Spider-Oracle Petitions (01-Jul-2002)

 Posted: 2002
 Staff: The Spider-Oracle (E-Mail)

The wise one answers all your Spider-Questions.

From tony

This may sound like a "how much is this worth" question but its not really. I have before me two "May 93" issues of web of spiderman 100, one has a barcode and one has a 30 year aniversery for x men in place of the bar code. What is the difference in the two?

This is a fairly common question, which has been added to the FAQ list, as:

Why do some comics have bar-codes and non bar-code versions?.

From Lufia

I recently purchased some comics online. It says the average grade of the comics is very fine. I remember seeing a list, and that very fine is near the top. But I'd like a list and description of each rating because I cannot find it on the web again.

Well, that's a reasonable question, which is now answered on our FAQ list, as:

How do you determine the grade for a comic? .

From David

im a little curious about how comic books are numbered. what confuses me is when they say #40 and underneath it says something like #481.

Yet another good question, which has also been added to the FAQ list, as:

Why do modern Spidey comics have two numbers? .

From Steve

I've asked you guys questions before, and you've been really helpful, so i thought i'd try again. i've been trying to buy back issues and i just picked up the alternate packaging of Amazing Spiderman #390. It came with an animation cell. It states on the cover that there are a total of six (6) animation cells that were packaged. under your listing i can only find 4, could you maybe give me a list of the 6 comics that contain these animation cells. thanks again for helping me with my questions all the time. great job on the site, you've done spidey a great justice.
thanks again

Hi Steve,

On behalf of the editor of SpiderFan.Org I can tell you the following. There are indeed 6 animation cells...

  • The Amazing Spider-Man (1963), 390A (cell: Spidey vs Venom)
  • Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, 213A (cell: Peter Parker undressing)
  • Web Of Spider-Man, 113A (cell: Spidey vs Doc Ock)
  • Spider-Man, 46A (cell: Spidey vs Vulture)
  • Marvel Tales, 286A (cell: Spidey vs Hobgoblin)
  • Spider-Man Classics, 15A (cell: Spidey on gargoyle)

Images of the variant covers (not the cells) can be found on http://www.pecokit.com (shameless plug). Thanks for listening,

Peter Kroon
The Netherlands, Europe

From Scotty2Hotty

If I recall correctly, when the alien symbiote latched on to Eddie Brock, he recieved all of the memories from when the symbiote was with Spider-Man(most importantly his secret identity). So when the piece of the symbiote latched on to Cletus Kassidy (Carnage) why didnt he recive Peters secret identity? Or if Eddie didnt get the secret identity from the symbiote then you can just call me an idiot.

The symbiote that joined with Cletus (in AMAZING # 345), was the offspring of the one Eddie Brock wears, so no memories came with it. However, Eddie did get the memories from his, and so we cannot indulge in the proffered name-calling opportunity.

From SwimDaryl

I just finished reading PPSM(Vol. 2) #10 and was wondering how Carnage ended up not being frozen as we last saw after he bonded with the Silver Surfer. I was wondering how he became unfrozen. If you guys could answer my question I would be very grateful.

Howard Mackie, who wrote PP:SM # 10, had forgotten that Carnage was supposed to be encased (he's not too good with subplots). So it's never been revealed.

(Paging Kurt Busiek...we have an Untold Tale waiting.)

From Anonymous

i am a little confused as to just how many versions there are of todd mcfarlane's peter parker: spider-man #1. one guide i looked at numbered them as 1, 1A, 1B, etc... and the other guide started with 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. here is what i do know (i think):

  1. silver cover - unbagged
  2. silver cover - bagged
  3. black cover - bagged
  4. green cover - unbagged
  5. green cover - bagged
  6. green cover with upc - unbagged
  7. green cover with upc - bagged
  8. gold cover
  9. gold cover with upc
  10. platinum cover
  11. chromium cover - entertainment distributor's version
  12. official signed version by todd mcfarlane w/Certificate of Authenticity

Without referring to the 1A, etc, which certainly does vary, here is the clarification of what does and does not exist.

