To the Editor (28-Apr-2014)
From Paul
I have a 5ft framed "Heroes World Spiderman" artwork. In the 90's I was working for a friend of Stan Lee's. My friend had just returned from a "Heroes World" auction. The company had just gone out of business. My friend purchased this piece and gave it to me.
I actually got some info from Tom Brevoort (editor at Marvel). He told me the original was done by Sal Buscema. I am attaching a copy for you to look at. Do you think there would be an interest by collectors for this? I do believe it was the cover art to a comic book that was never published.
I'm afraid that among the 30-odd staff members here at Spider-Fan there are no serious collectors of posters or artwork of this kind. We're all about the comics.
But my personal instinct is that the market for this kind of thing would be very small indeed, and this poster is unlikely to attract any competitive bidding at auction. I could be wrong, of course. But the real interest is in original artwork. Printed products like these are not particularly sought-after, even with the curious provenance you describe.
From Andre
To all the staff:
I've been a huge spidey fan for as far as I can remember. At the age of 20 more or less, I lost my sight, so that ment no more comics for me. Now, thanks to assistive technologies, I can use a computer with screen reader, and have found your reviews, so wonderfully complete and accurate, that has been as good as reading the books again.
I'm catching up with more than 15 years of Spidey!
Thanks for all the work you put into the site, it is really great.
Hey Andre. That's so wonderful to hear. It's emails like yours that remind us why we keep plugging away and adding info to the site year after year.
Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement. They mean a lot to us.
From Yvette
Jonathan, would you write a student that I have back if I send you his letter regarding Spiderman?
Ben broke the color copier by printing photos of Spidey, which I find quite endearing. (I am the media specialist at a tiny rural mountain school with almost 70% low socio-economic status students - I moved here from DC).
Materially he has very little, but I am very proud of him as he has composed a letter to Stan Lee/ Spiderman. I don't know a lot about Spiderman and I kinda want a letter actually mailed from far away (out of the state) so Ben knows others love Spidey too.
If you would consider writing him back, or know anyone knowledgeable about Spiderman who would write him back, I would greatly appreciate this charity displayed.
It sounds like Ben really just wants to swap letters with an out-of-state (or overseas) Spider-Fan of his own age and who shares his interests!
We have a F.A.Q. on this topic: How do I join a Spider-Man fan club?. Unfortunately the F.G.A. (Frequently Given Answer) is that the Internet has essentially killed "fan-clubs" other than online forums and Facebook Groups.
If you're trying to find a suitable pen-pal for Ben, the only suggestion I can give is to try posting a message on the Spider-Man Forum at ComicBoards. Unfortunately, most of the staff of Spider-Fan are adults or college students, and are probably not what Ben needs.
From Stepanovichj
Saw the article on if Spidey had ever taken a life. Do you guys think Spidey meant to take those lives? Or does he think the circumstances implied them as accidents? And if Spidey has killed someone, how come always guilty Pete never thought about it?
You are referring of course to our very popular F.A.Q. : Has Spider-Man Killed?
Did he MEAN to kill? Well, we have annotated our comments on each case. In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5, there is definitely some intent to cause harm. Spider-Man deliberately uses his webbing to redirect a rocket back into the Finisher's tank.
Similarly, the death of Whisper-3 in Web of Spider-Man #91 seems to cast Spider-Man in a significantly culpable role. Perhaps there is an element of self-defence, or instinct in both cases. But you will need to read those issues and decide for yourself just where to draw the line.
In most of the other cases there are extenuating circumstances.
As for why Peter doesn't feel guilt about those events? Well, I'm afraid you'll have to get a hold of the guys who actually write the stories to find out why Spider-Man does or doesn't do what he does. Here at Spider-Fan we just stand on the sidelines and criticise.
From Leo
Do you have the email address of Wade who wrote the above article of the closing down of the Marvel Mania Restaurant... Florida Marvel Mania Restaurant Cancelled?
I understand Wade works for Universal Studios?
I wish to ask him who or what company made the Life Size Ironman Statue on display at the Marvel Mania Restaurant at Universal Studio?
