Amazing Spider-Man Classics

Welcome to the first episode of Amazing Spider-Man Classics for the new year 2011!  I hope you enjoyed the raw uberlong Christmas episode.  This one is of a bit more manageable length, but it'll probably still be one of the larger items in your podcast folder.  Not that size matters, of course! This episode, Josh Bertone had to bow for health reasons but left us instructions to continue without him.  So Jon Wilson and Don Grant are joined by the one and only Scott Gardner of the podcasts Two True Freaks!, Back to the Bins!, Tales of the Justice Society of America, and Death and the Acrid Smell of Gunsmoke: The Jonah Hex Podcast, all of which can be found at one website and under the Two True Freaks! podcast feed on iTunes. This episode, it's college time for Peter, where he meets a new cast of chracters, including Emma Stone!  But he's so worried about his aunt's health, he pays them no attention and is immediately shunned for it because these guys have real class! Don't forget to send us an email and let us

The drought is over.  The hiatus is ended.  Amazing Spider-Man Classics is back with its longest episode ever, just for you for the holiday season! We are joined again this episode by Eddie deAngelini, comic archive researcher for With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story., as we take a look at Spider-Man's second annual and thirtieth monthly issues of his series.  Also, Brad Douglas of the Spider-Man Crawlspace sticks his head in for some emails at the beginning of the show. Speaking of emails, Aiden Mohan sent us an email discussing the future of Princess Python, and he references a Punisher cover featuring her that can be found here. I am starting a new weekly podcast with the new year.  If you have any interest in the World War II adventures of a certain caped action hero, join me on January 1 for the premiere of Golden Age Superman.  It's bound to be a great journey through the early adventures of the first superhero. Your comments are always welcome via email!  Or share your thoughts in the comment section b

It's time for pomp, circumstance, and supervillains here at Amazing Spider-Man Classics!  After a few days' delay due to school, the Classics team is now able to take a look at Amazing Spider-Man 28 and 29 with the help of Eddie deAngelini, comic archive researcher for With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story, a documentary which got its premiere at this year's San Diego Comic Con.  Eddie also holds the claim to fame of owning every single issue of (The) Amazing Spider-Man, having closed his final gap of issue 2 at SDCC, where he met our own Josh Bertone and introduced him to The Man himself. Though we haven't stated it here in a while, our mission is the same as always, to explore every single comic book appearance of Spider-Man ever, whether it be as a feature in his own books, a guest appearance in someone else's, or even a random one-panel cameo somewhere. This episode, Peter gets to graduate from high school in issue 28 after a tussle with the newly-doused Molten Man.  Then Betty has a breakdown when the Sco

Bring back!  Oh, bring back!  Oh, bring back my Goblin to me!  Welcome again to Amazing Spider-Man Classics where this episode, Jon, Josh, and Donovan take a look at the only two-part Green Goblin story that Steve Ditko gave us.  And along the way, we are aided and abetted by the one and only J.R. Fettinger, a voice on the Spider-Man Crawl Space podcast panel and also the author of the Spidey Kicks Butt website. This episode deserves a good posting with some awesome art, but frankly, I am completely exhausted tonight.  I will probably come back and revise this post, but right now I just want to get the episode out there.  Two important announcements, though.  Amazing Spider-Man Classics is now proud to be sponsored by Roll2Play, an online vendor for games and gaming accessories.  They can be found at www.roll2play.com or at their Facebook page.  I invite you to check out their product line and consider them when purchasing for your gaming needs.  Also, this is 10-10-10, and the designer of our website here, J

We're wrapping up September with a bang, Spider-Fans!  Not only is this our longest episode yet, not only does this episode include the silver anniversary issue of Amazing Spider-Man, not only do we get to see the first (kinda) appearance of Mary Jane Watson, but also we are joined this episode by none other than Gerard Delatour, reviewer of The Amazing Spider-Man for the Spider-Man Crawl Space (check out those reviews here)! In Amazing Spider-Man 24 and 25, Mysterio returns in the guise of a psychiatrist, out to catch Spider-Man by proving that he is INSANE.  Then, two years of publication come to a head as J. Jonah Jameson uses a robot to catch that web-slinging menace, but at the same time Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, and Liz Allan all converge at Peter's house right in the middle of a visit by the mysterious Mary Jane Watson.  The fit really hits the shan, and you can see the actual page here!  And you know you want some funny art, so here you go: Also, there is some debate on the episode about Mary Ja

