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Marvel Team-Up

Marvel Team-Up is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as the lead "team-up" character in all but ten of its 150 issues, and in six of its seven Annuals. It was the first major ongoing spin-off series for Spider-Man, being preceded only by the short-lived The Spectacular Spider-Man magazine. Of the issues that did not star Spider-Man, the Human Torch headlines six issues (#18, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35); the Hulk, four (#97, 104, 105, and Annual #3); and Aunt May, one (#137). Publication of most of the issues starring the Human Torch coincided with that of Giant-Size Spider-Man, an alternate Spider-Man "team-up"-themed series by the regular Marvel Team-Up creative team. When cancelled with #150 in 1985, the title was replaced by Web of Spider-Man.

The second series was published for 11 issues from September 1997 through July 1998 and originally featured Spider-Man; Namor the Sub-Mariner was the featured character starting with #8. From 1995 to 1997, a quarterly series titled Spider-Man Team-Up fulfilled much the same purpose as the original title. The third Marvel Team-Up series, written by Robert Kirkman, began publication in January 2005 and frequently featured Spider-Man. This volume often reintroduced lesser-known Marvel characters that had fallen into obscurity, in addition to featuring a crossover with Kirkman's Image Universe series Invincible, which in 2024 would be adapted to the television series adaptation's second season.

The spirit of Marvel Team-Up was carried on by Avenging Spider-Man and later by Superior Spider-Man Team-Up.

Publication history

Comics journalist Jonathan Miller summarized Marvel Team-Up in a retrospective article:

The series was admittedly formulaic; either Spider-Man or that issue's guest-star would encounter a menace and then by sheer chance cross paths with another hero who would lend a hand. The title's guest-stars were an equal mix of A-list characters whose presence was likely to increase sales and fledgling heroes being given exposure in the hopes of launching them into stardom but who for the most part continued to languish in obscurity.[1]

The series debuted with a March 1972 cover-dated issue[2] featuring Spider-Man and the Human Torch in a story by writer Roy Thomas and artist Ross Andru.[3] Spider-Man and the Human Torch were originally the permanent headliners on the series, but the creators found this format limiting, and after just three issues the Human Torch was dropped in favor of a rotating co-star slot.[1] The main artists on the series for the first several years were Andru, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, and Jim Mooney.[4]

In 1974, Marvel started publishing Giant-Size Spider-Man, which was a quarterly 68-page comic that lasted for six issues which complemented Marvel Team-Up.[5] The series featured team-ups, with each issue featuring a new story with a back-up reprint, except the last issue, which only featured a reprint.

Due to the limitations of the typically single-issue team-up stories, the supporting cast of Spider-Man's other titles rarely appeared in Marvel Team-Up.[1] The series often featured non-superhero characters in the co-star slot.[6] A multi-issue time travel story arc began in issue #41 with Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch traveling to the Salem witch trials in 1692,[7] and pushed the barriers of continuity by having Spider-Man team up with two characters who had no established connection to the mainstream Marvel Universe, Killraven and Deathlok.[1] Though the series did often team Spider-Man with other highly popular characters, it regularly gave the co-star slot to obscure characters that the average reader was unlikely to even recognize, particularly during writer J. M. DeMatteis's run. DeMatteis recounted, "I was always attracted to the more obscure characters, mainly because they were ripe for exploration. You could crack them open and really develop them. … I just looked at these fringe characters as more inviting than the mainstream, more established characters – who all had their set-in-stone continuity. I wanted room to play and those characters gave me all the room I wanted. And let's face it, our lead character was as mainstream as you can get, so the obscure ones made for a nice contrast."[1]

With issue #47, the series had a crossover with Marvel Two-in-One #17, which featured the Thing.[8] Jean DeWolff was introduced as a supporting character in the Spider-Man/Iron Man story in issue #48.[9]

John Byrne, who would later become the artist on The Uncanny X-Men, first drew the characters in Marvel Team-Up #53.[10] Byrne and his Uncanny X-Men collaborator, writer Chris Claremont worked together on several issues of Marvel Team-Up.[11] Captain Britain, a character created for Marvel UK, made his first appearance in an American comic book in Marvel Team-Up #65 (January 1978).[12]

Karma, a character that later joined the New Mutants, was created by Claremont and artist Frank Miller in #100's lead story.[13] A photo cover by Eliot R. Brown was used for the Spider-Man/Captain America team-up in issue #128.[14]

