02.21.15 Amazing Spider-Man Annual 3 (1968) #DrunkPete

With the recent news sending the Spider-verse a buzzing with Sony & Marvel working out a deal to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it felt appropriate to do a #DrunkPete involving Spider-Man and the Avengers.  (What is #DrunkPete?! Great question. For more information about #DrunkPete and its creation, read the one year anniversary #DrunkPete summary.). Unfortunately, I was only able to read the first story (thankfully it was the relevant story) because I had to depend on Marvel Unlimited which only posted the first story. I would have liked to have read the Doc Ock story. I will be adding this to my buy list now. 

The book opens with the Avengers discussing whether or not they should offer Avengers membership to Spider-Man.  Captain American, Hawkeye, Thor, Goliath, Wasp, and Iron Man are gathered around a table discussing the pros and cons.  While Hawkeye is a big fan of offering Spidey membership, the rest are wary because they don’t know much about Spidey, let alone his secret identity. 

In order to find out more, the Avengers call in Daredevil.  Daredevil has actually teamed up with Spidey and has fought against him.  Goliath and Captain America are going to blanket Manhattan with high-frequency radio signals in Morse code hoping Daredevil will pick it up.  What I found hilarious was the fact they were going to ask Daredevil if Spidey should join, but they never have offered Daredevil a spot.  What a smack in the face!

Daredevil gives his approval, and now comes the hard part.  The Avengers have no way to contact him.  They all split up on their search for Spidey.  While Spidey is webslinging through the city, Thor calls upon thee!  Pretty much anyone would be thrown off by the God of Thunder’s booming voice, but Spider-Man has always been a loner, a rebel.   Not to mention, no one wants to be “tested” or their ethics questioned.  Spidey informs Thor that he’ll have to think about it.  While he wouldn’t want Aunt May to find out he’s Spider-Man, the impact would be lessened if he were an Avenger.  He then decides that it’s a must to join; he was given spider powers for a reason.

There’s a fantastic full-page panel with Spidey’s first meeting with the Avengers.  Unfortunately, the pleasantries don’t last long, mostly because of Spidey.  He assumes he was supposed to fight the Avengers to prove his worth.  Instead, he just agitates them, making them question their decision because his short temper.  Unfortunately for Spidey, the Avengers aren’t as easily beaten as the X-Men were in Secret Wars 3.  After calmer heads prevail, the challenge Spidey with the task of bringing the Hulk to Avengers Tower.

Spidey quickly swings through the city on patrol for the Hulk.  When it turns up with nothing, he relies on his contacts at the Daily Bugle.  What I found hilarious was that not only did he purposely go through JJJ’s window to upset him, he also drank from his water cooler.  As JJJ calls for security, news hits that Hulk was spotted near the downtown Gamma Ray Research Center.

When Spidey and Hulk meet up, Spidey tried to reach him as old pals.  When Hulk doesn’t remember Spidey, a several page battle ensues.  The artwork is great showcasing Hulk’s speed versus Spidey’s agility and speed.  Eventually, Spidey gets Hulk to crash through the Gamma Ray Testing Devices; and Hulk returns to his alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner.  While only shortly lived as Banner, he tells Spidey is origin story and the total lack of control while in Hulkmode.  As predicted, Banner starts to turn back into Hulk.  Spidey uses the transition to web him up; but after contemplating the pain and anguish Hulk/Banner encounters, he decides he can’t be judge, jury, and executioner.  Spidey goes to loosen up the webs, but Hulk doesn’t need the help.  He HULK SMASHes his way out of them.

Spidey, thinking he did the right thing, goes back to the Avengers empty-handed.  He didn’t want to lure Hulk back to the Avengers under false pretenses.  Unfortunately, the Avengers wanted to help the Hulk with the burden he was shouldering.  Just another classic case of miscommunication.

Overall, this was a classic issue for 1968.  Some over the top fights and speeches.  It had some awesome full-page artwork.  I will go out and make sure I purchase this issue to get full access.  There also wasn’t really a theme drink for the night either.  I just drank some random assortments I had in my fridge.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Amazing Spider-Man Annual 3, and will join us on Twitter for a future event.  This week will be Amazing Spider-Man 280-281 featuring Silver Sable and the Sinister Syndicate.  I will probably be looking for a silver themed beer.  When all else fails, the Silver Bullet, Coors Light, could be used.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.

