To the Editor (01-Mar-2001)

 In: Letters > Editor > 2001
 Posted: 2001
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)
From Lee Weeks

Dear Spidermad (is it Steve?),

I was pointed to your site just now and was greatly surprised and humbled to read your review of "Death and Destiny". Not only am I incredibly flattered by your reaction, but I'm also kinda spooked by your speculations as to what's going on with me as I was writing! I'd better be careful not to reveal any of my dark secrets next time I decide to write one of these things.

Anyway, I won't take up a lot of your time. I just can't tell you how much it means to me that people like yourself responded positively to my efforts. The character is a great one and had wonderful stewards in the early years that set up some great opportunities for future creators. With some notable exceptions (Roger Stern bursts to mind... along with most recently Paul Jenkins), many of those opportunities have been missed.

I hope you try out the new spidey title coming out later this year, Tangled Webs. I'll be drawing the third or fourth story arc in that run. It's a story entitled "Gentlemen's Agreement", is written by the returning Bruce Jones (back from years working in television), and it's just one of the - if not THE - best story I've ever had to work on.

Thanks again, and take care.

Best always,
Lee Weeks

Hey, thanks from all the team here for dropping us a line. We're all delighted with your recent stuff, and we're all itching to see what happens with Tangled Web. Having journalistic integrity, and all that, we're might honoured that you dropped us a line, but of course, we can't give let that affect the rating...?

What's that? Original comic book art? Well... that's very kind... but of course, we were always going to rate anything you do as 5 Webs anyhow!

From Stan Lee

>>> YOR SITE ROCKS!!  THIS IS THE BEST SPIDRMN SIT EVER
>>> YOU GUYS DONE MORE WITH SPIDY THAN ANYONE ELSE SINCE
>>> I WRIT AMAZING FANTSY 15!!!!!
>>>
>>> IM HIS BIGGEST FAN
>>>
>>> STANTHEMANELEE@AOL.COM
>>>
>>> PS WHY DONT YOU HAVE MORE PICTUIRSE AND CAN YOU PLS
>>> SEND ME YOUR SITE!!! MARY JANE IS A BABE YEAH?

Go buy your own comics. Loser.

From Gary

I am a UK fan of Spider-Man and have realised you have not mentioned 'The Astonshing Spider-Man' in your reprints section,why is this?

Nothing special... just so much to do, and so little time. The Astonishing Spider-Man is available in the U.K. only, and none of the staff hail from that part of the world.

The first task is to get complete listings of all the original Spidey titles, which is no small job. There's over 2200 issues listed on the site, and that doesn't include any reprints. When the supply of those starts drying up, then we'll move onto reprints. All things in their time!

From Mario

I'm a brazilian boy and here in Brazil, we read the Spider histories later than you. Here Mary Jane's air plane just fall, and we don't know if she is dead or live!!!

Please tell me about the new histories, is she really dead? is she back?

Yes Mario, there is justice in the world. Mary Jane is indeed returning, as shown in current issues - WOOHOO!

From Amanda

Hello my name's Amanda and I want to join the spiderfan.org team. I know all the reviews are taken but if you have an opening e-mail me. I'm 12 yrs old and I buy every Spider-Man comic except the one-shot stuff because the comic book store I go to dosen't carry them. I could also help with news, previews, or whatever. Did you know that on Feb. 28th there will be a 532 page Spider-Man comic coming out? 433 days 'till Spider-Man the movie! Bye! -- Get your free e-mail from: quicksilver.i-p.com Powered by Outblaze

Hey, that's awesome. It's fantastic to see that there's new fans getting right into Spider-Man. Right now, there's plenty of guys on the staff, and I'm not really on the look-out for new blood on the team, but you raise a good point... maybe what we do need is a younger reader contributing to the reviews, and providing an alternate viewpoint.

Nearly all of the staff are long-time collectors, or collectors with a pretty respectible back-issue list. They're nearly all at the end of their college studies, or older. Why? I guess I tend to pick people who have the same viewpoint as I do, so that we can discuss the same aspects of Spider-Man. Perhaps that's not such a good thing. Maybe getting a couple of teenagers onto the team would provide a more balanced set of reviews? Hemm... let me think on that.

From Jeremiah

Hello,

My name is Jeremiah. I am 14 years old and have been a long time spidy fan for most my life. I have a question about the older spider-man show. OK when spidy had the black alien suit he gave a piece to Dr.Coners, he analized it and later told him of it being an alien trying to take over his DNA. Does Dr.Coners secretly know spideys identity since he has his DNA?

