Tag: ty templeton

POSTLUDE: Avengers #1½

The Death-Trap of Doctor Doom!

Featuring: Avengers
Release: September 29, 1999
Cover: October 1999
250 cents
Written by: Roger Stern (filling in for Stan Lee)
Art by: Bruce Timm (filling in for Jack Kirby)
24 pages

The cover promised us a mystery villain, but I feel like the opening page spoils the surprise a bit by putting his name in the title. Even if I missed that clue, the villain would be revealed by page 3. Spoiler: It’s Doctor Doom.

Sorry, Tom. Nobody can really replace Irving Forbush.

Roger Stern is a nerd who grew up reading and obsessing over these same comics we have been reading, so the comic of course slides perfectly neatly into our continuity. It references stories we’ve recently read, and has all the characters right where they should be in their various arcs.

Continue reading “POSTLUDE: Avengers #1½”

Fifth Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Spider-Man and Human Torch

See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my fifth entry, representing #8 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

8. Spider-Man and Human Torch
#1-5 (Marvel, 2005)

by Dan Slott, Ty Templeton and friends

Similar to Karl Kesel’s World’s Finest miniseries (which you bet would have been an entry if Superman/Batman team-ups weren’t ruled ineligible because of their ongoing team-up series), this is a through-the-years look at the friendship between Human Torch and Spider-Man. It tells 5 new team-up stories at different stages of their history, from their earliest days to the present, with each issue reflecting on their friendship to that point.

It ends in the modern day, when Human Torch finally learns Spider-Man’s secret identity, and Johnny has Peter’s family over for dinner to meet his family.

It’s darn touching, and occasionally insightful. Like, why is their regular meeting place the Statue of Liberty? How does Spider-Man get there?

(SIDE NOTE: The flashback below refers to Strange Tales Annual 2. We’ll be getting there soon in our regular reading of the Marvel Universe.