 

 





02.14.15 Spider-Man: Blue 1-6 #DrunkPete

Spider-Man: Blue was picked for tonight’s #DrunkPete. Not only does it occur on a Valentine’s Day, has flashbacks to a Valentine’s Day, & is a great love story, it also focuses on celebrating the good one has in one’s life while you have it. (What is #DrunkPete?! Great question. For more information about #DrunkPete and its creation, read the one year anniversary #DrunkPete summary.)

Spider-Man: Blue was not only a perfect story for a Valentine’s Day #DrunkPete, it is clearly one of the best love stories written in comics.  Between Jeph Loeb’s fantastic writing (emotional monologues, witty banter, etc.) and Tim Sale’s gorgeous drawing (gorgeous splash pages, deep colors and contrast), this book was beautifully produced.  While I was planning on collecting this in individual issues, I feel the trade will provide an even greater presentation.

The opening of each issue was rather creative.  You can tell Peter was making an audio journal entry on an older recording device.  It was Valentine’s Day, and he was reminiscing about his first love & Valentine, Gwen Stacy.  Not only was the writing creative, the rose omage artwork on the Brooklyn/George Washington Bridge in the first few pages completely tugged at the heart strings.  (The original issue’s art depicted the Brooklyn Bridge, but the text indicated it was the George Washington Bridge.)

Additionally, I liked how each issue focused on Peter’s regular life and also him fighting a specific villain.  First up, one of Spidey’s main villains, the Green Goblin, has discovered Peter is Spider-Man’s secret identity.  What makes matters worse is the Green Goblin is Peter’s friend Harry’s dad, Norman Osborn.  A battle that knocks the Goblin unconscious, Peter feels he has handled the him; and, Norman doesn’t remember that he is the Green Goblin.

Unfortunately, Peter hasn’t gotten a grasp of his regular life yet.  Being viewed as the constant wallflower hasn’t been easy on him.  With his recent success as a photog, Peter, combined with a little support from Aunt May and his deceased Uncle Ben, bought a motorcycle to impress the gang.  It’s the first time Pete felt he had the upper hand and was able to impress Gwen.

Issue two might have been my favorite of the six.  We find Gwen and Peter in chemistry class.  I love how Loeb focuses not only on Peter’s brilliance, but also how Gwen is portrayed as the smarter of the two young scientists.  Unfortunately, we also get a pretty accurate portrayal of how most of us would imagine how a bully would act in Flash Thompson’s exchange with Peter.

Another reason I loved this issue was watching Spider-Man’s interaction with the Rhino.  Rhino’s pure strength and power is no match for Spider-Man; Spidey has to rely on his brain power.  Finding a piece of the Rhino’s hide, Peter swings to his scientist pal, Doctor Curt Connors, to help determine a way to break down the Rhino’s protection.  Unfortunately, the catalysts needed to break down Rhino’s hide were the same catalysts that could interact with Curt Connor’s DNA, transforming him back into the Lizard.  Thankfully, they were able to add a disolving agent to Spidey’s webbing and bring the Rhino down.

After Rhino was brought to justice, Peter headed home to clean up for his “study date” with Gwen Stacy.  Little did he know, Aunt May was busy playing matchmaker with her best friend’s (Anna Watson) niece, Mary Jane Watson.  The book ends exactly like Amazing Spider-Man 42 when Peter finally meets Mary Jane with her infamous line, “Face it, Tiger.  You just hit the jackpot!” (Ps – to this day, that line makes me smile.)

Book three shows that the Parker luck isn’t always negative.  Mary Jane’s addition to the gang has improved Pete’s reputation, but it has also made Gwen a little jealous.  Flash and Harry can’t explain it.  The tables have finally turned; and both MJ and Gwen prefer Peter to Flash, which drives Flash nuts.

