Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Death Rattle #5

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, the place to find all the comic reviews you never knew you wanted!

Fall is in the air!  It's time for pumpkin spice EVERYTHING and seeing your HR Manager wearing a questionable "Sexy Kitty" costume at the company Halloween party. . .MEOW! 

It's also time for the annual Longbox Junk Halloween horror celebration.  So far, I've been having a pretty good time with some 80s horror anthology comics. . .with their little fun-size bites of horror hitting the candy bucket quite nicely.

What's that?  You want MORE?  All right then. . .LET'S DO IT!

DEATH RATTLE #5

Kitchen Sink Comix (1986)

COVER: Rand Holmes

THE COVER:

I really like the art of Rand Holmes, but this cover is just okay.  It's not BAD, but it's also not the sort of thing that grabs the eye and fires the imagination enough to make me want to see what's inside.  It's certainly not a great Halloween cover, but I only have a few issues of Death Rattle, and this is the only one I haven't done a Halloween review of yet, so here we are.  Let's get inside this thing!

THE STORIES:

Three stories on deck this time out.  There's some good names on the creator list. . .Mike Baron, Rand Holmes and a reprint of a Basil Wolverton classic. The "Part 3" on the last story makes me a little nervous, but I guess we'll see.  Let's go!

Junkyard Dog

SCRIPT:  Mike Baron

PENCILS: Rand Holmes

INKS: Rand Holmes

On Asteroid C-135 is the Solar System's highest security prison.  Everyone serves a life sentence.  No parole.  No hope of escape.  But a small group of prisoners are planning to defy the odds and be the first.  Rufus is the ringleader, Jace is the muscle, Howell has access to materials they need to make their break.

Finally, the day comes!  The three inmates put their plan into action and it works!  Rufus turns on Jace and kills him once the trio get to the escape point.  There's not enough room in their makeshift vehicle for three.  Howell tries to bail on the escape, but Rufus forces him to continue on. 

Their plan is to make it to a remote outpost and hijack a supply rocket.  They manage to get there and get inside, but the outpost isn't unmanned like they thought, and they have to fight a guard and her monstrous alien "watchdog"!

Howell and Rufus manage to kill the alien beast.  Rufus tries to assault the female guard, only to discover to his horror that she's actually a psychic alien shapeshifter!  She kills Rufus, using his worst fears!  

Terrified, Howell is sure he's about to die, but the creature changes back into her human form and spares him.  She's psychic, so she knows that Howell is innocent of the crimes he's been imprisoned for, and he's no threat to her.

She hides Howell from the Prison Warden's search and the two of them remain living together at the isolated supply depot. . .there really is no chance for escape, so Howell makes the best of it he can.

But having escaped one prison, Howell finds himself in another.  Trapped and living with a shapeshifting monster that can easily destroy him at will. . .

THE REVIEW:

Not a bad little story!  This issue starts off good with some science fiction horror, courtesy of Punisher writer Mike Baron.  It's got twists.  It's got turns. It's got gruesome body horror.  It's got a hopeless ending.  It's just a fine little horror story!

I didn't really like Rand Holmes' cover, but his art on this story is really good.  I've never really been a fan of the art styles of "Underground Comix" (where Holmes did almost all of his work), but in MY humble opinion, Holmes has a style that stands out from the rest, with a clean and darkly-inked look that really pops off the page, especially in color (most of his work I've seen has been black and white).

Overall, I really liked this sci-fi horror story!  It's just what the Longbox Junk Halloween party needed.

NEXT!

Robot Woman

*Originally Published in Weird Mysteries #2 (1952)

SCRIPT:  Basil Wolverton

PENCILS: Basil Wolverton

INKS: Basil Wolverton

Fozzmo is the most brilliant scientist and inventor of the century.  He is acclaimed far and wide for his accomplishments.  Unfortunately, he's also quite ugly and lonely. . .living an empty life without companionship.

But then he decides to end his loneliness by creating his masterpiece, a robotic woman with synthetic flesh!  He takes great pride in his accomplishment, showing his creation off to the world. 

 But despite the incredible nature of Fozzmo's achievement, others find the robot to be strange and off-putting.  But Fozzmo doesn't care.  The robot woman is completely devoted to only him, and that's the way he wants it.

