MARVEL BEFORE SJW- In 1983, Amazing Spider-Man Sold 240,000 Copies...Every...Single...Month

[@WisnuNurAlam]

Remember When superheroes was just trying to be a hero who save the day? Good ol'days...

[@topazzz1546]

@@DavidMartinez-ce3lp Or a different color, or a different gender. Or...

[@farukonurbozkurt1186]

Hey man where the hell were you? You missed a LOT. They gave your job to red skull btw and he tried to quit at the first moment.

[@swagnone619]

Now they're actually the villains of the story

Sounds too complicated 🥴

[@QuartzIsAnOxide]

They went from saving the day to uncovering conspiracies to saving the universe from space tyrants to... Saturday morning Disney channel sitcom. To those reading the older comics the difference is as clear as night and day.

Remember Kraven's Last Hunt? It was frggin' outstanding.

[@Visual_Writer]

Krab Mrówkowy just reading it again. So great!

@@Visual_Writer i love it. My fav Spider-Man story and I think the first comic book I read by myself. I was like 10 back then. Skipped all the caption boxes and lost half the plot and it was still great :)

That ending would be too offensive for twitter.

[@Yxydo2g]

Remember the last act with vermin ... Vermin for far from home anyone

@@Yxydo2g Give Spider-Man back to Sony anyone? :D

[@legkick1]

The Marvel Bullpen had so many ideas. It was called the House of Ideas! The people back then cared about the industry, loved the fans, and loved Marvel. Now none of this is true. Passion was what pushed Marvel! And doing the best books was what they did.

[@wk3820]

The 80s were high points for all comics, not just Marvel. DC was transforming into a new and exciting company at that time. The indy renaissance was underway with Eclipse, First, Pacific and a dozen others. It was better than any other decade in terms of quality. An amazing time.

[@Khan.WrathOf]

MARVEL BEFORE SJW aka. Back when Marvel could afford to pay its own rent.

[@alpertroncp2198]

Khan, WrathOf They went bankrupt more than once...

[@Khan.WrathOf]

@@alpertroncp2198 yeah, but when youre pulling 6 figure readership numbers a month, its easier to find someone to invest in your company

[@farukonurbozkurt1186]

@@Khan.WrathOf Now they become slave to their landlord for free rent and soy

[@alpertroncp2198]

Khan, WrathOf Still went bankrupt though. There was a speculative boom for investment - those figures just weren't sustainable. They're not helped today by competition from other forms of entertainment or even by their own prices, but to suggest that the company was financially stronger in the 'Marvel before SJW' years seems a bit much.

[@Khan.WrathOf]

@@alpertroncp2198 still pulled 6 figure readership, though. Even with the emergence of online media (basically the only "big" change since the 80s) the comics industry shouldnt have fallen that hard in the 40 yrs since. Hell, even 10 years ago numbers were still strong and online comics were available back then. Id say its more to do with a newer, lazier generation of people who cant be bothered to properly learn a skill like art or writing because they spend all their time playing "gotcha" with other motherfuckers online

[@JTAnarky]

It's odd how my friends and I were bullied for liking comics back when they actually sold well and now they are respected but dont sell well at all

[@jannatalis4697]

I think marvel was at its best in the early 80s. It's my favourite time to collect marvel comics from. Almost everything I've read from marvel from 1975 to 1985 was high quality, so it sold very well. I remember watching an interview with Jim Shooter talking about his time as editor in cheif and he said the fans are smart and the titles that tended to sell the most were the best ones. How the times have changed.

[@jannatalis4697]

@@piggyeternal5724 I never knew of that, thanks for letting me know! Is there anything you remember about where you read it etc? I would like to look into it. Thanks again!

[@jannatalis4697]

@@GrayskullPrime I felt the same a few years ago. The only new comics that I buy are from indiegogo, pretty much the last place you can get modern quality comics. If marvel got their shit together and were even 10% as good as they were in the 70s and 80s, they wouldn't be in a position where they have to swindle stores by over shipping to inflate the numbers. Keep loving the classics. I think people 100 years from now will be reading and admiring tradepaper backs of marvel comics from the 70s and 80s.

[@Fluxion77]

Just looking at that list of titles--I regularly read the majority of them...and the art...and the stories...such great memories. No politics. No agendas. No SJW BS. Just great entertainment. If only there was a way back.

