Dig this SPECTACULAR work… By JIM BEARD One of the titanic testaments to Sal Buscema’s tenure as a Marvel legend is the man’s amazing work on the Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man title, a run that stretched over 20 years, on and off, through pulse-pounding plots and cataclysmic challenges for the webslinger. What better way to celebrate Sal’s birthday — he was born 87 years ago on Jan. 25, 1936 — than to delve into the incredible wealth of covers he did for the book during that time? This is where I usually say how difficult it was to pick just 13 images to illustrate my point, but listen, True Believer, if you think it’d be easy, you pull up that gallery and tell me that to my face! So, without further ado, let’s Shout Out to Sal and sit back for some spectacular Spidey stories—because these covers tell more than a few of those. — Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (Dec. 1976). Right out of the gate, Sal knocked it out of the park with his rendering of the Tarantula. Not only did we get the point, but so did Spidey. — Spectacular Spider-Man #138 (May 1988). Twelve years later and the Tarantula’s still giving our hero something to sweat about. There ought to be a law against it. — Spectacular Spider-Man #145 (Dec. 1988). Sal was awfully good at putting Spidey in the worst positions. This one is going to take a good chiropractor to fix. — Spectacular Spider-Man #148 (Mar. 1988). Everyone loves a good “hero crawling from the grave” shot, right? Just look under Spidey’s mask, amigos—Sal loved the little gruesome details. — Spectacular Spider-Man #157 (Nov. 1989). Electrifying! — Spectacular Spider-Man #158 (Dec. 1989). Simple, straightforward, unadorned Friendly Neighborhood Cosmic Spider-Man. — Spectacular Spider-Man #168 (Sept. 1990). Nothing misogynistic about it. If I remember, Shulkie deserved it. And besides, Sal could really pack a punch with these covers. — Spectacular Spider-Man #172 (Jan. 1991). Didn’t you ask to see Puma up close? Who asked you, anyway? Aren’t you an animal-lover? — Spectacular Spider-Man #186 (Sept. 1991). Y’know what, bunky? Sal drew one helluvan evil-looking Vulture. — Spectacular Spider-Man #190 (July 1992). What was it with Sal and these villain close-ups on these covers? It was because the guy knew how to sell a book, that’s what....
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Stan the Man was born 100 years ago on Dec. 28, 1922… By JIM BEARD What’s in a name? (If that’s not a cliched way to start an article about names, I don’t know what is.) As a fiction writer, the naming of characters is very near and dear to me. I like to put some thought into the event, choosing names that mean something more than just how the characters introduce themselves to each other. I like to come up with memorable names that resonate beyond a superficial label to distinguish “Joe” from “Bob.” In this I take some inspiration from the late, great Stan Lee. Names aren’t something Stan is often recognized for, but he definitely created more than a few that resoundingly resonate and impart a deeper meaning. I like to think names were as important to him as a writer as they are to me. Today, I’m honored to present a list of 13 Stan Lee Marvel character names on the Man’s 100th birthday. So, by Doom, the Destroyer, and the Dread Dormammu, let’s get started… (NOTE: I’m well aware of the ad nauseum debates over attribution of creation when it comes to Stan but suffice to say these are all names he’s at the very least the co-creator of, and besides, there are much better venues for such arguments than here. This is, after all, a birthday celebration for one of the most important figures in the history of comic books. Excelsior!) — The Storm Siblings. When you’re searching for a name for a hot-headed teenager with a zest for action and a penchant for destruction, “Johnny Storm” is just about the most perfect moniker ever. Add to that the punchy alliteration of “Sue Storm” and you have one of the best brother-sister adventure duos in comics. — Ben Grimm. The Thing’s my most favorite Marvel character, and part of that stems from his name. It says “stony” as much as it says, well, “grim,” and borrowing the surname of a famous set of fable-telling brothers don’t hurt none, either. You might say it’s a clobberin’ name… — Skrulls. Short, sweet, and memorable, kind of like the alien race themselves. Plus, it sounds like “skull” and brings along all the baggage associated with that word. — Ronan the Accuser. Stan always...
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Stan the Man was born 100 years ago on Dec. 28, 1922…
TOYHEM: Sometimes the most basic toys are ones you love the best…
TOYHEM: If you dig action figures, this is probably where you got your start…