Emails, emails, and more emails!  Between the recording of this episode a month ago and its publication, the emails have begun to stack up, so rather than make you wonderful people wait longer for a response, we recorded an email segment to accompany our somewhat shorter coverage of Amazing Spider-Man 23.  And that ended up being half the episode.  But keep sending them in.  We have a strategy now for addressing emails in a more regular fashion, so never fear to write. This week, Spider-Man is faced once again by his nemesis from Hollywood, the Green Goblin.  We also see the Goblin maskless for the first time, though neither Spider-Man nor readers of the day realized it at the time.  That insight adds some extra dimension to the story, which we explore on the episode. We also explore the ginormity of the Goblin's ears: There is also a pin-up in this issue, and as promised, here is a link to the image:  Amazing Spider-Man 23. Speaking of email, continue to write in to the show, or share your thoughts in the c

Gasp!  Shock!  This time around, the Classics gang is going SOLO!!  Or...um...trio.  What do you call it when a group of three is going alone?  Whatever that is, that's what we're doing.  It's no big deal.  We're just changing up some behind-the-scenes stuff which will mean more guest co-hosts sometimes, as well as the occasional episode with just the three of us. In this, our latest episode, Jon Wilson, Joshua Bertone, and Donovan Grant venture beyond the realm of the three Pocket Books reprints that Jon had as a youth, looking at Spider-Man's first fight with the Beetle, and his last fight with the Circus of Crime (at least for a long, long time to come).  Along the way, we laugh at Dorrie Evans' insane demands on Johnny Storm, and Betty Brant's insane jealousies of Peter. There was a cool pin-up in issue 21, and I realized I should show more of the pin-ups.  So in lieu of amusing scenes this time around, here for your viewing pleasure are links to high-resolution images of all the pin-ups we've had so far.

Hey, check it out!  New page design!  Pretty righteous, eh?  My brother has put his visual design skills to work for us here at Amazing Spider-Man Classics, and I am forever in his debt.  The line art is, of course, straight from the books, but the layout and coloring are his.  His name is Jim Wilson, and more of his work can be found at jimwilsondesigns.com, so I invite you to mosey on over there and have a look-see at the other imagery to spring from his fertile mens. In the meantime, we are wrapping up our recording session with the ever valiant, but by now somewhat sleepy Stephen Lacey, of the World of Superman Blog.  After this, Jon, Josh, and Donovan have sworn off seven-hour recording sessions.  We'll be recording more frequently for shorter durations, which means more guest co-hosts, and episodes with no guest co-hosts.  It's just gonna be easier.  Stephen was great, but we hate to torture people with hours and hours at the mike. This episode addresses the first appearance of the Scorpion, Mac Gargan,

Welcome back, Spidey fans, to the British invasion!!!  Yes, we are joined again this week by UK Superman blogger Stephen Lacey, to take a look at Amazing Spider-Man 18 and 19.  Thrill to every minute as Peter Parker runs from a fight, flirts with his aunt, and smashes through glass with nary a scratch.  The Sandman and the Enforcers are out in ... erm, force, and enjoy them while you can, because neither will grace the pages of a Spidey book for quite some time to come. The new Facebook link to the left points to a NEW Facebook page.  If you were a member of the previous group, I invite you to "Like" the new page, where I will be notifying you of new episode postings and such.  If such activity doesn't interest you, that's fine too. I compiled quite the collection of images from these two books.  It was a fun couple of months, and there was plenty more I could have pulled, but these are the highlights. Thanks as always for listening.  Please feel free to comment below or send us an email.  We also always wel

Hello?  Anybody still out there? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right!  After 40 days of spider-fast, Amazing Spider-Man Classics is back! This month, Jon, Don, and Josh are joined by British blogger Stephen Lacey (author of the World of Superman blog) as they discuss and deliberate the beginning of Ditko's first great trilogy. Also, introducing a new feature on Facebook.  A bit of fandom fun may be had at the pages for Team Betty, Team Liz, and Team Mary Jane.  This is in addition to the main Facebook page for the show.   All the delays have been to due to a variety of scheduling conflicts.  Things that, in the end, just couldn't be avoided.  The show has been fighting to exist behind the scenes, even if you couldn't see it.  Unfortunately, our thrice-monthly schedule has essentially lost a month in the process.  So there are no "July" episodes.  With lots of recordings under the belt over the last couple weeks, the next two episodes should be out before the end of the month, and then we'll be back on sch

