Spidey Super Stories

Raise your hand if you remember The Electric Company. I see a few hands shooting up - congratulations! We're middle-aged. 

After school in 1980-1981, The Electric Company (and 3...2...1...Contact, Star Blazers and Get Smart, while we're here) were what I watched after school. Of them, I've only ever revisited Star Blazers, so I can't say I remember any of them too well. I have, however, revisited Spidey Super Stories - the Electric Company/ Marvel Comics joint venture that tied in to the wall-crawler's always vocal-less appearances on the EC - a few times over the years. 

For those who've never run across the series, it was an early reader, outside-of-continuity series. No one ever liked it much back in the day, but over time it's developed a bit of a cult following. I've been reading them with my elder daughters (age 5 and 4) the past few weeks and wanted to share some impressions of a random sampling.

1.

2.

THE LIZARD 

(OR AS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW CALLS HIM, "LIZARD MAN")

Just teasing, bro-in-law.

Oh the sitcom possibilities of this labeling set-up.

This also works as just a surreal advertisement. "Come to the new exhibits at the Brookfield Zoo!"

3.

"THAT FLASH THOMPSON IS GOING TO FINALLY GET

WHAT'S COMING TO HIM...!"

4.

I DIDN'T COME HERE TO BE INSULTED

The Mouse is stealing all the cheese.

I've got to say: outside of possible super-villain attack, Spidey would be a pretty awesome babysitter.

5. 

SOME TITLE PAGES

AND BACK COVERS

 

Tom Whedon wrote a fair bit for The Electric Company. RIP.

6.

FACT.

7.

Thought-caption-of-death, right there.

That's Marvel Boy (later renamed Quasar) and Paul the gorilla playing the Luke and Chewbacca parts. I forget the name of the robot already as the composite droid.

...

Does this make Doctor Doom Spidey's (or Quasar's) father in the Electric Company universe?

8.

THE BLOWHARD

This is where things get weird.

Why, Blowhard? You just injure yourself!

9. 

SOME RANDOMS TO CLOSE US OUT

Thank you for joining this installment of The Scenic Route.

"OCTOPUS MEN!"

My daughters laughed for days over this panel.

I'm sure the State Police will handle Mysterio just fine.

Fairly accurate recreation of what actual spiders do when I try to swat them.

I believe him.

I don't know if I have ever seen Peter play tennis in almost 40 years of reading Spider-Man.

Perfectly goddamn reasonable.

~

The above images are all from Spidey Super Stories 13-14, 20, 22-23, 31, 41, 51, and 54-57. Art direction by John Romita, Sr. and Marie Severin.