Teenage kicks.

This month 30 years ago Spider-man #582 was published by MarvelUK, on the 2rd of May 1984 to be exact. There's nothing overly important about this issue really, Spider-man reveals his secret identity to the Black Cat, the Hulk takes on a mind controlled (by the Leader,) US Army, both very readable stories. A news filled Bullpen Bulletin and the weekly letter page, simply titled "Spider-mail." While re-reading this issue I took great interest in the "Star Letter", the writer of the "Star Letter" would win a Marvel Annual, a yearly produced hard back book normally released in Autumn ready for the Christmas market, quite a good prize. Some winners letters were basicly childlike drivel, along the lines of "I love Spider-man can he send me a costume like his?", "who's stronger, Spider-man or the Hulk?", "bring back the Hulk, he'll beat Spidey every day." You get the idea we've all asked those questions at different times in different ways. But Marvel is a broad-church, so there's also letters from older fans, who wanted to give a mature point of view. This weeks crop of letters were all quite mature, this weeks Star Letter winner was from Gavin Palmer, QNS, from Weymonth in Dorset. I don't know who he is or even if he still reads comics these days, but his points still are valid 30 years on. 

 He made a good point about how attitudes have changes at MarvelUK, with those comics being directed a young readers and how the right combination was being reached, this was true however a year later the Spider-man title would be rebranded "The Spider-man comic" to attract an even younger readership and by August 1984 it would be dumb down even more as it became "Spidey comic", this  would kill the comic, but I tell you all this with hindsight. 

He also commented on how the rest of society took comics to lightly, how the public view of comics were set by the TV versions they saw, the Bat-man TV series, Super-man films, Cartoons of the time, like Spider-woman, Spider-man and his Amazing Friends, the Bat-man Cartoon and the Incredible Hulk, which in his view were all directed at a young audience. I'm not to sure if my fourteen year old self fell into that category, but I would watch all of those with different appeal, the live action Spider-man and Hulk TV series relied on the human side of the charactor, as super powers were hard to recreate on the small screen. Spider-woman and Spider-man Cartoons were simple but watchable, with SM&HAF guest starring a whole host of super heroes, which made it fit into the Marvel Universe well. The Incredible Hulk cartoon mated the best of super human with Banners hard luck human side. The DC fair seemed to have created the problem of credibility to the general public. I've always believed that, then and now. Gavin Palmer wrote how he believed that "People tend to take these as typical of the whole comics field. The supposition is also contributing to the lack of extension in the comics industry." I've got to believe that too, I think comic in the mid 80's in general were failing the older readership. Yes there was always some great comic at that time, Des Skinn's Warriors, MarvelUK monthly output, that cherry picked the best from Marvel, 2000AD showcased the best in British, but I think in America there was a dip in really great graphic prose. So much so that DC's Vertigo line would plunder the UK talent pool later that decade.

Has people's view of the comic industry changed today? Is it cool to be a comic geek? I think today the general views from the outside has changed. Stan Lee view of the human being the centre of the super-human story from the early Marvel era is as strong today as it ever was. Maybe even stronger. Just look at Marvel films, they're all charactor driven. My brother-in-law questioned why in the Avengers Assemble movie all the main charactors would lose their masks towards the end of the film, was it so all the Hollywood stars would get their fair share of face time? But for me I wouldn't expect anything less of a modern Marvel film. Hawkeye is still Hawkeye, the Black Widow is still the Black Widow, but it feels more realistic when they are called Barton and Romanoff. A CGI version of Iron Man feels more real if we see the desperation of Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark, behind the mask. The Amazing Spider-man films, X-men films, Marvel Studio movies and the fantastic Marvels Agents of SHIELD TV series all give credibility to the comic book universe. The way the charactors cross over resonates a true to life feel but mated with incredible action. The prime example is "Captain America, the Winter Soldier", absolutely sensational! I imagine Gavin Palmer would be loving the current outcrop of comic book inspired movies/TV. 

The last major point that Gavin made in his letter was he wouldn't be surprised that 75% of 11 year old  or younger readers would stop reading comic by the time they were 16, by either parent or peer pressure. He wrote how this experience was starting to affect him. I too had experience of this, even today I get that kind of pressure. This reminds me of an article in a magazine, I can't remember which, it may have been Comic Collector or maybe Deadline, but it illustrated a comic readers path though the graphic medium. A child would start with the Beano or the Dandy type of comic, before moving on to the MarvelUK range, while as the reader became a teenager 2000AD became the suggested pleasure and later on, into adulthood Deadline, Heavy Metal or DC's Vertigo line became the norm. I can really see that being the case for many comic fans, but once you get passed a certain age, let's say mid life/40's you start to look back to a younger nostalgic time. I miss the Beano/Dandy period out completely, oh yes I did read them while waiting for haircuts, picking up anything from the barbers coffee table to pass the time away, together with Battle, Hotspur, Wizard and the like. But they never really made me want to buy them. My brothers collection of Dracula Lives, Plant of the Apes and his two single copies of The Mighty World of Marvel #200 and Super Spider-man #203 fuelled my love of MarvelUK for many years.

I recall going to a local newsagent with my best friend in February 1981, Simon was always the brainiest  in my class, his parents were very well educated and he was amazingly bright. He choose an issue of the Beano while I picked up the more stylish Captain Amercia #5 from MarvelUK with its heroic lead, sophisticated Iron Man, a very modern Dazzler, a charactor who wanted to be a super star not a super hero and the dynamic Defenders. I didn't scorn him for it, I just expected him to pick some more highbrow. But that's part of my point, we all like different things for different reasons. 

I hid my love of comic all the way though my teenage life and adult life from many people, it's just easier that way, but it never stopped my continued reading of comics. Like when I would every month take a walk to the nearest newsagents during my school dinner break to pick up a copy of Captain Britain  Monthly, secreting it in my school bag and making an excuse for my absence. That the buzz of collecting, the long walks to the newsagents just to see what he's got in store, the train journeys to Manchester to visit comic stores or second-hand book shops to raid the pulp filled shelves. Happy days indeed. 

I was one of Gavin Palmers 25% who continued to read comics well passed their 16th birthday. Even when the content of those comics changed towards a younger readership, I clung to them, changing ship from MarvelUK to Marvel US monthlies, to all that Fleetway could produce and the finer side of DC Vertigo. Eventually returning to MarvelUK in the form of Panini comic and their Marvel Collection editions, until life and kids caught up with me. Now I enjoy my old collection and the power of eBay to reach new, but old classic comics from the past.

Gavin's letter made me think of so many things, it's one of the reason why I loved those MarvelUK reprints as much as the American originals. I wonder what he would think about of it today if he read it with maturer eyes. I kind of hope he still reads or collects comics and cherish those golden days too. 

Make Mine Marvel.