[@alessandrocasali1086]

I love 80s is the Golden era of comics , every character grown and evolve , spidey have a great evolution in eighty , in fact in symbiont saga discover the truth of his New costume , mary Jane riveal her past and peter discover she isent a giddy girl , black cat and peter relathionship end , peter fights firelord and zarathos , the first appearance of silver sable, when comics are fun and not a tool of sjw propaganda

[@henrybemis3439]

Daredevil, F.F., X-Men ; all classics during that period.

[@alessandrocasali1086]

@@henrybemis3439 exatly only character spidey , x-men, f4 , avengers , dare devil and other marvel knights

[@usafbgartin]

Isn't it amazing how much enthusiasm just oozes off those pages. Damn I miss the good ole days!

[@jeffrlasley]

Loved this video.More Marvel before SJW please.

[@henrybemis3439]

Marvel charging $3.95 for a book that cost 60 cents back in the day is hilarious. This issue came out the year I started collecting, when I was 10 years old. Is Marvel tacitly admitting that their current product is inferior?

[@countfalconer]

The "Where are they? Still no word on missing heroes" page.... Flash forward 30 years its quite ironic.

[@Khan.WrathOf]

Im just glad Pete didnt break out the emo hair and a random dance routine in this one.

[@kirbysmith64]

The irony is that that version of Black-Suit Spider-Man basically had a self-centered "I don't care what other people think of me because I know I'm great" attitude and the negative effects that would have to people around us and people we love. ... And now we have SJWs who are basically the real-life version of that.

[@QuartzIsAnOxide]

@@kirbysmith64 Hey, at least symbiote suit spidey had reason to be cocky, he acomplished stuff. SJW Marvel's greatest achievement was destroying the comic book industry. They're delusional!

[@milesmayhem5440]

I bought that issue off a spinner rack at Rexall drug store back in the day. It’s still in my comics archive (long boxes).

[@CruderQuotient1]

The fact that the Black suit came from a fan is so awesome! (If I remember correctly, it was the same except the spider was red.) The Jim Shooter story reminds me of you buying fan art from fans on Twitter

[@gdkey8025]

Ironically Jim Shooter started off as a kid in the early 60s sending in stories that were used for adventure comics etc!

[@dickmcbizz8736]

marswillsendnomore.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/first-appearance-of-spider-mans-black-costume/amp/?usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D

[@ScienceJesus]

FYI, the mob was big into coverless comics. They’re referred to as “remaindered comics”. Because that’s what remains. But the mob was making a decent bit of bank selling remaindered comics in the 50’s-80’s.

[@mew888]

I miss the bronze age of comics so much.

[@whiterabbit75]

Hell, I miss the _Iron_ Age of comics.

[@mew888]

@@whiterabbit75 Just goes to show things really are that bad.

[@whiterabbit75]

@@mew888 I know, right? I'd take the speculator boom era over what we got now.

[@nickn4135]

"How '80s is an F-16?" Never say die Iron eagle

[@wellmounted]

You also have to remember that there was a lot less entertainment competition in 1983. No cell phones, no internet, still not major media saturation, so comics had to be bought to be read. I think if they would get back to basics as you mentioned, there might be a resurgence of interest, but I'm not holding my breath. I bought Vol 1&2 of the The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus collections and was absorbed again into the story and the artwork. Maybe fewer but better paid writers and artists?

[@chrissawyer1484]

And that fan...was Todd McFarlane. (Just kidding. I have no idea.)

[@thedoruk6324]

Staaaph! Knowing the *truth* hurtz us The wound of marvel (comics) salt'ed so 🅱ad :(

[@farukonurbozkurt1186]

Man who would have thought they will fuck up this much when superheroes have this much attention ? Stan Lee sure became Whirlwind in his grave

[@RJStheFourthAge]

The subscription books were wrapped in a flat sheet of brown paper. It wasn’t even a envelop because it was open at both the top and the bottom. Zero protection against water or anything else. I scrounged enough to get a year of X-Factor and then still had to buy another copy from the store because the mail ones were in such bad shape. Thanks for doing this one, Zack. Brings me back.