While at the Silver Spoon, breaking news dicloses Pete’s worse fear, Curt Connors has succumb to his Lizard DNA and is wreaking havoc in Manhattan.  Pete tried to make an excuse that he needs to take pics for the Daily Bugle.  Of course, MJ is not going to miss out on any action and joins Pete on the adventure.  Once downtown, MJ distracts the police while Pete sneaks through the barricade.  Spidey follows the Lizard back to Connor’s lab.    Once again, Pete uses his brain to beat another villain who clearly overpowers him by lowering the temperature of the lab.  The Lizard’s cold blood weakens his strength enough until Pete is able to apply the antidote, just in time as Connor’s wife and son arrive.

Book four once again starts with Peter’s regular life.  Harry has invited Peter to be his roommate.  Aunt May wants to move in with Anna Watson.  It seems like the ole Parker luck has turned into great luck.

Meanwhile, there is drama going down at the local prison.  Blackie Drago poisoned the original Vulture in order to steal his wings and makes a prison break.  His first order of business is to take out Spider-Man.  All Pete wants to do is attend the housewarming party at his new place with Harry.  Unfortunately, while en route, Spidey is knocked unconcious by the new Vulture.

While book four ended on a cliff hanger (no one really thought Spidey was dead), book five picks up after Spidey comes to and heads back to his and Harry’s apartment.  Once again, we see no bad Parker luck, well, besides the being knocked unconcious part.  Not only does MJ show up with homemade chicken noodle soup, Gwen arrives willing to read Huck Finn to Pete while he recoups (Uncle Ben used to read that to Peter when Peter was sick).

While being nursed by two lovely ladies, Adrian Toomes and Blackie Drago are having a Vulture vs. Vulture battle right outside Peter’s apartment window.  Peter reluctantly sends Gwen and MJ packing and intercepts the two Vultures fighting.  Unfortunately mid fight, Spidey webs and whips Drago into an overhanging gargoyle.  As it crashes towards the ground, Spidey realizes it’s about to crush Flash.  He swings in, saves Flash, reminds Flash to always do the right thing, takes out both Vultures, and heads back to the apartment.  Upon arriving he finds out that Flash was so moved by his encounter with Spider-Man, he joined the army.

The opening pages of book six is from a different perspective.  It is from the viewpoint of Kraven studying tape of Spider-Man’s battles with villains.  Sadly, Kraven picks up Peter’s aftershave on Harry and kidnaps him thinking the scent is from Spider-Man.  Pete quickly jumps into action and rescues Harry.  When Peter returns home, he finds Gwen in his room.  It’s Valentine’s Day, and Gwen and Peter finally become an item.

We flash forward several years and find images of Peter finishing his recording to Gwen.  It’s been years since her death, and every Valentine’s Day he’s been trying to cope with the loss of Gwen.  MJ comes up to check on Pete.  She let’s Pete know to tell Gwen “hi.”  The final pages just hit right in the stomach. MJ knows where Gwen stands in Petes life, but she will always be supportive of him. They both love and respect the memory of Gwen. Although, Valentine’s Day always makes Pete blue.

I thoroughly enjoyed Spider-Man: Blue. I have so much Spider-Man to read, I don’t know when I would have made time for it. I’m so glad this was our Valentine’s Day book. It fit perfectly. A lot of folks had a blue or blueberry themed beer. I chose My Bloody Valentine Ale which had an alcohol content of 6.66%.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Spider-Man: Blue, and will join us on Twitter for a future event. A year in; and the gang continues to grow, as are friendships, and Spidey knowledge. I’ve posted a few of my favorite tweets and pics from Saturday night below.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.

UPDATE – We decided on ASM (1963) Annual #3 w/ Spidey trying to join the Avengers. #WelcomeHomeSpidey #DrunkPete

02.07.15 What If? Spider-Man vs. Wolverine & Spider-Man Fairy Tales 4 #DrunkPete

Sorry for the late entry.  I was traveling for work, and I did not get the time to work on these creative issues that are part of the Spider-Man universe.  Both issues for this #DrunkPete involve Peter being placed in hypothetical situations, allowing the writer to involve Spider-Man in scenarios he normally wouldn’t. (What is #DrunkPete?! Great question. For more information about #DrunkPete and its creation, read the one year anniversary #DrunkPete summary.)

