Next couple posts, we’re getting through some odds & ends. This has been in my “To Read” list for years as SMFAMAMFR. And I would periodically see it and have no idea what that meant. SMFAMAMFR! I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a second 1970s gimmick Tom Breevort liked from DC when he was a kid that Marvel tried. First was the 100-Page Monster, which we saw examples of some time ago. DC had “Superman Family” and “Batman Family” titles for awhile, presenting new stories as well as reprints each oversized issue. And so, we get Spider-Man Family, a title I bought even more erratically than SMU Vol. 2. How could I resist this one? As a kid who grew up with Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, I had no choice. Not the last time they’ll get me with this gimmick, either. This hefty comic, $4.99 at a time comics were $2.99, contains 2 old stories, one old comedy strip, one new comedy strip, and the titular Amazing Friends adventure. It lets us know it takes place before the events of Web of Spider-Man #75, so that’s weird right off the bat. I’d not read that issue when this came out, but obviously have now. Iceman’s guest spot in the middle of that silly Art Attack story. This is written by Sean McKeever, with a baffling 4 penciler and inker teams: Pat Oliffe & Livesay, Casey Jones & Vince Russel, Kano & Alvaro Lopez, and Nick Dragotta. All colored by Lee Loughridge. So ¾ of this story should look pretty good, and then people will constantly be depicted screaming with giant, deformed mouths, I assume. Nick Dragotta: Notta fan. I obviously don’t remember this at all.
The video monster from the cartoon right out of the gate.
They establish that Firestar is one of the New Warriors, ‘cuz it’s the 90s, and she asks if she can hang out, because her teammates are being boring. Iceman is very rude because she’s younger and newer at this, like he wasn’t a kid when he started. Spidey warns him that she’s for real, and she melts his ice slide, thanks Spider-Man for sticking up for her with a peck on the cheek, and leaves.
MJ is wearing a shirt that says “Girl” on it. Suddenly, next page, Casey Jones is at bat.
Firestar says she’s been looking for him for days. She admits Ice Jerk was right about her being inexperienced, and she wants to team up. Spidey tries to get rid of her, and she wants to know why they can’t be partners, like he was with Black Cat. This is really not what he wants to hear right now.
Firestar and Iceman bicker some more, but then Spidey sees the Beetle fly by, so Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends take off after him.
So, our intrepid hero is seen going to both of them, saying the other likes them, being told the feeling is mutual, and saying needs both of them to meet him for a superhero gig. Thus, Iceman and Firestar find themselves sitting on a roof at night, wondering where Spider-Man is, when Firestar spots someone moving on an adjacent roof. Also, Kano has taken over.
So they have dinner, but also keep bickering, and have a fire vs. ice play fight, which Iceman wins by flirting. This leads to a 2-page spread of them spending time together in and out of costume. Then, “weeks later,” as Nick Dragotta takes over, Shocker is robbing a banks, and he’s facing Iceman and…
They quickly learn Videoman is vulnerable to Firestar’s microwaves, and he is zapped until he’s just a little chip.
And that is the wacky end of that. The entire rest of this issue isn’t really worth getting into (And some of it’s even been on the blog before). Spider-Man 2099. Do I really need to cover that someday? It IS called “All the Spider-Mans I Have…”