MAGNETO versus SPIDER-MAN
Cunning Attractions! (Marvel comics)
Where: Amazing Spider-man #327 When: Mid December 1989
Why: David Michelinie How: Erik Larsen

The story so far...
Tired of suffering defeats at the hands of their foes, the sinister arrangement of The Wizard, Magneto, Kingpin and Dr. Doom gather in an effort to orchestrate their combined efforts to guarantee their acts of vengeance.

Exchanging information and responsibility to combat their foes, it is ultimately Magneto here who steps up to the plate after the failure of Trapster and Titania to do the job on their behalf.

Meanwhile, Spider-man is coming to terms with the mysterious powers that have not only augmented his abilities, but given him brand new cosmic strengths that have him defeating opponents with never before seen ease!
Is this a positive new beginning for Spider-man, or will cosmic powers attract deadlier foes? With greater power must come greater responsibility!

Previous Form:
Magneto (#203): Magneto has been somewhat unsuccessful thus far.
Spider-man (#2): Spider-man previously used his cosmic power to defeat the Tri-Sentinel.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Spider-man 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Magneto 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympic Sprinter)
Stamina: Magneto 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Spider-man 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Magneto 6 (Mass Destruction)

No sooner than we have the X-Men fighting Lizard [X-Men: First Class #2] than we arrive at this massive miss matching of foes: Spider-man vs Magneto!

For the sake of consistency our statistics do not change based on the circumstances of the fight featured, so there are some misleading facts described in the above 'tape.' This fight features a very different Spider-man.

These days Spidey has organic webshooters, so the amount of metal he's carrying around at any given time is pretty minimal. There's no immediate inherent threat there unique to Spider-man, but anywhere in the civilized world Magneto finds an arsenal at his disposal.
That's completely neglecting the master of magnetism's own mutant virtues. Abilities that occasionally fluctuate but include things like controlling the iron traces in human blood in various dastardly ways, and/or firing off magnetic pulses of concussive energy.

As far as I see, neither character really has any definitive edge over the other.
Spider-man's preternatural senses allow him pretty swift movement around situations Magneto could create, while his own attacks are fairly base, and would conversely have limited effect on Magneto.

Even so, I'd generally have to lean toward saying Magneto has Spidey licked.
Spider-man's one of the best heroes you can find in the Marvel universe, but Magneto is Magneto, and as we've seen in various recent features, he's not a mutant to be messed with.

Of course, as I mentioned, this isn't your typical Spidey-fight.
On the record, this one's Magneto's. Off the record, you have to completely reevaluate the situation when you take into consideration the omin-power that has embued the noble Peter Parker with fantastic cosmic powers as he becomes - Captain Universe!

We've seen this Spidey once previously on Secret Earths [Amazing Spider-man #329] where he averted another typically X-threat of a mystically charged Sentinel. You can reference that to get an idea of the kind of power we're talking about.

With the power of Captain Universe, Cosmic Spidey (as he's affectionately known) is capable of all kind of incredible feats!
He can fly, has enhanced human senses as well as having his own precognative spider-senses amped up in sensitivity. He can produce concussive cosmic blasts, and even in the days of the mechanical cartridge-loaded web-shooters, he could cosmically conjure a comparable compound out of apparent nothingness. Unlimited webbing, to the video gaming folks out there!

So, yeah... Magneto's in trouble, however:

The Math: Draw (Meta Class)
The Pick: Magneto

What went down...
It begins down at the docks, where Spidey is testing out his new cosmic powers, which include super strength enough to allow him to life a fully loaded barge at a scrapyard with ease above his head! The scrapped shells of cars prove a worthy measure as Spidey obliterates the steel with his cosmic hand-blasts, but unfortunately the attention warrants a call to the press from a scrapyard worker.

Contemplating Spider-man's role in the war between human and mutant, Magneto makes note that Spider-man may play an unwitting key role in the survival of either species. Which is nice, because so often he gets overlooked.
A TV in the park tips him off to the whereabouts of the web-slinger.

Before the arachnoid hero even knows what's going on, the barge is swept out of his hands, ushering the arrival of the master of magnetism - Magneto!

Magneto descends upon the hero, flinging a barrage of shrapnel and scrap metal at the hero. His spider-senses aid him in the dodging of the onslaught, but his cosmic powers prove to be the real advanage, allowing him to blast it out of the air piece by piece.

Spider-man flings himself at his mutant attacker, but Magneto's forcefield of magnetic aura protect him from the attack. Never the less, the might of the cosmic Spider-man proves enough to rattle even he.

Using their surroundings, Magneto flings a magnetic loading crane like a wrecking ball at the airborne wall-crawler. Spider-man swings around the obstacle with the aid of his familiar webbing, but Magneto amplifies the potency of the crane to the point where the iron in Spider-man's body is attracted.