First up is What If? Spider-Man vs. Wolverine.  A covert operative’s (Alex) cover was blown.  She was a good friend of Logan (Wolverine).  Wolverine asked Spider-Man to help them right some wrongs of the past and use rescuing Alex as a way to redeem themselves.  However, they both of their own vision of redemption.  As soon as the helicopter drops them off in enemy territory, Wolverine and Spidey come under fire.  The helicopter pilot opens cover fire and takes out a majority of the enemy combatants.  Spidey of course questions the use of force when knockout gas would have been more humane.

After the remaining baddies are webbed up, Wolverine and Spidey encounter their next challenge, Russia’s own mutants.  The banter and pacing of this fight scene is amazing.  Both Wolverine and Spider-Man are taken aback by the new mutants, but eventually overcome their powers.  With both mutants, Spidey was able to distract them as Wolverine took them out.  Once again, Spidey is hoping rescuing Alex will justify all the killing Wolverine has done on this mission.

Once inside, they make quick work of the remaining baddies, rescue Alex, and blow up the power plant.  Nebo, who orchestrated the rescue of Alex, feels that Spidey would make a great operative now that he’s rescued Alex.  Nebo starts training Spidey, but Spidey quickly becomes even more talented than expected due to his spider sense.  Him and Alex have grown into a close couple.  The Russians wanted Alex back.  A group called the Black Steppes wouldn’t give up.  Eventually, Alex, Nebo, Wolverine, and Spidey decided to get proactive.  They took out the Black Steppes, Chinese Expansionists, Yoriskolov, Nine Dragon Scales, etc. Unfortunately, the baddies wouldn’t stop coming after them.  Not only does Spidey kill one of the assassins, he calls SHIELD for help.  They offer the Russians Nebo in exchange for letting Spidey, Wolverine, and Alex go.  Those three go forward and make the world safer by taking out similar black operatives.

The second story of the evening was quite creative, Spider-Man Fairy Tales 4.  This issue combined a lot of stories from my childhood.  It had hints of Cinderella, Robin Hood, and Sword in the Stone.

The story opens describing Richard and Ben Parker noble knights.  Unfortunately, they are struck down in battle; and with their dying breaths, they ask fellow knight, Norman Osborn, to raise Richard’s young son, Peter Parker.

Years later, we pick up the story and find young Peter has essentially become the Norman’s chamber made, responsible for cleaning their castle and preparing Harry and Norman’s knight armor and weaponry.  We also find Mary Jane as one of the Osborn’s chamber maids.  While they both work on shining the Osborn’s armor, Mary Jane discloses to Peter that the king is hosting a ball in order to find a suitable knight to take Princess Gwendolyn’s hand in marriage.

Peter is of course excited about the news of Princess Gwendolyn being available.  He visits his dad and uncle’s graves for support and guidance.  While there, he sees a spider weaving a web between the two graves; and he views it as uniting their spirits.  He takes the next few weeks to create his own armor so he may attend the ball and try to win the Princess’s heart as the Prince of Arachne.  Just as in Cinderella, the surprise guest (Peter) is a big hit.  Gwendolyn and he dance the night away.

Unfortunately, the clock strikes twelve, and Peter makes a break for it. Instead of leaving a shoe behind like Cinderella, Peter ends up leaving a piece of armor behind. The next morning, the entire kingdom finds out that the King and Princess Gwendolyn are searching for the Prince of Arachne. The Normans are furious and plan to kill whoever is posing as the Prince. Mary Jane discovers Pete’s hidden armor, and Harry overhears the truth. Harry runs off to tell his father. Norman decides Harry will pose as the Prince. However, Pete was already at the castle and informed the King prior to the Osborn’s arrival. Outraged, Norman strikes out with his sword towards the Princess. Peter blocks, and a battle ensues. Their melee causes a chandelier to crash onto the Princess. Peter strikes Norman down. While Princess Gwendolyn and Peter never married, the King still considered Peter to be his Prince. The Parker name & the mark of the spider were both synonymous with Justice and honor.

