Oh, this is a good one.

Marvel in August will be releasing The Amazing Spider-Man #100 Facsimile Edition — a classic in every sense of the word.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released officially by Marvel later this week:

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #100 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by STAN LEE • Penciled by GIL KANE
Cover by JOHN ROMITA SR.

VARIANT COVER BY WILL ROBSON
FOIL VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

Peter Parker undergoes a shocking transformation in the historic 100th issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! As Peter makes a drastic bid to give up being Spider-Man and enjoy a normal life with his beloved Gwen Stacy, legendary creators Stan Lee and Gil Kane take the opportunity for a trip through Spidey history – and a reunion with his deadliest foes! But nothing could prepare Peter – or readers who experienced this issue the first time around – for the stunning ending. You’ve been given notice, and forewarned is extra-four-armed! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all!

Reprinting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #100.

32 PGS./Rated T… $4.99

RETAILERS/CONSUMERS: PLEASE INQUIRE REGARDING FOIL PRICING.

On Sale 8/12

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Buncha thoughts:

— This is one of three Marvel-related Facsimile Editions coming in August. Check out the links below!

— Every Marvel Facsimile Edition blurb says, “It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books.” In this case, it’s definitely true. From the brilliant John Romita/Frank Giacoia cover, to the Gil Kane/Giacoia/Tony Mortellaro interiors, to the bananas ending, this is a great, great comic.

— Speaking of that magnificent cover, here’s what I wrote about it in THE TOP 13 JOHN ROMITA SPIDER-MAN Covers — RANKED: “Best floating-heads cover ever. I could stare it this 1971 masterpiece for hours. The negative background brilliantly plays off Spidey’s primary-color jumpsuit, giving you an image that is surprisingly dramatic and threatening for what is essentially a tribute poster. One of Romita’s greatest strengths was his ability to step up to the challenge of creating covers for occasions that demanded something powerful and unforgettable. (Inked by Frank Giacoia.)” If you want to know where this landed in the ranking, read the story. It’s fun!

— I bet that cover will look GREAT in foil.

— If you want a Facsimile Edition of Amazing Spider-Man #101 — the second part of the story and the introduction of Morbius — Marvel published one in 2021. (You can pick one up for about $20 or thereabouts.) That leaves Part 3 in ASM #102, but I don’t expect to see that one. Who knows, though.

— ASM #100 came out June 8, 1971, so this misses the exact 55th anniversary by a couple months. No matter.

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, NM+ original copy of ASM #100 recently sold on eBay for about $610.

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MORE

— 1969’s SILVER SURFER #6: MARVEL Sets August Sale Date for Facsimile Edition. Click here.

— JLA/AVENGERS Facsimile Editions to Feature New ALEX ROSS Connecting Variant Covers. Click here.

Marvel’s Facsimile Edition run of the original Silver Age Silver Surfer series continues apace in August with Issue #6.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released officially by Marvel later this week:

THE SILVER SURFER #6 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA & SYD SHORES

Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA • VARIANT COVER BY TBA
FOIL VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

The would-be Sky-Rider of the Spaceways is still tormented by being trapped on Earth — and far away on his home planet of Zenn-La, Shalla Bal too is tortured by the loss of the man she loves! Can the Silver Surfer escape the barrier that holds him and bridge the cosmic divide from his beloved by exceeding the speed of light? Or will his attempt spell disaster — for him, and all life in the universe?! Plus: The Watcher shares another uncanny tale, of an alien invasion like no other! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all! Reprinting SILVER SURFER (1968) #6.

64 PGS./Rated T… $6.99

RETAILERS/CONSUMERS: PLEASE INQUIRE REGARDING FOIL PRICING.

On Sale 8/19

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Buncha thoughts:

— The seventh, and final, issue of this Facsimile run is due in September.

— This is one of three Marvel-related Facsimile Editions coming in August. Check out the links below!

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed original copy of Silver Surfer #6 in nice condition recently sold on eBay for $133.

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MORE

— 1971’s Landmark AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #100 to Get Facsimile Edition Release. Click here.

