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by Dave Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey   Cover Date- May 1989 Price- 50p Script- Gerry Conway Art- Sal Buscema Lettering- Rick Parker Colour- Sharen/Wilcox Editor- Jim Salicrup Editor-In-Chief- Tom DeFalco Publisher- Marvel Comics SynopsisIt's the trial of 1989 and Joe Robertson gets sent down for keeping his mouth shut about Tombstone's murders back in the day, there's a werewolf running around New York and crawling into Gloria Grant's bed, the Robertson family begin to crack under the strain and Robbie's "first day of school" ends with him finding out that his new room/cellmate is none other than.....Tombstone. The end. To be continued. Dave So, here we are, at the end of this marathon Spidey run, issue 150. That cover is great, I can still remember this issue well. Kev Yeh, man. I like the courtroom image on the cover, although I'm not quite sure why there's a ghostly image of Spidey looming over the proceedings, (other than to have him on the cover of his own book, of course) but it's nice nonetheless. There's a lot of text on it too. It’s maybe a bit cluttered, actually. I prefer a cleaner cover, but I still like this one a lot. Dave Yeah, but it's the Spidey image looming over that the rest of the scene that I remember most from this cover, with his anguish at what's happening. The full, front page panel is clear and concise and doesn't waste any time jumping into the story.  Send him to the Phantom Zone. No, that's not right, is it? Kev Not at all. It's an excellent splash page of Robbie's reaction to being found "Guilty." Nice, big font for the lettering of the title as well. It leaves you in no doubt as to what's going on in this issue. Dave I like the narration of all the thoughts that are racing through Robbie's mind upon being given his verdict. Kev Definitely, that's a superb courtroom scene, from the judges perspective, on panel 1 of page 2 by Sal. Although, the judges right hand looks a bit irritated. He wants to get some ointment or a balm for that. And I agree, the writing of the narration is excellent at putting you straight into Robbie's shoes. It's also a lovely portrait shot of the judge on panel 3. Sal's stellar work on show once again here. Dave Yep, I don't know if its just the colouring on the reprint, but the bottom two panels, with Robbie and his lawyer Ms Bernhammer, his skin colour has gotten a tad lighter. Kev It must just be the reproduction on the trade. His skin-tone seems to be fairly consistent in the single issue. No change in melanin levels here. Page 3 has that nice little, "Previously, in Spectacular Spider-Man....." recap. I suppose we have been a bit distracted of late by infernos, boomerangs and carrion. Dave Yeah, I thought it was a bit unnecessary to put this in to begin with, but with the 'Inferno' saga taking over and the Carrion stuff as well, its a brief, but necessary refresher for the readers, I suppose. Kev Yeh, if you were binge-reading in a collected edition, it might seem a bit surplus to requirement, but if you were reading it back when it was originally published, month to month in single issues, there's been quite a few months passed since we really focussed on Robbie and Tombstone. Dave It's certainly a very lengthy narrative from Peter, however upon reviewing this series, it's become apparent it is also quite a common thing that he does. Kev Definitely. It was something they loved to do in comics back then, to get new readers up to speed, if nothing else. I love that last panel on page 4, with Katzenberg looking like the perfect, stereotypical, sleazy paparazzi photographer, with the greasy hair and ratty moustache.  Say cheese. Dave Yeah and the panel where Pete breaks-up Randy and Katzenberg, whats going on with Peter's back leg? There are certainly enough supporting characters in this series. I suppose it gives more creative freedom to Conway, gradually introducing new faces all the time.  Save it for the ring. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. It looks like Peter is pushing off that wall with his right leg. All the supporting characters are just story real estate for Conway, I reckon. The more decent characters he has, the more interesting stories he can spin stories out of them. No pun intended. Dave Again, Peter getting the blame when he tries to jump in and help out in a situation. You're, right, Katzenberg is the typical paparazzi alright. Kev He sure is. Yeh, Peter is always getting the blame in situations such as these. He's just a regular scapegoat. That's some superb storytelling on the bottom tier of page 5. Those four tight panels of Martha breaking down, as Robbie is being led away are pretty heartbreaking.  