May was such a grueling month of hideous, downbeat horror tales, I thought maybe kicking off June with some kid friendly fun could really shake things up around here! And don't for a single second think just because it's Spiderman in a haunted house that this one doesn't deliver the chills-- the final twist panel, in fact, makes this story very worthy of its inclusion here at THOIA. From the Dec. 1974 issue of Spidey Super Stories #3, with art by Win Mortimer and Mike Esposito!
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This was hilarious in every way. The art was great, typical 1970s - nobody will ever convince me that the 70s weren't the greatest period for comic book art - and Spiderman, the lamest superhero of all time, was as much a laugh riot as every - especially when he was frantic to flee the "haunted house". Kelly, too: one minute she wants to rescue her cat, the next to wait to tomorrow, then again to find the cat RIGHT NOW OR I'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.
I always wanted to know what would happen if a spider got bitten by radioactive human. Is there a comic book like that?
Peter!
What's kind of interesting about this is this near the time when I started reading Amazing (in about a year, actually) with 151 (and have read it ever since) ... the exact same month (dec 74) Amazing actually had Mysterio in it, also, and we were about 4-5 issues away from the famous Jackal run where Stan forced Conway to bring back Gwen Stacy so the entire clone saga started there (Stan was getting all the hate mail from killing her a year earlier.). The whole business that started the clone stuff is a really interesting story.
So in this super-story comic Peter is basically afraid of ghosts, Mysterio isn't a murderous thug and just wanted to make a haunted house machine, and an insane Normal Osborne didn't cause the death of Peter's first love. It's a slightly gentler comic!
I have to say, even though this is the kid version of Spider-man the artist still do a good job. It's a little quick in places but they don't skimp on the art. That said, having a story about a haunted house and mentioning Mysterio in the title doesn't leave a lot of suspense. I mean, it could be Kraven!
I love it! That haunted house is the bees' knees, and Mysterio's mission control console is so great. It's got special levers for all the haunted animals. Do you think he made the haunted dog and mouse that keep motivating the cat, just to keep them all in the house? I'd like to think a cat would see through his nonsense, but who knows. Who knows if that's really the cat at all.
The end is great.
Man, I really wish they'd collect these Spidey Super Stories up in hardback Masterwork volumes like they've done for all the other Spider-Man titles. Is Marvel worried that grown ups won't pony up fifty bucks for comics that were aimed at eight year olds? This one would.
Yeah, this comic series was produced in conjunction with The Electric Company kids TV show. I always loved the live action Spiderman segments from it. Those unfamiliar click here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jZmqWhF1dtE&list=PL80B39F21C15D3E7A&index=1&pp=iAQB&ra=m
I too would be into a Spidey Super Stories hardcover collection, because unlike what Bill said above, Spiderman is actually one of the greatest superheroes of all time. I can’t even begin to think what my childhood would’ve been like without ‘ol webhead spinnin’ his yarns.
Glad you guys enjoyed this, I’m thinking maybe we’ll see a few more SSS’s over at AEET later this month too!
"I’m thinking maybe we’ll see a few more..."
That'd be great. Spider-Man was always my favorite, from back before I was old enough to understand the difference between publishing companies. At the time, I also read whatever Batman comics were at hand, and Fantastic Four, of course. I used to have a bunch of Treasury Editions reprinting the classic stories. The nice thing about the seventies was that all the comics were reprinted over and over. I can't possibly tell you just when I started reading any title because I was reading stuff from the sixties right alongside stuff from the mid-seventies.
But Spidey is the only superhero I continued to read into the eighties--and had pretty much stopped reading even those by high school.
I believe I got hooked on Spiderman because of Electric Co, and long before I ever read a comic book. I was Spidey for Halloween in 3rd grade too! 🕸️🕷️
I wouldn't say Spider-man is one of the greatest superheroes of all time, because Peter Parker is the greatest superhero of all time. Yes, I'm that guy!
Who can forget the theme song from the Spiderman cartoon from 1967, or the jazz tunes featured in said cartoon?
Some of those 1967 Spiderman episodes would fall into the category of horror, if not Creepy or Eerie hardcore horror then Gold Key type horror.
Variety is the spice of life, and since we have had horror/monster tales featuring Batman and Robbin and Plasticman on THOIA, why not feature a Spiderman spook tale if you have any hanging around?
Definitely one of my all time favorite theme songs too, for sure!
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