Six sinister welcomes to all you Spider-Fans out there who have returned for another round of shenanigans with Jon, Josh, Don, and our guest this month, Michael Bailey (of Views from the Long Box). This episode we have served up for you a full plate of Spider-Man annual goodness from 1964 as Spider-Man tackles the Sinister Six!  Along the way, Dr. Octopus meets his future beloved and Aunt May acts like she smoked a fatty before the story started. We also read emails this time around, and a letter from Stephen Lacey references a Silver Age Superman review that can be found here. And, as always, here is some awkward art, just for you!      But there was also some oh-so-awesome art in this issue.  If you'd like to see what I mean, here are links to the full-page Ditko splashes of Spider-Man tackling each of the Sinister Six! Electro Kraven Mysterio Sandman Vulture Octopus   And that ties up what were to be our June episodes.  We have another set of three coming at you later in July as soon as our next guest co-

Welcome to our latest episode of Amazing Spider-Man Classics, the show dedicated to covering every feature book, as well as every guest and cameo appearance we can find of the amazing Spider-Man.  Our June episodes are a bit behind due to scheduling conflicts, but we think you'll find they'll be worth the wait.  This week, Michael Bailey (of Views from the Long Box) joins Jon, Josh, and Don to take a look at Tales to Astonish 57 and Amazing Spider-Man 16, and it's quite the wild ride.  And the daughter Lily makes a cameo along the way. Just a word of warning, Spider-philes.  We're talking about Hank Pym this issue, and what is the most common single topic in regard to the Pyms?  Did you say wife-slapping?  Yes, indeedy!  And the ASM Classics gang takes the topic to bold new frontiers in the latest episode.  So have a laugh with us! Speaking of laughs, here are some awesome pictures.               During the course of the episode, our guest Michael Bailey mentions that Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel would ev

Welcome back to Amazing Spider-Man Classics, where we are committed to covering every feature issue, as well as every guest and cameo appearance we can find of the amazing Spider-Man.   Kicking off the month of June, the Amazing Spider-Man Classics group is joined by the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Brad Douglas of the Spider-Man Crawl Space.  He helps the usual crew of Jon, Josh, and Donovan take a look at the first appearance of the man who engineered the Clone Saga, the mastermind who replaced Tony Stark and gathered a group of criminals to rule in place of the Avengers, the one, the only Green Goblin.  And for his first ingenious plan, he will.....take Spider-Man to Hollywood so the Enforcers can beat him up. Well, I guess we can't win them all.  And this wonderful masterwork is followed up by the debut of Chameleon's prize chump, Kraven the Hunter....who doesn't seem to be Russian yet, since he comes over from Africa and gets deported to South America.  But we'll get origin stories later.  That's what the ei

Here we are, drawing to the end of another month.  You listeners sure have been awesome, and I want to thank you sincerely for giving this show the attention it's gotten.   The usual rogues are joined for the final time this month by Jeffrey Taylor (of From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast).  The books this week are Amazing Spider-Man 12 and 13, so we're wrapping up the amazingly creepy Betty Brant saga as the chase by Dr. Octopus comes to a close with the unmasking of Spider-Man, and then seeing the first appearance of your favorite fishbowl head, Mysterio.  And there's even a special cameo appearance in the show around the 1:00 mark. Also, the blooper reel is extra long.  Well, just cuz.  You'll see.   Here's a funny Flash moment, making an arse of himself.   Also, there is some speculation in the episode on when Mysterio gets a name.  Looked it up and that's going to happen in 1983 with Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 7.   Well, that's it for May.  I've been trying to decide what kind of rele

