Been quite a while since we saw Spidey in Marvel Fanfare. This is his first appearance since #6! But that makes sense. He’s got more monthly outlets than anyone else in the Marvel stable at this time, literally anyone else should be getting this bit of comics real estate. But he’s back, and the main story, even. Story & layouts courtesy Carl Potts, finished art by Terry Shoemaker, with colors by Petra Scotese. It begins with Spidey in good spirits.
Why is his webpack as black as his costume, making it impossible to see in most of these panels?
What on Earth happened with that Spidey in panel 2??? Something is way wrong here. Margaret Thatcher! A chill runs through all of New York. Peter says he can’t even afford to go over there, so Kate has a page run to get him a check immediately. There is some weird comedy business as Betty notices Peter’s pants are split and… insists on sewing them up right on the city room floor as Peter’s check is rushed to him. Pants mended and check in hand, he departs for his next assignment. Also, Betty’s hair is jet black. When our man get to the bank to cash his check, there’s a long line, and then he’s told the check requires a manager’s signature to be cashed. Is that a thing?
Why… is he…? This is a weird comic. He goes to his bank and finds the teller accidentally gave him an extra $100. He thinks about maybe keeping it, but he’s Peter Parker, but he’s also gonna be late, so he finally decides to return it the following day.
What?? We’re skipping the UN visit? I thought that was gonna be the plot!
This comc is WEIRD. Peter is now very upset that he accidentally got that lady fired, and steals her file out of the trash to somehow try to make things right. Peter finds a note from an escort service to that mean manager in the file, but stays on task as he switch to Spidey and yet again has his websack drawn and colored too dark to make any sense as he heads to the lady’s place, a Doris Kannon. Doris Kannon??? That’s your average woman name, Carl?? Wondering what he should even do, he peeks through her window…
Spidey swings to an ATM and pulls out all the money he worked so hard to deposit, which is only $100 short of Doris’ needs. He also gets pointed at by a small child for having a hole in his pants. Spidey leaves the money as an anonymous gift just in time for the landlord to show back up. The landlord gives her a week to come up with the extra hundred. Wait, 3 months’ rent is $1600? In New York? Man, 1988 was a different time! Doris calls a friend to relay the crazy events of the last 48 hours, mentioning her scummy bank manager really fired her for not accepting his romantic advances. Meanwhile, Spidey sets out to… take blackmail photos of the manager with the escort service. He is going crazy for this random bankteller! He catches the guy going into the brothel, and then has his camera set up to catch him coming back out. But he knocks his webpack off the roof, and has to dive down after it, getting a photo of his own butt with a hole in his tights. I guess that’s going somewhere, but I cannot even guess.
Yes, Peter, not even Spider-Man, is up in the ceiling, watching this happen. Wh… why? He then follows the manager to the bathroom, where he burns the file. Peter looks at the photo of his butt, thinking The Bugle would pay good money for such an embarrassing shot. Then he strikes a match.
Man, what was that? What a truly bizarre story. The rest of the issue is a totally wild Captain Marvel story, the Monica Rambeau version, a story by Dennis Mallonee with art by the unusual combo of Bob Hall and Bill Sienkiewicz. Normally, non-Spidey stories don’t get discussed here, but this bonkers tale features Maria Laveau, The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, who we’ve previously seen on the blog in MTU 76 & 77, and who is still being erroneously drawn as a white woman, who needs Monica’s help because Dr. Strange has apparently caused all vampires to cease to exist in his comic (!!!) and she needs vampire blood to perform the ritual that keeps her young, so she sends Monica back in time to France in 1784, where she encounters famed occultist Allesandro De Cagliostro, The Three Musketeers AND Dracula in the space of 3 pages! Dracula bites her as she attempts to get his blood, but because “the curse that allowed vampires to exist” has been lifted by Dr. Strange, her bite marks vanish when she returns to the present and it’s all good. But her sample of Drac’s blood explodes, so it was all for nothing and Laveau can’t do her thing. What a wild story! Way better than the lead feature in every respect. A shame this team didn’t get the Spidey feature. Ah, well..