By this time, Editoriale Corno was on the brink of bankruptcy. So they took back issues and reprinted them with new covers. They were mostly at random, but this time they’re actually reprinting the anthology “L’Uomo Rango Gigante #54” from 1980, which itself was already an anthology book of reprinted material.
Super L’Uomo Ragno #10 (1985)
Published by: Corno
It was also cheap: you get 3 full stories for this for 1,200 Lire, which would be roughly about 1.92 dollars in 2025.
For reference, a 2025 book from Panini Comics translating 2 full stories costs 5 Euro, or about 5.3 dollars.
Also the cover has nothing to do with the stories inside… does anyone recognize where it could be from?
The book’s index includes a neat collage of Spider-Man characters.
I consider myself quite knowledgeable about Spider-Man from the 60s to the 80s, and I recognize all of these characters… except THIS GUY.
Who the heck is he supposed to be???
Amazing Spider-Man #129 (1974)
by Gerry Conway & Ross Andru
The first story is quite historically significant, as it’s the first appearance of the Punisher, which is why I’ve already reviewed that one.
Historical significance: 10/10
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
Personal significance: 6/10
I didn’t find the Punisher or the Jackal particularly interesting. But when the Clone Saga brought back the Jackal in 1994, even if I hadn’t read the original 70s saga, I knew who the Jackal was thanks to this story.
Amazing Spider-Man #130 (1974)
by Gerry Conway & Ross Andru
This is a story whose cover shows Hammerhead colliding with the Spider-mobile, so you already know what we’re in for.
We begin with Spider-Man fighting some random goons with surprisingly advanced tech.
Despite their goofy uniforms, it’s a serious operation if they would rather commit suicide than betray their leader.
I don’t know if this is hyping the Jackal to be a bigger threat than Hammerhead, or demeaning him by making even Hammerhead already sick of him.
But the villains will have to wait, because Spider-Man drops by the Human Torch…
…to receive one of the dumbest ideas ever for a vehicle.
Ladies and gentlemen: the Spider-Mobile in all its tacky glory.
I remind you that we introduced THE PUNISHER in the previous issue, and now we’re going for full goofiness.
Even leaving aside the ridiculousness of a car company making Spider-Man the spokesperson for their new engine, since he’s not exactly popular in-universe… how does the Human Torch design the car to have web-shooters? He doesn’t know the formula! And even if he did, how did he make the web-shooters? He’s just really good at building cars, he’s not a scientist!
This is particularly stupid since Spider-Man DOESN’T HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE.
We also reintroduce Doctor Octopus, who naturally goes around with his tentacles just hanging out.
Peter’s not-quite-relationship with Mary Jane is going great.
Weird to see Peter reading philosophy books… I know he’s a bookworm, but philosophy doesn’t strike me as something in-character for him.
At least his taste in clothes and ESPECIALLY music is better.
Although I’ve always thought Peter Parker should be into stuff that was popular ten years before the publishing date.
Peter, sometimes you make it REALLY difficult to root for your love life.
On Christmas Eve of all days, Spider-Man then runs into the criminals again.
This is stupid beyond words. Why does Spider-Man need a car???
This is where Hammerhead joins the fun. I’ve never been able to buy him as a serious Spider-Man villain, and he often becomes the butt of the joke in more recent stories.
I mean it’s just a regular guy with a metal plate in his head whose only method of attack is headbutting people!!!
And he’s up against a guy who can dodge gunfire: he would be a tough opponent only in a very stupid story.
Case in point: he’s a tough opponent in THIS issue.
Hearing the police, Hammerhead leaves. Spider-Man recovers the Spider-Mobile and incredibly spots a very particular lead.
And this was all a plan from the Jackal! To recap, his plan is:
1) have Spider-Man stop some Hammerhead goons
2) somehow know Hammerhead won’t get his butt kicked
3) plant an envelope he wants Spider-Man to spot
4) somehow know Spider-Man WILL spot it
5) lead Spider-Man to the same place Hammerhead and Doctor Octopus will interact
6) wait for Spider-Man, Hammerhead and Doctor Octopus to destroy each other, SOMEHOW
We’re not done with Spider-Mobile idiocy.
So it’s time to get to the Daily Bugle Christmas party, where J. Jonah Jameson has a shocking revelation: he’s going to give out a bonus!!!
How can you not love Jonah?
Well if he’s your employer it’s VERY easy not to love him, but otherwise he’s great.
Like I said, Peter: veeeeery difficult to root for you sometimes.
And so we close with Spider-Man rushing to the cliffhanger…
…of Doctor Octopus MARRYING AUNT MAY.
Amazing Spider-Man #131 (1974)
by Gerry Conway & Ross Andru
Yep. I can’t believe this wasn’t written on drugs.*
*citation needed 
This is just nuts.
She DID find him charming in the 60s, sure, but you mean to tell me AUNT MAY would get married without telling her nephew???
Plus Doctor Octopus is at best in his early 40s, and I believe Aunt May is about 127 by now.
As if things couldn’t get dumber, Hammerhead crashes the wedding.
Spidey doesn’t think for a second that Ock is in love with her.
