Main Feature Written by Bill Mantlo, with Chris Claremont & Bonnie Wilford. Main Feature Art by Sal Buscema; Mike Esposito; Jim Novak; & Hugh Paley.
“Slay Ride!!” Written by and Art by Fred Hembeck, with Paul Becton.
“Spill the Beans!” Written by and Art by Fred Hembeck, with Bob Sharen.
Cover Art by Todd McFarlane.
SUMMARY:
Reprinting the first half of 1976’s Marvel Team-Up Annual # 1, Marvel Comics released this issue for March 1990. It’s entitled “The Lords of Light and Darkness!” In a remote section of the Nevada desert, a top secret government base dubbed ‘The Nest’ suffers a catastrophic radiation-related disaster. At least eight scientists present are presumed dead.
Sometime later, The Daily Bugle’s Peter Parker and the undercover X-Men (Professor X; Cyclops; Phoenix; Storm; Nightcrawler; Wolverine; Colossus; & Banshee) are present aboard a jet passing overhead to monitor a week-long, airborne scientific conference. A mid-air emergency forces the heroes to save the jet’s other passengers. Now stranded, their predicament leads them to investigate the irradiated slag heap once known as ‘The Nest.’ The story’s conclusion is reprinted in Marvel Tales # 236.
Notes: It’s Spider-Man first-team-up with this generation of X-Men. An image of artist Dave Cockrum’s cover image for Marvel Team-Up Annual # 1 isn’t included. An epilogue later appears in Marvel Tales # 262 (as its original source is Marvel Team-Up # 53).
In two three-page comic strips, Marvel humorist Fred Hembeck depicts ‘Petey, the Adventures of Peter Parker Long Before He Became Spider-Man.’ First up is “Slay Ride !!” Armed with snowballs, Flash Thompson and his pals intend to ambush an unsuspecting Petey at Thrill Hill. Unbeknownst to the bullies, Petey and a chauffeur come into the crossfire pulling an injuring J. Jonah Jameson to work on Petey’s sled. In “Spill the Beans!!,” Flash & Liz scheme to use Petey’s math wizardry to win a bean-counting contest.
REVIEW:
Though Bill Mantlo’s script struggles to give its large cast all something to do, this storyline is still an entertaining read. In particular, his prologue’s noir-like narration is well-played. Re: the visuals, the art squad deliver reasonably good work considering how many characters are involved. As this issue’s highlight, Todd McFarlane’s cover image adds some extra Marvel magic.
Re: the two back-up comic strips, suffice to say, they’re mildly amusing. Above all, the chemistry between Spidey & the classic X-Men is well-played, making Marvel Tales # 235 a welcome find.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The full-page “Bullpen Bulletins” column includes a profile on Marvel assistant editor Marie Javins.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
Note: Marvel Tales # 234 is also recommended, as Spidey’s guests are the original X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, & Angel, with the Beast in a cameo appearance).
