manak has a good cartoony style that works well for such an unconventional sitcom. This story has the right idea of introducing the basic set-up through a visiting character but then fumbles by making it a sequel to a specific television episode that not everyone may have seen and threatening a change to the dynamic. Although Alf was a massive it back in the day it's not too wise to make a special too impenetrable.

There are some good moments in the story, particularly Brian Tanner's reaction to the prospect of Alf leaving or the culture clash as Rhonda inflicts her cooking on Kate, perfume on Lynn and car engineering on Willie. It soon becomes clear how this series conforms to the stock sitcom family of well-meaning father, nurturing mother, teenager, precocious child and eccentric live-in (sort of) relative though it's not so obvious as to just why the Tanners are so attached to Alf such that they have taken him in and are happy to see him stay.

This story is a fun wacky sitcom piece but as someone coming to the series effectively cold it doesn't do the best job at introducing the set-up.


2nd story: Back to Human Nature
Gallagher/Manak/Severin
(The credits for each remaining story are just three surnames with no specific roles given.)

This is a tale of the Tanners and Alf going on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park. On the first night Alf goes chasing after a bobcat and he and Willie then find themselves lost in the dark and having to deal with the local wildlife. It's quite a simple plot that lends itself to some good situation moments such as Alf chasing after the bobcat without realising how dangerous it is or the moment where Willie grabs what he thinks is Alf in a cave and runs out only to find he's picked up a bear cub - with the parent following him. It's just the sort of tale a classic summer special should have.


3rd story: Safe at Home
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Willie takes Brian and Alf to watch a baseball game from a private box where the alien can't be seen. But Alf is used to a very different audience etiquette and when he gets excited his nose lights up very brightly...

As someone who doesn't understand baseball it's fortunate that this strip is based around the situation in the viewing box rather than the details of the game and the critical moments are easy to understand. The comedy as Alf starts playing a trumpet to the national anthem or using a repulsor to interfere with the ball make for good culture clash moments whilst Willie and Brian's reaction to the moment when the game is lost is understandable for any sports fan no matter what the sport.


4th story: You Give Me Fever
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Alf is taken ill with a strange Melmacian disease - influence-a in which he acts out delusions brought about by media and the Tanners have to indulge him whilst keeping him in the house. First he thinks he's General Patton putting them through training, then a sleazy reporter revealing Willie and Kate's secrets then finally Robin Hood tying them up and preparing to give away their things. It's a one joke story that just about avoid outstaying its welcome though some of the delusions are especially silly particularly the reporter.


5th story: A Campy Approach
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

Brian is going away for summer camp and looking forward to it. But Alf is from a world where summer camps are punishments and he becomes convinced that this is what Brian has been sent to. So he devises a plan to travel to the camp and liberate Brian.

This is another culture clash story with Alf's misunderstanding and determination to save Brian from a terrible fate having hilarious consequences. There's a fun scene when Willie is phoned up to be asked a trivia question about a movie and Alf assumes the conversation is about other horrific camps. Later Alf disguises himself as a gorilla and Willie has to set minds at ease. But the best fun comes at the end as Kate gives Alf the most appropriate punishment. This is the highlight of the annual as a good extended comedy situation that explores the scenario fully.

At on point a projection of the High Evolutionary's head appears and demands to question Alf but it's not a convenient time so he agrees to come back in a couple of days. It's an odd interlude leading into the final story.


6th story: You Say You Want an Evolution?
Gallagher/Manak/Severin

This final two page strip sees the Evolutionary materialise in the Tanner house one night to talk to Alf and determine that he is not a threat to human development before cleansing Alf's memory of the incident. Alf declares the whole thing a nightmare and the consequence of reading eleven Marvel annuals before going to bed.

It's a fun little trailer for the whole event and it maintains a good ambiguity about whether Alf is in the Marvel universe or not. The High Evolutionary spoke at Alf's graduation and is in character but Alf is also aware of the existence of Marvel comics telling the story. But then many a comedy strip has broken the fourth wall in such a manner. It's also notable that the eleven annuals seen include ones for Daredevil, Thor and (seemingly) Alpha Flight. Did the final cut come late in the day or was this just an acknowledgement of series left out?