But eventually even Fozzmo begins to tire of her robotic devotion.  Always around him, interfering with his work, never wanting to be away from his side.  Fozzmo becomes abusive, and accidentally melts her beautiful synthetic flesh face with acid.  

The hideous creature his beautiful creation has become still declares its devotion to Fozzmo, horrifying him enough that he accidentally kills himself  while trying to escape. . .dousing himself with the same acid that deformed her.

Being the recluse that he was, Fozzmo's death isn't discovered until some time later, when a burglar stumbles across his skeleton, guarded by the hideous, but still devoted robot woman.

THE REVIEW:

Let's just start with this: Basil Wolverton was one of a kind.  

His weird art style and creepy narratives stand out from the Golden Age pack as unique, and they STILL stand out as unique.  I'm not normally a fan of reprints, but this crisply recolored presentation of this story stands strong as a fine example of Wolverton's weird storytelling, and holds up well even after almost 75 years.  

Weird Mysteries #2 is a comic that costs hundreds of dollars in ANY condition, and thousands of dollars as you go up the grading scale.  If you've never seen any of Wolverton's work in its original form because of the cost, then a reprint with the quality of this one is a great substitute.  I'm glad that Kitchen Sink Comix included it here.

MOVING ALONG!

Bulto. . .The Cosmic Slug (Part 3): A Mountain of Silver

SCRIPT:  Jack Jackson (Jaxon)

PENCILS: Jack Jackson (Jaxon)

INKS: Jack Jackson (Jaxon)

An old Apache begins to frequent Josef Guzman's saddle shop.  He brings bags filled with silver nuggets and makes strange requests of Guzman, wanting discs with holes in them made, some of them with strange symbols engraved.  

Eventually, after about a year of Guzman trying to discover the source of the Apache's silver, the old man finally agrees to take him and his apprentice to his mine. . .the Silver Mountain.

After a three day journey through the harsh Mexican desert, the trio finally arrives.  Inside the dark cave, Guzman is astounded to see veins of pure silver criss-crossing the walls of the cavern.  

The old Apache tells them to take as much as they want, but to remember that they are sworn to secrecy.  Guzman and his apprentice load up as much silver as they can carry.  The Apache leaves them to return home without him.  He says it will be too dangerous if he's caught with them and the silver.

A harrowing journey back across the desert commences, with Guzman and his apprentice dodging hostile Indians along the way.  They finally make it back and celebrate their newfound wealth.  I'm quite sure that nothing bad will come of this adventure. . .

To Be Continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

I was a bit nervous to see that one of the stories in this issue was labeled as being Part 3 of a story, and truthfully it IS a bit hard for me to try and review something that's just a part of something else.

BUT. . .

I found this to be a pretty interesting little tale.  It's well-written, engaging, and has some pretty cool artwork.  I absolutely LOVE weird western horror stories, so this had me hooked enough that I want to see what happens next, because I KNOW that nothing good will come of the events of this story.

Unfortunately, the only other issues I have of this volume of Death Rattle (there were 3 volumes) is is #1 and #2.  I see from a bit of research that the "Cosmic Slug" story started in issue #3.  It doesn't look like this series was ever collected, so I guess I just have to be left hanging on this story.

But for what it is, I thought it was still pretty good.

CONCLUSION

DING-DING-DING! And we have a winner, folks!  

Of the three comics I've looked at so far for the 2026 Longbox Junk Halloween celebration, this one was the best.  Engaging stories, great art, and just good quality from cover to cover.  Okay. . .the cover wasn't the greatest, but I'll let that slide and stamp an official Longbox Junk Gold Seal of Approval on Death Rattle #5.  This issue is just a really good read.

Like I said in the review of the last story in the issue, Death Rattle doesn't look like it was collected, so if you want to get into it, you'll have to dig and find the individual issues.  

I have issues #1 and #2 of this series and they are ALSO good reads, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that any issue you spot of this series while out on the hunt will probably be a good one.  I know I'M going to keep my eye out for more of this.

Up Next. . .