Hiya Leo.
Sorry, that article was from back in 1998, and my email records only seem to go back ten year to 2005.
In any regards, I suspect that Universal Studios is quite a large company, and there's no guarantee at all that Wade would have known who created the scenery for the restaurant - nor that he would still remember the details fifteen years later!
From Jimmo
A friend recently told me he has wanted to see the "Spider-Man" animated TV series for a long time, but has been unable to find episodes of it. I am not sure to which "Spider-Man" series he was referring, as there seems to be several (beginning in 1967, and at least one animated series virtually every decade since) that were broadcast on television.
I would like to surprise my friend with a set of videos (digital downloads/DVDs) from this long-sought animated TV series. Is there one "Spider-Man" TV series more desirable among ardent fans than another?
FYI, when I tried to view the first episode of the streaming video for the 1967 "Spider-Man" TV series (at the Marvel site linked from your site here), the stream never appeared. Any other suggestions for where there may be streaming video of this series?
Which is the best TV show? Well, as always, it's hugely a matter of taste. The two most popular ones are probably Spider-Man TV (1994) (well-written, internally consistent with developing characters, well-illustrated, intelligent enough for adults, but suitable for all ages too), and Spider-Man TV (1967) (pretty good, and greatly enhanced by nostalgia).
Among the rest, the 1999 Spider-Man Unlimited (TV) is adequate, along with Spider-Man MTV (2003), and the 2008 Spectacular Spider-Man (not yet in our database, sadly). There's a bit of nostalgic fan love for the Spider-Man TV (1981) Solo series out there as well.
The live action Spider-Man TV (1977) is terrible, but people love it anyhow. Reception for latest 2012 "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon (not yet in our database) is mixed, although I haven't seen it yet.
For DVD copies, the 1990's series hasn't yet been fully released. You can get some of the episodes on disc, but not a complete run. By contrast, the 1967 series has been officially released and is still available, it sells on Amazon for around US$45 second hand, US $65 new.
For downloads, YouTube has most (perhaps all) of the episodes from both series. Marvel's "video" page seems to just be a random collection of episodes taken from various internet sources. I recommend you just stick to YouTube. As you have discovered, the YouTube downloads are more reliable than those from the Marvel site.
Hmm... maybe this should be a F.A.Q.
From Adam
I recently came across a hardcover trade of spiderman carnage (you have the tpb listed but no hardcover). Apparently, this was a limited print of the collection to go along with a sega game. I know you don't generally reply to these questions, but any idea on value? I've checked online sites and links which seem to confirm the scarcity of these hardcovers, but it's never listed with price range, and it's not even in the overstreet book.
Sorry, but you didn't look hard enough! As a hardback, this item is listed separately in our Marvel Reprints (Hardcover) title.
Carnage (Acclaim Boxed Hardcover Edition)
There were 5,000 of these printed, which admittedly is less than "50 Shades of Grey". But given that a $4 comic like Carnage U.S.A. #1 sold only 30,000 copies, then 5k copies printed for a rare "collectors format" book doesn't seen unreasonably low.
A "fair price" for these collectibles is rather hard to ascertain. I see there is currently a complete boxed set in mint condition copy offered on eBay for US $1,300. But that feels like a completely unreasonable price. I can't suggest that anybody paying that price would be making a good investment.
I don't generally collect reprints. But if I did, I reckon I would feel justified in paying maybe as much as $200 for a complete boxed set in Near Mint condition. My guesstimate value for a copy of just the hardback book by itself would be around $50 in Near Mint.
The only real way to find out is to list it on eBay. If a couple of competing bidders came along, maybe the prices would push up a bit higher. But if there was only one bidder, it would probably struggle to reach even those numbers.
From tlcaslin
Hey this is a great site. but did you ever think about putting some of spider-man's greatest feats on here? i try to explain my friends the greatness of spider-man and most internet lists i find are very limited. i think it'd be cool to have
Hey, that's a brilliant idea. Here's some feets that I found on the internet.
You're right, these are really cool! The website feels better already!