Spider-Rama: Amazing Spider-Man #62

Welcome to Spider-Rama! Each Wednesday, Ben and Duy will look at a Spider-Man issue from the very beginning, in chronological order, and answer questions for various categories, inspired in large part by one of our favorite podcasts, The Rewatchables by The Ringer. Our goal is to make it to Amazing Spider-Man #200. Will we make it? Grab your Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus or crank up your tablet to Marvel Unlimited, and then tune in every Wednesday to find out!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #62
Spider-Rama
by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. and Don Heck

The Inhuman Queen, Medusa, is approached to be the model for a hair spray brand. Tiring of the modeling work, Medusa trashes the agency's office. Spider-Man goes after her, because comics are awesome.

POINTLESS TRIVIA

BEN: Here's another Mary Jane Watson thought balloon.

DUY: Just realized this is one of MJ's only and early thought balloons, and it's her being surprised that Peter actually misses Gwen, and I'm sure that says something about her character.

BEN: Are you calling her dumb?

DUY: It's either dumb or self-centered.

BEN: Let's say self-centered. Don't want the hate mail.

DUY: Maybe I do.

BEN: Okay, she's both.

DUY: About Medusa, at this point in time, Medusa has been a part of the Frightful Four (featuring the Fantastic Four villain The Wizard, the Human Torch villain who would eventually be a Spider-Man villain, and the Spider-Man villain the Sandman. The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man are inextricably linked). She suffered from amnesia. Then she rejoined the Inhumans in Attilan, got trapped, got out, and now she's here scouting out the human race.

BEN: Finally, this is number 3 on the "Gwen Stacy cries" consecutive issue count.

WHAT'S AGED THE BEST?

BEN: I've got nothing. The Inhumans have always sucked.

DUY: I thought this was a fun issue because it's so silly. The fact that a hair spray agent causes all this trouble just so Medusa can make him millions is some much-needed comic relief after the events of the last few issues. Also, between the wrestling promoter, JJJ, and this guy, pretty much anyone working in the media, entertainment, or advertising industry up to this point in the series has been a shark.

BEN: What’s weird is I do like some Inhumans individually, like Medusa.

DUY: I tend to like them in concept.

BEN: Black Bolt looks cool.

DUY: Crystal is fun in other titles.

BEN: I do love Crystal.

WHAT'S AGED THE WORST?

BEN:  Angrily exploring a possible relocation into human society? That hasn't aged well.

DUY: "Didn't they ever tell you not to broadcast your plans? But that's the trouble with women -- they just can't keep their mouths shut." Sadly, this is a typical Stan Lee line where women are involved.

BEN:  Different times. It was probably bad at the time, but Stan was already old by then.

DUY:  Yeah, but even then it doesn't work -- all his villains monologue, but he'll only say a sexist line for Medusa.

NITPICKS

BEN: I know his spider sense is inconsistent, but he’s technically in no real danger here.

FAVORITE PANEL

DUY: I have two. One is the Mary Jane panel we posted earlier, because Peter putting off MJ is great. But the other one is Medusa cracking her hair like a whip:

DUY: Because it reminds me of WWE NXT wrestler, Bianca Belair:

BEN: Stop sending me wrestling stuff that's not Becky Lynch.

DUY: Medusa kinda looks like Becky Lynch, The Man.

BEN: They should cast her in the Inhumans movie they'll never make. Because the Inhumans suck.

WHO WON THE COMIC?

DUY: Peter blowing off MJ at the end makes this issue a Gwen Stacy win.

BEN: Everything is a Gwen Stacy win..

DUY: That's it for Spider-Rama this week.

BEN: Thank you, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko—

DUY: —for telling us we aren't the only ones.

Leave us a comment below or on our Facebook page. See you next Wednesday!