The Secret society Comics Vault: Spiderman Annual Number 13

 Amazing SpiderMan Annual Number 13

Cover Art By Keith Pollard and Bob McL eod
Interior Art By John Byrne and Terry Austin
Written By Marv Wolfman

Cover dated for 1979 , Amazing Spiderman Annual may be one of the last comics Mr. Wolfman wrote before he left for DC to revamp Teen Titans with George Perez. (Note: If you come across some early issues of Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans? Get them. I predict that series will be great and valuable one day. The second issue is pretty good.)

While I am not sure if it is Wolfman's last Marvel book, I know one thing for sure. I have almost never had so much fun turning the pages of a Spiderman Adventure. 

In 1979 I was 11 years old. If I recall I bought my 75 cent cover price copy from 7-11. A few years later I would buy another copy at The Creation Comic Con in Philly and John Byrne was nice enough to sign my copy. (I think he said he would not sign anything for anyone unless they also bought Alpha Flight number one...but that was gonna happen anyway.)

At 11 years old, I appreciated a great story with wonderful jaw dropping art and “The Arms Of Dr. Octopus” did not disappoint. The action was riveting but the way Wolfman told the story and crafted the non action parts still kept me on the edge of my seat.

Each page had me yelling at my comic book (and my mother yelling “What’s Wrong?”
Wolfman with elements of The Twilight Zone and Detective Comics made a double sized issue a read too quick. Needless to say John Byrne and Terry Austin’s pencil and inks also made me yell at my comic book as well and I wished their art went one for another 50 pages. Today I can appreciate the value of everyone’s art style. Shoot, the cover by Pollard and McLeod is what made me buy the book (and by “buy” I mean beg my dad for comic book money.) I had however, never seen comic book art that left me so breathless as Byrne and Austin (I was not quite yet collecting X-Men but then this was one of the books that drove me to X-Men.)

All these years later when I reflect on Amazing Spiderman Annual Number 13. The book is still a fun quick read. The story is still as compelling as it is fun. Even though the ending would not be nearly as strange to me after watching every episode of the original Twilight zone. The art is still one masterpiece page after another.

I do not read my copies or open them much because the way the larger annuals were stapled, every read damages the book more. If I come across a reprint version in a Spiderman collection? I will be picking that up.

I don’t want to tell you any more details about the book because I would hate to spoil a single panel for you.

Oh yes and as I back up they have a gallery of Spiderman foes that was also great to read. This predates the Handbook To The Marvel Universe so it’s pretty much a listening of Spidey Foes from his first decade plus with great art and fun facts about their encounters with Spiderman.

If you read Amazing Spiderman Annual Number 13 what did you think then and now?

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