Both issues were particularly interesting. They both presented the Spider gang in scenarios that we wouldn’t normally get to experience in the 616 universe. While I personally don’t like a Spider-Man assassin, his costume is super sleek and awesome, as was the spider armor. The artwork was spectacular. I probably wouldn’t have come across these for some time if it weren’t for #DrunkPete.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Spider-Man Fairy Tales 4 and What If? Spider-Man versus Wolverine, and will join us on Twitter for a future event. A year in; and the gang continues to grow, as are friendships, and Spidey knowledge. I’ve posted a few of my favorite tweets and pics from Saturday night below.

Valentine’s Day’s #DrunkPete will be one of the greatest love stories ever told, Spider-Man: Blue.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.

01.31.15 Amazing Spider-Man 153 #DrunkPete

Are you ready for some football?! Are you ready for some #DrunkPete?! This week’s #DrunkPete, Amazing Spiderman 153, was chosen because of the relevance to it being Super Bowl weekend. (What is #DrunkPete?! Great question. For more information about #DrunkPete and its creation, read the one year anniversary #DrunkPete summary.)

As we catch up with Peter in Amazing Spider-Man 153, he is on patrol as Spider-Man web swinging through New York. To be honest, these are my favorite type of Spider-Man stories. He’s just fighting street crime, trying to make the city safer for the average Joe. This was discussed on a recent Amazing Spider-Talk podcast, but I find Peter in his element best when he’s stopping muggers, robbers, and organized crime. I feel, as do others, that Spidey has taken on a lot more “global threats” lately. Anyway, back to ASM 153…

The story opens with a taxi driving down a road in Manhattan, and the lights are flashing. At first, Peter is going to ignore it. Upon further inspection, the lights are flashing a pattern, three short, three long, three short. With this issue being published February 10, 1976, almost 39 years ago exactly, SOS & morse code had much more relevance. Nowadays, I’m sure cabbies would have smart phones, apps, gps tracking, silent alarms, etc. Either way, Peter, the former Boy Scout, recognizes the call for SOS and swings into action. Unfortunately, Spidey lacks grace getting the cab to stop. He forces it to swerve into a fire hydrant. He then RIPS the back doors off to get to the criminals. While he did save the day, the poor cabbie is stuck with a beat down car with 2 broken doors. It looks like the Parker luck is contagious to this cabbie.

To continue with the theme of Parker luck, the next scene we find Peter catching up with the gang at Empire State University. Harry Osborn, Flash Thompson, and Mary Jane Watson are grabbing some ice cream before class starts. Once again, Peter’s night job as Spidey caused him to leave MJ unescorted at a party so he can “take photos” for the Daily Bugle. Peter pulls MJ off to the side to try to beg for forgiveness. After a quick game of “hard to get,” Pete and MJ quickly make up and run into Daily Bugle reporter, Ned Leeds. Leeds is on campus to interview an alumni, Bradley Bolton, former football star and current computer wizard.

Bolton was the BMOC (big man on campus) when he attended Empire State University. It was the final game of the season that ended his football career that made him go into computer sciences. Empire State was playing Metro University for all the marbles. The game was in the final 2 minutes when Bolton was given the ball on the 1 yard line. He had a spectacular run, falling just inches short of the touchdown. ESU ends up fumbling on the next possession and loses the game. Bolton gives up football after the game. He felt his shortcoming is the reason they lost the game. Today, professional athletes would not take that ownership. If anything, they’d call out the one who did the actual fumbling.

During the interview, Bolton gets a message from the clubhouse. My first thought was, holy cow, life is way different without cell phones. Although, I don’t know if a ransom letter would be preferred to be delivered via text either. It turns out that Bolton’s expertise with computers made him and his family a target. People have kidnapped Bolton’s daughter and the price is his recently developed computer component. To add insult to injury, they want Bolton to deliver the computer component to them on the football field as everyone is at the Homecoming dance. As most criminals do, the went back on their word to let Bolton’s daughter go, even as Bolton delivers on his promise. As they try to get away, Bolton charges them, running the full 100 yards of the football field. Paine (main henchman) was making a break for it as the rest tried to light Bolton up with machine guns. Spidey jumps in to help take out some of the goons. As Bolton tackles Paine and saves his daughter, we watch as Bolton dies from taking some critical shots.

