Podcast - Episode 52: Spider-Man - The Original Clone Saga

It's week two of our book club! This week I read about 500 pages of Spider-Man. Dave had an earlier collection of this story that was under 200 pages. We should have communicated better.

This week we discuss Gerry Conway and Ross Andru's Clone Saga Spider-Man story from the mid-1970s. It's one of Dave's favourites and I had never read it before!

Before that we talk about how great Steve Rogers Captain America #2 is (and about how insane all the hate that's being hurled at Nick Spencer is). 

Speaking of insane, you can read the absolutely bonkers article about this comic that was posted on Paste Magazine's site here. As I say in the podcast, it's not only crazy because it STATES AS FACT that Marvel did something that would be impossible (completely change and re-write/draw/print a comic in like three weeks), it's also crazy because it suggests that Marvel, a very large entertainment company, would change a comic that QUICKLY SOLD OUT because a loud minority on the internet completely misunderstood it. It also ignores the content of this second issue, which is basically a very detailed outline showing how everything that has happened in all of the comics Spencer has been writing for most of a year now had led to this moment. It's just nuts.

Paste did post an apology, sort of, but man. Too little too late.

Anyway. I am so tired of defending this clearly awesome comic.

You can purchase and download that Year of Marvels Infinite comic about Winter Solider by Chuck Wendig and Juanan Ramirez here. I've seen the whole thing screen grabbed on Tumblr as well, because Tumblr is a lawless hellscape.

The comic is full of good stuff, like, um, this:

And this very hot WWII flashback version of Steve Rogers:

And who wants to see some creepy Captain America and Winter Soldier plush toys?

I think it's really funny that Steve's nose is so much larger than Bucky's. Attention to detail!

Here are some of the panels of the Clone Saga that we discuss. I apologize for the poor quality of these images. You're just gonna have to buy the book to see the beautiful art in all it's glory!

Here's that quiet scene on campus that Dave was talking about:

And here is the scene of J.J.J. clicking his heels together and then falling down:

Here's what Dave was talking about when he said Ross Andru draws crazy so well:

I forgot to mention this in the episode, but I was really impressed with Scorpion's costume-packing skills:

So cute!

And speaking of costumes, here's the one I became completely obsessed with: The Jackal!

Here is Prof Warren tearing his mask off:

Like...come on. That costume is insane.

Anyway. Ross Andru's art is amazing.

That's it for this week! Next week Dave and I talk about Wilspn, by Daniel Clowes! Not as many super villains in that one, if I remember correctly. Less clones, probably?