[@comicsrevenge6498]

I picked this one up too, and I was not disappointed. Though it did make me realize that the new Symbiote Spiderman is kinda 'Meh' in comparison

[@Khan.WrathOf]

No wonder current year Marvel are tripping over themselves trying to escape their past. They were actually successful back then.

[@ElectroslairBlogspot]

When I first started reading comics Spider-Man was wearing this suit, Iron Man was wearing his Silver Centurion suit & Hulk was gray. Those were the days.

[@thomassquires1205]

My favorite type of video

[@MightyJonE]

Back in the 80s, many US comics were selling well, especially due to the speculator boom peak of around the late 80s to early 90s. It was the collapse of the speculator market around the early 90s, after publishers paraded endless number ones, variant covers and other gimmicks that fed the boom, and saturating the market with titles, that the US industry also collapsed and never totally recovered from to this day

[@jwchampagne1]

I remember that the subscription ads always promised "all titles are MAILED FLAT!" Maybe so, but they sure didn't arrive that way! Too high a risk for $6.

[@udonsei5216]

Gather round, children. Ya boi is gonna tell you a tale from the good old days of comics...

[@IamE0N]

This is the era of Marvel comics that I'm nostalgic about.

[@lukem7664]

The splash of Spider-Man jumping through the portal at the very beginning is one of my favorite comic book images ever. So much energy and excitement

[@KiddMoneyBustaC]

Always nice to see Zack review a GOOD comic

[@jakecb6396]

Coleco Vision for Weird kids? Oooh... You're going down, Bro. I programmed 2 text games in Applesoft Basic for the Coleco. Oh wait....crap.

[@stelmaria-mx]

Yass Kween telling us about the good shit

[@tobalaz]

It takes a brave man to wear shorts that shade of blue....

[@1MarmadukeFan]

Yay! Marvel before SJW is finally back!

[@albertlowe9510]

I was 13 when that comic came out. Aw the golden age! I had a subscription. Came in plain plastic bag for me.

[@ttz4m3]

How they don't manage to sell these kind of numbers in the current era of superheroes being the biggest thing never ceases to amaze me.

[@TheRoobs74]

That’s The Black Cat not Catwoman dude. I have the original though it’s the bollocks. Nice video ya boi.

[@LadyHawke78]

3:55 - I totally had a TI99/4A. Taught myself my first programming language (BASIC...) on that bad boy. I was definitely a nerdy kid.

[@jamesfitzgerald1021]

I it is so nice to hear the youthful excitement in Zack's voice when he remembers how things were and should be. It is people like this who should be writing comics ,creators who are excited to write every issue and want you to have as much fun reading it as they had making it.

[@mudageki]

My bro and I subscribed to a couple of DC titles in the day. They came in a brown paper sleeve - only had a couple mangled. We were so pumped to open the mailbox and find the issues. It was Christmas once a month.

[@quintendo64qomics36]

*Cough Squad*

[@whelk]

Back then one of the editors mentioned on the editorial page that the number under 10E was the section that really counted for how a book was doing.

[@heathenbreathinfire]

You had to go and choose one of my favorite issues...of my favorite superhero. Damn I miss the cool Marvel!

[@MaverickhunterXZero]

I got Spider-Man 2099 Classic Vol.1. It's so good! Peter David deservers a main Spidey book.

[@aurelion4994]

Amazing Spider-Man 252 cost $0.60 in 1982, in 2019 that's $1.59? Wtf?!?

[@kickasszombie4368]

This comic is a blast from the past I remember all them adverts Great stuff.

[@comicfannicolas3645]

First time I read this issue it was included as a bonus in the back of a Spider-man encyclopedia I got when I was in elementary school.

[@theycallmeralph3217]

I never did subscriptions either. We had a neighborhood store that had X-Men, GI JOE, Sgt Rock and Spider Man which are the big ones I was into back in the day. Same as you, I'd thumb through the issue and see if it looked worth my 79 cents or not. At my age I had to be very discerning with so much cold, hard cash. $6 seemed like enough for Summer Camp or a trip to Hawaii at that age.

[@seanmathers7914]

Great review! It brings me back, speaking as child of the 80s and 90s.

[@michaelmatthews3261]

I remember those subscription ads when I was a kid, Hulk in a diaper was weird, looking at it now you'd think Hulk had some kind of fetish

[@robertthedevil7598]

Wow this brings me back! I had these comics because I had the black costume Spider-Man toy. I always remembered a scene later in the storyline where Peter remarks that it is snowing in June, and an editors note to check out Thor. Decades later, I finally did!