This issue probably does not get reread by many people. I read it once on my read through of Amazing Spider-Man and again for #DrunkPete. Since it was Super Bowl weekend, it felt appropriate to do a football related story. Although, if I was a kid in 1976, I would feel I wasted my $.25 on a book that Spidey served no real purpose. Yes, he was there for the opening cab scene, some drama with MJ, and assisting Bolton in the end; but the entire story could have happened without Spidey/Peter. Also, a 100 yard run while being shot at by machine guns?! Really?! Were the shooters Storm Troopers? They’re the only people I know with that bad of aim. Yes, Bolton does get shot but still has the strength to tackle Paine. It’s just pure Bologna. It’s a good moral story of a man willing to do anything for his daughter. As a father of 2 daughters, it did give me #thefeels.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Amazing Spider-Man 153, and will join us on Twitter for a future event. A year in; and the gang continues to grow, as are friendships, and Spidey knowledge. I’ve posted a few of my favorite tweets and pics from Saturday night below.

Next week, Spider-Man Fairy Tales 4 and What If? Spider-Man versus Wolverine.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.

01.24.15 Sensational Spider-Man 29-31 #DrunkPete

This week’s #DrunkPete took place during the Civil War era. (What is #DrunkPete?! Great question. For more information about #DrunkPete and its creation, read last week’s #DrunkPete summary.) As we catch up with Peter in Sensational Spider-Man 29-31, he recently disclosed to the world that he was Spider-Man as part of the Super Hero Registration Act. Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) promised Peter that while Spider-Man may have several enemies, they won’t go after his loved ones like his wife (Mary Jane Watson Parker) or his Aunt May.

First up in issue 29 of Sensational Spider-Man, we find Dmitri Smerdyakov (Chameleon) trying to recruit Mark Raxton (Molten Man) to assist with his plans to exterminate Peter Parker. Molten Man has left a life a crime. Chameleon threatens, with the help of Max Dillon (Electro), to hurt the 11 year old boy Mark’s been mentoring if Mark doesn’t join their plot.

Meanwhile, we join Spider-Man in mid battle with Ebenezer Laughton (Scarecrow). No, it’s not Batman’s Scarecrow; but he weirdly has the EXACT same powers. Scarecrow tries to uses his fear pheromones to scare Peter with images of the Green Goblin. Thankfully, Tony’s new suit for Peter (Iron Spider) has built in purifiers. Up next comes Jackson Arvad (Will-O’-The-Wisp). Who?! Exactly, even Peter is having a hard time remembering this foe (Amazing Spider-Man 167). I’m surprised Tony didn’t have Wikipedia installed in the new suit. Anyway, these two C-list villains are just the beginning of Peter’s problems. Before the issue ends, we see Mary Jane about to be confronted by Swarm; and Liz Allen is being visited by her stepbrother, Mark Raxton.

Issue 30 starts out building up to action too. Electro is using his down time to appreciate art before getting called into action. Thanks to the Iron Spider suit, Peter can track his villains easier, especially one that radiates so much energy. In addition to Peter’s new tracking technologies, Stark suped up the Iron Spider suit with new toys, including devices that can ground Electro and cause feedback to neutralize him.

Meanwhile, across town, Mary Jane is at rehearsal arguing on the phone with Peter. Due to the recent attacks by Scarecrow, Will-O’-The-Wisp, and Electro, Peter is imploring Mary Jane to get to safety. As Mary Jane usually does, she laughs in the face of danger. She will not stay hidden because of Peter’s outed secret identity. Immediately after hanging up, everyone on stage is attacked by Fritz Von Meyer (Swarm). As someone who is allergic to bees, I’m completely mortified by the concept of a former Nazi scientist’s skeleton being reanimated by a swarm of mutated bees. Thankfully, Mary Jane is no damsel in distress. She quickly uses her wit and tries to smother them with a blanket, then soak them from the sprinklers after pulling the fire alarm. A stage hand comes through at the end with a finishing move of a mace to the skull.

