With the Bend Sinister looming and Doctor Strange laid low, it’s up to Spider-Man to save the day. One of the better annuals of the Bronze Age, from the epic team of Denny O’Neil, Frank Miller and Tom Palmer.
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Warlock saves Spider-Man from a runaway rocket, then the two team to battle the Stranger on the moon. Bill Mantlo doesn’t demonstrate much of a feel for “cosmic” stories here, but the art from John Byrne is quite nice.
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Things go from bad to worse as Spider-Man finds himself imprisoned, with Hulk and Woodgod, within the mysterious Tranquility Base. Bill Mantlo’s script is just so-so, but the big draw here is a young John Byrne’s quickly improving art.
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The Hulk stumbles across a deserted New Mexico town and soon comes to blows with Woodgod. Plus, appearances by Spider-Man and the X-Men! John Byrne gets his first crack at drawing Marvel’s merry mutants, but the results are less than spectacular.
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Spider-Man battles the Prodigy, an alien villain who is promoting misinformation to trap America’s teens with unplanned pregnancies. While just a so-so as a Spider-Man story, the Planned Parenthood giveaway by Ann Robinson, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito is a telling historical relic.
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Clea’s efforts to reveal the Defender’s past to Valkyrie reintroduces the team to past perils. This Giant-Size outing features classic Golden and Silver age work from the likes of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Bill Everett and Steve Ditko, along with a gorgeous framing sequence penciled by Jim Starlin.
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On a suddenly stormy night, Ghost Rider finds himself in a series of motorcycle races against Death himself. A slight, done-in-one tale executed with artistic verve by Jim Starlin, with a little help from Steve Leialoha and friends.
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Jessica Drew tries to settle into life in London, but it’s hard to get a job when you’re half spider! Marv Wolfman’s script is saddled with a back story both chaotic and confusing. But the art by Carmine Infantino and Tony DeZuniga is decent and the character is appealing.
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When henchmen gun down lawyer Jennifer Walters, her cousin Bruce Banner saves her life with a “surprisingly” transformative blood transfusion. Stan Lee returned to writing for his first new comic book in several years, but this collaboration with John Buscema lacks spark.
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Disgusted by mankind’s predilection for guns, a veterinarian takes an assignment in Africa that puts her at odds with poachers. Perhaps there’s a good comic-book story somewhere in this premise, but this debut issue – by Carole Seuling, Steve Gerber, George Tuska and Vince Colletta – isn’t it.
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