— JLA/AVENGERS Facsimile Editions to Feature New ALEX ROSS Connecting Variant Covers. Click here.

Des Taylor’s The Blue Lotus Strikes is roaring along on Kickstarter and now there’s a whole new reason to fire your engines — the book introduces the ginchy and groovy Go-Go Racers.

“Imagine a group of pinup girls racing classic cars, and you’ll catch the drift,” sez Des.

Originally featured at Des’ It’s a Girl’s World exhibition at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas (including a live shoot at Las Vegas Speedway with model Stephanie Castro), Des has plans to turn the concept into a trading-card game.

You can get in on the action with The Blue Lotus Strikes: Go Go Racer Girl Edition, boasting 140 pages packed with action and pin-ups.

The edition comes with a limited-edition signed print, a double-sided “lobby card,” a greeting card, and two exclusive trading cards on top of a set of Go Go Racers game cards.

Grab yours now while you can.

Va-va-VOOOOOOOOOM!

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Want more DESPOP TUESDAYS? Come back next week!

Want a commission? Buy prints? Buy Des’ comics? Check out his Despop Art website!

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MORE

— SPIDER-MAN: NEVER STEP ON A SCORPION Like You’ve Never Seen It Before. Click here.

— Get Ready for… THE BLUE LOTUS STRIKES. Click here.

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DES TAYLOR is the man behind creator-owned comic properties Scarlett Couture, The Vesha Valentine Story, The Trouble With Katie Rogers and a new property in the works The Blue Lotus Strikes. His client list includes DC Comics, La Perla, FHM, Cosmopolitan, Universal Music, ITV Studios America and many more. When he’s not working on his own properties or churning out commissions, Des spends his spare time… working some more, hating Arsenal and raising his two baby daughters, Scarlett and Leia-May.

Support his latest project on Kickstarter — The Blue Lotus Strikes!

After loud and lengthy pleas from fans, Hasbro on Monday announced a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive 1967 Spider-Man cartoon action-figure three-pack.

The news came in a Marvel Legends Fanstream. Check out these pix, courtesy of Heroes & Villains collectibles.

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Buncha thoughts:

— I’m, well, amazed, that it has taken this long to happen. Check out the full video, above. There’s a lot of other cool stuff. Or jump to 12:34.

— The price wasn’t announced but if you can’t make it to San Diego, it will be available through Hasbro Pulse after the show ends. (It will also evidently be available through EB Games in Canada after SDCC.)

— I wish I could say this is a good sign for a new home-video or streaming release, but it didn’t happen for the Spider-Man ’77 figure or the Japanese Spider-Man figure. Hope springs eternal, though!

— What do you think of the villain selection? I think they’re good choices because their Season 1 episodes are among the most memorable ones. They’re also probably the easiest to create with previous tooling. And, hey, you can always pretend there are three villains, if you include Dr. Noah Boddy!

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MORE

— Hey, HASBRO: It’s Time for a SPIDER-MAN ’67 Marvel Legends Figure. Click here.

— Dig These Groovy SPIDER-MAN ’67 Cartoon Action Figure Designs. Click here.

By BILL MORRISON

TV’s Batgirl, Yvonne Craig, was born 89 years ago this past Saturday, May 16, and I celebrated by reading Dan Greenfield’s tribute, 13 QUICK THOUGHTS: THE GREATNESS OF YVONNE CRAIG.

But it just so happens that I have my own homage to the late Ms. Craig in the works, in the form of a commission that recreates the cover to 1956’s Detective Comics #233 — the first appearance of Batwoman — but instead featuring the cast of the 1966 Batman TV show. (It also just so happens that the 70th anniversary of ‘Tec #233 is this Friday, May 22!)

I’m still fine-tuning it and completing the trade dress, but I thought it’d be fun to throw it over to Walt Grogan to add his coloring magic and to reimagine it as a variant cover to 1966’s Detective Comics #359, Barbara Gordon Batgirl’s debut issue (which is receiving a 60th anniversary Facsimile Edition release in June)!