Overall this is a nice little link to Marvel's big event without descending into parody or overwhelming a comedy title. It's surprising more wasn't made of this as it's a good way to draw readers in to try some variation.


There's no bonus material as such in the annual but oddly there is an advert for itself that reproduces the cover and curiously notes it's from "Star Comics" when that imprint had now been wound up and in any case was never used for the series. There's also a two-page strip advert for the Bullwinkle and Rocky series.

It's a pity that the cover has a limited relationship to the contents. It's apparently based on a dream sequence in the television series but out of context it just looks like a crazy moment. Also there's not as much holiday content (let alone Alf draining Willie Tanner's savings) as promised.

As a whole this annual is very different from the other ones I've been looking at. There are far more stories but they're all focused on the core characters. Comedy series often rely heavily on gags and incidents rather than extended plots so it's unfair to criticise the story structures. It's a pity the first story is a direct sequel to an episode of the television series as it would have been better to introduce things for readers less familiar with every episode. I'm not sure how many readers actually were brought in by The Evolutionary War tie-in - it's prominent on the cover but this annual is not mentioned in the others or on the standard list so many could easily overlook it. But it's a good comedy piece and a reminder of a time when Marvel reached out to a broader range of readers. For that it's worth seeking out.

Web of Spider-Man Annual 4 - The Evolutionary War

Spider-Man finds a book tour takes him into chaos in the Everglades.

Web of Spider-Man Annual #4

1st story: Sweet Poison
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Cynthia Martin
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Janet Jackson
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Peter Parker is on a tour promoting his book of Spider-Man photographs and gets caught up in the attempts by the Slug's men to secure a reserve supply of drugs for New York, following up on the supply problems established in the Punisher and Amazing Spider-Man chapters of The Evolutionary War. Meanwhile the High Evolutionary has sent his Eliminators and Purifiers to the Everglades to find the Nexus of All Realities in order to locate alien genetic pollutants that make it through and bond with human hosts, seeking the eliminate both the host and its offspring. The host turns out to be Cecilia, a maid at Peter's motel who has a double life as the being Poison with a second entity inside her. Poison confronts and destroys the Purifiers when they come to her home to eliminate her and her son, then the alien inside her separates off to return home. Meanwhile Spider-Man finds a hidden reserve supply of cocaine in the swamp which leads to a battle between him, the Slug's men, the Eliminators and the Man-Thing.

If this sounds chaotic it's because it is. The cover promises Spider-Man will be battling the Slug (an existing foe previously seen in Captain America) but the Miami drug lord only actually appears on a couple of pages in phone conversations with the Kingpin and demonstrating his ability to use his own fat to asphyxiate a man and he never encounters Spider-Man directly. It's a sign of the problems with this annual as it doesn't really know what it's about.

This story sees the return of Steve Gerber to mainstream Marvel books after many years (and an abortive lawsuit) and a few strips in Marvel Comics Presents but it's not a particular triumph. Far too many elements have been thrown into this story and they don't all meet up. Gerber was never the most conventional of writers but sometimes this could work against him. Web of Spider-Man was a title that still had a reputation for an inability to get a lasting permanent creative team and frequently functioned as little more than a set of fill-in issues though Alex Saviuk was now half a year into what would turn out to be nearly a seven year run so it's unsurprising that the annual wound up being written by an irregular writer. However Gerber doesn't seem to be especially interested in Spider-Man who is used only sparingly with a lot of attention instead devoted to his own new creation Poison, of whom more in the second story. All in all this is easily the worst chapter in The Evolutionary War so far.


2nd story: Night Stalking
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Alex Saviuk
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Janet Jackson
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is the origin story for Poison, telling how Cecilia was one of the Cubans who came to the US in the Mariel boatlift. A university student who got pregnant by Vassily, a Soviet diplomatic attaché, she found her world crumbling around her when she was discovered and Vassily blamed her. Then when giving birth she was visited by the extra dimensional being Ylandris who merged with her and gave her power that remains even now they are separated. Poison is now hunting Vassily for revenge and searching the streets for him.

