Enter: The Carpathian (The Real Ghostbusters Starring in Ghostbusters II #1-3)
The Ghostbusters movies are heavy on the improv and many of the jokes have been reworked to make them as funny as possible. In the first issue some examples include when Peter meets Oscar, he doesn’t mention that the kid was named after a weiner and in court is missing the “Do, Ray, Egon!” joke when powering up the proton packs.
Monsters, Mutations and Mayhem! (untold tales of spider-man #9)
This book takes place in the early days of Spider-Man’s career, but unlike Ultimate Spider-Man, this took place in the 616-universe, the main Marvel Universe. There are references to the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko books but I don’t remember feeling like I had to find 35-year-old comics to follow them.
Spider-Man Meets Electro! (Spider-Man Classics #10)
Early Peter Parker is loser high school student, I was a loser junior high school student. He lived in Queens, I lived in the Bronx. Peter inexplicably went to school in Manhattan while wearing a shirt and tie. I inexplicably went to school in Manhattan while wearing a shirt and tie. He was terrible with girls, I was terrible with girls. I identified with Peter Parker in a way that I had never before. He quickly became my favorite superhero and still is now that I’m in my early 30’s and it’s because I had access to the early Lee/Ditko books.
Who Ya Gonna Call? (The Real Ghostbusters #2 [1988])
![Who Ya Gonna Call? (The Real Ghostbusters #2 [1988])](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5253777ae4b0e9fd10b2e864/1466098606745-BFQUKEDGMDDI4I0WJLQC/Scan+30.jpeg)
I loved The Ghostbusters as a little kid and still do to this day. It’s still my favorite movie of all time much to the chagrin of my college Cinema Studies teacher.
My first introduction to the franchise was actually through the cartoon show, The Real Ghostbusters that I would religiously every Saturday morning. I would sit and watch the show while playing with my firehouse play-set. I was obsessed.
Two-In-One: Captain America: Traitor and Iron Man Gets Whipped! (Marvel Double Feature #15)
Red Skull acts just like a Bond villain of the time. He comes up with this elaborate plan to kill Captain America, but doesn’t even stick around to get the satisfaction of watching him, his mortal enemy die. He also doesn’t take away the shield, his one weapon! Even on the Batman TV show from the 1960’s they’d take his utility belt. Just dumb.
Gothic Horror in Gotham! (Legends of the Dark Knight #54)
Women in Dumpsters (Batman #414)
This book was disappointing to me as a kid. There was no villain. It was Batman vs a generic bad guy. As a kid,the last thing you want is a Batman comic that doesn’t utilize Batman’s extensive rogue’s gallery. It was like watching the WWF and instead of getting Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker, you get the Undertaker vs. some guy in a satin baseball jacket, with a mustache and a mullet. It didn’t seem like a challenge to the hero.