XxSpideyxX

How did you find this?!?!

Are you a member? Curious about the selling price. I’ll more than likely sell this soon.

You guys should work for Scotland Yard! Was Nabisco ever owned by or own Ralston? Weird they both had the same promo offer.

Odd that it's a "direct" version, no? Seems to add credence to @telerites theory.

Scans help reveal more detail.

The closeup picture I posted is what is visible under normal lighting. But I may try to hold it up to the sun or try a flashlight. Maybe a scanner would reveal more?

I guess CC and/or the buyer is banking on it being a 9.4-9.6 for it to have sold for $160?

The temptation is real. Oddly enough, I can't find anything about Ralston/Purina giveaways in the 1980s on the Internet. I may try to google the original recipient to find out if they are still alive and whether or not they remember the story behind it. I'm imagining this was discovered stored away at some estate sale and sold/traded by collectors ever since, including CC.

Hahah!

Hello, This appears to be a Purina giveaway of some kind back in the 80s. The envelope description says ‘Option - D’ and is sealed in the original Ralston Purina envelope. I’m guessing perhaps they ran a redemption program where you could choose a gift. Based on what I can see through the envelope, this is Amazing Spider-Man 252 and is obviously unread. I also don’t see any mailing or folding creases on the package itself, but who knows how the corners of the book are to this point. I’m also sure the pages are no longer white at this point. 😝 I’d really like to open and slab it (I don’t own a copy of ASM 252) but there is also something unique about the book’s present state. 🤓 Would you open it? I’m super tempted.

This question bothered me so much that I tracked down a copy! Lol Turns out this magazine reprinted various popular comic strips, including Stan’s Lee Spider-Man newspaper strip. The story here basically follows Spider-Man as he must face a seemingly unstoppable robot controlled by the Kingpin. Weirdly enough, the Kingpin barely appears BUT there is ONE shot of him being massaged and wearing only a robe. So perhaps he is naked after all?!?!?!!

He also did some great covers for Marvel Tales in the early #200s. He did a lot of covers with Spidey and the X-Men, but this is one of my favorite covers he did across all his Spidey art.

Kingpin fighting in his tighty whities is nothing new

Well, his first 5-6 issues (298-305) really exhibited this style. More cartoonish proportions, cleaner and fewer costume lines, less detail, etc. partially due to the fact that an inker covered some of his earlier work. Around 306 is where you see a definitive shift in his style. But I’m still unclear on the origin. The pinup says 87. The poster says 88. But the pinup doesn’t appear in print until after the poster?

This very similar pinup appeared in Web or Spider-Man Annual 4. It appears the ‘poster’ image was redrawn from this?

I had a poster of this as a kid but am not sure where this image first appeared.

Take!

I grew up reading the majority of Sal Buscema’s run. He had a definitive style that stands out like so many other Spidey artists over the years (Ditko, Romita, Kane, McFarlane, Larson, Bagley, JrJr, Ramos, etc.), I respect these artists who brought a unique style to some of the most popular books and had long runs of success.

I have a 30 yr old Spider-Man comic where he faced a new villain who was spreading a deadly virus throughout the human population. Her name was Corona and he was finally able to defeat her with the help of Mr. Fantastic by creating an antidote and containing her.

Way before it entered popular culture, my favorite quote from any comic was "with great power, there must also come..great responsibility." Another good one from the Flash is: "Life doesn't give us purpose, we give life purpose." Curious what quotes others have found to be inspirational over the years.

I am as well, but my best friend lives in LA and I've visited often enough to not want to go back.

Apparently you haven't been to LA?

Thank you, will do!