The Halloween party continues!  Let's get into one more 80s horror anthology comic before we move on to something else, shall we?  WE SHALL!  Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Tales of Terror #4

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the comics are cheap and the reviews are free!

Continuing with our annual Longbox Junk Halloween Horror party, let's keep on keepin' on with the spooky stuff, shall we?  We've got another horror anthology comic on deck for this one.  

This time I'm taking a look at something from what is probably my favorite NON DC/Marvel Publisher of the 1980s, Eclipse Comics.  It's TALES OF TERROR! Let's do it!

TALES OF TERROR #4

Eclipse (1986)

COVER: John Bolton

THE COVER:

Our first Halloween entry this year sported a Richard Corben cover, and this one throws down with the great JOHN BOLTON!  I'm feeling a little spoiled here, folks.  Bolton is another long-time favorite from my younger days swiping my cousin's copies of Heavy Metal, until he caught me and beat my lily white ass for it. . .BUT I DIGRESS!

John Bolton is a MASTER painter.  Not just a great comic artist, but a great artist period.  His work is supremely detailed and I've rarely seen anything from Bolton that isn't almost perfect.  This cover is no exception.  It tells a full story without a single word.  A strange noise. . .an intruder waits. . .the monsters aren't always supernatural.  Damn, I love a good John Bolton painting.

THE STORIES:

Four stories here.  Looking at the creator credits, I see Bruce Jones, Chuck Wagner, Gray Morrow, and Timothy Truman!  I can tell before I read a single word that this is going to solid.  With names like that, how can it NOT be?  Let's get in there!

Last Laugh

SCRIPT: Bruce Jones

PENCILS: Gray Morrow

INKS: Gray Morrow

Harvey Bems is a dour man with a dead end job.  Constantly laughed at until he can't even stand the sound of laughter.  He believes his big chance is coming with a large inheritance from his uncle, but is surprised to find out that he's been cut from the will in favor of a long lost relative that's recently been discovered.

Bems cracks and decides to kill the long-lost relative. . .under the cover of a maniac killer that has been prowling the streets of the city.  He buys a knife and goes to investigate his victim.  To his surprise, Mary Jo is kind to him and accepts his offer to go to dinner.

Bems quickly becomes infatuated and asks to marry her during their first date.  She informs Bems that she's already married and almost drives him mad with her laughter!

Bems has had enough!  He decides to go through with killing her like he'd originally planned.

But as Bems stalks his victim, he hears her scream!  Rushing toward the sound, he discovers her dead.  The police quickly arrive and find Harvey over the dead body, holding a knife.  He tries to escape, but is shot by the police.

As he lays dying, he sees Mary Jo's friend from the bookstore she worked at.  He realizes that SHE'S the killer.  He dies laughing. . .knowing that if he'd just waited, he could have been a millionaire.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

We're starting off with a pretty good Golden Age throwback.  A humble man with the world against him driven to madness and then JUST missing his chance at good fortune in the end.  It's a story that would be right at home on a Twilight Zone episode or a 1950s EC comic.

Gray Morrow's clean, classic comic art fits the story very nicely, contributing a lot to the Golden Age feel of it.  Unfortunately the sloppy, somewhat garish colors don't do his art justice.  It's not just here, though. The bad coloring brings down every story in this issue.  

All in all, a good start to this one.  Let's see what's next!

Bear-Bear

SCRIPT: Beppe Sabatini

PENCILS:  Cara Sherman

INKS: Timothy Truman

A mother tells another expectant mother the harrowing tale of the night she fought death itself to protect her children.  It starts when the monitor attached to her newborn alerted her that the child was having problems breathing.  Acting quickly the mother gives the baby CPR and saves his life.  

The relieved mother finds a strange, dead-eyed red teddy bear she didn't remember buying in the child's crib. . .

She realizes something strange is going on when she keeps finding the bear in the baby's crib.  She tries throwing it out, but still it returns!  And THEN, to her horror, she sees the bear walking by itself. . .moving into the baby's room.

It looks into her eyes and she somehow understands that the bear is a spirit of death!

A terrifying battle through the dark house between the mother and the bear ensues!  The mother protects the baby, so the bear goes to her other children.  They struggle, the battle goes one way and then the next.  Finally, the mother destroys the bear once and for all with a lawn mower!  It's over. . .or IS it?

