Peter Pan Peanut Butter: (1) Spider-Man "The Vulture's Nest"

Background

These promo mini-comics are circular about 2 1/8" in diameter. Each has eight double-sided pages. They are glued at the spine rather than stapled. They were released sealed in rectangular plastic bags approximately 2 1/8" by 3 1/4" in size. I'm presuming that they were wrapped with Peter Pan peanut butter products.

Story 'The Vulture's Nest'

Daily Bugle staffers Peter Parker and Joy Mercado (remember her?) are at the Bellevue hospital, writing a story on their new life-extending technology. Suddenly The Vulture turns up - in his young, russed-haired persona. He's also wielding an automatic handgun.

Peter heads for the closet, as the Vulture expostulates. He's here because the hospital treated him when he was old and weak, and now he plans to erase that past, starting with wiping out the machinery. I guess maybe that isn't a handgun he's got there. Though, if that's life-extending machinery, then presumably it doesn't work, since the Vulture got his youth elsewhere (see Spidey reviews of stories of that era).

Anyhow, Peter and Vulture fight for a few pages. Meanwhile, Joy saves the Doc who was showing them around, by warning him about a chunk of falling roof. I'm not sure when they started hiding giant rocks in the ceiling cavities - and since Spidey and Vulture headed through a wall, I have no idea why there's even any roof-damage at all. But the young medical man doesn't mind - he's smitten with Joy.

Never mind. Petey and Vulture fight in front of a billboard demanding that we "Enjoy Peter Pan Peanut Butter". Spidey wins, then turns up later without pictures, saying that he was "helping the staff get to safety." Well, we never saw any other staff, and Peter is clearly a lousy photographer. But Joy smiles and laughs it off instead of insisting that Peter gets fired. Only in comics, eh?

General Comments

This is a lame advertising promo. It'll set you back $100 or more for the set on eBay. I love 'em. They're unique, they're corny, and they're just brilliant.

Overall Rating

Four webs for a classic Spidey collectible.