Yet another comic I’d completely forgotten about.

§ October 14th, 2013 § Filed under publishing § 10 Comments

So relatively recently, apparently, we’ve been selling back issues of the Morbius series from the early 1990s. Now I knew we’d at least sold the issues crossing over with the Siege of Darkness storyline, since we’d had folks specifically seeking those issues out. However, when I finally stuck my nose into the box to see what issues I had to pull out of the backroom to restock, lo and behold, the section was nearly empty.

Basically what I’m telling you is that it’s been a while since I’ve done the full restock on the Morbius books. I’ve dipped into the backstock boxes to pull out more copies of the Siege of Darkness issues, and the first issue Rise of the Midnight Sons crossover tie-in, but that’s about it. I haven’t really given that old, cobwebbed Morbius box — underlit, mysterious shades roaming about it in the darkness, the quiet sound of a slow drip of water into a shallow pool — in the backroom a good going-through. And what I found whilst digging through said box was a small stack of these:


…the shocking second printing of 1971’s Amazing Spider-Man #101, republished in September 1992, the same month as the debut of the Morbius series, and featuring…well, I’ll let the corner cover blurb tell you:


This comic also has that metallic-ish silver ink on the cover, which may not come through very well in the scan. But you know the kind of thing I mean, especially if you collected comics in the ’90s, the gimmick cover’s prime time.

Anyway, I’d completely forgotten that this particular reprint even existed. I knew Marvel did stuff like this, like reprinting the first Silver Sable appearance when she received her own series. But nope, this thing totally slipped my mind, as did the Morbius Revisted reprint series that briefly ran concurrently with the main series, during that crazy time in this industry when the market could support two series starring the Living Vampire. (As, you know, opposed to now, where it can’t even support one.)

Of course, the annoying thing about a reprint like this is the fact that the story totally ends on a cliffhanger, with Morbius teaming up with the Lizard to take on ol’ Webhead, leaving it up to you to find the then 20-year-old #102 to wrap up the story. (Or, um, Marvel Tales #253 from 1991, reprinting #102.)

Just thought this was an interesting artifact of its time, created to support the launch of a series starring one of Marvel’s third-stringers, now primarily only of import because it’s a reprint of a pricy Amazing Spider-Man back issue. Plus, it’s, like, the middle chapter of the Amazing Spider-Man’s Six Arms Saga, and where’s our trade paperback and / or live action film adaptation of that?

• • •

In other news: Miracleman is coming back. How ’bout that.

10 Responses to “Yet another comic I’d completely forgotten about.”

  • Snark Shark says:

    “well, I’ll let the corner cover blurb tell you:”

    as if we need THAT extra blurb to tell us, when morby is pictured prominently on the cover and is NAMED on the cover already!

    ” leaving it up to you to find the then 20-year-old #102 to wrap up the story. (Or, um, Marvel Tales #253 from 1991, reprinting #102.) ”

    seems like some of that was in a Marvel Treasury Edition as well.

  • I confess to liking Morbius and buying nearly anything that he’s in, but sadly, even i had zero interest in his latest title.
    You know when you read the first issue and KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it’s a wrong take on the character and it won’t last more than a year…

    I do have one big beef with how he is initially drawn by Gil Kane here… I’ll totally buy the turned-up bat-nose that he has (I’ve seen people with those), but those EYES!… how big must his actual eye-balls BE to not fall out of those weird-ass spider-man style eyes of his.

    And for the love of God, get some Visene, man!

  • Rich says:

    This issue (100-102, actually) is in the SPIDER-MAN: STRANGE ADVENTURES collection. It’s easy to find and pretty cheap.

    It’s also in Vol. 11 of the Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks line if you prefer your comics in a fancy format.

  • argh sims says:

    This is where I read it many years ago…

    http://www.comics.org/issue/30602/

  • Tim O'Neil says:

    Ugh. Morbius. My least favorite comic book character of all time. I’d rather be stuck in an elevator for 16 hours with only issues #270-300 of CEREBUS to keep me company than read one comic with Morbius in it.

  • Michael Grabowski says:

    That Miracleman news was a long time coming, but you knew Disney money would eventually work things out. Maybe Warner should hand off the Batman TV show to them and see if they can get a DVD release deal going, too.

    I wish Marvel didn’t have the property, but as long as a proper reprinting & completion of the Moore-Gaiman stories is part of the deal, I will likely pick those up. Aside from From Hell & the first proper year of Swamp Thing, Miracleman is my favorite Moore re-read (even though I recently parted ways with the original Eclipses).
    I wonder, though, what Marvel will do with the Secrets Of Life issue when the baby is born in all its glory.

    Hopefully all the artists will see some good money coming in from the reprints!

  • Tim O'Neil says:

    Brevoort has stated on his Formspring that they do not intend to edit anything for content, for what its worth.

  • Michael Grabowski says:

    Good news, then. I hope they hold to that.

  • Tim O’Neil,

    As you are someone whose opinion on comics I actually appreciate (hey, the man knows his stuff), I must ask WHY the Morbius hate?

    I know my own nits are that Marvel can’t determine if they want him to be seen as a hero, villain, anti-hero or tragic figure.
    They seem to play him as tragic hero until any time Spider-Man is involved. Then, he’s a bad guy.

    But, as a card-carrying member of the Legion of Monsters and a Midnight Son, I “HAVE to” like him.

    But, if you wish to spend a few sentences… please share your thoughts.

    ~P~

  • Snark Shark says:

    “I know my own nits are that Marvel can’t determine if they want him to be seen as a hero, villain, anti-hero or tragic figure.
    They seem to play him as tragic hero until any time Spider-Man is involved. Then, he’s a bad guy”

    yeah, that can get a little tiresome. Being good or evil depends on what book he is appearing in, apparently!