Ever since that night, the mother has dreaded the return of the bear.  SHE now sleeps with a monitor attached to warn her of its coming.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Okay, not a bad story.  It's left ambiguous whether or not the events actually happened or they were all in the mother's mind as some sort of post partum psychosis. . .which hits a little harder considering the current wall to wall news coverage of Lindsay Clancy, a woman accused of killing her own children under the effects of post partum psychosis.  

I'm not commenting on Clancy's guilt or innocence, I'm just saying that for ME this story hits harder because of the ongoing current public discussion regarding post partum mental health.  It's strange to find myself reading a story like this at this time.

That aside, the story is tight, suspenseful, and well-drawn, with dark and nightmarish inks.  It suffers from the same coloring issues that haunt this entire issue (maybe not as much, due to the very dark inking), but other than that, this is a pretty good little chiller.

NEXT!

Bubby

SCRIPT: Timothy Truman

PENCILS: Timothy Truman

INKS: Timothy Truman

A young boy builds a scarecrow for a friend.  One night it magically comes to life to protect the boy from a strange creature that attacks him.  Nobody believes the kid, but he knows the truth.  That's it, that's the whole story.  

The End.

THE REVIEW:

When I saw Timothy Truman on the creator credits for this issue, I was pretty hyped.  Truman is EASILY one of my top ten favorite comic artists. . .probably top five.  

Unfortunately his contribution to the issue is a little. . .lacking.  He did the inks on the previous story, which definitely added to the quality of it, and he provided writing and art on this "story", which is really more of a two page vignette than an actual story.

The "story" itself is extremely light and barely even there.  Truman's art is reliably great, but this tiny little taste of Truman just makes me want more.  It's a bit disappointing.

MOVING ALONG!

Bag Limit

SCRIPT: Chuck Wagner

PENCILS: Mike Hoffman

INKS: Mike Hoffman

A year has passed since Craig's best friend, Frank, was shot and killed during a hunting accident, but Frank is still tormented by what he's done.  WAS it an accident, or did he unconsciously murder his best friend?

Suddenly, Craig hears gunshots outside his home!  He finds his beloved hunting dog dead!  And then more shots!  Craig discovers the bloody body of his girl, Marge. . .a woman he and Frank had both wanted before Frank's untimely death.  

Craig now realizes that somehow, Frank has returned from the grave for revenge!

The police arrive to find Craig standing over Marge's body.  They haul him off to jail, but later that night the spectral form of Frank visits Craig in his cell!

Craig demands that Frank kill him, but Frank tells him he can't.  He's reached his bag limit.  As the specter vanishes, Craig can't help but laugh.  Frank always WAS an honest hunter.  He'll have to wait until next season to finish things. . .

The End.

THE REVIEW:

This one's another pretty good Golden Age horror throwback story. . .revenge from beyond the grave (with a little twist).  It would fit just fine in any EC horror comic.  It's not a masterpiece, but you know what?  It doesn't have to be.  It's just a fun little horror story.

CONCLUSION

Tales of Terror #4 is a winner!  There's nothing GREAT here, but it's a solid horror comic from start to finish.  There's some coloring issues all the way through, and the little two page Timothy Truman story is a little disappointing, but other than that, this was certainly a fun read for Halloween.

Like a lot of 80s horror comics that are getting harder and harder to find in the bargain bins, you'll need to dip into the regular back issue stacks for some Tales of Terror if you want a copy.  It doesn't look like they were ever collected, so you'll have to hunt down the individual issues. 

I'd say it would be worth the hunt.  There's only 13 issues and this series is PACKED with talent.  Other issues feature John Bolton, Timothy Truman (in better stories than the one here), Larry Elmore, John K. Snyder III, Ron Wagner, Graham Nolan, Scott Hampton, Sam Keith, Stephen R. Bissette, and MORE!

That's a lot of great talent for a random 13 issue late Bronze Age (or early Copper Age, if you're one of those people who break it down like that) horror comic from an indie publisher.  Hunt 'em down, horror fans!

Up next. . . let's keep this Halloween party going with MORE 1980s anthology horror! 

