Spectacular #245 Oddity

[opieandy]

I'm reading through all the major Spider-Man titles chronologically, and I'm up to April '97 (yaa, just 10 more years to go to get caught up!).

In Spectacular #245, they printed the exact same letters as in issue #244! And the exact same "next issue" box as well! I've never seen this happen before. How odd!

Chris

[Sonicjuce]

How are u doin this reading?

[Chris Nowlin]

That is odd, indeed.

Editor too lazy to make a new letters page thought he could get away with it...

I'm about 10 years behind you in my reading through of Spidey, but I'm trying to read everything with Spidey in it.

I'll catch you...

[rockgrant]

Isn't Chameleon in that one? Or the Legion of Losers? Why do I know this...

[Deviate]

You think thats bad? I remember the artist, Luke Ross. I liked his worked.

[SnakeEater]

this wouldnt be the only mistake in that time period. Sometime down the line from where you are at (maybe 10 more issues or so) there is a "coming next week" ad for marvel comics and in the next issue of Sensational it says that Peter and MJ are on a carribean cruise and peter promioses no spidey but the Looter returns with his meteor madness.
That issue that came out, if i remember correctly, was actually a christmas issue with spidey against Hydriant man (i hate hyrdo man so im entitled to call him that) and there were more mysteries surrounding the girl called "Hope"

[rockgrant]

Hope was deaf as shit.

[opieandy]

To answer a couple of queries...

Isn't Chameleon in that one? Or the Legion of Losers? Why do I know this...

Yes! Chameleon is in 245. Legion of Losers is in 246. It is really sick that you know that! LOL!

How are u doin this reading?

Hmmm...I just pick up the next one and read it! Not sure what you mean...but I have all the titles in order in boxes, and I take out one year at a time, put them in release date order (back then, the monthly release order was Sensational/Amazing/PPSM/Spectactular), and read 'em! Put those 48 issues away, and get out the next year's issues.

I started skipping the Annuals because it was a lot of action but no continuity/plot development. However, I just read in the letters pages that Sensational '96 Annual was good...and dang it, it's one of the few I don't have!

Chris

[Sonicjuce]

Hmmm...I just pick up the next one and read it! Not sure what you mean...but I have all the titles in order in boxes, and I take out one year at a time, put them in release date order (back then, the monthly release order was Sensational/Amazing/PPSM/Spectactular), and read 'em! Put those 48 issues away, and get out the next year's issues.

So your saying you have every issue of Spider-man though?

[Michael P]

Editor too lazy to make a new letters page thought he could get away with it...


Actually, it was probably a production error. That sort of thing happens from time to time. (Comics Buyer's Guide recently ran the same "The Bottom Line" material in their price guide for three consecutive issues!)

[90'sCartoonMan]

Still not as bad as the "Spider-Man talks someone out of jumping off a bridge" plot that was used twice (if not in the same year, then still in a relatively short amount of time).

You think thats bad? I remember the artist, Luke Ross. I liked his worked.

Luke Ross worked on Spidey? Wow, I have that issue, but it was a while ago.

[rockgrant]

Luke Ross worked on Spidey? Wow, I have that issue, but it was a while ago.

Ross drew Spectacular 239-263.

[opieandy]

So your saying you have every issue of Spider-man though?

Ahhh...well, I have almost every issue, in one form or another. For about half of the first 120 or so Amazings, I have them in reprint form (typically Marvel Tales). I have every original issue of Spectacular, except 56 and 66. I have all the "Web of" and the first volume of Spider-Man (except that elusive issue #91!), and all the first volume of Sensational Spider-Man.

That gets me through 1998 with all but three issues of the major titles in one form or another (and a bunch of mini-series and one shots, including the recently-acquired couple of months of the Scarlet Spider series; I never understood how they tied into the main series until I got into the Clone Saga).

I originally started putting all this together back in May 1998, and had most of it completed within a year or so. It was a labor of love, starting with a big purchase at a flea market, and continuing as I started out with large purchases from dealers (who will give you a deal when you're spending several hundred bucks) and a few more flea market guys. I had read Spidey as a kid in the mid-70s, and had picked up ASM 410 (Spider-Carnage), along with a Spidey 2099 and one other from that time (circa '95), and really didn't like them. I'm not sure what prompted me to buy all those comics that day at the flea market. I didn't plan on it, but the guy had them on display and it just caught my eye and my fancy, reminiscing over how much I enjoyed Spidey as a kid. Almost every weekend for a couple of months, I went shopping for large blocks of Spidey.

I started in Atlanta, and moved to Connecticut with my job in mid-98, where I was surprised to find an amazing number of dealers and comic shows (the regular Hartford show was awesome) with good deals, despite CT being one of the most expensive states in the union. In addition to the comics noted above, I also acquired during that time most available issues from the newer titles (through '99 or so), including the first 9 from v2 of ASM, most of SM: Chapter One, the early issues of v2 of PPSM, and most of Webspinners.

During '98, I started reading chronologically from Amazing Fantasy 15. I started on a good pace, but after a few months I slowed down and took long breaks, reading very sporadically. I was up to 1992 in my reading after a few years, but lost interest as there was little character/plot development and a lot of the 'Secret Wars' type stories that just didn't interest me. I didn't read much for the past 5-6 years, and just picked it up again a couple of months ago, after the third SM movie came out. Having Gwen in the third movie prompted me to want to show that issue (#121) to my two sons, which got me back into reading the issues.