  1. silver cover - unbagged EXISTS
  2. silver cover - bagged EXISTS
  3. black cover - bagged Same as Silver Bagged
  4. green cover - unbagged EXISTS
  5. green cover - bagged EXISTS
  6. green cover with upc - unbagged EXISTS
  7. green cover with upc - bagged EXISTS
  8. gold cover EXISTS
  9. gold cover with upc EXISTS
  10. platinum cover EXISTS
  11. chromium cover - entertainment distributor's version EXISTS, see note
  12. official signed version by todd mcfarlane w/Certificate of Authenticity See Note

The four green cover variants are often referred to as the "black covers", since the art has black ink, not silver ink.

The chromium cover is merely a reprint in the Marvel Collectable Classics: Spider-Man series, being issue 2 of that series.

As far as we are aware, there is no official signed version. There are a number of signed versions circulating on eBay, which claim to have a COA; however, these were not (as far as we are aware) officially sanctioned by Marvel in any way.

From Jason Boaz

I recently read in a couple of websites that Alison Mongrain, the woman responsible for Mary Jane's premature birth and switcheroo with a stillborn infant is still alive, even after I read reviews of the Gathering of Five from this site that said she died at the hands of the Molten Man. The MC2 world of Spider-Girl and the main Marvel Universe are starting to merge into one. The question is...how did Alison survive?

Alison Mongrain is dead in the mainstream Marvel Universe (or, to use my favorite quote from editor Tom Brevoort: "dead right now." So there's always the chance that some future writer will say she somehow survived. But for now, you can currently see Alison in the pages of SPIDER-GIRL, as Kaine is busy tracking her down over there.

From Karmacide

Ah haf been unable to help noteece zat zee bio on medinnus.com on Mon Captain America's greatest foe... Batroc zee Leaper says zat Batroc haz also battled zee likes of zee Amazeeng Spider-Man. When deed zees battle take place, and who won? (Ah haf my doubts zat Spider-Man would be able to hold hees own against such ah great and terreeble foe as Batroc.)

Alzo haz Spider-Man ever battled against Batroc's Brigade?

Zee battle can be zeen in all it's magnifikance in MARVEL TEAM-UP # 52. Aun wif ze asstiance of ze mighty Captain America, le Spider-Man preceedad to hand Batroc hees derrierare! Oh, and that's a "non" on Batroc's Brigade.

From UZODINMA NWACHUKU

I am searching for a long-lost Spider-Man story. It concerns an all-color, all-illustrations text about The Kingpin trying to become Mayor Of New York City, New York. He (Fisk) anticipates both interference from and need for the abilities of Spider-Man to essentially assure him victory. Amongst other things, Wilson Fisk captures Spider-Man with a circus-stuntman trick, clamps a fantastic, seemingly unremoveable armband onto the Web-Slinger to make sure that Spider-Man doesn't go far and invites other crime bosses over to gloat of his seemingly unstoppable rise to greater-than-ever power, with a seemingly humbled Spider-Man as his super-strong, super-agile "bulldog" of an enforcer. But then Vanessa Fisk, glamorous wife to the hulking Wilson Fisk, overhears his scheming with his fellow crime bosses. Tired of hearing confirmations of still more lies from her rogue of a husband, she seeks out Spider-Man who she met but a short while earlier. True, she was repulsed by him at first, but she now sees him as the only way to stop The Kingpin. So she apparently frees him from the grievous armband and lets him swing off to foil Wilson Fisk's election-day mischief.

Please note that, although the above description is lengthy-- maybe even rambling-- I feel I have to be thorough in providing details from my eighteen-year-old memory. The text with the above storyline was encountered by my brother and me in an apparently late-Seventies or early-Eighties Marvel Comics or Marvel Books pocket-sized publication. It sadly had no cover (front or back) and several of its pages were missing. But maybe upwards of seventy percent of the pages were present and intact. Enough to get a good idea of what the storyline was.

This seemed strange. There were a number of pocket-book stories in the 70's - there was a series of novels, three featuring Spider-Man. The pocket-book format also reprinted some early Amazing Spider-Man issues. But the one we eventually found this story in was the full-color reprint of Spider-Man newspaper strip stories. The first story in Volume 2 featured "The Rattler", but the second story in that volume was the story in question.

