Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Untold Tales of Spider-man ’96 (Double-Size Spectacular)


Untold Tales of Spider-Man (1995-1997) #Annual 1996
Kurt Busiek, Pat Olliffe, and Mike Allred join forces to bring use a story so fantastic; they had to double the size of the comic to tell it! Tired of being put aside in favor of Reed Richards’ scientific experiments, Sue Storm accepts a date invitation from Spider-man. The Invisible Woman is looking to make Mr. Fantastic jealous and doesn’t really have any romantic intentions with Spidey. But you can’t tell Sue’s brother that! Looking to keep Spider-man from being his brother-in-law, the Human Torch will look to his most vaunted foe, Namor: The Sub-Mariner to break up the super heroes’ date.
I loved this issue. Usually, an untold tales series reprints old story lines in hopes of making super heroes a little more timely and appealing to new readers. But with this annual at least, Busiek and Allred craft an original tale that’s targeted for the more experienced comic fan. Set in the 1960s, this comic pays tribute to the brilliant tales of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and the original Marvel bull-pen.
The only complaint I have about this comic is that Mike Allred doesn’t do all of the art. I just love his thick inked style and the color palette used by his wife and partner, Laura. At least they kept her on for the entire story. The book also features a small story that tells how Busiek and Olliffe come up with their untold tales ideas. The tale is very tongue-in-cheek but it is very funny.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

No comments:

Post a Comment