More Spidey Super Stories

Spidey Super Stories was an out-of-continuity joint production with The Electric Company, a long-running program for the Children's Television Workshop in my earlier years. I've been looking at some of these comics with my kids lately and wanted to share some impressions. Same deal as last time.

Let's start with some:

1.

SCRAMBLED ORIGINS

On the inside cover of every issue were four or five black-and-white panels introducing the Marvel characters appearing in that issue. These panels featured a condensed, almost surreal, and certainly misleading breakdown of their origins and powers. Case in point:

Not even close, but okay, shorthand for kids. More Doom to come.

Or this overview of the Moleman.

This takes up two panels of his five panel origin story.
Or The Lizard:

Technically accurate. More on The Lizard later.
Onto Spider-Woman.

Is he reassuring us or his daughter? Either way, it's not very reassuring.

Just roll with it.

Here's the Plantman.

This is kind of terrifying.
Or how about Mastermind?

No he doesn't.

No he isn't, and no he doesn't. (Okay so it's not Jason Wyngarde.)

...

When it came to Spidey's origin, they did a decent, kid-reading-level job of Peter Parker:

 

 And even a decent job explaining the web-shooters:

And then there's these two panels which condense "With great power comes great responsibility" / the death of Uncle Ben into one "Eureka!" moment. 

2.

QUITE A BIT

WITH DOOM, ACTUALLY

Doom shows up a lot in the random sampling of issues I chose for this round.

This plan comes unraveled when someone unplugs Doom's hypno-machine.
Also, what's with the eyes?

3.

ALSO QUITE A

BIT WITH PAUL

Paul the Gorilla was played by Jim Boyd in the series. He gets quite a few plots in these stories, mostly not feeling like Spidey is his friend and then Spidey / everyone has to prove it. Which is exactly the sort of kid-centered programming that makes sense for kids going into preschool and kindergarten - right down to the fake gorilla.

Spidey - as Paul's stunt double in The Electric Company, except when he isn't - always plays second fiddle to Paul in these escapades.

Oh, Paul.

Jesus, Paul.

4.

SPIDEY STAMPS

5.

THE LIZARD THING

HAS ESCALATED

"Oh, Spidey missed the bottle marked LIZARD CURE that I keep in a TOTALLY DIFFERENT ROOM!"

6.

THE VAMPIRE

I've yet to see an origin/ explanation for the Vampire. He just kinda shows up, Mad magazine style for one or two page asides.

7.

SPIDEY 2020

And like James Polk, having annexed half of Mexico and captured the Funny Bunny in one term of office, Spidey walked away from the White House, never to return.

8.

PETER CRISS?!

9.

OMINOUS

Tomorrow... it ends.

10.

WOMEN'S DAY

I like how everyone in this parade is gorgeous, and all the signs are reasonable. It's a beautiful world of make-believe!

Guess the news hasn't changed much. 

That's Thanos (THANOS) they're passing over to the Central Park beat cops, by the way. I know I used this joke last time but good lord. That'll end well.

11.

RANDOMS

Poor stupid Hulk.

"Will this party be off the hook?"
"Does Gene Motherfucking Shalit mean anything to you? Huh? How about J. Jonah Jameson and this dude in the green coat and orange tie in the forefront? Hook it into my veins.")

I sense a reboot waiting to happen here.

Ditto.

~

All screencaps from Spidey Super Stories #s 1, 9, 11, 19, 21, 25, 26, 29, 32, 35, 36, 39, 42, 49 and 42.  Art direction by JRSR and Marie Severin.