Here’s an “aged” version, also by Walt:

I’ll keep working on the Detective Comics #233 version and show it here Friday for Batwoman’s 70th, but I’m really knocked out by what Walt has brought to the piece! I hope you dig it as much as I do!

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Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below!

—

MORE

— Tex Avery’s RED HOT RIDING HOOD: Still Red Hot After More Than 80 Years. Click here.

— ‘To the BATMO… I Mean the RADIOACTIVE-MOBILE!’ Click here.

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I don’t know who created this but the art is by Greg Smallwood.

Today is Miracle Monday, a holiday that occurs the third Monday in May, and was invented 45 years ago by writer Elliot S! Maggin in his 1981 novel of the same name.

How to celebrate? Well, read the novel! Or do anything Superman! Like check out this 13 COVERS gallery!

Like last year, we’re featuring two versions of the book’s cover, and an annual showcasing time traveler Kristin Wells, who was introduced in the novel. But the rest of the covers — again all from 1981 — are different from the 2025 edition.

Rad!

Gil Kane

Ross Andru pencils, Dick Giordano inks

Andru and Giordano

Jim Starlin

Andru and Giordano

Rich Buckler pencils, Giordano inks

Buckler and Giordano

Andru and Giordano

Andru and Giordano

Andru and Giordano

Dave Cockrum pencils, Giordano inks

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MORE

— 13 SUPERMAN COVERS to Celebrate MIRACLE MONDAY: 2025. Click here.

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite COMIC BOOK NOVELS. Click here.

Late comics stalwart Bill Everett is best known for creating the Sub-Mariner and being the first artist on Daredevil. But he was also one of the pre-eminent horror artists for the 1950s version of Marvel Comics.

So dig these 13 COVERS from the title Astonishing, which began as a showcase for the short-lived superhero Marvel Boy before heading headlong into terror.

These date from 1950 to 1956.

Swell!

Astonishing #3

Astonishing #4

Astonishing #5

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MORE

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite Things About BILL EVERETT’s DAREDEVIL #1. Click here.

— A Wild and Wet Time With Bill Everett’s SUB-MARINER. Click here.

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UPDATED 5/18/26: One of the best features we’ve ever run at 13th Dimension was February 2016’s NEAL ADAMS MONTH, in which we featured daily commentary by Adams on a variant-cover project he did for DC Comics. Each of his 27 variants was a twist on one of his famous covers from the past. He provided the pencils, and the inks and colors were handled by some of the biggest names in the business like Dave Gibbons and Frank Miller.

These stories have pretty much sat in our cavernous, subterranean vaults for more than a decade now, but it’s really time to put a new shine on them, because it’s a terrific guided tour of Adams’ DC career by the artist himself. At some point, we’ll resurface all of them — the index is right here — but I’m jumping the gun with this particular cover because the Batman #244 Facsimile Edition is out this week. So dig that… and dig this. — Dan

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FROM MARCH 27, 2016:

February was NEAL ADAMS MONTH here at 13th Dimension, and we featured daily commentary by Adams on his variant-cover project for DC Comics. Each of his 27 variants is a twist on one of his famous covers from the past. He provided the pencils, and the inks and colors were handled by some of the biggest names in the business like Dave Gibbons and Frank Miller.

But sometimes the comics gods play havoc with publishing schedules and two of the issues for which Adams did variants were delayed. On 3/30, JLA #8 comes out, so now we bring you Adams’ commentary on that cover, which is based on the classic Batman #244, cover-dated Sept. 1972.

The guest inker is Bill Sienkiewicz (read his commentary about this cover here) and the colorist is Alex Sinclair.

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For the full NEAL ADAMS MONTH INDEX of stories — click here.

—

Batman #244 is right up there among the very top of Neal Adams’ covers. It’s definitely in same arena as Batman #251, Batman #232 and Limited Collector’s Edition C-51 (the Ra’s al Ghul treasury edition).

