Super-Apes and Fruit Pies

August 5, 2005 8:36 PM

The best Spider-Man story evar has super-apes and fruit pies. You can't ask for much more. [via]
posted by rhapsodie (20 comments total)

That was pretty good, is it bad that I kept expecting them to start making out?
posted by fenriq at 8:49 PM on August 5, 2005

Ty "The Guy" Templeton's work is always worth reading. I'll have to pick up a copy of Spider-man/Human Torch #3 to see it without the annoying commentary.

(PS - go to Seanbaby.com for scans of the original superhero/fruit pie goodness.)
posted by Guy Smiley at 9:01 PM on August 5, 2005

I forgot how whacky the old Spiderman dialogue was. Much funnier and light-hearted compared to the Sam Raimi films which I find to be too heavy and overwrought.

Heh...as soon as I saw "apes" I knew it would be the lame-ass Red Ghost from F4.
posted by SawBeck at 9:14 PM on August 5, 2005

I forgot how whacky the old Spiderman dialogue was. Much funnier and light-hearted compared to the Sam Raimi films which I find to be too heavy and overwrought.

You know that this comic came out in the last year or two, right?
posted by kensanway at 9:25 PM on August 5, 2005

Actually, one of the coolest things I remember about Spider-man was his vast repertoire of sarcastic comments which he would sling endlessly at bad guys. The dude had a sense of humor. (At least that's how I perceived him at eight years of age!) He was sort of the class clown of superheroes.
posted by meh at 9:34 PM on August 5, 2005

One can only hope that Thomas Haden Church's undeclared character from the new Spider Man movie will, in fact, be the Red Ghost.

Apes!
posted by maxsparber at 10:23 PM on August 5, 2005

Apes!

And Stilt Man!

This may truly be the perfect comic. A copy will be mine.
posted by Inkslinger at 1:44 AM on August 6, 2005

That was really quite odd.
posted by grouse at 2:11 AM on August 6, 2005

That really looked fake.

The text in every balloon is perfectly aligned. Not saying it's not a little clever, but what issue was this, and when did it come out?
posted by hypersloth at 4:05 AM on August 6, 2005

Oh, man. That reminded me of that old Steve Skeates story where Spidey was washing his costume in a Laundromat, while wearing a paper bag for a mask! Good times, good times...
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:26 AM on August 6, 2005

For similar wackiness, consider Paradax.
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:29 AM on August 6, 2005

"Spiderman/Human Torch" May 2005. Sheesh! I guess I thought it was an old one with them driving around in that dune buggy (just struck me as Marvel's idea of cool wheels circa '69). Time for a re-up at the comics store!

Thanks kensanman.
posted by SawBeck at 5:55 AM on August 6, 2005

Stuff like this is so frustrating because it seems like if we aren't already in on the joke (i.e., we know who Ty Templeton is and what he's done and what this series of scans/comics is about) then you have to work to catch up.

What IS this? A real comic or a scan of a real comic with new words thrown in? An old or a new project? A real Marvel thing, or a fan/remix/hack?

I see a few posts from people as confused as myself; I don't see any totally clear answers. What's the point?
posted by stevil at 7:55 AM on August 6, 2005

I see a few posts from people as confused as myself; I don't see any totally clear answers.

I guess some people never think to just google it.
posted by wfrgms at 8:46 AM on August 6, 2005

If I can say this without seeming even more of the nerd I have already revealed myself to be--Thomas Hayden Church's character is going to be ... THE CHAMELEON!
posted by kensanway at 9:12 AM on August 6, 2005

From what I can tell, the joke is that this is a parody/remix/homage of actual Hostess Comic Book ads from the 70s. The series does seem to be in print as a limited-issue nostalga trip. Since it is a joke, I'd put it a bit higher up on my list than the half-dozen other Spidey-related comics that are an excellent example of Marvel's Market-driven pap.

But the best Spiderman related news I read this week comes from Dirk Deppy in The Comics Journal in an editorial directed at American comic's publishers.

With the emergence of manga as a dominant force in the American bookstore market, domestic comics producers are at long last questioning their previous publishing strategies. Alas, the question most often being asked by the major houses runs along the lines of, "How do we get these manga readers buying Spider-Man comics?"

Short answer: You don't.

Long answer: Manga sells for several reasons, some cosmetic, some related to content, none related to the kinds of comics you seem hellbent on shoving down young readers' throats.

What instantly came to mind when I read this was the incredibly wretched Mary Jane and Emma Frost. Marvel seems hell-bent on shotgunning the market with a title directed to every demographic identified by a suit with a telephone survey. And now, we have a title apparently for fans who grew up with the Hostess ads.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:28 AM on August 6, 2005

Oh, and can you say, "pathetic attempt to kindle intrest in a piece of crap movie by connecting it to a blockbuster character" boys and girls?

Good, I knew you could.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:37 AM on August 6, 2005

wfrgms - I did indeed Google it and could find that there was indeed a comic book with those folks in it - but there's no explanation of what the link in this post is. Is it a real scan of the real comic book, or what? And once commenters begin asking questions, it's perhaps clear that we aren't all as familiar with the culture comics as some, and so a straightforward statement might be helpful. Your link sucks, frankly, since it didn't shed any light on what the actual thing being pointed to in this post is - how did it relate to the page you pointed us to? Was it the same thing, or was it the source of today's parody? Unless someone would just (gasp) be direct and offer an explanation. Thanks KirkJobSluder!
posted by stevil at 10:40 AM on August 6, 2005

Did Red Ghost start out as a Fantastic Four villain? It would make sense that the lamest villain ever fought the lamest heroes ever.
posted by iron chef morimoto at 12:40 PM on August 6, 2005

but there's no explanation of what the link in this post is. Is it a real scan of the real comic book, or what?

It's a scan of the actual comic and was posted in the scans_daily LiveJournal community. According to their user page:

This is a community for posting scans of pages from comic books and manga only... Anyone wanting to post comic scans of their own is totally encouraged to do so.

This community is slash-friendly. If you're uncomfortable with same-sex relationships and discussion of same, this may not be the community for you.

...

Now, the format - this is just a guideline, and not a rule. But please do include the issue number if you know it, because it'll make it easier to find panels that've already been posted, and for people who enjoyed your scan to find and buy the issue."

posted by rhapsodie at 5:48 PM on August 6, 2005