From MB
  1. How was Ron Lim's art in the Spider-man titles?
  2. How come the "Spider-man Unlimited" series is so hated?
  3. Is it true that Kevin Smith will start writing for Peter Parker: Spider-man?
  1. He gave it to Marvel who published it in some of their Spider-Man comics. (Seriously, I dig his art.)
  2. I'm assuming you mean the cartoon. Although I haven't heard that many bad things about it, it's probably because Spidey is wearing a different costume, and is basically in a whole 'nother universe.
  3. The current plan is for Kevin Smith to take over writing chores on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and move JMS and JRJR to an all-new series titled, (once again) SPIDER-MAN.
From JDiva

Which Spidey villians are in the Sinister Syndicate?

The Sinister Syndicate, first appearing in AMAZING # 280 and 281, were comprised of the Beetle (leader), Speed Demon, the Rhino, Hydro-Man, and Boomerang. They're also the title characters for the DEADLY FOES OF SPIDER-MAN limited series and TPB, if you care to look for them.

From Katherine Clem

I was wondering if you knew anything about the cause of Peter Parker's parents' death. I saw somewhere on the net that said they died in a plane crash when Peter Parker was very young. But I haven't found any substantial information of what happened to them. If you know of any sites, or even their cause of death, I would greatly appreciate a response.

Peter's parents Richard and Mary were spies for America, and died attempting to stop the Red Skull of the fifties. The whole story was told in AMAZING SPIDER- MAN ANNUAL # 5, which you can find reprinted (alot cheaper) in MARVEL TALES# 264-265 or ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN 4.

From Matthew

You list Cletus Kassidy's first appearence in Amazing Spider-man #224. I have yet to find it in there. Could you double check for me?

Sorry Matthew, looks like a misprint. Cletus first appeared in AMAZING # 344.

From MastaPlanna

Hey if the symbiote detached from spiderman in web of spider-man #1, why is the costume on him in #7 and a lot of later issues? If it came back to him then in what issue did it finally get separated before it came to Eddie Brock?

The key issues in the black costume are listed here. But the answer to your question is - that wasn't the symbiote - it was just a cloth costume. Follow the link for the full story.

From Rudy

I understand that Peter Parker propose to Marry Jane for the first time on issue #182, in which she refused, but what my question is Did Mary Jane know that Peter was Spider Man, when he propose to her for the first time?

Later in issue #257 she reveals to Peter that she had always known that Peter was Spider Man. I want to know whether she knew his secret, back when he propose to her for the first time.

As revealed in the PARALLEL LIVES graphic novel (which is supposed to be reprinted soon) MJ saw Peter run into his house and emerge minutes later as Spider-Man on the night his Uncle Ben was killed. This was in Spidey's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy # 15, long before he even met MJ in Amazing vol. 1 # 42. So MJ has indeed known from the very beginning.

From The Waterboy

i was reading a the oracle section (as always) and i saw that someone asked who "riot" was... i dont know if there was a Riot in the comics... but toy biz made a line of toys based around Venom.

Thanks, Waterboy! You are indeed correct. There was a "Riot" action figure in the Venom: Planet of the Symbiotes series. Well spotted!

From GusLind

Okay, I know that the Spider-Girl comics came from a What If...? issue which isn't supposed to be true to the regular comics, which makes the whole series an extended What If...?.

However, I was wondering if there was any glaring reason that Spider-Girl and Spider-Man couldn't maintain continuity, despite the difference in time periods. Was it ever confirmed that Baby May really died in Spider-Man? Have Spider-Man and Spider-Girl ever contradicted each other? Heck, is it even possible at all that Marvel would ever write May back into existence (whether or not they give a flip about continuity)?

The next What If...?: "What if Spider-Girl wasn't a what-if?"

Although the fate of Baby May in the Marvel Universe proper is still up in the air, there *are* major differences between our MU and the MC2 universe; notably that in the MC2 universe, it was really Aunt May, and not an imposter, who died in ASM # 400.

From Jason Boaz

Why do a lot of people hate the organic webshooters?

There's a lot of pros and cons concerning organic webshooters. A couple of the main reasons some Spidey fans dislike them is 1. The mechanical webshooters showed how scientifically brilliant Peter was, since he invented them and the formula. And 2. if a human body were to mutate in such a way that it could spin a web as a spider does, the web wouldn't come from the wrists, but the, er, hind quarters.

 Posted: 2002
 Staff: The Spider-Oracle (E-Mail)