Pacing. Dave They deal with the emotional impact of what is happening to Robbie and how it affects the lives of his loved ones as well. Even though this issue is the final chapter in the Tombstone saga, it feels like it is almost the first issue of the continuation of the story, if you get my drift. Kev Oh, definitely. This issue ties off the first part of it, but it certainly sets-up what is to come in the second part as well. Dave Plus, I can't remember what was going on with Jonah, but clearly there was a sub-plot in the works with him here too. Conway, again, is so good at setting up future events which he can gradually cover. Kev I couldn't remember what the story was with Jonah either. I seem to have a vague recollection of it being the Chameleon, in a story that was taking place over in 'Web' at this time, but I'll need to look it up to be sure. Dave That’s a great panel of Spidey above the rooftop, at night, on the next page. Great composition and colouring, it really does stand out. Kev I was right, it is the Chameleon. Score for Kev and his ageing brain. It's not totally useless yet. Totally, that panel has excellent body language on Spidey too, as the pose makes him look like he's struggling with the cold in the New York snow. He needs the thermal long johns in that kind of weather. Dave Some striking artwork in the next two pages, with Spidey's aerial choreography and, of course, Eduardo Lobos's alter ego. Kev The artwork in itself, within the individual panels is superb, yes, but I hate to say it, I'm not a fan of the arrows directing you to which panel to read next. I always feel it should be clear, obvious and intuitive to the reader. I'm not a fan of the breakdown of that storytelling at all. Great poses for Spidey, particularly in panel 1 though.  The lesser seen Snow Spider. Dave There's virtually no action set-pieces in this issue, just the cementing of the story. Kev And yet, it's hardly boring, is it? Dave Not at all, it's a great piece of narrative. There are so many different characters getting explored in this story. Kev Yeh, definitely. The Lobo Brothers story is coming more to the fore and with it, Glory Grant, Kate Cushing, Joy Mercado etc. etc. Peter's banging on about Uncle Ben again. "..... if there's one thing I can't ignore----it's a cry for help. Uncle Ben's murder years ago taught me that." Dave Yeah, he is. The panel of Eduardo Lobo in full werewolf mode is also a cracking picture. Kev It's great, isn't it? Eduardo in all his lycanthropic glory. And the snowy, wintery setting makes this all feel just that little bit more dreamlike and somehow more plausible, despite it having these elements of folklore that don't necessarily chime with your traditional Spider-Man story. Dave It does add a nice turn to the events of daytime. Kev Definitely. The snow reflecting the moonlight in a New York winter wonderland. Dave I think the writing is top notch. The story is so fluid and does not falter. Everything, so far, is tying in brilliantly. Kev Yep, it's all seamless stuff by Mr. Conway and I like how he even uses recent events like Inferno and Carrion to place the doubt in Peter's mind as to whether or not he really has just seen a werewolf. Dave Definitely and the page of Eduardo Lobo making his way back to Gloria, then straight to the Robertson household gathering, gives you a real sense of the Spider-Man community in this one. He is clearly no longer the shy, outcast teenager he once was. Kev Certainly not. He's built up a network of colleagues and friends by this point in his life. In contrast, the transition between the scenes of pages 17 and 18, really sell you on the distance between them, both geographically and emotionally as Robbie continues to shut everyone out. Dave Poor Martha is devastated at this point and MJ's inner fears are revealed again. Those last 4 panels of Martha where the panels zoom out are, again, fruitful in heightening the drama of the piece. Good spot there. It's very clever artwork and highly effective as well. It really enhances the feelings of isolation that both of these characters are going through.  Pacing. Kev Yep. Pulling away from Martha and pushing in towards Robbie. Stellar storytelling by Conway and Buscema. MJ's fears for Peter's safety are becoming a bit of a theme in Conway's run here.  And more pacing. Dave Buscema's knack for drawing unusual looking people shows-up again, with the inmate who approaches Robbie’s cell.  Starring Will Smith as this guy. Kev Yeh, definitely. This guy is only in three panels here. Two really, because one of them is just a silhouette and yet Buscema makes the effort to ensure he's a visually interesting and therefore memorable, character. Dave He is great at making his characters distinctly recognisable, especially in this issue with such an abundance of supporting characters being used. Kev That's a good point actually. He's had to render so many other characters in this issue already, but he still takes the time to do this guy justice.  