Well... say I sent you my thumbprint. Would you know who I was? OK, say I sent you my photo, by anonymous mail. You still wouldn't know who I was.

Or say I sent my name and address. Sure, you'd know where I lived, and my name - but would you know who I was? I mean, who I really was... you know, like, deep down. Would you know my hopes, my dreams, my loves and my losses? What about my motivations, my fears, down to my inner being. Heck, in order to know that, you'd practically have to get a hold of my DNA or something!

From mryhun

I am spiderman's biggest fan.

Oh, darn! I though I was his biggest fan. Bother.

From KARMIN

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHEN SPIDERMAN'S BIRTHDAY IS. I THINK THAT IT IS IN AUGUST 1962 BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE DAY. IS THAT WHEN IT WAS CREATED OR THE ACTUAL CHARACTER'S, PETER PARKER'S BIRHTDAY? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW BOTH. THANK YOU.

Both, in fact. Issue #1 of Amazing Spider-Man features Peter Parker being born, and brought back from the hospital. Part 2 shows him being breast fed for the first time, although of course, much later, in the classic Amazing #29, we see him having his first bottle.

Other un-missable issues are #12 (the first time he sleeps through the night), #34 (the first baby-sitter, the lovable Mary-Jane), #58 (first day at kindergarten), #75 (visiting the Doctor for his measles injections... Doctor DOOM, of course!) and #100 (the first occurance of his Spider-Powers, when he crawls up the side of his playpen).

You can read reviews about this, and other classic tales, in the Comics Section of the page, in the menu bar just to your left, where you'll also find the Comics Chronology. There you'll see that 1962 is the first year of the Spider-Man Timeline, with August featuring Amazing Fantasy #15, with the accompanying note "First Appearance of Spider-Man".

As for when Spider-Man was created? You'll have to ask Stan or Steve, but presumably it was shortly before the first comic was printed!

From spiderfriend1990

How much will it cost to get issues #1,#4, and #5. I have issues #2 and #3 so to compete my collection.

Issue #1... of Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, or Spidey Super-Stories, or something completely different? We are talking about a Marvel comic, yeah? You're going to have to give me a little clue here!

From Robert

I have a very nice, in new condition, spider-man 2 wheel probable 24 inch bicycle and am curious what you may think it is worth.

Ummm... $50. No, wait, that's not enough. $70... $75. No, hang on, it's got to be more. $200! No, let's say $199.99... oh, DANG! Why did I ever agree to go on "The Price Is Right"!

From brudog

I have a 1978 Energized Spiderman w/Spider Sense- Action Figure in original box in mint condition, any idea what this might be worth?

Errr... $5... no, more... $12... $11.99? Oh, I'm not playing this game any more! What's going on in the studio next door?

From tigergrowling

I have a power records #8146 titled the amazing spider man and friends plus the fantastic four ...the way it began the incredible hulk...at bay captain america and the hawk...and a phoenix shall arise. The flip side of the Album is The super Adventures of the amazing spider man. I am not a collector but I have had this since I was a child and was wondering about the value.

Thanks, Vanna, I'll buy a vowel. I think I'd like to guess the phrase now. Is it... "What Do You Think This Is, Antiques Roadshow Or Something?" And for the grand prize, I think the bonus phrase is "I Don't Know What It's Worth, Mine Isn't For Sale, And I Don't Know Where You Can Buy One."

From HJL

My 4 1/2 year old son is very interested in Spiderman. Where can I get a video for him of the old Electric Company episodes?

*Sigh*. OK, just one more, and that's the last one. As far as I know, there are no commercial videos available reproducing the TEC episodes. You would have to find a newsgroup or webpage where people traded bootleg videos of old TV series. It's fairly common, as I understand, although I've never done it.

You may be able to find some kind-hearted fan who will run you off a couple of episodes for the cost of the media.

From The Jaystah

This is the Jaystah and I was wondering if I could be an editor. I have hundreds of Spider-Man comics and can give reviews on things you don't even give a review for. So I recommend that I become an editor.

Sure thing, Jaystah. You can indeed be an editor. But first, you're gonna need a web site. Yeah?

From bjmaize

Do you know when norman osborn/green goblin is going to come back because at the end of peter parker:spider-man 25 norman says that he and spider-man will enventually kill the other "and it's coming sooner than you think" so when will this be?.

Oh, I'm sure it will happen very soon. Howard Mackie isn't the kind of guy to leave a plot-line just dangling!

 In: Letters > Editor > 2001
 Posted: 2001
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)