Whether it be Thing clobbering a flaming mud dummy, Torch thinking outside the box and outsmarting both Reed and Peter, or Johnny inspiring Sue to make a villain's pants invisible, they're all stories of Human Torch/Spider-man pranking each other in predictably homo-erotic fashion.
I'm not here to talk about the interior, though.
I just loved this cover.
I love the negative space.
Maybe it's some kind of metaphor for Johnny sacrificing himself in The Negative Zone.
Maybe the fallen tail of the "4" is a string on the fourth spot on the team and it is reaching down to Spidey telling him that he has to carry the proverbial and literal torch. Pun intended.
Maybe it's a simile for Peter Parker's likeness to his friend and predecessor on the team. That he is like the spark that will light the fire in the hearts of his bereaved teammates and the tail on the "4" is in actuality the remnant of an "A" for his Avengers affiliation, and that's what is actually falling away as he comes to realize that he may belong with FF and not bear the burdens of both teams.
Maybe it means all of these things.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this.
Maybe.
Maybe Parker figured out Wolverine's multiplicity tricks and wanted to try it out for himself by appearing in every title that Marvel publishes.
Wolverine appearances I know of for this month:
Uncanny X-Men
X-Men
New Avengers
Wolverine
X-Force
Spidey appearances I know of this month:
Amazing Spider-man
FF
New Avengers
X-Men
X-Factor
These two lead very busy lives! No wonder Torch jumped ship!
This cover is one of the best ASM covers EVER! It's so poignant. This is a perfect example of "a picture is worth a thousand words." It literally speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteThe story inside was really beautiful, too, even as a stand-alone issue. I wish more comics were written so wonderfully.