1981

ASM 219-223 & Annual 15, MTU 106-112 & Annual 4, TAC 54-61 & Annual 3, Marvel Treasury Edition 28. Woof. The word for Spider-Man in 1981 was “generic.” The most interesting thing, literally the biggest surprise in Peter Parker’s personal life was Marcy Kane revealing she wasn’t a real blonde (The end of a mystery that seemed like it was gonna reveal she had cancer and lost her hair instead turned out to be she was embarrassed to be a brunette?). Roger Stern was pulling the weight for all 3 titles on Spectacular while Denny O’Neil closed out his middling run on Amazing and Marvel Team-Up struggled to find a writer who’d hang around for more than a month. I mean… nothing happened but fights. So, this is another one that’s just heroes & villains. Most noteworthy among them is the final Marvel Treasury Edition, wherein Spidey once again teams with Superman, and Wonder Woman & Hulk go along for the ride in a battle against Dr. Doom and The Parasite. It was the last Marvel/DC team up for over a decade. We see Spider-Man’s first encounter with Jack O’ Lantern, the future 2nd Hobgoblin, a new costume for The Beetle, and the ultimately temporary cure of John Jameson’s werewolf problem. Also, fights with Nitro, Gargoyle, Moonstone, Red Ghost & His Super-Apes, Ram Rod, Gibbon & Speed Demon. Spidey teams up with Will O’ The Wisp to beat up Killer Shrike, with DD, Luke Cage, Iron Fist & Moon Knight against The Purple Man, with Iron Man against Magma, with Captain America against Scorpion, with Punisher against Doc Ock, with She-Hulk against the cringe-inducing Man-Killer, with Paladin & Dazzler against Thermo, and a particularly weird day sees Spider-Man and Devil-Killer fight a spider-cult before Spidey is thrown back in time to meet King Kull. Just a whole lotta fightin’. With a Spider-Man copied from John Romita, Jr. Originally drawing #22.