I grew up in an old row house built in the 1870s I think. My brother and I shared a room on the top floor, which had small windows and a small wooden closet, painted white. It was very hot in the summer and freezing in the winter as we used a wood stove for heat, and it was on the first floor.
Sometime when I was very young, my mum cut out a picture of Spiderman from a comic, and taped it to the closet wall, where it joined some other things long forgotten. I figured I was around three at that time, so 1969. Somehow, that Spiderman lasted for a long time- the tape never failed, and it was never ripped down by anyone's temper or play.
The Spiderman cut-out
In the early 90s, my brother moved out and I knew it was a matter of time until I did as well. The room we'd shared as toddlers had become his and was now vacant. Spiderman still waited, taped to the closet- the sole decorative survivor. I decided to keep it. I removed it as carefully as I could, losing only part of his leg, and put it in my scrapbook, where it remains.
The other day, I was searching through that scrapbook (for a color version of my high school graduation photo, if you must know), and saw Spiderman, still there decades after I put him in the book. I looked at him. Now, over time, I've become knowledgeable about comic books and comic book artists, but I wasn't sure who did the art. I knew it wasn't Steve Ditko, as he had already left the book by then. Could it be John Romita Sr? Possibly, but it didn't look like his work. In all these decades, I never knew who drew that Spiderman (or which Spiderman issue it came from.)
Fortunately, these days there's the Internet. I'm on a Facialbook group called Marvel Comics 1961 to 1989. I figured that if ANYONE would be able to answer the conundrum of who drew that Spiderman, they would. So, I took a photo of Spiderman in my scrapbook, cropped it, and posted it with my question.
Wow- did they ever! Within two hours, someone not only figured out the artists, but knew the issue and everything. The artists were John Romita Sr. (pencils) and Mickey Demeo (Mike Esposito) (inks), though some people think that Esposito may have done some of the penciling too. The picture was from Amazing Spider Man issue #83, page 19, third panel: published April 1, 1970. When asked how he found it so fast, said Archivist wrote "I just scroll digital copies. We knew the time frame so I started at ASM 90 and went backwards." (I'd name the guy, but as I don't have his permission, I won't.)
Spiderman #83, cover. No challenge to copyright intended.
So, assuming the comic was recent when mum cut this out, I was three years old, and that picture is, as of this writing, 53 years old. I don't remember anything about this story (go figure), but I was reading by this time. I read the issue summary, and it rang no bells. Maybe someday when I have spare money, I'll hunt down this back issue at a comic store local to wherever I am then. You know, out of curiosity.
To this day, I don't remember why mum cut out this picture and hung it. I liked Spiderman as did my brother, but he wasn't my favorite (that would be Superman.) Maybe the issue was pretty beat up (by two toddlers) and mum was throwing it out, and to assuage my brother and I, she cut out the picture. I don't know, and with mum gone these two years now, I can't ask her.
I have very few fragments remaining from my early childhood. In fact, I think this may be the last surviving trace. But there it is- taped inside a scrapbook I filled (almost) decades ago. Knowing a little more about it answers some questions, yes.
I wish all questions could be answered so "easily."
Be well.
