There has been quite a lot of talk lately about Marvel movies vs. DC movies. For that matter, there has been comparisons to Marvel comics and DC, especially after Rebirth. But this is Cobwebs! So we are going all the way back to the first Marvel vs. DC, and it happened with Batman and Spider-Man.
We are going back to 1967 for this one, folks! You could go to the movie for $1.25, get gas for $.33 a gallon, and comics were only $.12 an issue (in comparison, you could be 83 copies of a comic book then and still not reach the amount you’ll pay for the next ASM). It is this auspicious year that Marvel saw fit to release a new title upon the world of comics. One that would dive deep into the literary potential the medium of sequential art has to offer. One that proves what people of the late ‘60s said about our preferred publisher of comicky* goodness – Marvel is a mag for the intelligent reader. That’s right folks! 1967 gave us…
And shortly after issue #1 came out, they released #2 in September. I bet you didn’t see that coming. Hornacek, put your monocle back in, son. Now, in this issue, our favorite wallcrawler, Spidey-Man, takes on the dynamic duo of Gnatman and Rotten! The interaction is simple, JJJ calls Gnatman and sends him out to take out the masked menace Spidey-Man. The confrontation goes on for several pages, mostly like this:
I all ends with JJJ hating Gnatman so much, he wants Spidey-Man back as shown in a panel I’ll include just for our friend Chi-Town Spidey:
Looking at the panel, can you tell what monumental issue was just released in ASM? If you want to read the whole thing, just click the link in the sources.
So how did DC respond? Largely, according to Slugfest: Inside the Epic 50-Year Battle Between Marvel and DC, they didn’t. However, possibly due to the Not Brand Echh issue #2, the Distinguished Competition had finally had enough and they poked back at Marvel. In November of 1967, DC published Brave and the Bold #74 that featured this little dig:
So there you have it, folks – the first Batman vs Spider-Man confrontation and that is going to be it for this month. I have a mountain of research papers that I should be working on** and I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.
Sources:
“What Happened in 1967: Important News and Events, Key Technology and Popular Culture.” The People’s History, History Based Gift Store, 2018, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1967.html. Accessed 12 May 2018.
Tucker, Reed. Slugfest: Inside the Epic Fifty-Year Battle Between Marvel and DC. Da Capo, 2017.
Images:
* What? It’s a word! I’m an English teacher, so you can trust me. No need to waste your time looking it up.
** See Neil? Comics first, school second.
Next month – Cobwebs Final Exams!
‘Nuff Said!
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D.C. did come out with “The Inferior Five”, a lampoon of
a fantastic group of four super-heroes from Marvel. If I
could just remember the name of the Marvel comic…..
@ Everyone — Sorry I posted a second iteration of my comment. It appeared that my first attempt (and the subsequent comments) didn’t post, so I tried again, after which everything appeared. Oops!
This was over fifty years ago. It’s amazing to think about that, no pun intended.
@ hornacek — Of course! I guess he’s just supposed to be a “man on the street” character, rather than a cameo, say, of a particular artist or writer. Incidentally, I just realized that Peter is wearing a Charlie Brown sweater. Leave it to Mark to review a comic with an onomatopoeic title!
@ Evan and Hornacek
Evan – if there is a significance to the man in the trash, I couldn’t find it. However, with Not Brand Ecch, I would be surprised if it wasn’t someone we were supposed to recognize (back in 1967). Maybe JR knows. Maybe it’s JR himself!
Hornacek – I knew it! About the column ending, that was lies spread by my competitors (or just read to the bottom of the last column). Just couldn’t turn down the pay and the bonuses Brad was throwing my way. Sorry to disappoint….
@Hornacek — Oh, of course! But I guess he’s supposed to just be a typical “man on the street,” rather than a cameo by say, a particular writer or artist. By the way, it just occurred to me that Peter is wearing a Charlie Brown sweater. Leave it to Mark to review a comic with an onomatopoeic title!
@Evan – I think the significance of the guy going through the trash can is that he finds what looks like a Spider-Man costume. I think this is what Mark is referring to when he says “what monumental issue was just released in ASM”, which would be ASM #50
Wait, I thought this column ended with the last installment.
https://wineonsix.com/files/2017/12/860760.gif
I love the “Foswell Lives” graffiti on the wall in the second panel. Do you think there’s any significance to the man in the last panel looking in the trash can? I don’t recognize him, though at first I thought he resembled the man from the Michigan J. Frog cartoons.