 Awww. . .YEAH!  Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Twisted Tales #1

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, where I just keep on writing comic reviews, even though nobody asked me to!

It's that time of year again, folks!  The sweet aroma of pumpkin spice is wafting through the office at my job.  The weather is getting cooler, and it's time for Longbox Junk to feature some HORROR COMICS!  That's right, we're kicking off the traditional Longbox Junk Halloween right here, right now!

Let's start this off with some anthology comics, shall we?  WE SHALL!  

TWISTED TALES #1

Pacific Comics (1982)

COVER: Richard Corben

THE COVER:

Aw, yeah! THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! The great Richard CORBEN!  A bona fide comic legend in MY book, and I'm sure a lot of books.  He's an artist with a unique style. . .super-realistic, almost photorealistic, but exaggerated at the same time.  I'm a fan.  I've been a fan since I first saw his work as a young lad stealing my older cousin's copies of Heavy Metal.

This is a typically great cover from Corben.  I love the way he's able to draw fear in the eyes of a character, like he does here.  The only thing I DON'T like about this gruesome cover is that we only get half a page of it!  I mean. . .I like a big chunky logo on a comic, but this one seems a bit much.

In MY humble opinion, a Richard Corben horror cover is the perfect way to kick off Longbox Junk's Halloween celebration.  Let's get inside this thing and see what else we've got!

THE STORIES:

Four stories in this issue. . .and just LOOK at the creative talent on deck! Corben, Jones, Alcala, Blevins!  With names like that, if this comic isn't good, I'll eat a scoop of raw pumpkin!  Let's check 'em out.

Infected

SCRIPT: Bruce Jones

PENCILS: Richard Corben

INKS: Richard Corben

Oscar Felps is a man with a thankless job. . .debt collector.  He spends his days in conflict with the poorest people in Southern California.  He hates his job and everything about it.

But THEN, finally a bit of luck comes his way. He picks up one of his "clients" walking on the side of the road.  He manages to convince her that a personal "arrangement" can be made regarding her debt.  She agrees to do what he wants, but they have to be done before her children return from the beach.  She's quite adamant that he be gone before her children get home.

But Felps overstays his welcome and is horrified to discover the true nature of her children as they devour him alive!  Dun-Dun-DUNNNNN!!

The End.

THE REVIEW:

Our opening story is a short "gotcha" story.  Honestly, it's not great.  It's not BAD, but it's barely even there.  I was expecting a bit more from a Bruce Jones/ Richard Corben team-up.  I DO like the Golden Age throwback feel of the story, highlighted by the big caption box storytelling style.  And Corben's art is reliably excellent, even if it's nowhere close to his best.  The panels are a bit small for Corben to really shine here.

Good taken with bad, this story is just okay.  I'm a bit disappointed.  

NEXT!

Out of His Depth

SCRIPT: Bruce Jones

PENCILS: Alfredo Alcala

INKS: Alfredo Alcala

Sharon is a counselor at Camp Granada.  Convinced that, at 29 years old, her best days are behind her, Sharon jumps into a relationship with the new Administrator, Jeff. . .only to discover that he isn't exactly the loyal kind. 

 Losing all hope for love, she marries the camp's homely groundskeeper, Willie, a kind and gentle soul who has been pining for Sharon for years.

But Sharon's relationship with Willie takes a dark turn when she returns to Jeff's arms behind his back and Jeff reveals to her that she's married a very wealthy man despite Willie's appearance and behavior.

  Camp Granada is built on Willie's family's land.  Sharon would inherit a tidy sum and she and Jeff could live happily on the money together. . .but only if something unfortunate should happen to Willie.

Sharon agrees to "take care of" Willie and make it look like an accident.  During a late night canoe ride on the lake, Sharon brutally murders her husband and dumps him overboard.

All SEEMS to be going according to their dastardly plan, until they find out Willie's money was no longer in the bank.  Convinced he'd hidden it at the camp after getting married to Sharon, Jeff is determined to search every corner of Camp Granada for it.