Stuck between a crane and a hard place, Spider-man struggles as Magneto brings him down at speed toward the ground. Only by his instinctive use of his mysterious cosmic powers is he saved, changing the molecular composition of the crane from hard metals -- to fragile glass!

Magneto then hurls car bodies at the hero, whose preemptive senses again allow him the advantage of avoiding contact. Free from danger, Spidey uses his cosmic supply of webbing to form a giant baseball bat, swatting the airborne cars out of the park!

Feeling somewhat over the unprovoked attacks of supervillains generally not in his jurisdiction, Spidey then sets his offensive on the Magster himself.

Tangoing with one of the most powerful mutants on the planet seems do-able for a moment, but as Magneto attempts to repell the hero's attacks with his magnetic ability, Spider-man's heightened cosmic senses pick something up.

From his airborne vantage point he spies a cruise ship that fell hapless victim to one of Spidey's own homerun knock-outs with his webbing ball bat.

Deciding to abandon the fight to quash the disaster of his worst nightmares, he discovers the ability of flight, as he heads away from the docks toward the ship in peril.

The diversity of Spider-man's new powers tips Magneto off to his status as human, rather than mutant, and decides to abandon his interests.
Although, he does so, not without promise of a future encounter with the web-slinger, and new manipulations at the hands of the master of magnetism...

The hammer...
As Uatu so dramatically proclaims to the left there, it's a draw.
I can't even give it to anyone on points, the conclusion is clear.

Had this one on my pile for quite some time now. It's one of those many fights that, for whatever reason, got overlooked in 2006. Maybe because there was no conclusion, or maybe just because there have been so many other things going on. Nice to finally get it out there!

I've probably mentioned before how great my affection for this period in Spider-man history is. As much as I love Conway and Buscema, I have to willingly submit Michelinie and Larsen as one of my all-time favourite teams on the character. They just seemed to have story after story full of exciting action, great visuals, and a lot of fun that combined the characters and ideals of the original concept, with a fresh perspective.

Even some of the more casual readers visiting us are probably familiar with some of Todd McFarlane's work on Spider-man, which arguably established a whole new way of approaching the anatomy and style of the character, but pound-for-pound I think Erik Larsen took it, and did it even better.
For me, I think it's just Larsen's linework, which is far less crowded than McFarlane's Spider-man work. Here Larsen appears to lack some of what makes his work today so recognisable, and what hinders my enjoyment of McFarlane's stuff, is the overuse of lines, particular on the faces.

McFarlane isn't bad at drawing faces, but there's a quality to them all that makes them instantly recognisable, and slightly... Well, deformed is a misleading description, but perhaps just a little less than real. Which is ironic, I suppose, because what I'm really talking about is the cartooning simplification of what represents reality in comics.

It's not just the visuals that define this fantastic period of Spider-history, though. David Michelinie - where are you now? I think I heard something about Michelinie doing stuff at Marvel again, but the guy seemed to disappear from the radar after a lot of great work for the company, particularly Spider-man.

I couldn't tell you what it is about the formula, because it isn't particularly identifiable, and it won't hit you over the head with how clever it thinks it is like some of the more contemporary takes on 'good writing.' It just seems to accept itself and move very fluidly between fun cameos, fights and character moments.

Key point that come to mind aren't particularly important in the scheme of things, but appearances by Punisher and Graviton and the Tri-Sentinel just stick in my memory as great moments in Spidey's history. Moments we seem to have lost in this decade amidst the all-devouring gelatenous blob that is Civil War, and the inexplicably popular work of Ultimate Spider-man, built on a house of stuttering and disposable issues.

Actually, I was overjoyed recently to pick up an issue of Sensational Spider-man, which didn't even feature the web-slinger, instead handing the spotlight to Black Cat and Puma, two characters familiar in the era we're referring to here.

If any positive can be taken out of contemporary directions for Spider-man, it's that we seem to have well and truly left the over indulgent, poorly considered work of the mid-to-late nineties behind us.
We've gotten past the creative stablizing of the industry in the earliest part of this decade, too. [Alternatively referred to as the Jemas-period. - Matriculant Mike] And now we're heading, it seems, toward a balance between the two, indulging willingly in the efforts of the second and third tier characters again, but perhaps with some wisdom gained by the mistakes of the past.

Hopefully even though we didn't deliver a conclusive battle, you enjoyed this flashback never the less. I know I enjoyed flicking through the pages again.
Actually, y'know, my comic guy of fifteen-or-so years has closed up, but is selling off back issues. I wonder if he has any of these for sale...

