Possibly the most momentous event for Spider-Man in the 80’s, and the one that had the most far-reaching impact in the 90’s and beyond was Spider-Man’s costume change. The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #252 boldly proclaimed, “The Rumors Are True…Introducing The New Spider-Man!†Which could be a little misleading, since it was a new costume, not a new person. Anyway, let’s not argue semantics. The book was written by new Spidey writer Tom DeFalco, based on a plot by Roger Stern, who had just ended his run, and the first Hobgoblin storyline the previous issue. The art chores for Spider-Man’s first foray in his new costume were handled by Bret Breeding, but Mike Zeck, the artist of Secret Wars is usually credited with the design.
This was colossal news at the time; things like this just weren’t commonplace. I was about ten years old when this occurred, and I remember driving to store after store, with my father, in search of the illusive issue. Thankfully my dad was as gung-ho as I was to find the book, in fact he heard about it first, and really started the whole expedition. I can imagine, the feeling of elation I felt at that moment when the search finally bore fruit, was quite similar to that of a prospector finding gold, at long last.
You must realize, that in this day and age comic characters didn’t change their costumes or appearances at regular intervals. In fact, comics until the 80’s often included little to no “real†changes for decades. There was of course the “appearance†of change, but this was an industry that never saw Bruce Banner change his tacky purple pants for crying out loud. What Marvel did was make a major change to their number one cash cow, and they certainly started a trend. I’ve talked about two other turning points in the comic industry, in Near Mint Memories over the last couple of months, Crisis: On Infinite Earths in 1985 and the death of Robin in 1988. While I feel those two events were more significant, as turning points with regard to the comic industries fortunes, the change in Spidey’s costume predated both, and simply cannot be ignored.
I wish I didn’t have to paint all of these stupid webs!
Generally, I’ve heard that the reason for Spidey’s costume change was to make life easier on the artist. Without a doubt, Spider-Man’s costume, with all of the web-lines, is one of the most difficult to draw correctly. While that may have played a small part in the change, the real reason was obviously the Secret Wars mini-series. I recently read an interview at Spiderfan.org, with Roger Stern who was the writer on Amazing Spider-Man around the time of the costume change. The way he tells it, this decision to change Spider-Man’s look was from Editor in Chief of the time Jim Shooter, to coincide with Secret Wars. More so the change was only supposed to be for a few issues. Obviously the change lasted more than a couple of issues, and the repercussions within the Spider-Man family of titles can still be felt today.
The Saga of the Symbiote
The oddest part about the whole costume change is that it happened in-between issues 251 and 252 of Amazing Spider-Man. Essentially issue 251 ended with Spider-Man swinging through Central Park, and disappearing into a “Stonehengelike construction.†The next month, Spidey’s back, but now in his super-cool black outfit. There’s virtually no explanation, just a ton of vagaries about the Beyonder, the perpetrator of the Secret War, and the amazing experiences our star just was a part of. Spidey doesn’t even want to think about what just happened to him, which makes things very “neat†and leaves us in the dark. The fact that Spidey has the knowledge of what occurred, but we, as the reader, aren’t given the knowledge, creates a very weird dynamic. Of course the reasoning for this mystery is so the answer can be slowly revealed in the Secret Wars mini-series. The audience was treated to a slow reveal over the next several months as to the powers of the new costume, and eventually the danger it posed.
Secret Wars was a massive tie-in with Marvel and Mattel Toys. Secret Wars is often likened to DC’s event of the same period Crisis: On Infinite Earths, which is ludicrous when you give them more than a cursory look. DC’s series was a true event, and not just a toy tie-in, like Marvel’s. I don’t know many people that even consider Secret Wars good, let alone great. All comparisons of this heartless marketing scheme, should be directed towards DC’s Super Powers. Which was a mini-series that also debuted around this time, and much like Secret Wars had a toy selling focus, and certainly not much of a care for telling a good story.
There were certainly innumerable guest appearances, but no major crossovers or event books before this time. So, Secret Wars broke new ground as a 12 issue mini-series, but it literally took 12 months to play out for readers. Thus creating a logistical nightmare. Further confusing things, was that the costume change occurred in issue # 8 of the mini. Leaving a lengthy period of time, without giving away specifics that would occur in the series.
Looking back on Secret Wars # 8 now, it’s as if Jim Shooter, the writer as well as EIC, was very blasé about Spidey’s change in costume by the time it finally happened. There’s no real buildup, and how could there be, by this point the “cat was out of the bag.†This is such a misfire that there isn’t even a big villain involved. Instead, following a battle with Z-list villain Titania, the Hulk and Thor direct Spidey to a machine that can repair his damaged costume. Of course in typical bungling Spider-Man fashion, he picks the wrong device. That would have been disappointing with 8 seconds of buildup, let alone 8 months.
Of course, the character of Venom is the most important thing that came out of the black costume era. The symbiote had fused to Eddie Brock, a reporter, following Spider-Man finally casting away the increasingly dangerous life form. After a slow build, Venom made his first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300. Written by David Michelinie and with art by Todd McFarlane, this character would became the true legacy of the black costume, and may actually have redeemed the tripe that was Secret Wars, at least a little.
A license to print money!
To this day, the black costume is indeed a cottage industry for Marvel. There are still shirts with the suit, not to mention statues and figures and anything else that’s possible. The great thing for the manufacturers is that the items sporting the black costume usually are the same as the “classic†look, so they get to sell two products for the price of slapping on a new paint job. The real moneymaking behemoth though, is Venom himself. Batman, Flash, and Spider-Man, arguably, have the largest and coolest collection of rogues. Most of these characters have been around for generations, Venom is quite possibly the biggest villain created in the past 30 years in comics.
Venom has had innumerable comics published with his name, including a series currently published under Marvel’s Tsunami imprint. While he was massively overexposed in the 90’s, I’d say that no other villain, including the Joker and Lex Luthor, has the individual name clout to support so many tie-ins. Sure they’ve turned him from good too bad more times than Hulk Hogan, but either way, people still care. Wherever Venom shows up, readers are captivated. If you don’t believe me, try to find the individual issues from his recent appearances in Spectacular Spider-Man, or his “debut†in Ultimate Spider-Man, for a reasonable price.
I prefer the black to this day!
I’d read my share of Spider-Man comics before the change in costumes, but this was the event that first hooked me on Spidey. The black costume made Spider-Man so much more than he was, at least to a ten year old. Over the years, any merchandise in the black costume has always been my favorite; the Diamond Select bust of Pete in the black outfit has a permanent place in my display cabinet as well. While this was the first of many changes, and quite a number of miscues under the Spider-Man banner at Marvel, it’s by far my favorite period in the wall-crawler’s history.
Reading Rack:
Spider-Man: The Saga of the Alien Costume, is a trade paperback collection that includes all of the important issues surrounding the new costumes debut.
Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars, collects the very forgettable mini-series that saw the first appearance of Spidey’s black togs, for continuity purposes.
Spider-Man vs. Venom, collects the epic first battle between the wall-crawler, and his new arch-nemesis.
Individual issues of interest:
Amazing Spider-Man #252 – The first appearance of the black costume as far as “real†people are concerned.
Secret Wars #8 – This is the first appearance of the black costume continuity wise.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #90 – This came out the same month as Amazing #252, and doesn’t show Spidey until the final page.
Amazing Spider-Man #300, was really the first appearance of Venom. He made a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 and the two previous issues of Amazing, but this is what’s considered his real debut.