Though published for well over a decade, the series format never truly caught on with readers. Upon taking a serious look at sales figures for Marvel Team-Up, Marvel's editorial staff found that sales dramatically rose or fell with each issue depending solely on the popularity of that issue's co-star.[1] Taking this into consideration, Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter concluded that it would make more sense to have another Spider-Man solo series with guest stars appearing when the storyline and/or promotional needs called for it, rather than a team-up series which unnaturally forced guest-stars upon the story.[1] The series ended with issue #150 (February 1985),[2] to be replaced by Web of Spider-Man.[1]

A Hulk and the Human Torch story written by Jack C. Harris and drawn by Steve Ditko in the 1980s that was intended for Marvel Team-Up was published by Marvel as Incredible Hulk and the Human Torch: From the Marvel Vault #1 in August 2011.[15][16]

Spider-Man Team-Up was a brief attempt to revive the concept of the series[17][18] and was soon followed by Marvel Team-Up vol. 2 which was published from September 1997 to July 1998.[19] The third Marvel Team-Up series launched in January 2005 and ran for 25 issues[20] which starred a variety of characters.[21] The fourth series began with a June 2019 cover date and contains legacy numbering.[22]

Marvel Team-Up (1972–1985)

Annuals (1976–1984)

Spider-Man Team-Up (1995–1997)

Marvel Team-Up vol. 2 (1997–1998)

Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 (2005–2006)

Marvel Team-Up vol. 4 (2019)

Contributors

Vol. 1 (1972–1985)