In the new version, Batman (as he should) gets the upper hand over Superman with a Kryptonite sword and Talia’s on the camel to the right, looking on. And though I would have preferred that the JLA logo mimicked the same colors as the Batman logo, this is overall a gorgeous evocation of the original. Much of that is down to Bill Sienkiewicz’s superb inks.

There’s an inherent irony there for long-time fans, given that Sienkiewicz, who has since become a comics legend in his own right, drew a lot of heat early in his career because his style hewed so closely to Adams’.

Now, on to Neal himself:

Dan Greenfield: Let’s go to JLA #8 and Batman #244, another classic and another favorite of mine. And another with transposed characters. Now, before you even ask, there’s (something) that jumps out at me: You fixed one of the great unintentional gags. You don’t have Superman’s pants there held by Batman, where on Batman #244, Batman’s got two pairs of pants.

Neal Adams: So, yeah. This is the gag that I do at conventions. I take the cover and say, “How many pairs of pants is Batman wearing?” And they say, “One? Two?” and then they ask why and I say, “Well, you have to take his shorts off to get his pants off. That makes him naked.”

What people don’t know is that this leg to the right, even though you can’t tell, is a naked leg. It’s drawn as a naked leg. It was intended to be a naked leg. And (editor) Julie Schwartz objected to it. He said, “You can’t do that.” He said, “How can you have the trunks on and not have that on?”

I said, “But then we’ll have two pairs of pants.” And he said, “So what? Nobody’ll notice.” “Okay, Julie, whatever you say.” So then we colored his legs. But if you were to look at the black and white of this, you go, “I can see the little hairs. It’s really a naked leg.”

Funny. This is also one of those covers that, because even though I was being paid $50 a page for a cover, I felt it was too important not to do a professional job. So this (gestures around the background) is a professional tracing or rendering of a real photograph that I researched. So this has a snap of authenticity that often the covers don’t have… You could take this and turn it into a painting very easily because all the elements are illustrated correctly. This has all the right anatomy. You have to have the reference on the research.

Dan: Was it, like, National Geographic or something?

Neal: Yeah, my big reference was National Geographic. And probably is National Geographic. People who go back in their National Geos will probably find that photo…

This (cover) has so much in it because this is one of those times I slowed down and I said, “Y’know, I don’t care how much I get paid for this. This has gotta be a good cover. And this is a meaningful cover for the sake for the series as well.” …

Look at what I forced (production man) Jack Adler to do with that sky with his crappy color separations… That was technologically almost impossible in those days.

Dan: Let me ask you about that, because I’m a layman about these sorts of things. When I see the choice of the colors on the logo itself, they’re using that light blue and I also like that faded look. While the BATMAN word, the red and yellow, pop forward, the blue appears to be set back. It’s almost a 3D effect. Where does that come from? Whose idea was that?

Neal: It’s always mine.

To understand it, if I’m having a conversation with Jack Adler and I say, “OK, Jack. We want this to be a dark sky to go into a deep red and to be very dark, OK?” Jack will say, “What about the logo? It’s black.” And I’ll say, “Do the logo in a dropout of a lighter color of the same color. That way we can pop the words and fade that back.” “You want me to do that as a dropout? Then we don’t get the sky. We gotta get the sky. Hmm…let me try it.”

And then Jack Adler and I stayed until 8 o’clock at night or 9 o’clock at night messing around and, using your imagination to see this because none of these colors were done as colors! We did a color guide. Either I did it or Jack did it or (an assistant) did it and then Jack had to do all these things in gray tones with his washes to make that happen. All in gray tones—which you have to see in your head. So both Jack and I understood that and we could both see it in our heads.

But he had to see this (gestures across the top of the cover) in his head because we had to choose that as a color! You can’t just get it. You have to choose it. And you don’t choose it by picking a color swatch. You choose it by giving it a formula. So this is a B 60 percent, 50 percent. K, 10 percent, black 10 percent and this would be B 25 percent, 25 percent yellow, 25 percent red. But we have to give those formulas to do that.

Dan: It’s also interesting the use of the red and yellow in the logo because it makes it feel like the sky is continuing in a way, although it’s not obviously. It feels like it’s part of the sunset.