But that night, as they search, the horrifying drenched and decayed figure of Willie shows up to enact his terrible undead revenge on the conspirators!  Crime does not pay, kids.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

This story had a little more meat on the bone than the first.  It's a cool little Golden Age horror throwback tale about greed, unfaithfulness, and revenge from beyond the grave.  Something like this could have been in a classic EC horror comic. . .and I like that vibe a lot!  

Alfredo Alcala's classic comic art style serves to cement the Golden Age horror feel of this story in a perfect way.  Overall, I liked this one a lot more than the first story, which wasn't BAD, but just felt really light.  This story has a predictable ending, but at least it's a complete story.

Let's see what's next!

A Walk in the Woods

SCRIPT: Bruce Jones

PENCILS: Bret Blevins

INKS: Bret Blevins

When Jack and Alice get lost in the woods during a German vacation, they find themselves trapped in a hellish world where fairy tales are real!  First they encounter and escape a witch living in a gingerbread house, who intends to trap and eat the couple. . .

They then are attacked by a bear after discovering a house with three chairs, three beds, and three bowls of porridge. . .

Finally, Jack leaves Alice in the house of a kindly old woman while he seeks help elsewhere.  Unfortunately for Alice, the old woman is actually a Werewolf! 

 Jack is unaware of the danger he's left Alice in as he finds a woman named Jill, who agrees to help if Jack will just come with her to the top of a nearby hill and help her fetch a pail of water. . .

The End.

THE REVIEW:

This is probably the weakest story in the issue.  It's just. . .well, it's ridiculous.  Even Bret Blevin's art can't save it.  It's not even that good of an example of Blevin's art in the first place.  The "story" is just vignettes of two random people finding themselves in fairy tales without any sort of explanation or reason. 

 I get that sometimes the surreal doesn't want or need an explanation, but this just feels weak and lazy.

Moving along.

All Hallows

SCRIPT: Bruce Jones

PENCILS: Tim Conrad

INKS: Tim Conrad

We join a group of boys on Halloween as they go trick or treating, but something feels "off" about the group.  Each house they visit seems to be terrified of the boys. . .

They eventually end up at the Hathoway house, where they demand their son, Eddie.  Mrs. Hathoway protests, but Eddie's father gives his son up, saying if they don't then the boys will never leave them alone.  

The boys take Eddie to an abandoned, burned house, where we learn that a Halloween prank seven years before went horribly wrong and burned the boys alive.  They've collected one of the perpetrators every year since then.  Eddie is the last.

After burning Eddie alive, the group is relieved.  They can finally rest.  It's over. It's taken seven long years, but they've finally had their revenge.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

It's not a barely-there "gotcha" story like the first.  It's not a gruesome "Crime does not pay" tale like the second.  It's not a weird series of vignettes like the third.  This story is a creepy slow burn ghost story and is probably the best to be found in the issue.  

I really like the leisurely pace of this story as it unfolds, giving little drips of information as it goes along as to what's REALLY happening.  Tim Conrad's realistic art gives this supernatural story the perfect mundane feeling it needs to succeed.  Overall a nicely-done tale! 

CONCLUSION

Four stories, two pretty good, one okay, and one clunker.  Not bad for the opening issue of the Longbox Junk Halloween party.  But truthfully, when I saw the talent lined up on this comic, I had my hopes set a little higher than "Pretty Good" and "Okay".  

Overall, this isn't a BAD comic.  It's just that it could have been so much better, given the names working on it.  It's definitely a pretty good read, which makes me a little disappointed when I think about how it COULD have been great.  I guess my expectations were just a little too high.

If you want to check this comic out for yourself, you probably won't find it in the bargain bin.  I hardly see ANY 80s horror anthology comics in the bargain bin.   You'll have to dig into the regular back issue boxes and pay maybe five bucks for it.  Twisted Tales wasn't ever collected, so you'll have to grab the single issues.  

So a decent start to the Longbox Junk Halloween.  Let's keep the party going with MORE 80s horror anthology fun!  

See you there.

Longbox Junk - Spider-Man #1

 Welcome to Longbox Junk comic reviews, where I buy 'em cheap and stack 'em deep!

If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you probably know that I'm not a huge fan of the more mainstream superhero comics.  If you're new to the blog, then welcome!  And by the way, I'm not a huge fan of the more mainstream superhero comics.  Take a look at the archives and you'll see what I mean.

