Way back in 1978, the Marvel Comics Universe wasn’t even old enough to drink yet, let alone vote.
At 17 they decided it was time for Marvel to make the jump from the four color frontier to the tried and true world of prose.
So the question is does this book, the very first prose effort for Spider-Man, stand up to the legacy of the web head in the funny books or does it run out of web fluid mid swing?
Face front, true believers, this is your official ***SPOILER ALERT***
After stumbling across a body, Spider-Man is accused of murder and roped into a plot by the Master Planner.
After irradiating their oil supplies, the Master Planner has gotten the heads of the largest oil companies to bow down and buy oil from him for the next year or face further harm.
In over his head, questioning his career in tights, and with the Master Planner closing in, can the web-slinger get the police, the public, and the paper off his ass and stop whatever his mysterious foe has in store in time?
There is something about this 70s style of prose that I just adore.
On the main show we have talked about the 70s male action fantasy novel genre a few times and I think these books, while aimmed at a slightly younger audience, fit within that same vein.
They’re rarely over 200 pages, the pace is high, the delivery is economical and never goes anywhere near the realm of purple.
And I think all of that comes from having writers like Len Wein & Marv Wolfman at the helm, dudes that were deep in the trenches early on helping to shape the Marvel Universe as it was still cooling, post big bang, and Stan, Jack, & Steve were taking the seventh day off.
While my comic knowledge tipped me off to The Master Planner’s identity early on in the story, I’m fairly certain that folks without all of that in their head pieces would be able to enjoy the mystery soaked taffy pull a bit more than I did.
That’s not to say it was bad misdirection or anything, I just picked up on the one early clue and, knowing what I know, I was able to crack the case.
The bottomline is that this book is damn satisfying, particularly if you dig the Comics of this era.
It is so damn refreshing to read these older stories that tell a fulfilling story without weaving an overly complicated tale.
I’m always impressed when I read a book that’s sub 200 pages and still able to pull off the magic trick.
I highly recommend, if you can find ’em, you take a peek.
Let us know what you think of this post in the comments below, share it around the net with the Hashtag #TNBBookReview, or hit up our LinkTree to find where else to connect with us.
Check out our books, with our original horror short story collection, The Camping Trip And Other Stories, our non-fiction book, Doomed: The Collected Essays And Reviews Volume 1, our collection of original Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories, Brimming With Adventure: Thrilling Tales Of The Nerd Blitz, or our collection of Typecasts, The Nerd Blitz Conversations: The First 10 Years!
Hungry for more of that great Nerd Blitz content?
Head over to Patreon.com/NerdBlitzPod and join at the $5 level to get instant access to numerous Podcasts, Reviews, Audio Dramas, and so much more!
And finally, given the state of the world, do what you can to leave it a little bit better than you found it.
As difficult as that may be currently, it can have an impact far greater than you know.
Until next time, stay safe out there, gang.