For all you Aunt May fans looking for some fanservice, you’re welcome: I’m not judging.
Well… I might judge you a little.
Doc Ock brings his bride to his secret helicopter…
…and Spider-Man JUST WATCHES, both when Doc Ock flies away AND when Hammerhead shows up with ANOTHER helicopter!!!
At least until he gets a ride on Hammerhead’s helicopter.
I’ve said over and over what Peter Parker’s life is sometimes more interesting than his Spider-Man adventures, and that’s certainly the case here.
You can see the early signs of the “MJ is too much of an airhead to settle for one guy” thread…
…AND the seeds of the “she’s way more complex that she wants people to think” one.
Back to Spidey, he overheads Hammerhead explaining the marriage plot: Aunt May inherited some very valuable property, and Doctor Octopus is trying to marry her to get hold of it.
Impressive that Spider-Man can hear them talking on the inside, considering he’s on the outside of a helicopter with two huge rotors!!!
But what exactly has Aunt May inherited?
A URANIUM-RICH ISLAND WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART NUCLEAR REACTOR.
Aunt May not realizing Doctor Octopus is a supervillain made SOME sense in the 60s, as around her he acted like a gentleman (although from a modern point of view she had early signs of dementia).
But here? I guess she likes her men to act like crime bosses.
This turns into even MORE madness once Hammerhead’s helicopter crashes the other one (!!!) and Spider-Man gets into the fun.
A small advice for Spider-Man villains.
Do not.
Touch.
His aunt.
Was the Spider-Mobile not crazy enough for you? Spider-Man escapes by piloting a jet!!!
Just how dumb can this story get before it ends? Well, Doc Ock discovers the nuclear power plant migh explode if you touch anything…
…which of course means Hammerhead headbutts it…
…into a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.
One of the things that, in retrospect, make little sense in Spider-Man’s story is him worrying that if Aunt May discovers his identity she’ll die from the shock.
Even if she’s about 159 years old, from her perspective: a crime boss and a costumed vigilante crashed her wedding and her groom EXPLODED IN A NUKE!!!
If THIS doesn’t give her a heart attack, nothing will!!!
And we close with Mary Jane miraculously NOT deciding to dump Peter Parker because he disappered during a Christmas Eve party after she offered to kiss him.
You know, in retrospect their relationship ONLY works thanks to the retcon that she’s always known about the secret identity!
Historical significance: 6/10
Doctor Octopus almost marrying Aunt May is the butt of the joke of many, many, MANY future stories. Especially because Aunt May will eventually be a well-written character, any throwback to the era where she was a caricature are lots of fun.
As for Doctor Octopus and Hammerhead: issue #157 will reveal that Ock was dragged away by his arms…
…and Hammerhead because the nuclear explosion knocked him into another dimensions, temporarily making him a ghost.
Comics, everybody!
Also, witnessing the ghost of the man who tried to kill her and nearly killed her groom doesn’t give Aunt May a heart attack.
Personal significance: 3/10
Even as a little kid I thought this storyline was more than a little stupid.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
On the Marvel scale, it rarely gets more insane than this.
Does it stand the test of time? 2/10
There’s SOME interesting stuff with the personal relationship subplots, but I cannot take any of the rest seriously. From Doctor Octopus to Hammerhead to the marriage to the Spider-Mobile… ESPECIALLY the Spider-Mobile… everything is just too stupid to work.
Marvel Team-Up #21 (1974)
by Len Wein & Sal Buscema
cover by Gil Kane
Only FOUR pages of this one were in the book, so let’s have a quick look.
It’s about an old villain shared by Spider-Man and Doctor Strange (they fought him together back in Spider-Man Annual #2), and he hypothizes Spider-Man into stealing the Krystal of McGuffin.
And that’s basically all I had from this story.
So what did I miss? The perspective from the hypnotized Spider-Man is cool if a bit goofy.
But other than that… Spidey & Strange team-ups are great when you have the wallcrawler react to the crazy magic shenanigans and with the magician playing the straight man.
Having one of them out of his mind breaks the dynamic.
The fact that Spider-Man is able to stand up to Doctor Strange despite the MASSIVE difference in their powerset is surprisingly consistent across the decades, though.
Having a charismatic villain would help things, but Xhandu is a stereotypical as you can get.
But it’s important to introduce his love interest Melinda. More on her later.
Xandu is defeated because the magic dimension where he brought the heroes switched their powers.
In the end, Xandu is unsuccessful in his attempt to resurrect Melinda.
Historical significance: 1/10
Only because it’s the necessary setup for 1982’s Marvel Fanfare, where we meet Xandu again.
That’s an INCREDIBLE book that I highly recommend!
Personal significance: 0/10
Well with just four pages where nothing happens…
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
Not a real review so no scores. Do yourself a favor and read Marvel Fanfare #6, though, that’s a GREAT story with AMAZING artwork by Sandy Plunkett.
Even better than that is the final piece of the tragic story of Melinda, the 1992 graphic novel “The Way to Dusty Death”.
It’s really more Melinda’s story than Xandu’s.
And generally one of the best Spider-Man & Doctor Strange team-ups.