That's not to say that I don't LIKE the capes and tights heroes, it's just that my personal tastes swerve a bit more to the horror, war, western, science fiction, and classic "mystery men" heroes.  Characters like Green Hornet, Tarzan, Sgt. Rock, The Spirit, Zorro, Luke Skywalker, Jonah Hex, The Question and The Lone Ranger are pretty good examples of where my REAL comic love is at.

That said, I don't mind a good superhero story.  I've got plenty of superhero comics in my collection.  Which brings us to the comic at hand, featuring one of  THE most popular superheroes in comic book history, none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Every now and then I just feel like throwing out a mainstream comic superhero review, and this is one of those times.  Join me as I take a closer look at one of the most ridiculously overprinted and collected comic books of the 90s, Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man #1!

Ready to get into this with me?  LET'S GO!

SPIDER-MAN #1

Marvel (1990)

COVER: Todd McFarlane

THE COVER:

That's right, son.  I've got one of those limited edition SILVER FOIL covers!  You jealous, boy?  You should be!  Because this beauty is worth *checks online* about TEN DOLLARS!  Awwww. . .YEAH!

Seriously, though.  This cover is beyond iconic.  You can build a decent little collection just around the MANY homages to this cover.  And it's iconic for a reason.  It's great!  It's just a great comic book cover.  One of the best.  McFarlane wasn't messing around here.

I put the silver foil variant up there in the spotlight so I could joke a bit, but truth be told, I actually prefer the regular "A" cover.  The colors and details just pop SO much better.  So let's go ahead and double up on the cover shots this time!

Now THAT'S a sweet cover!

So, even for someone that's not a huge Spider-Fan, this is a cover that cannot be denied a deserved double thumbs up.  But how about the story?  What's under that iconic cover?  Let's get in there!

THE STORY:

Torment: Part One

SCRIPT: Todd McFarlane

PENCILS: Todd McFarlane

INKS: Todd McFarlane

We begin our tale in the city, with a pretty depressing description of the scurrying population hemmed in by overwhelming walls of concrete and steel. . .which leads to an EPIC double page introduction of our hero, Spider-Man, swinging through the city above it all.

Soon, it's night.  In the dark alleyways below, Spider-Man confronts a mugger hassling a lady.  The mugger tries to put up a fight, but he's no match for the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, who easily takes him down and webs him up for the authorities to bring in.

But unknown to Spider-Man, across town something is stirring in the sewers under the city.  A vicious beast rising to the strange sound of a steady drumbeat coming from an unknown source!

Meanwhile, Spider-Man has returned to Soho and taken off his mask for a night of relaxation as Peter Parker, with his wife, Mary Jane.  Peter brags about fighting supervillains like Doctor Doom, Venom, and even Thanos.  What he doesn't understand is why street thugs like the one from earlier think they stand a chance against him. 

 Mary Jane tells Peter that he MIGHT be getting a big head over himself.  But he just blows it off as a joke.

Across town, the beast moves through the night, hunting to feed its hunger.  No longer satisfied with rats, it spots some thugs breaking into a building and moves in for the kill. . .

As the creature slaughters the unsuspecting criminals, one of them pulls a gun and manages to badly wound it!  But the mysterious drums continue their beat, raising the heavily-wounded creature from what seems like certain death.  It continues its hunt, relentlessly pursuing the ones who harmed it. . .

Driven by the persistent pounding of the drum in its head, the creature catches up to its fleeing prey and brutally slaughters them in a dark alleyway.

In the morning, Peter leaves early for the University, where he wants to get some work done before classes start.  He doesn't pay much attention to the paper, or its headline about the brutal deaths of three people overnight.

As he swings over the city in the bright morning light, he can't help but think about what a lucky guy he is.  A great job, a beautiful wife, awesome super powers, idolized by the citizens of the city, what more could a guy ask for?  His life is GREAT!

But later on, night falls and the creature is once again on the move!  Hungry and hunting, driven by the relentless pounding of the drums in its head, it once again brutally slaughters another unfortunate citizen unlucky enough to cross the creature's path.