At the end of the issue, we are left with two intriguing cliffhangers. We find that Liz Allen’s son, Normie, is being “kidnapped” by Molten Man (his uncle), Scarecrow, and Will-O’-The-Wisp. The bigger cliffhanger is seeing Chameleon take on the role of Peter and visit Aunt May…

I really enjoyed the story set up in the beginning of issue 31. On one side of the page, we see the Aunt May/Peter (Chameleon) exchange; and on the other side, we have the Liz Allen/Peter exchange. Liz Allen is quite upset with Peter. First of all, her son is kidnapped (although I doubt she is really that concerned with Molten Man being her stepbrother). Additionally, she feels betrayed by Peter. She had feelings for Peter, Spider-Man was always involved with her tragedies, and now she finds out that Peter has been hiding this from her for so many years. On top of all that, she felt Peter at least owed her a heads up prior to going public. As Peter is trying to apologize to Liz, Normie comes walking into the room alerting everyone he was able to get out of the ropes. In comes Molten Man. While Spidey is keeping Molten Man at bay, Scarecrow and Will-O’-The-Wisp go to take care of Liz and Normie. That’s when Spidey’s back-up (Black Cat) arrives. Between the two of them, the baddies are defeated; and Spidey gets Molten Man to spill the beans about Chameleon’s overall plot.

Don’t think I forgot about good ole Aunt May. We find her and Peter (Chameleon) reminiscing about the past. The next thing we realize, May is offering him some cookies. Chameleon thinks he has the leg up until May lets him know that all the stories that she brought up while reminiscing were all lies, a test to see if he was the real Peter. Once she was able to confirm, she “poisoned” the cookies she fed to Chameleon with “arsenic.” When the real Peter showed up on the scene, he found Aunt May knitting away and a passed out Chameleon on the floor. It turns out that “arsenic” was just almond extract and some of Mary Jane’s Ambien crushed up into the batter. The book ends on a very ominous note, foreshadowing the future problems Peter and Co. will face in the coming arcs.

Overall, the arc was great. I felt that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writes well for this storyline. It’s my first experience with him. I don’t know if that’s a good thing with #DrunkPete. The action and story were flowing so well, I didn’t stop to tweet that much stuff. I would probably say that this week’s three issues went faster than last week’s one issue. I believe I might have been done with all three issues before some were done with their first. I just got completely engulfed by the great writing. Not only was the writing spectacular, the artwork was fantastic. This was also my first experience with Angel Medina. I felt all the characters were unique. I especially enjoyed the modernization of the older villains. It was a very fresh take. I am currently reading The Amazing Spider-Man in order (at issue 404 at the moment); but as soon as I’m done, I’ll be adding Sensational Spider-Man’s entire run to my queue.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Sensational Spider-Man 29-31, and will join us on Twitter for a future event. A year in; and the gang continues to grow, as are friendships, and Spidey knowledge. I’ve posted a few of my favorite tweets and pics from last night below.

Next week, Amazing Spider-Man 153 in honor of the Super Bowl.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.

01.17.15 Web of Spider-Man 38 #DrunkPete

Last night was the one year anniversary of the first ever #DrunkPete. What is #DrunkPete, you may be asking yourself. #DrunkPete is a weekly get together on Twitter of like-minded Spider-Man fans. During the week, the groups agrees on a specific Spider-Man issue, graphic novel, or story arc; and meet up on Twitter to “live tweet” as they read it. With such a plethora of stories to choose, the decade (and therefore style, fashion, diction, and artwork) varies. The span over the multiple decades usually results in hilarious, snarky tweets while also appreciating the growth of Peter Parker as he grows into the man and superhero we know today. #DrunkPete is normally starting around 9 eastern standard time, but times vary (and lately have been starting closer to 10 as there are some new Spider-Dads in the group). Also, feel free to post you #DrunkPete colors when you start the night. This can be anything from Spidey attire (shirts, hoodies, hats, etc.), your beverage of choice, & how your reading the issue (some prefer physical comics – I love the old ads – or digital). The official (read unofficial) start of the night happens when @comic_fiend calls for ROLL CALL!

