Al Sjoerdsma

Article Credits

Articles: The Basilisk, Belladonna, The Big Man, The Big Wheel, Black Fox, Blackie Gaxton, Bloodlust, Baron Brimstone, The Burglar, Cannonball, Carrion II, Cat Burglar, The Clown, Corona, Crime-Master, Critical Mass, Crusher Hogan, Doctor Octopus II (Carolyn Trainer), Drom the Backwards Man, Egghead, Fancy Dan, The Fox, The Great Gambonnos, Grizzly, Joe Smith, Kang the Conqueror, Knockout, Lightmaster, The Living Brain, The Lobo Brothers, Lucky Lobo, The Masked Marauder, Maxie Shiffman, Mindblast, Molten Man, Montana, Nekra, Nocturne, Ox, The Persuader, Princess Python, Professor Cobbwell, Professor Newton, Professor Mendel Stromm, Rapier, Ringmaster, Sally Avril, The Schemer, Stegron the Dinosaur Man, Stone-Face, Stunner, Titania, Whiplash, Xandu

Review Credits

Age of Ultron: #10

Amazing Fantasy: #15

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Movie: #1, #2

Ann Arbor Argus: #11

Amazing Spider-Man Promo (Aim Toothpaste): AIM Toothpaste vs. Green Goblin

Avengers (Vol. 1): #11, #3, #58, #59, #60

Avengers (Vol. 1) Annual: #2 [Pt 1], #2 [Pt 2]

Avenging Spider-Man Annual: #1

Avenging Spider-Man: #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #15.1, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

Books (Art): Ultimate Picture Book #1

Books (Creating Comics): Exploring Film [Pt 1]

Captain America (Vol. 1): #137, #138

Captain Marvel (Vol. 4): #10

Castle of Frankenstein: #12

Dead No More: Clone Conspiracy: #1 [Pt 1], #1 [Pt 2], #2, #3, #4, #5

Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: Comics Buyer's Guide Presents Greatest Comic Book Covers of All Time!

Comics Revue: #115

Comics Spotlight: Comics Spotlight Amazing Special

Convention Promo (Marvel Comics): Mighty Marvel Comics Convention 1975

Daily Bugle Special Edition: Daily Bugle Special Edition Pulse/House of M

Daredevil (Vol.1): #1, #16, #17, #27, #43, #54, #6

Daredevil (Vol.3): #11

Doctor Strange: #179

Esquire: #382, #394

Eye Magazine (Vol. 2): #2 [Pt 1]

Fantastic Four (Vol. 1): #21, #35, #36, #512, #513, #61, #73

Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual: #1 [Pt 2], #3

Go-Go: #6 [Pt 1], #6 [Pt 4]

Howard The Duck: #1

Inferior Five: #10, #7

Journey Into Mystery: #124

Misc Magazine Appearances: Star, Village Voice Vol. LVIII #2, January 9-15, 2013

Spider-Man Mangaverse One-Shot: Marvel Mangaverse

Marvel Age: Spider-Man: #1 [Pt 1], #1 [Pt 2], #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 [Pt 1], #7 [Pt 2], #8, #9

Marvel Annual (UK): Marvel Story Book Ann. UK 1967

Marvel Books (Reader's Digest): Marvel Heroes Battle Unfolds

Marvel Collectors Item Classics: #1, #2

Marvel Comics Presents: #48 [Pt 1], #49, #50

Marvel/DC Crossover One-Shots: Superman vs. Amazing

Marvel Fanfare: #27 [Pt 2]

Marvel Graphics Novels: Amazing Family Business, Silver Surfer Enslavers

Marvel Knights 2099 One-Shots: Black Panther 2099 #1, Daredevil 2099 #1, Inhumans 2099 #1

Marvelmania Magazine (1969 One Shot): #1

Marvel Mini Books: Marvel Mini Book Amazing

Marvel Novels (Byron Preiss): Gathering Of Sinister Six

Marvel One Shot Magazines: Marvel 75th Anniversary

Marvel One Shots: Marvel Super Heroes #1 1966

Marvel Pocket Comics: Pocket Book Amazing, Pocket Book Daredevil, Pocket Book Fantastic Four Return

