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Aquaman v8 #55 - “Manta vs. Machine” (2020)
pencil by Robson Rocha
ink by Daniel Henriques
color by Sunny Gho

Ant-man v2 #2 - “World Hive II” (2019)
pencil & ink by Dylan Burnett
color by Michael Spicer

A while back I came across a piece Wizard magazine did where they reviewed Spider-Man comics during an important time, as Joe Quesada was making his mark on Spider-Man. J. Michael Straczysnki and John Romita Jr. had Peter Parker change professions, and face new villains as well as situations ripped from the headlines. The anthology title Tangled Web featured a different team for every story, with a general focus on people affected by Spider-Man. In Peter Parker Spider-Man, Paul Jenkins and Mark Buckingham told quieter stories. Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley featured a teenaged Peter Parker in a different continuity.

Some of these stories are among the most acclaimed Marvel comics ever, so it’s interesting to see what people thought about them when these came out.

For me, these comics were important because it was the first time I was following Spider-Man when all of the books were really good. I remember looking forward to what the article had to say about Jenkins and Buckingham’s Peter Parker Spider-Man, and being really disappointed at the low, and probably, unearned grade. Tangled Web also had a much better batting average than the review gave it credit for.

Although the weirdest thing now may be the realization that the kids born when this magazine issue was on the stands are now able to vote.

In an earlier Wizard had reviewed Kurt Busiek and Pat Oliffe’s Untold Tales of Spider-Man. They gave that book a five out of six.

Do you agree with these reviews? What did you think of these comics?

Here’s a song that I’ve been thinking about frequently this past week.

Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #69

Published: c. December, 1968?
Cover Date: February, 1969

“Mission: Crush the Kingpin!”
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita and Jim Mooney
Inker: Jim Mooney
Letterer: Sam Rosen

Today we will be taking a look at Mysterioso by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN vol. 1 #618-620 from 2010.

During the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita Sr. days, Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio was easily one of the wall-crawler’s coolest foes.

First appearing in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN vol. 1 #13 from 1963, The Master of Illusion would have some of the most memorable appearances and schemes in a tenure teeming with them. Such schemes included:

Impersonating and framing Spider-Man

Pitting Spidey against mechanical duplicates of The X-Men

Tricking Spidey into thinking he is losing his sanity

Tricking Spidey into thinking he has shrunken (my personal favorite)

Sadly, while later writers like Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Roger Stern and David Michelinie were able to deliver some really solid Spider-Man/Mysterio bouts, they didn’t always live up to the imagination, creativity and surreal nature of the character’s initial appearances. Don’t get me wrong, Mysterio was still one of Spidey’s better villains, but his illusions and plots often weren’t quite as memorable or as original as the Lee-written issues. That is until Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada’s classic Guardian Devil came along in 1999.

Despite not being a Spider-Man story, Guardian Devil contained what is (in my humble opinion) Mysterio’s most elaborate and diabolical scheme to date.

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Quentin Beck vows to make a true name for himself by psychologically shattering Daredevil (because Spider-Man was currently…unavailable at this time).

Long story short, Mysterio’s plan leads to Matt Murdock almost murdering an innocent baby and the death of his long-time lover Karen Page.

With this story, it seemed as though Mysterio was going to be revitalized like never before…

…only for Quentin to kill himself at the very end of it.

While thematically appropriate for the story, it was definitely an odd decision to kill off a long-standing Spider-Man villain in another superhero’s title. Imagine being a Spider-Man fan who doesn’t read Daredevil and discovering second hand that one of the web-slinger’s signature B-list rogues died in a completely separate comic. Chances are that those people probably wouldn’t react very well to this particular creative choice—and they didn’t.

Many Spidey fans felt this was a pointless waste of one of his most entertaining adversaries and demanded the Master of Illusion’s return—in one way or another. Thankfully, the story in which old fishbowl head finally makes his return (which just so happens to be our gem of the day) ended up being one of the most creative Spider-Man vs Mysterio tales to be told in a long time.

Our story begins rather grimly with a quite thorough recap of the many hits that have been placed on members of the Maggia crime family.

The only surviving man of the Maggia family is this charmer here:

Unfortunately for Bruno, Mr. Negative’s Inner-Demon gang arrive to rectify that little oversight.

But when all hell breaks loose, who has a habit of arriving just in time?

If you were thinking Black Panther, you’ve come to the wrong place.

As Spidey begins mopping up this mess in a really neat splash page…

Marcos Martin rarely disappoints

…the Inner-Demons decide to cut their losses and escape before they’re entangled by the web of justice. In typical New Yorker fashion, no one seems especially grateful for Spidey’s assistance.

Skipping ahead, the Maggia later reconvene at the Karnelli Estate to discuss what exactly they are going to do (or can do) about the Inner-Demons.

However, the Maggia is in for quite a shock when some familiar faces begin to appear…except these particular faces should all presently be six feet under.

But the biggest surprise is still to come.