Writers

Pencilers

Collected editions

Volume 1

Spider-Man Team-Up

Volume 3

Volume 4

Adaptation

The storyline "Spider-Man and Invincible" from Marvel Team-Up #14 was loosely adapted to "I Thought You Were Stronger", the second season finale of the Amazon Prime Video television series adaptation of Invincible, which aired April 4, 2024. Due to Amazon and Robert Kirkman not having the rights to adapt any Marvel Universe characters from the issue to the adaptation, Robert Kirkman consulted with Amazon's legal department to "figure out a way to keep that moment somewhat intact from the comics", ultimately creating the legally distinct parody characters "Agent Spider" and "Prof Ock" to replace Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, with the former to be voiced by "an actor who had done Spider-Man before". On recommendation of supervising director Dan Duncan, Josh Keaton was cast to voice the parody character, after previously voicing Spider-Man in the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man, the video games Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Spider-Man: Edge of Time, and the film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (with the character's dialogue in the episode alluding to the latter film franchise's events).[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Miller, Jonathan (October 2010). "Spider-Man and Company: The Wide World of Marvel Team-Up". Back Issue! (#44). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 33–39.
  2. ^ a b Marvel Team-Up at the Grand Comics Database
  3. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura (2012). "1970s". Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 60. ISBN 978-0756692360. Spider-Man was a proven hit, so Marvel decided to expand the wall-crawler's horizons with a new Spider-Man title…Its first issue featured Spidey teaming up with the Human Torch against the Sandman in a Christmas tale written by Roy Thomas with art by Ross Andru.
  4. ^ Saffel, Steve (2007). "Weaving a Broader Web". Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon. London, United Kingdom: Titan Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4.
  5. ^ Giant-Size Spider-Man at the Grand Comics Database
  6. ^ David, Peter; Greenberger, Robert (2010). The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0762437726. [Marvel Team-Up] featured Spider-Man fighting side by side with…heroes who were somewhat off the beaten path (Brother Voodoo, Daughters of the Dragon), and heroes who were way beyond the beaten path (like Red Sonja, and a team-up with the Frankenstein monster).
  7. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 87: "Writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema's multi-part time-traveling saga saw Spider-Man teaming up with a variety of heroes to fight Cotton Mather.
  8. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 89: "In this crossover between Marvel's two team-up based titles, each book's star paid a visit to the other's book. The two-part story was written by [Bill] Mantlo and penciled by [Sal] Buscema, with Ron Wilson supplying artwork for the second part in Marvel Team-Up #47."
  9. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 89: "Police Captain Jean DeWolff made her first appearance in this [Bill] Mantlo/[Sal] Buscema [four]-parter."
  10. ^ Saffel "Weaving a Broader Web", p. 72: "A double-page spread from Marvel Team-Up #53, January 1977, [gave] John Byrne his first opportunity to draw the Uncanny X-Men in a Marvel comic."
  11. ^ a b Aushenker, Michael (August 2013). "That Other Spider-Man Title…Marvel Team-Up Offered an Alternative Spidey Experience". Back Issue! (#66). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 15–22.
  12. ^ Sanderson, Peter; Gilbert, Laura (2008). "1970s". Marvel Chronicle: A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 184. ISBN 978-0756641238. Captain Britain made his first appearance in American comics when he teamed up with Spider-Man.
  13. ^ Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 117: "1980 was a year for anniversary issues, and this centennial effort by writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller was one of them…Future New Mutant Karma also made her debut."
  14. ^ Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 134: "An unusual photographic cover by Eliot R. Brown showed letterer John Morelli as Spidey and artist Joe Jusko as his partner Captain America."
  15. ^ Stroud, Bryan D. (2010). "Jack C. Harris Interview (Pt. 2)". TheSilverLantern.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2011. I did a Marvel Team-Up that Ditko drew that was The Hulk and Human Torch team-up that never saw the light of day.
  16. ^ Armitage, Hugh (April 22, 2011). "Lost Steve Ditko Comic Unveiled". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  17. ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 223: "The short-lived series Spider-Man Team-Up (only seven issues) tried to recapture the glory days of Marvel Team-Up."
  18. ^ Spider-Man Team-Up at the Grand Comics Database
  19. ^ Marvel Team-Up vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database
  20. ^ Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 at the Grand Comics Database
  21. ^ Cowsill "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 290: "The third volume of Marvel Team-Up was a little different from its predecessors, as it featured story arcs teaming up different heroes for different parts of each story."
  22. ^ Marvel Team-Up vol. 4 at the Grand Comics Database
  23. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 62: "The teen mutants had not yet risen to the level of popularity that they would attain with their reinvention in Giant-Size X-Men #1."
  24. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 69: "Scripter [Len] Wein and plotter [Gerry] Conway teamed up for an issue penciled by Ross Andru that featured Spider-Man facing the threat of Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night."
  25. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 83: "In this first of a two-part adventure written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Sal Buscema…the wall-crawler finally crossed paths with the Frankenstein monster."
  26. ^ Mantlo, Bill (w), Buscema, Sal (p), Esposito, Mike (i). "Visions of Hate!" Marvel Team-Up, no. 42 (February 1976).
  27. ^ Mantlo, Bill (w), Buscema, Sal (p), Esposito, Mike (i). "A Past Gone Mad!" Marvel Team-Up, no. 43 (March 1976).
  28. ^ Mantlo, Bill (w), Buscema, Sal (p), Esposito, Mike (i). "Death in the Year Before Yesterday!" Marvel Team-Up, no. 44 (April 1976).
  29. ^ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 104: "The web-slinger found himself sharing the stage with a cast who had dressed as super-heroes to attack the [Silver] Samurai's gang in this quirky tale written by Chris Claremont and penciled by Bob Hall."
  30. ^ Claremont, Chris (w), Byrne, John (p), Austin, Terry (i). "Sword of the She-Devil" Marvel Team-Up, no. 79 (March 1979).
  31. ^ Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 138: "Mike Carlin…penned this quirky yarn starring Peter Parker's Aunt May and Franklin, the young son of the Fantastic Four's Reed and Sue Richards."
  32. ^ Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 146: "Spider-Man's classic team-up title came to an end in spectacular fashion in this Louise Simonson story illustrated by Greg LaRocque."
  33. ^ Johnston, Rich (2019-04-02). "This is Why Marvel Team-Up With Spider-Man and Ms Marvel is Going to be a Thing (#1 Major Spoilers)". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  34. ^ "Marvel Team-Up (2019) #3 | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  35. ^ Johnston, Rich (2019-04-18). "Marvel Team-Up Is Definitely a Ms Marvel Ongoing Comic – With The Adventure Zone's Clint McElroy". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  36. ^ "Marvel Brings Back a Major Captain Marvel Supporting Character". CBR. 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  37. ^ "Ms. Marvel Team-Up (Trade Paperback)". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  38. ^ Moreau, Jordan (2024-04-04). "'Invincible' Creator Robert Kirkman on That Spider-Man Cameo, Recasting Ezra Miller and Splitting Season 2 Complaints: 'I Understand' It Was 'Not the Best'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-04.

External links