Two machinas for every deus.

Hello all!

Thank you for the submission Rob. An interesting pick and a creative take on this week's challenge. Windsor Smith's renderings are always distinguishable and his knowledge on anatomy makes most of his images unique. I haven't read this series yet, but I imagine you'll put me on that track soon enough!

Here's my pick. I have to thank Lynn for this one as my appreciation for what Ditko's contributions to this series has grown exponentially with every conversation we share. This classic cover showcases Spidey at his lowest in these early issues. Our hero doubts himself on top of being crushed alive and about to drown. What more for a Deus Ex Machina situation than this piece. Ditko's unique stylization of water flows like molasses and Peter's demeanor, his head's position, elude to a troubled psyche above all in this mess. This is a great read. Even the text seals Pete's doom with the word "Final".

Some days feel like this. Calvin has days like this. Today, fortunately, I don't, but art and stories like this remind me they can. It's how we deal with these situations that people will judge our character.

This is my submission for the Deus Ex Machina competition.

Enjoy!

Rob's Post of Choice - Villain getting upper hand

Ok, here it is in a nutshell...

When I read about this weeks post the first hero that jumped to my mind was Spidey. Has any other hero (in the history of superhero comics) ever been shown getting the crap kicked out of him more than our dear friend Peter Parker... on the cover of his own comic books no less. As a child I was never a big fan of Amazing Spider-Man because I liked my heroes a bit more, well, heroic. It just seemed that Peter Parker was never going to come out on top... EVER. Everyone beat him up, and even when he would prevail as Spider-Man, then something tragic would happen to his Peter Parker alter ego. This guy could never catch a break. Those sadistic writers could be extremely Machiavellian in their plots to take down our beloved web-slinger. Which is probably the reason why he is one of the most popular characters in comics today.

While I have to give a nod to Amazing Spider-Man #293 (what I believe to be the greatest "Villain Triumphant" storyline of all time... "Fearful Symmetry") I honestly have to pick a classic Spider-Man/Venom confrontation as my favorite cover. Venom has to be one the greatest Spider-Man villains ever conceived, and no one exemplified this classic Spidey/Anti-Spidey confrontation better than Todd McFarlane.

So here it is... Amazing Spider-Man# 316.

Until a later date,

Rob

Spidey Cover - Posted by Rob

Here it is... finally!
One of my absolute faves. I always had a soft spot for the Hobgoblin (have his first appearance), and nobody made the Hobgoblin (in Demonic form) more menacing and terrifying. I just always loved the action and flow of this cover. I'm sure if I scrutinized I could find a couple dozen to submit to this post (the first Man-Wolf cover in Amazing comes to mind as well), but this one is definitely high up in the top 10.

Enjoy,

Rob

Spidey Cover of the Week

Here's my favorite Spidey cover of all time. This book nailed my eyes open the day I saw it and I absolutely had to own it and the subsequent comics that finished this great chapter in Kraven's life.

With this cover you get suspense, mystery, tension, and the black costume all wrapped up in a dubious setting that is unconventional for Spidey. It's also darker than your typical Spidey book, but for the time, it was a refreshing perspective.

I had a hard time picking from a few McFarlane covers to some classics, but all in all, Zeck has achieved something more so early on in the series. If you haven't ever read this story about Kraven, this story will blow your mind. (Pun intended.)