That’s right, the original Maggia don himself, Silvermane, is alive and well. Or is he?

Plot twist: this is all actually just one of Mysterio’s elaborate illusions so he can take over the Maggia crime family. So what is the mysterious Mr. Beck’s next move? Let’s find out.

“Silvermane” leads the charge against the Inner-Demons…much to Hammerhead’s confusion.

As Hammerhead gets the hell out of dodge, everyone’s favorite two-legged arachnid arrives along with the police to diffuse the destruction.

As the battle between the law and the lawless commences, Mysterio assures his comrades that he has the perfect plan for dealing with the accursed arachnid.

Said plan goes ends up going off without a hitch.

Spider-Man is now officially a killer in the eyes of the law! How will our hero get out of this one? How will he be able to clear his name? Furthermore, will he even want to clear his name after believing he has broken his moral code? This time you’ll have to find out for yourself.

Mysterioso marks what is easily one of Mysterio’s most creative schemes against the wall-crawler in a long time. Quentin is effectively portrayed as the genius he is supposed to be as he outwits everyone around him and remains one step ahead of his enemies at all times. I know that I’ve been rather hard on Dan Slott’s writing prowess in past articles of mine, but he really nails Mysterio’s ingenuity and penchant for showmanship here. It becomes clear as the story progresses that Quentin is doing this more for attention, recognition and thrills rather than power and money. In my opinion, that makes him a far more interesting and unique character.

You can track down the individual issues or purchase the Spider-Man: The Gauntlet, Vol. 2 – Rhino & Mysterio trade paper back.

Those looking for a detailed explanation on how Quentin Beck returned from the grave will be disappointed, but those simply looking for a fun Mysterio tale won’t be in the slightest.

Even though it was the fifth movie made, Spider-Man: Homecoming was a big deal for Marvel, Sony, and Spider-Man fans. The film represented an unprecedented partnership between two rival studios. It also marked the second reboot of the character in a decade. Even though the profits would all belong to Sony Pictures, this marked the first time that Marvel Studios was in direct control of its most popular character. One of their creative decisions was to cast diverse actors in roles that were “played” by white characters in the comic. Up for one of these roles, Laura Harrier thought she lost her role in Spider-Man: Homecoming to Zendaya because she didn’t expect them to cast two black woman actors in the movie.

Laura Harrier played who fans thought would be Liz Allen, but who ended up being the daughter of Michael Keaton’s Vulture, Adrian Toomes. Zendaya, of course, played “Michelle,” a love interest for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, who we find out at the end of the film goes by “MJ.”

In a new interview, Harrier talks about her career at length. Yet, the detail in the conversation about Zendaya stood out.

Why Laura Harrier Thought She Lost Her Spider-Man Role to Zendaya

Image via Sony Pictures

It may seem strange to most folks that Harrier didn’t think a Spider-Man movie would feature multiple actors of color. Yet, it can still be a huge struggle for black actors to break-in and find roles that aren’t necessarily about their racial or ethnic backgrounds. The 2018 review of Diversity in Film by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that in 2018 diversity in film reached new heights. However, things like parity amongst genders and multi-racial ensemble casts are not as common as you might think.

Of course, Spider-Man: Homecoming was filmed in 2016 for a 2017 release, when the numbers were significantly lower. But comic books have always been about inclusivity, so it makes sense that companies like Marvel Studios would try to take the lead on making their casts better match the demographic population of America. Laura Harrier assumed that since Zendaya won a role in Spider-Man, it meant she lost it. Thankfully, she was wrong.

As she told Net-A-Porter.com:

“After I did my screen test for Spiderman, before I had heard anything, it came out a few weeks later that Zendaya was going to be cast in it, so I just figured I hadn’t got the job. She must have…. I called my agent and they reassured me I was still in the running. I thought it was incredible and ground-breaking of Marvel to put us both in those roles and not to make it about our blackness. We were just girls who went to a school in New York and that’s what New York City looks like; films should reflect that. We had the best time making that movie. Zendaya and I are friends now and I’m really grateful for her. Swinging around on those wires was fun!”

Harrier went on to say that the friendship she formed with Zendaya, among other actors, helped her manage her success. After her adventure with Spider-Man, she landed a big role in Spike Lee’s based-on-a-true-story hit BlacKkKlansman. She also says she hopes to branch out further doing romantic comedies, thrillers, and other challenging projects.

Of course, she could also end up being the forthcoming Spider-Man sequel. At the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker’s identity is revealed. And since we know her on-screen dad makes an appearance in Morbius, it’s possible that she will show to confront the kid who stood her up at the prom to go fight her father and upend her entire life.

What do you think? Do you want to see Laura Harrier back as Liz Toomes in the third Spidey film? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured image via Sony Pictures

Laura Harrier Thought She Lost Spider-Man Role to Zendaya Because She Didn’t Think They’d Put Two Black Actresses In the Movie
Joshua M. Patton