Here we are, born to be kings, we're the princes of the universe!  In other words, Amazing Spider-Man Classics is back for more of Spider-Man's classic adventures.  Continuing this month with Jeffrey Taylor (co-host of From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast), Jon, Bertone, and the Donmeister bring to you the unfolding saga of Betty Brant. Amazing Spider-Man Classics is devoted to covering every main Spider-Man book as well as every guest and cameo appearance we can find.  This time, Amazing Spider-Man 10 and 11 are up, with a stop along the way for a cameo in Strange Tales 119.  This wraps Spidey's first full year of publication and launches a second.   Unfortunately, Jon found his childhood violated by the ideas presented concerning Dr. Octopus and Betty, not to mention Betty and her brother Bennett.  Are these the same stories I read as a 6-year-old?  Here are some fun unscripted images to illustrate what I mean:     So, that wraps up another episode.  By the way, are you liking the X-Men blog?  Let us

Here we are with a new month and a new round of classic Spidey episodes.  This month, Joshua, Donovan, and I have joining us Mr. Jeffrey Taylor, co-host of the world-renowned From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast.  This is a special occasion for me because his and Michael Bailey's work over on that show is what got me into comic book podcasts in the first place and helped to inspire the show you are looking at now.  So I strongly urge you to check them out if you haven't already.   Amazing Spider-Man Classics is devoted to covering every Spider-Man book, as well as every guest or cameo appearance we can find.  This week, we kick things off with a look back at a Golden Age villain of the Justice Society, Evil Star!  Wait...  I mean, Electro, who is Spider-Man's villain.  Sorry, I get confused some times.  But can you blame me?  If you think Jeffrey's DC-ness is influencing my brain, just look at this guy...   We give a nod to a cameo in The Avengers 3, and then we have a ball of a time discussing Amazing

What? You're back? You must be looking for some classic Spider-Man goodness.  Well, this week serves up the goods for Amazing Spider-Man 7 and 8.  Jon, Don, and Josh are joined again by Zach Henderson from Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast, as we wrap up our April episodes (even though it's May now cuz Jon had laptop problems).  You'll get the Vulture's return, the stupidest robot in the history of robots, and Spidey crashing a party in order to score some team-up action.  Strange Tales 115 also gets some brief attention, because Amazing Spider-Man Classics is committed to covering every Spider-Man book, as well as every Spider-Man guest or cameo appearance that we can find. Note: The blooper reel contains some discussion of a religious icon that is rather indelicate in its humor.  Feel free to turn off the podcast during the closing music if such talk may offend you. Now, who wants some out of context theater?  We let our imagination run wild with these. So that's it for this week.  Let us k

Welcome back to Amazing Spider-Man Classics, where we are committed to taking you through every issue, every guest feature, and every cameo appearance we can find of the amazing Spider-Man!   This week, Jon, Josh, and Don are again joined by Zach (from Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast) to go back to Spidey's main book after our team-up time-out last week.  Spider-Man has to cross swords, or finger guns, with the metal-masked menace of the Fantastic Four -- Dr. Doom!  And after that, he then takes the world's shortest vacation to the Everglades to confront the Lizard! Two of our favorite panels mentioned on the show are evil Peter and the Darling Pet Monkey ad!  (Live delivery guaranteed!) Some notes about the show this week: In the intro, I mention a survey in which you are invited to take part. That can be found here. Also, despite his frequent appearances on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Dr. Doom and Spider-Man simply have not crossed paths many times over the years. After this issu

Flamin' fireballs!  It's the first ever Spider-Man team-up and the lucky sonovagun is the Human Torch!  Or, since technically this is Johnny Storm's annual, maybe we should make him seem like the lead with Spidey the guest star?  Ah, well, it doesn't matter.  This was a pretty wonky ride, so join Jon Wilson, Josh Bertone, and Donovan Grant, as they are joined by guest co-host Zach Henderson (from Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast), and get ready for "one of the most epic thrillers of all time!!" We also take a brief look at Spider-Man's backup appearance in The Fantastic Four Annual 1.   Feedback will also be read this week.  We got a lot of responses, including a question answered by some guy named Stan Lee.  If you'd like to contact the show and have your words read on the air and your name proclaimed to millions (that's Gerald K. Millions, our sound editor), please email us, leave a review on iTunes, or simply comment on this page.   Amazing Spider-Man Classics is dedicated to covering ev

If you are listening to the show and you like what you hear, please feel free to share this promo in your own sector of the etherwebs and get the word out there. Thanks! Jon