Neal: (Nods) The other thing, too, is this: Most people don’t know this but light—white light—is not white. Of course, it’s based on a spectrum—red, yellow, blue, green, indigo, and violet. ROYGBIV they teach you in school.

Dan: Right.

Neal: The thing about red is that red comes to your eye quicker than blue or indigo or violet. It comes to your eye quicker but it’s on top of the other colors so you see them together until they become white. If you took the colors of light and spread them off to the side, red would be here. Orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. It would move back because this is coming to your eye faster than the back end of the spectrum. That’s why you can get a red and blue shift when you’re looking at stars.

What that means is that the red will get to the eye quicker and in front of the other colors. That means that you register it quicker which means, to your brain—understand that a human brain is stupid—intelligence has to do with putting all those thoughts together, but the brain is just a computer.

Dan: Right. It receives information.

Neal: Zeroes and ones and that’s all it does. So it perceives that as being closer. And it doesn’t know why…but it does.

So, RED…Redorangeyellowgreenblueindigo! Red will jump to the eye whereas this blue color is chosen to fall back.

So anything that is in here is chosen for those reasons! So all the coloring in this… it’s all done based in science and research and study. And that’s why they work!

So when people go, I don’t know why it is, Neal’s covers just simply blah-blah-blah-blah — there’s reasons. You just don’t know what those reasons are but there’s reasons. You can look at this upside down and see just from a scientific point of view what works and why. (Laughs) It’s just there!

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MORE

— The Full NEAL ADAMS MONTH INDEX of Stories. Click here.

— NEXT: The Final Cover. Click here.

—

Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

Batman #244 Facsimile Edition, DC. The finale of the original Denny O’Neil-Neal Adams Ra’s al Ghul saga and one of the single greatest Bat-comics of all time. That is not hyperbole, either.

Cannot wait to see it in foil and the sketch cover is a downright groove. Makes even clearer why Adams’ approach to the logo coloring was so effective. Read all about the late artist’s views on this cover here.

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DC Compact Comics: Gotham Central, DC. I don’t read Compact Comics because I prefer larger art and these old eyes can’t take the strain. But I know they reach a younger audience, and I’m all for that — especially when you’re offering one of the very best series of the 21st century.

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Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51, DC. Now it can be told: I’ve never read an issue of Warlord. Just not my cuppa, generally speaking. But back in the day, fans in the Brave and the Bold letters columns used to clamor for a Batman/Warlord team-up and it never happened. So here we are!

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Silver Surfer #3 Facsimile Edition, Marvel. The first appearance of Mephisto! Man, what a cover by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott — and probably colored by the great Marie Severin.

Nice Phil Noto variant, too:

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The Book of Jusko, Image. Not only is our pal Joe Jusko a helluvan artist, he’s a big-time Yankees fan. Alright, Joe! You can put this 240-page paperback right on the coffee table next to your vintage 1976 Yankees yearbook.

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Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus, DC. A new printing of some of the ’70s grooviest (if inconsistent) comics.

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Marvels: The Novelization, Abrams ComicArts. Steve Darnall gives Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ classic miniseries a prose spin.

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Zorro #1, Alien Books. Is there an artist working today better suited to a Zorro book than Jorge Fornes? Certainly not. That writer could end up being someone someday, too.

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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension

Spider-Man ’94: The Return, Marvel. Any excuse for more J.M. DeMatteis Spidey stories is fine by me.

Dan adds: Collects the five-issue miniseries. If they can do this, can they please find a way to do Spider-Man ’67? Pretty please? With webbing on top?

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DC Finest: Sgt. Rock — The Rock of Easy Co., DC. DC’s greatest war comics, from Robert Kanigher, Bob Haney and Joe Kubert. Nothin’s ever easy for Easy.

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Doctor Doom Epic Collection: Revolution in Latveria, Marvel. More of the best Silver Age Doc Doom tales, from a Murderers’ Row of legendary Marvel creators!

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MORE

— HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week! — May 11. Click here.

— HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week! — May 4. Click here.

—

Welcome to BRONZE AGE BONANZA — our monthly series that looks at the greatest covers of the Bronze Age — exactly 50 years later. For more info on this feature, click here.

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You got sharks, the Bicentennial, and a lot of anniversaries!

Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF MAY 1976 — RANKED:

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13. Ka-Zar #17, Marvel. This month’s requisite Jawsmania cover.

Rich Buckler pencils, Frank Giacoia inks

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12. Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals #107, Archie. You remember it as well as I do. This is exactly how high-school girls dressed in 1976. Exactly. I just don’t know who’s carrying the weed apple — Betty or Veronica.

Dan DeCarlo pencils, Rudy Lapick inks

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11. Creepy #81, Warren. The most demented Spy vs. Spy strip ever.

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10. Iron Fist #6, Marvel. I dig all the crazy, intersecting lines and angles by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia, and I love the Yu-Ti’s bemused hand gesture over his hood. But the real star is the unnamed colorist who brought just about the whole spectrum with them.

Gil Kane pencils, Giacoia inks

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9. Emergency! #2, Charlton. Eye-catching painted cover by Joe Staton. Again with the color! The Randolph Mantooth corner logo should be on a T-shirt.

Joe Staton

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8. House of Mystery #244, DC. Horror covers were a dime a dozen, so to find one that is actually bona fide terrifying is really special. I’m a big fan of Luis Dominguez anyway, but this really taps into that ’70s cult-panic zeitgeist. Superb colors by the late Tatjana Wood, whose starkly red demon plays off the ghostly acolytes so well. Dynamite.

Luis Dominguez

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7. Ragman #1, DC. Ragman was such an odd idea. Nice, unorthodox panel cover by Joe Kubert. I’m betting this was also Wood colors. Oh, and “tatterdemalion” literally means “ragged or disreputable in appearance.”

Joe Kubert

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6. Green Lantern #90, DC. The triumphant return of Green Lantern/Green Arrow! Mike Grell is second only to Neal Adams as far as GL/GA goes, even if Hal Jordan’s pose is on the wooden side here. It’s a very popular cover but it’s that detail that takes points off for me.

Mike Grell

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5.  The X-Men #100, Marvel. One of the seminal X-covers of the Bronze Age and, like GL/GA above, I’m sure a number of you would top the list with it. But heroes running at each other on a cover — while extremely well executed here — was a bit of a cliche at this point.

Dave Cockrum

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4. The Avengers #150, Marvel. Another “anniversary” issue! Avengers covers that tease a new line-up are always a kick and this one’s elevated by the question-mark schtick and the black background. A cool approach to a superhero group shot.

George Perez, Dan Adkins and John Romita evidently

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3. Captain America #200, Marvel. Yet another “anniversary” issue. I don’t know if it was classic ’70s paranoia creeping into Jack Kirby’s work but he frequently drew Cap like he was in an unhinged panic. Still striking though. Kirby’s Cap has made BRONZE AGE BONANZA every month this year, so far.

Jack Kirby pencils, Giacoia inks

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2. Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-46, DC. A classic cover and one that I would ordinarily put at the top. Neal Adams and Dick Giordano give us the Platonic ideal of how the 1970s Justice League of America should look. Thing is, this image was repurposed from the back cover of DC’s 1976 calendar, so I can’t in good conscience lead the list with it. Aquaman replaced Captain Marvel for this cover, by the way. (A great candidate for a Facsimile Edition, if you ask me.)

Neal Adams pencils, Dick Giordano inks.

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1. Vampirella #52, Warren. Perhaps the most lascivious of all the Vampirella covers, but you still have to admire Enrich Torres’ in-your-face artistry. It does give rise to the argument over whether it’s fair to compare painted magazine covers with standard comics, but there’s no question this is the boldest image on this list — and a superbly rendered one at that.

Enrich Torres

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MORE

— The TOP 13 COVERS of APRIL 1976 — RANKED. Click here.

— BRONZE AGE BONANZA: The 1976 INDEX. Click here.

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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.