[@LifeIsForEmos8D]

Anytime I see Ron Frenz's Spider-Man art, I get hit with a wave of nostalgia for the most fun era. Then I remember the present and let out a big sigh.

[@tytyvyllus8298]

The Marvel subscriptions came in brown paper wraparound envelope and yes often the mailman would trash them

[@garthwhitely8399]

What a nostalgic blast from the past. Marvel before the Fuckery and SJW poison. Such a grand time just reading the comics you love and not being sick and disappointed with the story and art. This is Comics pure and simple circa 1984. Thank you Zack for this video, my soul feels a little lighter and brighter

[@craigfriedman3127]

I remember back in the day the lady at the 7-11 charged me .12 for a amazing fantasy 15 facsimile edition, because that the price she saw on the cover.😅

[@johnhallman3896]

YBZ, I bought comics in 1983. In fact, I bought 252 off the rack at the LCS(Tomorrow is Yesterday, Loves Park, IL) RIP. I also received books in the mail, mainly ones I wanted to read and pass around to my friends. Those ads really bring back memories.

[@fireface-sr5ll]

They have to discredit you by calling you some form of “ist,” because they can’t argue with criticism like this. You’re on point, as usual.

[@getoutofthematrix]

Marvel should just re print old comics and sell them. They would do better financially and win back fans.

[@BaoNguyen-bh2rk]

I didn't get that issue. My allowance was set aside for Secret Wars at the time.

[@joshuakolling4869]

When I was getting subscriptions it came in a cheap plastic bag with a thick paper sheet.

[@maxhammer8676]

I had a subscription to The Punisher in the late 80's early 90's. In my area the books arrived in pretty good condition, but they came in a clear plastic bag and you clearly see what it was. Again, shockingly my issues arrived in good condition, just another difference between now and then.

[@henrybemis3439]

It was before my time, but back in the day some companies sent subscription comics unprotected in the mail with a freaking address label glued to the back cover.

[@maxhammer8676]

@@henrybemis3439 That was my fear because I had seen magazines do that.

[@LordEsel88]

I still have this issue, the original! Thank you for reminding me of a good comic. Cheers!

[@scudzilogmail]

"Somebody find that guy. I feel like they owe him like another 50!" I wet my pants! :-)

[@amazingkris]

This is back when "new" didn't mean "screwed up by random appropriator."

[@petercharron187]

I remember the good old days of comic buying. Comics were amazing back then

[@P.T.S.E.]

PSA: Never forget to crack the window if you leave a KZbinr to film in the car. In some states it may be even illegal, as it could lead to heatstroke.

[@EdmondDantès09]

I remember the first time the Venom symbiote appeared in Spiderman, i was 6 and would read my older brothers comics, that bastard told my mum not to let me read the first symbiote issue because he thought it would scare me, I'll never forget that. I can't remember the last time I bought a new Marvel comic, that's the difference of impact they had on my life, from lifelong memories to inconsequential garbage I litteraly forget after a couple of years.

[@JoeHenry734]

The only thing missing with those facsimile editions is newsprint. I'm old enough not just to remember newsprint but to miss it.

[@halfmadjesus]

Marvel's subscriptions used to come in a sheet of like, brown paper bag-quality wrap -- not sealed at all, just a strip of this over the front & back of the book, leaving top & bottom edges able to be rained on or what-have-you. Vertically down the whole book, this paper bag wrap was fastened with a pink glue. This would often be stuck to the book's covers in spots, so you'd have to pull the wrap off. Sometimes that'd tear the comic. Amazingly, you'd still get a few issues a year that would manage to arrive VFNM. I still have some of these books. But you'd also get the occasional comic folded in half, dropped in a puddle, totally glued to the wrap, etc. It was a crapshoot.

[@mattv3010]

Randy Schueller is the guy who created the Black Costume via a competition that Marvel ran for aspiring comic book writers & artists. In Aug of '82, Jim Shooter bought the idea, and Randy got paid $220, plus a chance to write the script (which they didn't accept). He never got any type of credit (big shock) from Marvel. Later, Randy didn't like it when his idea turned into Venom. In 2007, he told his whole story to CBR.

