With Valentines day rapidly approaching I thought I would reread my old issues of "Marvel Tales" to reacquaint myself with comic books most romantic and tragic couple, Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker. I initially read about this comic book romance in the pages of the UK "Spider-Man Comics Weekly" and as a teenager and I found their relationship as fascinating and entertaining as the adventure element of the stories. I was genuinely shocked and upset when Gwen was killed off. Below are a few of the main events from Gwen and Peters time together.
Above. The first meeting between Gwen and Peter from Amazing Spider-Man #31 ( illo from Marvel Tales #24).
Above - Peter asking Gwen out on their first date from Amazing Spider-Man # 53 ( illo from Marvel Tales ,#38)
Above- Peter and Gwens first smooch from Amazing Spider-Man #59 ( illo from Marvel Tales # 42).
Above- The death of Captain Stacy put a strain on Gwen and Peters relationship from Amazing Spider-Man #90 and 91 ( illo from Marvel Tales #72)
Above- Gwen and Peter reunite after the death of Gwen's father from Amazing Spider-Man #98 ( illo from Marvel Tales #79)
Above - Sadly Gwen and Peter were not to be and with the legendary Amazing Spider-Man #121 Gwen is killed off.
Above - Like many readers at the time I had hoped that Gwen was not dead, but Amazing Spider-Man #122 nipped that hope in the bud showing Gwens body being taken away to the morgue.
Above. In Mexico , La Prensa the publisher of Spider-Man were given the go-ahead to publish an alternative storyline where Gwen did not die and she actually married Peter. Eventually the Mexican publisher had to ignore this story and Gwen was again killed off. Above illo from internet.
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I didn't know about that alternate Mexican timeline. Fabulous information. Thanks to John Romita's fantastic artwork which showcased Gwen's absolute beauty, her romance with Peter stays fixed in my memory as well. I won't pretend to understand how she's been resurrected for the modern stories as Spider-Gwen and such. I don't prefer her dead, but it does weirdly undermine to no small extent one of the potent emotional moments in my comic reading history.
ReplyDeleteI lost all interest in the Gwen story when it was decided that Gwen had twins to Norman Osbourne before she got back together with Peter. The clone saga was just ridiculous as well. I totally agree with your last comment that this undermined an emotional memory.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Stacy's death was my first encounter with the death of a Marvel character (in Spider-Man Comics Weekly) which was quite a shock at the time and very different from the Beezer and Topper that I'd been reading only a few months earlier before I discovered Marvel. And Captain Stacy actually stayed dead which is very rare in superhero comics!
ReplyDeleteHis death and Gwen's wee also a shock to me Colin. I wish they had kept Gwen dead rather than clone her . The only character I recall being kept dead was the Legion of Superheroes Ferro Lad in the late 1960s, although he has probably been resurrected now as I seem to recall seeing his image on a Legion cover
ReplyDeleteAn interesting DC tale was 'The Miraculous Return Of Jonathan Kent!', wherein JK turns up in modern Metropolis as though he'd never died and spends some quality time with Clark. Turns out he helped some aliens stranded (I think) on Earth, who, when they manage to depart, grant him a 'wish' via the aid of their alien technology. That wish is that he can see how his adult son does in life in the years to come. If I recall correctly (and I might not), they don't simply send him into the future, they bring him back from the dead in the future to grant him his wish. Then he's dead again. This was before the first Crisis On Infinite Earths, obviously.
DeleteThat sounds a lot more interesting and thoughtful to me than the Gwen clone saga.
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