As the story comes to a close, we find ourselves comparing the two figures we have been following.  One, a confident and heroic youth at home above the scurrying population of the city.  The other, a prowling, brutal beast driven by an unknown source to hunt and kill.  What happens next?

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

This comic sold about 2.5 million copies.  

It's one of the top-selling comics in, well. . .ever.  There are a LOT of reviews of this issue.  Blogs, comic sites, Youtube, you name it.  If you want to read this comic, you won't have a problem finding it.  It's been collected multiple times, you can find it online, you can find it in back issue bins.

So what can I say about Spider-Man #1 that hasn't been said before.

Truthfully, not much.  But I'll throw my two cents worth in anyway.  This was an enjoyable read.  I like McFarlane's use of the inner monologue and the dual storylines that you just KNOW are going to converge soon.  

McFarlane isn't the best comic writer, so it's pretty heavy-handed that he's setting up our cheery, bragging hero for a fall.  But I've said it before and I'll say it again, not EVERY comic needs to be a masterpiece of literature to be enjoyable. And this comic is pretty enjoyable for what it is. . .basically just setup for a conflict to come in the next issues.

That said. . .

You don't come into a McFarlane comic expecting a great story.  What you DO expect is great art, and Spider-Man #1 delivers.  McFarlane is one of THE defining artists of the 90s (along with Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee) and that's on full display here.  From the iconic cover to the last page, this issue is PACKED with some tasty 90s art!

To be fair, the scenes with Mary Jane and Peter just sort of hanging around their apartment are pretty weak.  McFarlane was ALWAYS a bit weak outside of the action scenes, but the sequence is pretty short (just a couple of pages) and doesn't distract too much from the rest of that peak McFarlane 90s art.

When I read the first issue of ANY series I have TWO things I look for.  First, does it introduce the characters and their situation in a new reader-friendly way?  Second, does it make me want to read more?

You would be surprised how many first issues fail to deliver on one or both of those simple things. . .which I don't think are too much to ask for, if I'm going to be giving a company money for a comic book.  

Spider-Man #1 doesn't do a GREAT job at introducing the characters and their situation.  It's assumed that the person reading this is already familiar with Spider-Man and his foes.  That's not to say it does a BAD job.  There's a bit of introduction to be found, but not much.  It's just okay on the first point.

Does it make me want to read more?  I'd say yes to that one.  I've had this comic in my collection for years (Actually, I have FOUR of them in my collection because I keep forgetting I have it already), but have never actually read it. Actually sitting down to finally READ this issue has made me interested in what comes next.  It's not going to make me into a die-hard spider-fan, but I'm interested, and definitely want some more McFarlane Spidey art (He did the first 15 issues of the series before strutting off to help form Image).

CONCLUSION

I don't normally review comics that are as super-popular as this one was and still is.  I prefer to dig a little deeper into the bargain bin.  But every now and then, I don't mind going into the more mainstream end of the comic world, and this was a fun little departure from my normal Longbox Junk.

It's a little darker than I would expect from a Spider-Man story, and I see from a bit of research that McFarlane actually caught a bit of flak for his darker take on the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, but that bit of extra darkness is actually what I like most about the story.

Another thing I really liked about this comic was hidden in the back.  A rather lengthy text piece by McFarlane (with interjections by Editor Jim Salicrup) where McFarlane fully confesses that he knows he's not a great writer, but by being given this title (one of FIVE ongoing Spidey titles at the time) to play with, he planned on improving his writing. . .but also confessed he would probably be leaning pretty heavily on the artwork.   I found the honesty pretty interesting, and really a bit unexpected from a superstar talent like McFarlane.  

Here's the whole thing.  It's a pretty cool bit of behind the scenes stuff:

Overall, I can certainly recommend Spider-Man #1 for my Longbox Junk readers.  It's a darker take on Spider-Man, backed up with some damn fine 90s artwork.  Like I said above, if you feel like reading this (and haven't already), then you won't have much trouble at all tracking it down.  It's collected, it's online, it's in the back issue bins, it's probably down at your local library.

So that's it for THIS  little trip into the mainstream comic world. What's next up in Longbox Junk?  I'm not sure, but I hope you'll be here to check it out.  Until then, always remember that comics are worth more than money!