Marvel Books (Intervisual): Amazing Pop-Up Book "Attack of Tarantula"

Marvel Projectors (Kenner's): Kenner's Give-A-Show Projector, Kenner's Marvel Super Heroes See-A-Show

Marvel Promo (Misc): Captain Action & Action Boy, vs. Prodigy, Sylvan Learning Systems Amazing Battles Ignorance

Marvel Promo Reprints (Misc): Eye Amazing Mini Insert, America's Best TV Comics #1

Marvel Promo (UNICEF): Special Edition Trial Of Venom

Marvel Spotlight: #32

Marvel Super Heroes: #14, #21, #22

Marvel Tales: #1, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

Marvel Team-Up: #1, #107, #16, #17, #19, #20, #31, #36, #37, #41, #42, #43, #44, #45, #46, #99

Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 2): #2

Merry Marvel Messenger: #1

Miscellaneous Fanzines: Forbush Gazette #1, Irving Forbush Gazette #2, Hero #2, Jeddak #3

Pilot Season: Murderer: #1

Not Brand Echh: #1 [Pt 1], #10, #11 [Pt 1], #11 [Pt 2], #11 [Pt 8], #11 [Pt 10], #12 [Pt 1], #12 [Pt 2], #12 [Pt 5], #12 [Pt 6], #12 [Pt 9], #12 [Pt 10], #13 [Pt 1], #13 [Pt 2], #13 [Pt 3], #13 [Pt 5], #13 [Pt 6], #13 [Pt 7], #13 [Pt 10], #13 [Pt 11], #13 [Pt 12], #2 [Pt 1], #3 [Pt 1], #3 [Pt 3], #4 [Pt 1], #5 [Pt 1], #6 [Pt 1], #6 [Pt 3], #7 [Pt 1], #7 [Pt 2], #8 [Pt 1], #9 [Pt 1], #9 [Pt 4], #9 [Pt 6]

California Pelican: California Pelican Volume 72 #2

POW! Annual: 1968

The Pulse: #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #6, #7, #8, #9

Punisher (Vol. 9): #10

Silk: #1

Silver Surfer (Vol. 1): #14

Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1): #1 [Pt 1], #1 [Pt 2], #10, #100, #101, #102, #103, #104, #108, #109, #11, #113, #114, #115, #116, #117, #118, #12, #124, #125, #126, #13, #130, #131, #138, #139, #14, #140, #141, #142, #143, #144, #15, #153, #156, #157, #158, #159, #16, #165, #166, #17, #170, #174, #175, #18, #182, #183, #19, #191, #192, #2 [Pt 1], #2 [Pt 2], #20, #203, #204, #205, #208, #209, #21, #210, #216, #217, #218, #22, #223, #23, #237, #24, #242, #25, #26, #265, #27, #28, #283, #29, #3, #30, #31, #310, #32, #33, #34, #35, #36, #37, #38, #39, #390, #391, #392, #393, #4, #40, #41, #42, #429, #43, #44, #45, #46, #47, #48, #49, #5, #50, #51, #52, #53, #54, #55, #56, #57, #58, #59, #6, #60, #61, #62, #63, #64, #65, #66, #67, #68, #69, #7, #70, #71, #72, #73, #74, #75, #76, #77, #78, #8 [Pt 1], #8 [Pt 2], #81, #83, #84, #85, #86, #9

Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual: #1 [Pt 1], #11 [Pt 1], #11 [Pt 2], #19, #2 [Pt 1], #20, #3 [Pt 1], #4 [Pt 1], #4 [Pt 2], #4 [Pt 3], #4 [Pt 4], #4 [Pt 5], #5 [Pt 1], #5 [Pt 2], #6

Spider-Man Anthologies (Byron Preiss): Untold Tales of Anthology [Pt 1], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 2], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 3], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 4], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 5], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 6], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 7], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 8], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 9], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 10], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 11], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 12], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 13], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 14], UNTOLD_TALES [Pt 15]