In the past couple of months, I've assembled most of the recent/current titles in some form or another. I've got all of volume 2 of ASM except a handful of issues (14, 21-24, 26-28), all of v2 of PPSM, all of v2 of Marvel Knights/Sensational, all of FNSM, and all of Ultimate SM (mostly TPB's...and that's not really a current continuity title, but it seems like a fun title so far).

I have really enjoyed the challenge of trying to find the comics I need economically. Thus, while I will buy groups/lots off ebay, I never buy single issues off ebay, even though I could do that to get the few issues I still need. It's much more fun and economical tracking these down at shows/shops. There aren't many good shows in Atlanta (moved back here in '00), but I was amazed at what I could find in the .67 box at a show in June. Felt like the old Hartford show!

Chris

[rockgrant]

Chris, you might want to try milehighcomics.com for the few issues you are missing. Their prices are reasonable and if you spend enough, you get free shipping.

[SnakeEater]

So your saying you have every issue of Spider-man though?

I have every issue of the core titles from the beginning of the clone saga of 1994 on and i do something similar. since i started college this past january i didnt get a chance to pick it up like i planned, but usually i reread the clone saga all the way up to the relaunch of spiderman that mackie and Byrne butchered up. then i just skip to JMS's run and get very angry about how it was up and there from there. i have two giant boxes of these books

[Chris Nowlin]

Chris, you might want to try milehighcomics.com for the few issues you are missing. Their prices are reasonable and if you spend enough, you get free shipping.

I actually find milehigh pretty expensive. I would go for ebay. or mycomicshop.com over milehigh.

And I've filled in a lot of back Marvel comics.

I don't need that many Spideys anymore. Just Planet of the Symbiotes...

[SnakeEater]

I actually find milehigh pretty expensive. I would go for ebay. or mycomicshop.com over milehigh.

And I've filled in a lot of back Marvel comics.

I don't need that many Spideys anymore. Just Planet of the Symbiotes...

this one was damned expensive for me. Originally i was missing "The exile returns" and "back from the edge", along with "planet of the symbiotes", along came a spider (the venom mini)"the final adventure" and the osborn journal. i bought the first two stories on Newkadia.com and nostalgiazone.com (this site is really good but also expensive) The last sets of books i bought from Mycomicshop.com and i was actually impressed with having bought "good" or "very good" qulaity books and they were better then some things ive bought in comics stores.

[opieandy]

I actually find milehigh pretty expensive. I would go for ebay. or mycomicshop.com over milehigh.


I did buy a few from Mile High back in '98 or so. I see they now sell many (most? all?) of their comics on ebay. I'll check them out again, along with mycomicshop. Thanks for the recommendation.

Chris

[Chris Nowlin]

I did buy a few from Mile High back in '98 or so. I see they now sell many (most? all?) of their comics on ebay. I'll check them out again, along with mycomicshop. Thanks for the recommendation.

Chris

milehigh sells what they sell on ebay cheaper than in the store sometimes. I've been trying to fill in the Marvel Universe for myself so spend a fair amount of time looking for cheap back issues.

Nice to see others reading through Spider-Man. Good comics.

[xarathos]

I remember that!

That series was going great. Chameleon was pretty much made a loser and you found out that mental problems run in his family. I really looked forward to each issue. I thought :'Spidey's going to come back, he's going to be on top again!'

The Kangaroo!

[Sonicjuce]

I wish I could find comics at a flea markets. That would be glorious.

I have every issue of ASM from 301 to present. I am slowly filling in the 200's but they are a little more pricey. I unfortunately am just a college student who delivers pizza so I don't have a huge cash pull, and my weeklies set me back. Especially since a comic store just opened in my town and not having one for three years made me feel I have to make up for lost time every week.

I like milehighcomics though. I try to save up some money then go kinda wild on there. Unfortunately I've been broke for about 6 months since I had some work done on my truck and now my damn starter seems to be going out.

Thats incredible that you were able to fill in such a huge portion of comics in what like 5 or so years from the sound of your story. I've been at it since I was like 6 so thats like 15 or so years. I guess for about the first 10 I didn't really have much of a cash flow though.

Wish I had all my back issues so I could do a huge reading. They are about 2000 miles away in my closest at my moms house.

[opieandy]

Thats incredible that you were able to fill in such a huge portion of comics in what like 5 or so years from the sound of your story.

Well, I was 32 when I started, so in quite a different position than you. I would not have been able to do it when I was college or even within a few years after college.

I really bought most of them in the first year, taking the money I would have spent on other hobbies (mostly baseball cards, my other major hobby) and spending it on comics instead. Also, I was happy to read reprints, so when I found the first two volumes of Essential Spider-Man, I had the first 40 or so issues of ASM covered (before I discovered I could find them in Marvel Tales reprints...now I'm amazed that Essentials sell so well, because I really don't like reading comics in black and white!). For older comics (issues in the first 150 or so of ASM, for example), I also bought lesser condition copies to save bucks. I just wanted to read the darn things, not frame them!

It was really fun binging on comics during that time. I love putting collections of things together. I also put together a huge run of Captain America, Hulk and Iron Man, but I sold them a few years later after I realized I would never have the time to read them. Heck, I still haven't read all the Spideys!

Chris