If this story was setting out to make Poison a viable recurring character to use it fails heavily. Already succumbing to the cliche of an immigrant Hispanic maid and giving her a costume that makes her look like a prostitute, she is now shown walking the streets on a mission of vengeance. There's very little to this story to open the character up for a viable ongoing use and so it's unsurprising that for many years her only other use was a multi-part story in Marvel Comics Presents by Gerber. The origin does make her sympathetic but does nothing to explain why she expects to find Vassily on the streets of Miami.


3rd story: The High Evolutionary: All My Children
Story: Mark Gruenwald
Pencils: Ron Lim
Finishes: Tony DeZuniga
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colors: Gregory Wright
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is a relatively sedate chapter, focusing upon the aftermath of the battle with Cthon as the High Evolutionary finally accepts the existence of the supernatural and that his partner really is possessed by a sixth century sorcerer. But the main focus comes with various children around the mountain. Jessica Drew is released after decades in suspended animation to be raised by the New Man Bova with no real mention of where her father is now that his body has been restored to him. But it's the twins Pietro and Wanda who get the highest turnover of parents. Their birth mother Magda disappears without an explanation given here and so the Evolutionary commissions an aid to find a couple to raise them. The first candidates are Robert and Madeline Frank, whose thoughts touch on their heroic past but they are not explicitly identified here. Madeline is pregnant and the plan is to present all three children as hers which seems a little fanciful. However she dies in childbirth with her own baby stillborn. The twins are presented to Robert as his own but upon news of his wife's death he runs away at super speed. Eventually the twins are given to a Romani couple Django and Marya Maximoff who lost their children in the Second World War with a caption telling us they will grow up to be Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

If this seems convoluted it's because there had already been two retcons of their parentage over their years, first to make them the children of the Golden Age heroes the Whizzer and Miss America and then to make them the children of Magneto. The original stories had sought to explain why each set of parents had been absent from their childhood whether through death, desertion, ignorance or a desire to hide the children's existence from their father out of fear of him (this version predated Star Wars). As a result each version wrote one explanation on top of another and now this saga recounts it all. This is also one of the chapters that could do with more narrative captions to establish the context, particularly of just who the Franks are. It also highlights an inadvertent theme of absent parents as no explanation is given as to where Jonathan Drew now is when his daughter is finally revived even though his possessed body has only recently been at the mountain.

This chapter does its best with what was already a huge continuity mess (and which has been since changed yet again) and manages to present a coherent narrative out of the order of events but can't hide the difficult nature of it. Normally Mark Gruenwald can be given a pass in this saga as he was working with what others had come up with but he was one of the co-plotters of the Avengers issue that introduced Magda to the story and so bore at least some responsibility for what he was working with. What's also surprising is the way that the Maximoff's own children are explicitly identified as having died in the Second World War. Although no date is given for when this chapter is set (beyond Magnus having been there for a decade) even in 1988 chronological problems with linking characters' personal histories to the war were clear and also the original telling of these events didn't mention it. Fortunately the chapter works to present everything in an understandable order but it can't hide the mess it's working with.

Other material includes "The Year in Review!" which is a series of pin-ups by artists including Arthur Adams, John Romita Sr & John Romita Jr, Mike Zeck & Bob McLeod, Cynthia Martin and others not explicitly credited. It's hard to escape the sense that at least some of these are from inventory and were intended as covers and/or promotional pieces rather than being specifically drawn for this annual. Still it's handy to have a catch-up on one of the most intense years in Spider-Man's life which included his wedding, the introduction of one of his most popular foes, the abandonment of his black costume and one of the contenders for his most popular story of all. However this might have been better placed in the first of the three Spider-Man annuals to come out that year instead of the second.

Web of Spider-Man was a title that was still struggling even in its fourth year, having not yet found a writer that would last more than half a dozen issues or so and this annual was at the point where its longest lasting artist had only just reached that particular milestone. So it's natural to expect this annual to be a forgettable tale by a fill-in writer even before coming to the contents. However the main story is just utterly unfocused in trying to balance numerous different elements and the needs of the title character against the desire of the author to push his own creation. The second story doesn't redeem it being the origin of a new character instead of a tale from the regular series's world whilst the saga chapter is a recounting of what was already one of the most convoluted parts of the whole origin. This is a highly disappointing entry in the event.