These Epic Collections from Marvel are the best! Some people might have different opinions about the content inside, but you can’t deny this is one of the best ways a company can collect back their characters’ issues. Great price points, collected in story order, and this looks like a series that won’t be dropped in favor of another trade, hardback, or omnibus. In Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Spider-Man or Spider-Clone?, you will be treated to the Amazing Spider-Man of 1975 to 1977. The slang within may be very dated, but the issues are fantastic! Let us leap back to Peter Parker’s adventures as Spider-Man and life in college, all before the word “clone” entered and changed his world forever.
Marvel Comics
This Epic Collection carries an MSRP of $44.99, which may sound hefty at first, but keep in mind this collects the Original Clone Saga as well as back issues from the ’70s. Issues #143 to #164 and the tenth annual are all inside, giving you 23 comics and bonus material from Marvel Special Edition Treasury #1. It’s a fun time capsule you can revisit or experience for the first time. I was drawn to check out the Original Clone Saga since I am a Ben Reilly fan and figured I’d read the complete story; I’ve been lucky to read issues #149 and #150 as Marvel Milestone Editions, but now I get the entire deal.
The opening of the trade is issue #143 and has Peter Parker head to France with Robbie Robertson to help save J. Jonah Jameson from a “villain of the month” in the form of Cyclone. It’s a fun read that will trigger memories of Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the last page will shock and intrigue you. Remember, there was “innocence” to death in comics back then, and characters didn’t return from the grave like in more modern stories. Gwen died in issue #121 in 1973, and here we are revisiting her character almost two years later. This story was in fan demand; they were upset by what had happened to Gwen, and here was a story to help fans deal with her demise and help move everyone forward.
Marvel Comics
I was shocked by Peter’s reaction to Gwen’s return, to the point of him sitting down, balling up, and finally pushing her into a wall. Yes, it is a furious Peter who is shouting at a crying Gwen, and he looks like a monster; but imagine having all that thrust upon you and finding out that same shock sends your Aunt May to the emergency room. It is a very raw but natural reaction, and I appreciate that from the creative team of Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. They captured the frustration and hurt in those pages very honestly. It isn’t until Ned Leeds informs Peter that this is Gwen that Peter starts to treat clone Gwen like a person, but the twist is her body is in the grave untouched.
Gerry Conway crafts a situation that drives Peter insane, but that isn’t all of it regarding matters of the heart. In issue #143, Peter and MJ share a passionate kiss that looks to be the beginning of something profound between the two. It is enjoyable drama for fans to see Peter torn between two loves. What is interesting is how Conway plays the drama; he has MJ and Aunt May share a moment that helps inspire MJ to fight for Peter and contrasts it with Peter’s guilt over Gwen and needing to comfort her. The relationship drama is one of the hard hits Peter takes in this story. Once it concludes, we are treated to Peter fighting his clone; back then, the clone was just a plot device that Peter would throw away, but wait till the ’90s for that return. When all the fighting finishes in issue #149, those last three pages will take you on an emotional journey.
Marvel Comics
In issue #150, Archie Goodwin and Gil Kane take the reins for an issue. It’s curious that Gerry Conway didn’t finish up, but that’s an investigation for another time. Goodwin and Kane give us quite the journey to discover if Peter is real or a clone, but it is an adventure that offers a conclusion that works for the heart instead of the mind. Once all the clone business finishes, the book continues with Spider-Man action and Peter Parker drama. The two elements and a supporting cast of well-loved characters make for an excellent escape to Spider-Man stories that are fun and not six months long. Of course, there will be fun and flaws, but a great time awaits in these back issues.
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