Including the end of Gerry Conway’s run, the beginning of Len Wein’s — and Peter and Mary Jane’s first kiss…
Marvel’s continuing its line of Bronze Age Spidey Epic Collections in 2023 with a volume that covers the end of Gerry Conway’s landmark run on Amazing Spider-Man, the beginning of Len Wein’s, the Original Clone Saga, as well as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s first kiss. (And don’t forget Ross Andru’s stellar art!)
Dig the official description from an Amazon listing:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION: SPIDER-MAN OR SPIDER-CLONE?
By Gerry Conway, Len Wein and Ross Andru
The original Clone Saga, the start of Peter and Mary Jane’s romance, and much more in this epic collection for the ages!
Peter Parker’s life has never been easy, but it’s hard to take a turn for the worse after your dead girlfriend shows up on your doorstep. Oh, we challenged that infamous Parker luck, which means it does get worse. It means, Spidey, you’ve been cloned! The Amazing Spider-Man launches into the storyline that shocked the comics world. The scheming Jackal clones our hero and forces him to face one of his greatest personal tragedies. Then, Doc Ock returns and he’s brought the ghost of Hammerhead with him. And those two aren’t the only others back from the grave: the Kingpin is out to resurrect his son—and he can, if Spider-Man dies! It’s not all reanimation-a-go-go though, in this Epic Collection, Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship blossoms and they even share their first kiss.
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A few thoughts:
— The 464-page paperback lists for $44.99 and is due July 25, 2023.
— To my way of thinking, Conway’s run was Spider-Man’s best ever. I know that’s bold talk but he brought the goods and added an extra layer of maturity to the storytelling.
— According to the Epic Marvel Podcast, the edition will cover Issues #143 to #164, along with material from Annual #10 and Marvel Special Treasury Edition #1. That means readers will have available a straight run of Epic Collections that stretches from 1962 to 1977. Peak Spider-Man, in other words. (The book is Volume 9 in the series, which is released out of order.)
— Standard caveat: This has not been officially solicited by Marvel yet, so anything can change. That said, I fully expect this to see print. Keep checking back at 13th Dimension for updates.
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MORE
— CONWAY’S SPIDER-MAN EXIT: Swinging High With the Original CLONE SAGA. Click here.
— How Len Wein’s SPIDER-MAN Stacked Up Against Gerry Conway’s Run. Click here.
November 10, 2022
I agree about Gerry and Len’s Spidey runs. They were both terrific and matured the character splendidly. Peter and Mary Jane’s kiss and the whole sequence at the airport before Peter and Robbie leave for France is my favorite part of the evolution between Pete and Mary Jane’s romance. This is the moment where we know that they were meant to be together.
I can’t wait for this volume to make it into my collection.
November 10, 2022
I love this run/era so much I want to buy this Epic Collection even though I’ve already got all the Marvel Masterworks covering this run! It’s that great! (I’m not really going to duplicate it, but that cover sure looks sweet – the very first issue of ASM that I ever bought! When it was brand new, too!)
November 10, 2022
Wondering if any of the Giant-Size Spider-man stories will be included. Specifically #5 which has a few pages of the Peter/Gwen clone in it.