Tag Archives: comic analysis

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Harry and Norman Osborn’s first ever on-panel (Amazing Spider-Man #37) interaction sets, shall we say, a certain tone for their interactions.

It’s bad.

I mean its *really* bad.

For context, Norman was at the time being written specifically as an Ayn Rand-ian ‘parasite’, a man who had only gotten where he was through theft and guile, and the writer wasn’t one for giving nuance to characters he was portraying as bad guys.

But still.

Harry is nothing but on his father’s side, and Norman is just… there’s no other word for it. Mean. He’s mean an abusive.

It sucks.

Harry: “I don’t get it, why would Spider-Man try to burn down your plant?”

Norman: “Don’t believe everything you hear, Harry. It wasn’t Spider-Man! Someone else was behind this!”

Harry: “But who?”

Norman: (internally) “I can’t tell the kid how I cheated Professor Stromm out of his inventions and then railroaded him into jail when he began to threaten me? It has to be Stromm who’s after me!”

Harry: (continuing his previous thought) “Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if Spider-Man is trying to work a protection racket?”

Norman: “Harry, don’t you ever shut up?”

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Harry, Gwen and Pete meet the first time

Amazing Spider-Man #31

To say they’re not exactly friends from the start would be an understatement. Pete’s usual standoffishness is only made worse because Aunt May is sick at the time.

Harry reacts about as well as you expect, calling him a square, and trying to prank him. He extends the olive branch, at Gwen’s behest, inviting Peter out for a coke; but Peter blows him off for Spider stuff as is his pattern.

As an aside, the way Ditko draws Harry’s face in this issue makes him look like a skeleton.

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Throughout the early years of Marvel comics, Toad (first introduced in 1964) is consistently treated like a pathetic joke by both the narrative and writers, and by the characters themselves.

Primarily this is driven by his appearance, which, as a result of his genetic mutation causes him to have a hunched back and nebulous facial deformity, which leads others to treat him like shit, including all of the heroic characters.

By 1975’s Avengers #138 Toad– whose last appearance had him abandoned and imprisoned in space in 1970– has recognized that the way people treat him is wrong, decided that he hates it, and taken action to pursue his goals for himself, rather than being someone’s yes-man.

In this time he has taught himself alien mechanics, built a rocket ship, and mastered alien illusion technology.

And… the Avengers still just laugh him off like he’s not even worth thinking about.

They don’t even send him to jail or anything. They just laugh at him.

Fucked up.

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Sabretooth & Mystique

The original (90s canon) meeting between Sabretooth and Mystique plays out as a romance in a cold war spy thriller. 

Sabretooth is a US government operative, a secret spec ops soldier in “Team X”, along with Logan and a few other notable members. 

Mystique is a spy impersonating a figure that Sabretooth has been ordered to exfiltrate.  The two of them escape their pursuit in a stolen sports car convertible, and literally crash their way through the Berlin wall.

They spend a few days holed up in a Berlin safehouse, carrying out a torrid affair where Sabretooth even seems to contemplate leaving the spy business behind for her.

Only for Mystique to have to wind up ditching the fake identity, leaving Sabretooth believing that the woman he fell for is dead and gone.

Sabretooth (1993) #3

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Amazing Spider-Man #43

Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s first date.

On their first date:

💖 Mary Jane constantly uses the most up to date, cutting edge hippy slang. Hippies were genuinely considered dangerous counter culture at the time. Violent and sexual! Mary Jane is being portrayed as ultra modern.

💖 “I never thought a tiger who wore his hair so short could be so dreamy!”

💖 She doesn’t usually go for “straight” (normie) guys. Loves that Pete has a motorcycle.

💖 Independent and vivacious, taking drama lessons. Tries to get shy old stick in the mud Peter to dance with her in the living room. Aunt May tried to set them up because she thinks Peter needs to lighten up!

💖 Sees that there’s a supervillain on the rampage, and wants Peter to take her to go see it as part of their date! MJ is bold, adventurous. and kind of a weirdo! <3

💖 Handles (mild) rejection well and has her own life going on. When Peter says he isn’t available for a date the next day, she just moves on because she has tons of cool shit going on in her life!

💖 Calls Pete slang pet names of the time constantly. Tiger, Dad, Son…

Mary Jane is basically the original ‘manic pixie dream girl’ but in the best way possible.