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1973-09-01 00:03:10
Previous:
Captain America #168
Up:
Main

1973 / Box 7 / EiC: Roy Thomas

Next:
Marvel Team-Up #14

Amazing Spider-Man #124-125

Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #124, Amazing Spider-Man #125
Cover Date: Sep-Oct 73
Title: "The mark of the Man-Wolf" / "Wolfhunt!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Gil Kane / Ross Andru - Penciler
Tony Mortellaro & John Romita Sr.- Inker

Review/plot:
John Jameson keeps turning into a werewolf because of a bit of moonrock that he found.

It's been grafted to his skin so he can't remove it. Spider-Man solves the problem by ripping it off of him. Painful but effective.

As stupid as it is to have JJ's son turn into a werewolf, it's even more amazingly dumb that they didn't tie the cause back to the earlier problems John had back in Amazing Spider-Man #42-43, where space-spores gave him super-strength. I was stunned by the contrivance of giving him an entirely separate origin for his latest supernatural transformation. Truly bizarre.

The subplots in this issue almost make up for the stupidity of the main plot. Peter and Harry are both clearly having trouble dealing with the deaths of their loved ones, and MJ is unable to draw them out, in part because of her reputation as a carefree girl without any substance.

There's what seems like a bit of a same-book continuity error in this issue. While (i.e., in between two scenes of) John explaining how he wound up a werewolf to JJ, there's a scene of Spider-Man trying to get info from Robbie Robertson at the Daily Bugle, and JJ shows up to order the police to attack Spider-man with tear gas.

I guess maybe JJ left his son alone for a while and went back to the office, but that seems odd.

You might think Spider-Man saving JJ's son might change their relationship, but Spider-Man doesn't expect it to.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - John Jameson becomes the Man-Wolf

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

  • Spider-Man isn't fazed by meeting a werewolf, having encountered Werewolf By Night in Marvel Team-Up #12.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #101, Marvel Tales #102

Inbound References (7): show

  • Amazing Spider-Man #181
  • She-Hulk #13-14
  • Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man annual #3
  • Creatures On The Loose #30
  • Captain America #402-408
  • Amazing Spider-Man #374-375

Characters Appearing: Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe 'Robbie' Robertson, Kristine Saunders, Man-Wolf (John Jameson), Mary Jane Watson, Randy Robertson, Spider-Man

Previous:
Captain America #168
Up:
Main

1973 / Box 7 / EiC: Roy Thomas

Next:
Marvel Team-Up #14

Comments

Marvel was on a real monster trip at this time. We're lucky there weren't more werewolves.

Posted by: Mark Drummond | August 15, 2011 12:58 AM

First mention of a Man-Wolf at Marvel was in Marvelmania #4(7/70) as a delayed Rich Buckler project.

Posted by: Mark Drummond | February 3, 2013 5:51 PM

I know this story and Cap 168 from a record/comicbook from power records.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gERe0pB-DpQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTqmmsOJSzo

Posted by: Kveto from Prague | March 26, 2013 6:44 PM

Quite a coincidence -- I was going to leave exactly the same comment Kveto from Prague left two days ago, and this isn't even a newly posted entry!

Maybe the stories would not hold up so well now, but this and the Cap 168 were a lot of fun in book-and-record form. The part I remembered most was the howl from the actor playing Man-Wolf when the pendant gets ripped off.

Posted by: Todd K | March 28, 2013 9:25 PM

Oh Boy. I did not know that Kane and Andru had worked together. :)

Posted by: Son Goku | April 21, 2014 8:51 PM

One man's junk is another man's treasure! Loved this two part story as a kid! And, still do!

Posted by: Jack | January 24, 2015 7:50 AM

Ah, beaten by a good two years. I had the same record for this story that Kveto and Todd had. Can't think of how many times I listened to them. Good times.

I never had the Cap record, but looking at an image of the Spider-Man record online, I realize my copy had the ad on the front for other records and I distinctly remember the picture of the Cap record.

Posted by: Erik Beck | February 28, 2015 1:16 PM

So first super-strength spores, and then the Man-Wolf. If this didn't stick, I'd all be for John Jameson being the Jimmy Olsen of Marvel for how many superpowers he can develop. (then again we already have Rick Jones...)

Posted by: Ataru320 | February 7, 2017 4:48 PM

When I was a child, the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #124 scared the hell out of me! It was Man-Wolf's flaming red eyes staring back at me that did it. Boy, was I a goofy kid! Somewhat less goofy adult, though.

Posted by: Brian Coffey | May 15, 2017 11:51 PM

I'm not sure the continuity error of JJJ being in two places at once can be explained away. He is with his son telling him about the Man-Wolf, then he is at the Bugle tear-gassing Spidey and wearing something different, then back again with his son with the same outfit as before. Looks like just a plain old continuity good.

Posted by: Paulo Pereira | June 1, 2017 10:37 AM

Funny that Kristine Saunders and the Man-Wolf have matching outfits.

Posted by: Tony Lewis | July 3, 2017 9:55 AM

As someone who prefers his super-people wear super-costumes, I liked that the Man-Wolf's attire was a renovation of the flight suit he wore in the aforementioned Spider-Man 42-43.

Posted by: Andrew | January 21, 2018 5:57 AM




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