I feel I always need to explain the hashtag first thing. While the hashtags specifies “drunk,” all beverages are welcome (alcoholic or non). The group also recommends a theme drink in line with the story, but it’s not necessary as some beverages aren’t available in certain locales (participants are from multiple countries). Peter Parker tries to really drink, especially not to get drunk (more on this below and why this specific issue was chosen to start this 1 year ago). Last night’s drink choice was Hobgoblin, seems pretty self-explanatory if you’ve read the issue. The hashtag is not to encourage irresponsible drinking or alcohol in general. It’s just a hashtag used based on Web of Spider-Man 38, the first time this was discussed, and just an easy way to search for the group on twitter. I mean, come on, it’s only 9 letters (10 characters of the 140 you’re allowed aka 7.14%).

The origin story of the #DrunkPete phenomenon all occurred last year at the beginning of 2014. A few friends on Twitter (@caique2k, @comic_fiend, @Doctor_Spidey, @SpideyBats, & @TylerBGoode) were discussing the normal Spider-Man antics when some one asked @Doctor_Spidey if he ever got drunk while reading Web of Spider-Man 38. At that point, the group felt it would be a fun activity to do as a group; and they made arrangements to do so on January 5th, 2014. It was a Sunday afternoon. During the inaugural read, the #DrunkPete hashtag wasn’t used. It was just 5 close friends that could tag each other while they read. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and other Twitterrati wanted to join. They decided to make it a regular Saturday night event starting the following weekend, and the #DrunkPete story time hour was born.

Web of Spider-Man 38 (May 1988) is pretty important and also not important at the same time. On face value, the reader can say it’s a throw away issue. It’s just Peter and Mary Jane throwing one last party at 410 Chelsea Street before their move into Bedford Towers. It was Peter’s old place before they were married. Now that they’re home from the honeymoon, Mary Jane wants to move on up to the east side. (Sorry, felt it rang of The Jefferson’s.) I feel the issue offers a lot more substance to the overall Spidey universe though.

First of all, it’s the return of the Hobgoblin. Jack O’Lantern has taken on the Hobgoblin’s persona after the original’s demise. The new Hobby is understandably upset that Kingpin has not only stopped hiring Hobby for assassins work, Kingpin also had him blacklisted within the underworld. Hobgoblin goes to confront Kingpin, but only to find his lackey, Arranger. Arranger tells Hobby he’s washed up, a joke. If Hobby was to clear his name, he needs to dispose of Spider-Man for the Kingpin. Meanwhile, Tombstone (first appearance in Web of Spider-Man 36) has snuck up behind Hobby and tossed him from the Kingpin skyscraper.

The other important plot point is what happens at the Parker’s promising party. Mary Jane is of course a rising star on the soap opera, Secret Hospital, and a regular party animal. Speaking of party animals, the party is packed with a ton of people, even Spuds Mackenzie. Unfortunately, Mrs Muggins showed up at the party looking for her absent husband. Peter sees her coming, and he starts to down some punch. Unfortunately, someone has spiked the punch. It’s at this point that Harry Osborn calls to announce that he and Liz will be late due to Hobgoblin causing a scene at the Lincoln a Tunnel. Spidey goes to confront Hobby; but he soon realizes that in his inebriated state, this will be a tougher challenge than normal. Thankfully, Spidey is able to narrowly defeat Hobby; but he knows that fighting drunk is not the responsible thing to do. Once arriving home, he questions all the party guests to find out it was Mr Muggins (Mrs Muggins ornery husband) that spiked the punch to liven up the party.

I hope everyone enjoyed my summary of #DrunkPete, Web of Spider-Man 38, and will join us on Twitter for a future event. A year in; and the gang continues to grow, as are friendships, and Spidey knowledge. I’ve posted a few of my favorite tweets and pics from last night below.

Feel free to leave comments or hit me up on Twitter @Ohiodb8r.