Issue(s): Marvel Team-Up annual #7
Cover Date: 1984
Title: "The collected Spider-Man / No place to run"
Credits:
Louise Simonson / Bob DeNatale - Writer
Paul Neary / David Mazzucchelli - Penciler
Sam DeLaRosa / Brett Breeding - Inker

Review/plot:
This issue has Spider-Man and Alpha Flight facing off against the Collector, one of the Elders of the Universe.

He's trying to add Marrina to his Plodex collection. I believe this is the first time that Marrina's species is named.

In addition to Marrina, the Collector scans for other alien lives on Earth. The results seem to provide some pretty significant spoilers. In addition to Warlock and the Dire Wraiths, the Collector identifies Cloud, from the Defenders, as an alien, and also mysteriously focuses on Spider-Man.

This is why Spider-Man is captured as well.

(Of course, and i can't blame anyone for this, the Collector fails to identify Marrina's mate, who will be introduced in Alpha Flight #14-15. He also doesn't detect Lyja Lazerfist, the Skrull that replaced Alicia Masters. I guess his scanner can't detect everything. And maybe Skrulls specifically aren't worthy of his notice.)

The Collector uses a genie to capture Marrina and Spider-Man, which is silly.

He also uses a giant snake called Snake-Eyes that has hypnotic powers.

The Collector notes that it's Kymellian Sorcery that empowers the flute that controls Snake-Eyes. Kymellians are the horse headed aliens from Power Pack.

Snake-Eyes will be a minor recurring "villain" in Power Pack.

In the Alpha Flight book, the characters don't get along. There's the Northstar/Aurora/Sasquatch triangle, and Puck is confrontational as well. In that book, it's well written and the characters come off as dysfunctional but human. In this issue, you just want to strangle everyone. They are so annoying. Northstar deliberately provokes Sasquatch, successfully triggering his bestial persona. And all of the characters just gripe and snipe at each other.

The Collector's next stop is Sirius 5 (spelled Serius 5 the second time it is referenced) to capture a rare lotus poppy bloom. I kind of suspect that's a reference to something, but Google is so full of Sirius radio links that i can't confirm it.

Louise Simonson is generally a good writer, but this issue isn't a great one. The bickering Alphas kind of ruin it, and more generally everyone is way too emotional and there's also way too much expository dialogue. The Collector, an Elder of the Universe, also isn't depicted as being very majestic. It's all kind of a disappointment. Neary's art is pretty good. His Sasquatch is better than most times he is drawn by someone other than Byrne.

Marrina, not so much.

A back-up story (by DeNatale/Mazzucchelli/Breeding) shows a battle with the Black Panther and the Human Torch against the Crimson Dynamo. It's told entirely from the perspective of a couple watching it on TV, and shows how super-battles like this are traumatic to ordinary people.

Very Astro City (although not as well written as a Kurt Busiek story), and a nice change of pace.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Snake-Eyes. Some hints about Cloud and Spider-Man's costume.

Chronological Placement Considerations: It's said that Shaman remained behind to stay with Heather since it's so soon after Guardian's death. It makes sense to place this after the funeral scene from Alpha Flight #13 rather than directly after issue #12. Needs to take place after Warlock arrives on Earth in New Mutants #21. Due to the Kymellian reference, it was probably intended that this take place after the Kymellians were introduced in Power Pack, although it's not strictly necessary. Peter Parker delivers pictures of Spider-Man fighting the Answer from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #92 at the beginning of this issue, and those pictures are seen in the Bugle in issue #93, so this issue should take place in between. Regarding Marrina, you get the impression that she's left Namor at this point (we see her swimming alone and she thinks to herself, "Sub-Mariner offered to help me unravel the secret of my origin but his company proved too... diverting!"). However, this issue must take place before Alpha Flight #14-17 for a number of reasons (the simplest of which is that she pretty much learns what's left of her secret origin in that arc; the more complex involves Spider-Man's costume and the Casket of Ancient Winters), and she's back with Namor at the beginning of that arc, so she must just be off by herself for a swim (maybe coming to grips with Guardian's death) this issue.

References:

• The issue starts off with Peter Parker trying to sell some pictures of Spider-Man fighting the Answer from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #92 to Joe Robertson. Peter jokes "I'm not sure what the question was!", which was the same joke he tried on the Black Cat at the end of that issue. Neither recipient was too impressed with the joke.
  
• Spider-Man got his new costume in Secret Wars.
  
• Marrina is guilty over not responding to the Alpha signal in Alpha Flight #12.
  
• We learned of Marrina's alien origins in Alpha Flight #3-5.
  
• When Alpha Flight meet Spider-Man, they don't recognize him due to his new costume. Spidey tells them that he met Sasquatch at the Hulk Amnesty, which was Hulk #278.
  
• The Collector is active right now because he's trying to preserve unique lifeforms in advance of the attack that has been building in "current issues of Thor". Surtur is not named (he's just referred to as a horned demon), but his Twilight sword is. We learned the name of the sword in Thor #343.
  
• When Spider-Man returns to the Black Cat, she says "Oh Spider! I didn't go looking for you! I didn't ask at the Bugle or your apartment or anywhere...". There's no footnote, but that's a clear reference to the trouble she caused in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #90

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

This was my introduction to both the collector and Alpha flight. I agreed with Spidey when he commented about their own private little soap opera.

The torch/panther/dynamo story idea was interesting but why not make it based on an actual story. I'm sure with a minimum amount of research you could find a superhero fight set outside of NY to use.

Sirius X was originally the home for Marvel's Church of Universal Truth, originally responsible for the extinction of Gamora's people. Adam Warlock ties in, too. Perhaps Sirius V has some Marvel connection?