Spider-Man Clone Saga: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four: #1, #2, #3, #4

Spider-Man: The Manga: #1, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #2, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #3, #30, #31, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

Spider-Man Newspaper Strip: Newspaper 3 January 1977 27 February 1977, Newspaper 28 February 1977 8 May 1977, Newspaper 9 May 1977 3 July 1977, Newspaper 4 July 1977 3 October 1977, Newspaper 4 October 1977 29 October 1977, Newspaper 30 October 1977 28 December 1977, Newspaper 29 December 1977 12 February 1978, Newspaper 13 February 1978 9 April 1978, Newspaper 10 April 1978 2 July 1978, Newspaper 17 November 2014 14 March 2015, Newspaper 15 March 2015 23 August 2015, Newspaper 24 August 2015 21 February 2016, Newspaper 22 February 2016 -17 July 2016, Newspaper 18 July 2016 20 November 2016, Newspaper 21 November 2016 30 April 2017, Newspaper 1 May 2017 5 November 2017, Newspaper 6 November 2017 13 May 2018, Newspaper 14 May 2018 11 November 2018, Newspaper 12 November 2018 23 March 2019, Newspaper 30 July 2023 21 October 2023

Spider-Man One-Shots: Amazing Ends of Earth

Spider-Man Promo (American Cancer Society): ACS - Smokescreen

Spider-Man Promo (NCPCA): NCPCA & Power Pack

Spider-Man Promo (Newspaper): What Price A Life?

Spider-Man Recap One-Shots: Peter & MJ's Scrapbook 1999

Spider-Man Comics & Record (One-Shots): Golden Records Amazing #1

Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 1): #21, #22, #23, #26

Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1): #11, #139, #140, #141, #142, #143, #145, #146, #149, #150, #151, #152, #153, #154, #176, #177, #28, #29, #30, #31, #36, #37, #39, #4, #40, #43, #5, #55, #56, #61, #77, #88

Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual: #13, #2

Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine: #1 [Pt 1], #1 [Pt 2], #2

Spider-Man Story Records (One-Shots): Amazing Record

Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1): #113, #114, #115, #116, #34, #46, #47, #50, #51, #53, #54, #55, #69, #70

Spider-Verse Team-Up: #1 [Pt 1], #1 [Pt 2], #2 [Pt 1], #2 [Pt 2], #3 [Pt 1], #3 [Pt 2]

Strange Tales (Vol. 1): #115 [Pt 1], #119 [Pt 1], #128 [Pt 1], #156 [Pt 1]

Strange Tales Annual: #2

Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner: #14

Superior Spider-Man: #31 [Pt 1]

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: #1, #10, #11, #12, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

Tales To Astonish (Vol. 1): #57, #59

Thor (Vol. 1): #148

Topps Krazy Little Comics: Topps Krazy Little Comics Fantastic Fear, Topps Krazy Little Comics Amusing Spider-Guy

TV Guide: #782

Unlimited Access (Marvel/DC): #1

What If? (Vol. 1): #30

What If? (Vol. 2): #105, #26, #99

Wizard Special: Spider-Man Special

X-Man: #37, #38

Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1): #27, #35

Introduction

Judging on age alone, Al is the most senior of us all. By day, Al is a mild-mannered librarian, but this is only a cover for his secret identity as an accomplished playwright.

Al is our resident historian, responsible for the most detailed of our "Looking Back" series of historical reviews. Al is also an expert on early Silver Age Marvel.

Collects

All Spidey comics, Alan Moore's ABC line, current Punisher series, new and old series by Steve Gerber, Steve Englehart, Jack Kirby, other series not worth mentioning since I got behind on them and lost track of the storylines (e.g. Thunderbolts, Avengers), Oz Books, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Bobble Head figures, works by Philip K. Dick, Tim Powers, Samuel Beckett and Thomas Berger, Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episodes, other stuff.