And Nicholas Hammond as Spider-Man. Dave No name given to this guy, but obviously another supporting player in future issues. Kev It would certainly seem so, yes. I absolutely love that panel on page 19, of Spidey crawling down the wall to get into The Kingpin's office. It reminds me of the live action TV show. There's not enough wall-crawling in Spider-Man stuff, if you ask me. Dave I like that panel as well. That's what Spidey should be more like, crawling about, hence the name 'Spider-Man.' It's not 'Swinging Man,' is it? Kev Ha, ha! No, it is not. I suppose the web-swinging is more visually interesting than the wall-crawling though, but yeh, I'd like to see more of it too. Dave The Kingpin has a massive desk that really adds to the status of the man and gives him a more powerful look. Kev Oh yeh. He's the boss, no doubt. I like how The Kingpin just tells Spidey to "Get out" of his office. There's no messing around with old Wilson Fisk at all. Dave Yet Spidey just invades his space by perching himself on top of his desk. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. Spidey has been in and out of The Arranger's and The Kingpin's offices like an unpaid intern in this run. Plus, Spidey couldn't call Kingpin "Fat Boy" these days. You couldn't fat-shame like that in 2019. You'd hurt the big guy's feelings. Dave Different times back then, that's for sure. I like the final panel in that scene, with the Kingpin in a silhouette demanding the Arranger’s company.  The King(pin) of New York. Kev I love that panel. The Kingpin as a silhouette against the view of the snowy New York skyline outside his office window. Very moody. Dave Another foundation for a future storyline planted in two pages. Kev Good point. This is definitely a transitional issue and yet it still a really fluid read. Gloria takes waking up to find a naked, hairy Eduardo Lobo sleeping on her bedroom floor fairly well, doesn't she? Dave I know. There's a slight soft porn element coming through here. He's not giving a monkey's, lying there in full view with no clothes on. He's even got the porn star pose. Kev Ha, ha! He does actually, yeh. It's just occurred to me that Antonio Banderas would've made a fantastic Eduardo Lobo back in his day. Dave Good casting. He would have been bang on for that part. Gloria does look a bit freaked out, but he is playing it so cool, almost like he is hypnotising her to willingly do what he wants her to do. Kev Oh yeh, Sexy Lobo and his manipulation of Gloria becomes very apparent here. Is the hypnotising deal part of his lycanthropic powers? Dave I've no idea, but he has cast some sort of spell onto her, so to speak. Again, another plot line starting to emerge in two pages. Kev That's a good spot with the two pages device, Sir. I wonder; because these issues were probably done in the "Marvel style," if it was Conway or Buscema that was breaking the story down in this way? Dave Yeah, I wonder. The sentencing for Robbie is covered on two pages as well. The judge is making clear his disdain for Robbie’s actions. I feel sorry for Robbie. Things are really going from bad to worse for him. Kev They certainly are. Can you remember if the judge is just making an example of Robbie, or is this pen-pusher on the take? Dave Could be that there's a good chance this guy was on the take. The Kingpin's influence stretches so far. Kev I can't remember for certain, but it certainly feels that way. Actually, it's Tombstone that's gotten to Judge Ingersoll, isn't it? He's even got the judge to move him to the same prison as himself. Buscema's art, where Ingersoll is sentencing Robbie is excellent. The use of close-ups and the facial expressions, particularly the look of despair he gives Martha as he's being led away, are all brilliant.  Find yourself someone who looks at you the way Robbie looks at Martha. Dave The last panel is superb. It's simplistic, yet powerful. It's the start of this story again, just behind bars now and it's two pages again for another sub-plot. Kev Yeh man, it's a great revelation splash page to end on as well, with Tombstone almost dragon-like with the smoke coming from his nostrils. And so we're at the end of this chapter, or rather the beginning of the next chapter in this Tombstone saga. Dave Those last two pages are great, with Robbie reminiscing about his first day of school and how he felt. Then to make matters worse, he is stuck next to Tombstone. The hell is just about to really start for him. Kev Yeh, page 29 is also excellent. The artwork as Robbie is being processed for prison is fantastic and it's a nice comparison, albeit a commonly used one, between fist day of school and first day in prison. Robbie is absolutely ripped for a middle-aged man though. Maybe he does a lot of cross-fit. Dave Yep, the end has finally come. On this saga anyway. This last issue was a great example of what a Spider-Man issue is all about, good writing, keeping Spidey in his roots and some great artwork too. Kev Yeh, I've really enjoyed re-reading it again after all these years, despite its rather stop-start nature, as it was interrupted by crossovers and one-shots. The Tombstone and Robbie stuff has been an excellent read, in that soap opera drama way that I really liked about the Spider-Man stories of the time and, if nothing else, it's been worth revisiting purely for the opportunity to gaze lovingly over Sal Buscema's stellar artwork once more.  "Jailbirds. Feels like a prison cell.....Sittin' in the slammer with a sad, sad story to tell." The End. (D) & (K)
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