ASM 238 or 252 1 1

[The lips]

Random question..

what’s your favourite of these two ?

Both iconic issues, great covers, story etc. I love both but probably prefer 238

if you could only have one what would it be and why ? 

[the blob]

238 just because I see more 252s. Completely anecdotal. I've never owned a 238. I've owned at least 10 252s and I think I have 2 or 3 now.

[THE_BEYONDER]

252 brought me back to ASM after I gave up on the title around issue 221 or so (Rimrod?).  I’ve owned a bunch of both, but ASM 252 means more to me than 238.  I always loved Spidey in the black suit.  238 has a great cover, but the character was literally  just a rip off of Green Goblin.  

[Lurker89]

Love both have both ...

It's a tough question, my first thought was 238 but 252 came back swinging. (Multiple puns intended)

Side note I don't really see Hobgoblin as a rip off of Green Goblin.... The use of a super soldier serum that exacerbates insanity is going to lend itself to multiple villains going down that road.

Same with the symbiotes. I don't see Carnage as a rip off of Venom. IMO I would have found it weird if no one else used the serum or merged with a symbiote.

That being said they have overdone the symbiotes at times. Venomverse was a trashbag.

[the blob]

2 hours ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

252 brought me back to ASM after I gave up on the title around issue 221 or so (Rimrod?).  I’ve owned a bunch of both, but ASM 252 means more to me than 238.  I always loved Spidey in the black suit.  238 has a great cover, but the character was literally  just a rip off of Green Goblin.  

Yet he was the main nemesis for a solid 5 years

[THE_BEYONDER]

1 hour ago, the blob said:

Yet he was the main nemesis for a solid 5 years

Because he’s the Green Goblin in a different suit 

[Point Five]

3 hours ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

252 brought me back to ASM after I gave up on the title around issue 221 or so (Rimrod?).  I’ve owned a bunch of both, but ASM 252 means more to me than 238.  I always loved Spidey in the black suit.  238 has a great cover, but the character was literally  just a rip off of Green Goblin.  

This sounds like me. I was there the month of the ASM #252 / MTU #141 unveiling... these days all these characters get a new costume every other week, but back then it was a seismic event. Even all these years later, I still get a tiny bit of that buzz looking at those two covers.  

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

7 minutes ago, Point Five said:

This sounds like me. I was there the month of the ASM #252 / MTU #141 unveiling... these days all these characters get a new costume every other week, but back then it was a seismic event. Even all these years later, I still get a tiny bit of that buzz looking at those two covers.  

 

The cover caught my eye while grabbing some supplies at my local convenience store.  Had to grab a copy.  I had it signed and slabbed....

Edited April 25, 2021 by THE_BEYONDER

[Point Five]

3 minutes ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

I wasn’t collecting at the time, but the cover caught my eye while grabbing some supplies at my local convenience store.  Had to grab a copy.  I had it signed and slabbed....

Awesome!

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

1 minute ago, Point Five said:

Awesome!

 

I edited my post. I thought I was out of collecting, but I remember buying the Wolvy mini & secret Wars as they came out at my LCS.(Silver Snail)

 

Guess it was just ASM that I was ignoring....

[Point Five]

3 minutes ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

7 minutes ago, Point Five said:

Awesome!

 

I edited my post. I thought I was out of collecting, but I remember buying the Wolvy mini & secret Wars as they came out at my LCS.(Silver Snail)

 

Guess it was just ASM that I was ignoring....

OK, it's 10% less awesome. But still basically awesome.    

 

[comicginger1789]

238 for me. That purple and orange cover...dynamite. Plus a completely original cover

No disrespect to 252, but it is a hum drum homage. Important moment and book, sure, but from an artistic standpoint there is no contest in my eyes. Add in that I feel Hobgoblin is a foe that took what Green Goblin was and amped it up for the time, and it is 238 hand down. 

[Lazyboy]

2 hours ago, Lurker89 said:

Side note I don't really see Hobgoblin as a rip off of Green Goblin

Hobgoblin literally steals the Green Goblin's stuff from his old hideouts.

2 hours ago, Lurker89 said:

Same with the symbiotes. I don't see Carnage as a rip off of Venom. IMO I would have found it weird if no one else used the serum or merged with a symbiote.

The only known symbiote was acquired on the Beyonder's Battleworld and brought back to Earth by Spidey. Where would anybody else get one unless somebody decided to have it reproduce so they could create another Venom-like character?

[Lurker89]

26 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

Hobgoblin literally steals the Green Goblin's stuff from his old hideouts.

The only known symbiote was acquired on the Beyonder's Battleworld and brought back to Earth by Spidey. Where would anybody else get one unless somebody decided to have it reproduce so they could create another Venom-like character?

Lol the point, that was missed, was ... if there is a supervillain serum you think only one guy is going to use it..... Seems like a waste of good juice.... I'll drink that **** right now.

Can't help it if Leeds had a hard-on for Osborn.

On the symbiotes and where to get one... I would say the planet of Klyntar would be a good place to start .... Any cosmic level entity shouldn't have to much trouble getting you one or more.

Edited April 25, 2021 by Lurker89
Typo

[comicginger1789]

Hobby also hold a special place in my heart. As a kid, he was the first "goblin" I was introduced to via the 90s cartoon, which for me (and this includes a viewing of all episode within the last 5 years) holds up as the best Spidey cartoon ever. The fact that they did it all without Spidey ever throwing a punch amazes me and it still comes off looking like nothing is amiss. They played with canon a bit, sure, but wove an entertaining story that allowed one to see every single Spidey villain one could have wanted....and maybe a few more often than we would have liked  

 

[Ken Aldred]

I’ve always thought 238 was cooler.

A pity later writers screwed up his backstory, especially making the alter ego a bit convoluted.

[Lazyboy]

6 minutes ago, Lurker89 said:

Lol the point, that was missed, was ... if there is a supervillain serum you think only one guy is going to use it..... Seems like a waste of good juice.... I'll drink that **** right now.

Can't help it Leeds had a hard-on for Osborn.

Kingsley didn't even know about the serum until he read Osborn's journals, which was obviously after he was interested in the Goblin and acquiring his equipment. He didn't even suspect it until after his first encounter with Spidey, which made him realize that toys, no matter how powerful, weren't nearly enough to make him his match.

Luckily for him, he was more careful with it, to avoid Osborn's insanity.

[Lazyboy]

1 minute ago, Ken Aldred said:

I’ve always thought 238 was cooler.

A pity later writers screwed up his backstory, especially making the alter ego a bit convoluted.

Yeah, it's unfortunate that the editor(s) suddenly mandated that the Hobgoblin saga be concluded.

At least they eventually got Stern back to fix it as much as possible with the Hobgoblin Lives mini.

[Jeffro.]

2 minutes ago, Ken Aldred said:

I’ve always thought 238 was cooler.

A pity later writers screwed up his backstory, especially making the alter ego a bit convoluted.

Yeah, that was unfortunate.

I like 238 much better. Not to mention I always liked the original red and blue instead of that flash in the pan black costume.

[BoogieWoogie]

238 easy. The black suit is a cool era for Spidey but 238 is a new villain, a major one too, AND you get free tattooz! No brainer IMO

Plus as a collector all the copies floating around without tattooz means that the circulation of complete copies has to be relatively low  whereas I bet 252 has more copies around than the issue prior or after...