Why Spider-Man

Comics were very big with my peers when I was growing up. I read every bizarre comic you can imagine, from Hot Stuff to Popnecker the Fat Fury (still one of my all-time favorites), from Jimmy Olsen as the Giant Turtle Boy to Archie's MadHouse, from the mid-60s Captain Marvel who separated his body into different flying parts when he yelled "Split!" to Classic Comics of Frankenstein and King of the Khyber Rifles. Sometime very early on, I got ahold of a copy of Amazing #7... Spidey vs. the Vulture and was struck by the odd but compelling Ditko drawings... still being too young to really pick up on Spidey's sarcasm and sense of humor. I remembered it, though. About a year later, I latched onto another Spidey comic (though, strangely enough, I can't remember which one) and turned into a full-fledged Marvel Maniac.

I had a close friend who was a big DC fan. He and I would ride our bikes up to the Drug Fair every week (a long drive on very busy streets... I don't think our parents ever really knew what streets we were on... it would have scared them to death). He would buy a bunch of DCs and I would buy a bunch of Marvels. We'd go home, read them, swap, and read the other guy's books. Then we'd keep them all together in paper grocery bags in the attic. My parents always complained that they were taking up space and we'd have to move them to his attic. His parents always threatened to throw them away and we'd move them back. I was absorbed by the doings in all the Marvel books... the Inhumans in the FF, Hulk and Sub-Mariner in Tales to Astonish, Thor vs. Hercules... but the book that fascinated me most of all was Spider-Man with the question that was driving us all crazy... who is the Green Goblin? (As I recall, the answer of Norman Osborne was pretty disappointing. He was, I think, a fairly recent addition to the book and I'm not even sure I knew who he was when the revelation came.) And I loved that Ditko art, so much that I didn't care for Romita at first.

This went on for several years, this collection put together by my friend and I. Then one summer I went on vacation leaving the collection at his house and when I got back, I learned that his parents had made him throw the whole batch away. Shortly after that, I decided that I was probably too old to be reading comics and I quit. I still remember seeing a Spidey book on the rack and wanting it... but choosing to not buy it.

I was away from comics for a number of years, until my senior year in High School. Then, while in a 7-11, I saw a copy of Marvel Tales. On a whim, I picked it up. It was a reprint of ASM #67 with Spidey thinking he was shrunk by Mysterio and I loved it. So I went searching for other Spider-Man books. The first ASM I found was #138 (which I am doing a Lookback of right now, as a matter of fact) with the Mindworm. I learned a couple of things very quickly. Gwen Stacy was dead (yes, I missed the death of Gwen Stacy when it first came out) and Harry Osborn was now the Green Goblin. I didn't like either development. I was crazy about Gwen and still prefer her to MJ. But, believe it or not, that dopey Mindworm story was great fun and it sucked me in even further. I kept buying Spidey, Marvel Tales, and Marvel Team-Up until I went to college in the fall of 1975 and discovered something I had never seen before and couldn't believe existed... a comic shop. It was the Eye of Agamotto in Ann Arbor and it is long gone now but very fondly remembered. It also featured something I never expected to see in a store... back issues of comics. Suddenly, I was able to simultaneously read the then-current Jackal/clone storyline and the death of Gwen in ASM #121-122. I went on a determined search for all the Spideys I owned as a kid plus the ones I had missed in the meantime. Which brings us up to date except to say that I hung with the books until those issues in the 260s with Red Nine and the Commuter. Somehow, after all that great Roger Stern stuff, these issues didn't seem worth reading. So I didn't. But while I stopped reading for quite some time, I kept buying them. At some point, years later, I sat down with all of them and caught up... which was the only way to read clunky storylines like Round Robin and Maximum Carnage. If I had read them as they came out, I might not be with you here today.

Favourites

All Ditko, Spider-Man NO More-Death of Foswell, Doc Ock wins, Death of Gwen, Jackal clone saga (first time), Roger Stern's stuff particularly with odd previously non-Spidey villains like Stilt Man and Foolkiller, Venom on the deserted island, Clone Saga (still, IMHO, the best thing in the books for the last ten years - even though it failed on many levels)