Spider-Man Animated – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

David Williams — Into The Spider-Verse

December 15, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Spider-Verse Team-Up, #3, March 2015

Two years ago this week, many of us settled into a comfy (hopefully) movie theater seat to catch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I think I’m speaking for the majority of filmgoers when I say: “Brain Blown.”

The Spider-Verse concept was so successful in this ground breaking animated film, that apparently some of its alternate Spidey universes appear to be creeping into the next live action Spider-Man film, currently due in theaters in a year from now.

Rumors are swirling in recent weeks that many actors and characters from the two previous Spider-Man film universes will reappear in this film, with supposedly Jamie Foxx (Electro) and Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus) confirmed.

A multiverse Sinister Six? I say, bring it on! (I’ve confessed my love of multiverse storylines previously.)

Meanwhile, in the comics, you don’t have to wait for Disney and Sony and the talent and the screenwriter and the director to have a meeting of the minds.

You can simply read any number of Spider-Verse related comic book titles, including this one featuring art by the vastly underrated David Williams.

Here you get six Spider-People for the price of one. Seems like a good deal to me.

The film poster, the original art for Bill Sienkiewicz’s promo poster, and the cover to IDW’s Marvel Action :Spider-Man featuring the first comic book team-up of Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.

*All three actors in one Spider-Man film? You never know…*

Alex Saviuk — Meta Mysterio

September 19, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Spider-Man Adventures #5, Unused Cover, April 1995

Spider-Man: Far From Home landed on digital streaming platforms this week, so the next few posts feature — who else? — Spider-Man and Mysterio.

Spider-Man Adventures, a ‘90s comic book title, existed mainly to support Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which ran on Fox Kids from 1994 – 1998. In fact, the first thirteen issues of the comics are direct adaptations of the first-season episodes.

The episodes themselves are adapted (albeit loosely in some cases) from original Spider-Man comic books.

So…

Issue #5, featuring Mysterio, is an adaptation of Episode #5 of the TV series, which in turn, is adapted from Mysterio’s very first comic book appearance — by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko — in Amazing Spider-Man #13. (1964).

A comic book adaptation…. of a TV show adaptation… of a comic book story. That trick definitely trumps anything up Mysterio’s sleeve.

Alex tells me that his original cover was rejected because the editors wanted more emphasis on Mysterio —and for the character to be more “dramatic and menacing,” and I think he delivered. (See below.) Still, I like Alex’s original take, especially with that iconic Spidey image.

Alex’s creative spin on the wall-crawler has lasted more than 30 years. He drew the Web of Spider-Man comic book for seven years, and then the full Spider-Man Adventures run, and then the Spidey newspaper strip from 1997 to its end earlier this year.

Nothing mysterious about that longevity — Alex’s passion for, and understanding of, the Spider-Man character is obvious anytime he puts pencil to paper.

Fan art of a Far From Home Poster that looks a LOT like the unpublished cover.
It appears Alex was well ahead of his time.