[@paulsnyc]

Another excellent video ... liked talking about the ads back then ... also the order coupon with titles ... curved building could be The Grace building in the City ... liked also going over the circulation numbers ...

[@valentinward3657]

3:20 Frogger doing the okay sign before it was cool.

[@ShempDavidNiven]

Don't look now, Zack, but in 1968, SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE clocked 300,000 copies a _month._ Month in and month out.

[@marq185]

Damn good old days wasnt alive back then being a late 90's kid but went back to read this and I got this one recently and damn those sales figures

[@WindwolfBlog]

Crystar: Crystal Warrior was a bring-a-toy-to-life book. These human warriors underwent a process that turned them into a crystalline body, so they could combat these magma creatures. I have the first book. There was, of course, a toy line as well.

[@freealbemuth9871]

I worked at barnes and noble for awhile, we didnt have comics but magazines and mass market paperbacks would get their covers ripped off rather than sending the books back to the publisher which is what we did with more expensive books. So its still a thing

[@TheUtilityMan]

Stories like this are why I'm so happy I kept all my old comics.

[@HeadCanonUnlimited]

This reminds me of a story about the guy who founded chik fil a when they were thinking about expanding. Supposedly he said "If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger." If Marvel did that, cut back to core titles and focused on raising the quality of the story and art (get better) then the audience will demand they get bigger.

[@jimmyneutron3842]

HAHA you freaked at the price just like I did. Maybe the old ads make it worth it.

[@TheSnapdad]

Back in the day I would copy that subscription form at the library xerox. I subscribed to X-Men, Conan, Hulk & ROM. Circa 1979 to 1982. The books came wrapped in brown paper (rough texture) open at the top and bottom. I do not recall needing to replace any due to shipping damages. The most exciting book I ever opened during that period was Uncanny X-Men #133. Wolverine Lashes Out.

[@skentmar105]

At least in the 1980's they started shipping subscriptions flat. I was subscribed to so DC titles in the 1960's (Superboy, Action Comics, and Justice League of America) that were folded in half lengthwise and wrapped in brown paper. The cover-ripping still goes on at book stores (maybe other kinds of stores, too) on mass-market paperback books and magazines... I don't believe that includes comics.

[@timmholl9238]

Warmer weather brings out the shorts in Zach.

[@stoltobot]

I remember when that Spider-Man appeared in one of the early Transformers comics

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Talk about scumbag ads, having a *_cut out_* order form on the other side of the comic!

[@starsiegeplayer]

14 issues for $6. Today 1 issue for $5.

[@nicospatti1934]

When i got wolverine in the mail during the late nineties and early twp-thousands, and it came in a crappy plastic bag and bard and was in the worst shape....

[@alalme7691]

So old subscription numbers would be an average selling comic today. That's an eye-opener!

[@jedipoodoo]

First time I read this issue was the reprint that came with the Toy Biz pre-Marvel Legends figure. Yes they still do the True Believers dollar books, and some are labeled Greatest Creators. It's refreshing to read them as a pallette cleanser after reading modern Marvel, as snooty as that sounds 😆 These facsimile books are basically their modern take on Marvel Milestones, and personally I love these.

[@albuquerqueraider2052]

All my subs came bent, scratched or destroyed somehow. Was frustrating

[@hgwells35]

Or lost in the mail since they were shipped in little brown paper wrappers by 3rd class mail.

[@patricksmith6796]

Great art and great story telling back in the 80's early 90's and better price for sure.

[@kirk1701]

Spider-Man: Homeward Bound Spider-Man: Homeland Security Spider-Man: Home is Where the Heart Is

[@mackbonham1]

Yes, comics used to be not only interesting but fun. A LOT of fun. It was an immeasurably better time for the hobby.

[@DanyTV79]

I like old Spider-man comics, this is a great reprint, but a little expensive. Thanks for the review!

[@turtlerabbbitfox]

Marvel should sell comics in the movie theaters for super cheap...it's where the normies go for these characters.

[@predragmiskovic4747]

Love these reviews !! Reminds me when I was a kid and marvel was great. I bought every marvel comic from 79- 86.

[@Kraken_OfTheSea]

I was waiting for Zack to tell us we could earn cash or prizes if we sold his greeting cards.