Tags
Epic Collection, Green Goblin, Man Wolf, Marvel Comics, Peter Parker, Spider Mobile, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Man - Man Wolf at Midnight Epic Collection, Spider-Man Man - Man Wolf at Midnight Epic Collection Review, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Punisher
Spider-Man Man – Man Wolf at Midnight Epic Collection
Review by Paul Bowler
Man Wolf at Midnight is Marvel’s latest addition to their Spider-Man Epic Collection range. Weighting in at a whopping 416 pages of Bronze Age goodness, it heralds a stark era of change for our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man in the aftermath of what was arguably one of the darkest periods of Peter Parker’s life – the death of Gwen Stacy. There’s also a wealth of iconic events and introductions too as this collection revisits the origins of The Punisher, Man-Wolf, and the Spider-Mobile! This extensive collection features stories from The Amazing Spider-Man #124-142, and Giant Sized Super Heroes, all written by Gerry Conway, and with artwork by Gil Kane, Ross Andru, Paul Reinman, John Romita, Sr., Tony Morello, Jim Mooney, Frank Giacoia, Dave Hunt, and Mike Esposito.
Gwen Stacey’s death hangs heavily over the opening issues, with Peter an emotional wrecks as he struggles to come to terms with his girlfriends demise. Peter’s peers and supporting cast also feature prominently throughout this Epic Collection as they rally round their friend during this difficult time. This inevitably leads to some emotionally fraught moments as Peter begins to crack under the strain of his grief and his wall-crawling adventures as Spider-Man.
Over the course of this volume Peter finally moves into his own apartment, his relationship with Mary Jane also begins to take shape, all while juggling his studies and work at the Bugle with the ever increasing demands of being Spider-Man.
Indeed, this Epic Collection is a treasure trove of first appearances and iconic moments for Spider-Man amongst all this personal turmoil, most notably the first appearance of The Punisher, as well as Col. John Jamerson as Man-Wolf, the deadly Tarantula, and the debut of the Spider-Mobile; the super-charged beach buggy Spidey builds with the help of Johnny Storm. On top of all that we have the shocking reveal of Harry Osborne as the new Green Goblin, Aunt May’s not-quite wedding to Doctor Octopus, and the Jackal hatching nefarious schemes in the background. A wealth of other villains from Spider-Man’s colourful rogues gallery feature as well including: The Vulture, Kangaroo, Mindworm, Mysterio, The Grizzly, Hammerhead, Molten Man and Morbuis.
While this Epic Collection might not exactly be up there with the classic runs of Spider-Man comics, there is still loads to enjoy here, and I’m sure plenty of nostalgia for many too as they revisit this formative era of Spider-Man.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
Haven’t read this one yet or a lot of them. Have nearly all of them, just need the time. lol
I’m the same, still have a lot of Epic Collections I need to catch up on. I think these collections are great, especially how they cover such a wide range of characters and storylines. I’m a big fan of Spider-Man so love revisiting the older runs like this.
This collection sounds like a lot of fun. I’m curious do you buy the physical or digital version? Is the physical book in full colour these days? I remember the old black & white Epic Collections.
This is one of my favourites. I remember some of the stories back from the old UK Spider-Man weekly comics, so think. that’s why I was drawn to it. I sometimes buy Digital, but for collected editions like this I prefer print. Yes, the Epic collections are in full colour, not B&W like the older Essential Collections which I still enjoy reading as well. I love these collections, if only for the nostalgia of revisiting stories I loved as a kid. Happy time and places 🙂
OK thanks Paul. I’m tempted to order a copy of this now.🙂
Its a great slice of classic Bronze Age Spider-Man, so many great stories, and loads of villains as well! Hope you enjoy this volume as much as I did. 🙂
Used to read SpiderMan religiously back in the 1970s. So many great stories! Might have to pick this up, for old times’ sake.
Me too! That’s exactly what attracted me to this Spider-Man epic collection. There are so many stories in it I remember reading back in the day. If, like me, you like old school Spider-Man, you’ll find plenty to enjoy with this collection.
Wow, there’s a boatload going on here in this collection huh? Spiderman was the only comic I ever read as a kid, still remember sobbing at Uncle Ben getting killed and Spidey’s guilt, maybe that’s why I put the comic down, such the sensitive soul I was. HeHeHe!! Nice job Paul.
Yes, there’s loads of memorable moments and stories in this Spider-Man collection. Plenty of returning villains as well, and of course the debut of the Spider-Mobile! Glad you enjoyed.
Been a while since I read one of the Epic Collections, I’ll have to keep an eye out for this one. I love how much content they bring, I like to spend a few hours on a weekend and just read with no worries. Always feels nostalgic
I’ve a few Epic Collections to catch up on was well. This one stood out as it has so many great Spider-Man stories, iconic first appearances. and villains from that era. I love nothing more than revisiting classic comics and storylines as well for the nostalgia value.
This was one of my favorite eras for Spider-Man. The art was great, the villains were awesome, and the plots were out of left field and presented classic down-on-his-luck Spider-Man/Peter Parker who was in deep grief. I really wish modern Spider-Man comics were more like this.
This era of Spider-Man is one of my favourites as well. This collection features so many first appearances and villains. Its was a period of grief and upheaval for Peter Parker. The art in these great stories is all top notch as well. I love the nostalgia value of this collections, and really wish modern Spider-Man comics would take a leaf out this classic era. Comics did seem so much more enjoyable back in the day sometimes didn’t they?
They certainly were. The art was better, and so were the stories. More importantly even though the characters were in one universe things were not reliant on crossovers yet the continuity made sense.
I totally agree. This was a halcyon era of comic in so many ways, one that established so much about all our favourite comic book characters. It all made sense and continuity was balanced as well. Modern comics have completely lost the plot by comparison. Most importably, comics were so much fun to collect and read back in the day. 🙂
I’m mildly tempted to pick this up. I’ve got The Death of Gwen Stacey graphic novel collection, and it’s a very effectively written story. I’ve never actively thought of reading the immediate aftermath, but it sounds like it’s worth it for Spider-Man fans in general. For me the main question is, do I really want to pay for an epic collection that I’d probably only read once?
This Epic collection has some great stories and features loads of iconic villains – some of them making their first ever appearance. I really liked how this collection covered the events during the aftermath of Gwen’s death and the impact that had on all aspects of Peter’s life. I think its a collection you’d probably read again as well, I know I will.
416 pages?! That is impressive. Go big or go home, right?
Sure is, and these Epic Collections are great value for money as well. This Spider-Man edition has so many key stories and features a great showcase of Spidey’s villains. Something for everyone!