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4

SPIDER-MAN versus TRI-SENTINEL
"Power Prey!"
Where: Amazing Spider-man #329 When: February 1990
Why: David Michelinie How: Erik Larsen

The story so far...
Displeased with the failure of his plan to shuffle villains in the Acts of Vengeance storyline, the Norse god of mischief, Loki, leaves the Earth a little something to remember him by.

For believing him dead; Loki magically alters a trio of newly designed Sentinels to merge them into one masterpiece of magic and machine - the Tri-Sentinel!

Lucky for Manhattan, Spider-man has been imbued with the mysterious uni-power thanks to the aptly named Enigma Force. Gaining the cosmic awareness that had been denied to him, Spider-man instantly learns of his foe, and leaps into action to avert nuclear disaster!

Tale of the tape...
You read right, true believers! The Enigma Force chose your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man as it's vehicle of universal justice!

Attempts to get a job writing solicitations aside - I just had to throw in a Captain Universe Spidey appearance when I was looking for his first official entry into Secret Wars on Infinite Earths record.
No doubt I would scoff the concept today, but like many other readers I hold a special place in my heart for this bizarre marriage of every-man and cosmic uber-entity.

Removing mystic meddling from the equation, I think I can fairly conclusively paint a picture where Spidey gets creamed by the three Sentinels until Wolverine and Cyclops show up to save him.
Past results may suggest otherwise, but I would have a difficult time imagining Spider-man applying his particular brand of strengths against the mechanical menace of these mutant hunting machinations.

Strength: 6 (Invincible)
Speed: 5 (Super Speed)
Stamina: 6 (Generator)
Energy Powers: 5 (Lasers)

Where Sentinels are concerned, generally the more pedestrian heroes find their edge in explosive weapons, cutting implements or super strength levels. While Spidey certainly rates highly in many respects, his particular brand of proportionate strength and agility doesn't lend itself to those vulnerabilities.

With the cosmic uni-power the fight evens up substantially.
Not only does he gain the added maneuverability that comes with flight, his spider-strength is also given a considerable boost, along with the ability to fire impressive cosmic energy blasts.

Against ordinary Sentinels, Cosmic Spider-man would no doubt be able to carve through their servos and circuitry with relative ease. However, this is no ordinary Sentinel!

Strength: 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: 4 (Tactician)
Stamina: 6 (Generator)
Energy Powers: 5 (Lasers)

Not only were these Sentinels merged by Loki's mystic spite, they were also specially designed for the purpose of tracking Spider-man, who had already begun manifesting the powers of Captain Universe.

Each of the prototype Sentinels, potentially part of the governments secret Nimrod project, was designed with unique abilities. Combined, the Tri-Sentinel is a six barreled living weapon, with lasers, shields, and all kinds of other stingy steel stuff!

If the Sentinel were able to overhwelm his target, and capitalie on Spider-man's relative inexperience with the Uni-Power, it might just have a chance of gaining victory.
However, I think it's a good bet on any day to bet on a cosmic spider. A) Because on paper his powers far outweigh many an opponent. B) Because the very nature of the Uni-Power is to overcome adversity. C) Spidey rarely changes costume without a victory.

What went down...
Cosmic Spidey swoops down from the sky to find the Tri-Sentinel looming over a shoreline Nuclear powerplant. The three headed Sentinel sees him coming and takes defensive action, firing off six seperate hand blasts in unison.
Spidey manages to weave between the blasts, and return fire with his own cosmic beam, but the Sentinel deflects it with an energy shield.

Going a more traditional route, Spider-man decides to try an old trick with a new spin, spinning a mass of webbing around the Sentinel before using his new power to transform it into steel. Alas, even the steel bonds of cosmic webbing were no match for the strength of the Tri-Sentinel.

The Tri-Sentinel strikes back, wildly throwing a flurry of six-fist punches which inadvertently crack one of the adjacent containment towers at the plant.
Spidey does his best to repair the damages, while dealing with the Sentinel's grapple coil attack.
Spider-man is ripped from the tower, but his cosmic power allows him to survive a blast of concussive gas, and snap free of the coils.

Spidey goes on the offensive once more, using his cosmic webbing to filter water from the ocean below and redirect it in a wave at the Tri-Sentinel. The evil machine is well equipped to deal with such a threat, using defensese to freeze the wave and smash it to tiny jagged shards.

Realising the folly of containment, Spider-man attempts a more direct tactic; going for the mechanics of the beast. Tear at the circuits and tubing beneath the hull, though he did, the Tri-Sentinel was unaffected and able to remove the "impending annoyance."

Sebastian Shaw, the man who commissioned the design of the Sentinels, watches on in horror as the Tri-Sentinel reveals a new directive programmed by Loki -- nuclear devestation.

With seconds to spear Shaw reveals his own hidden directive in the machine's logic programming. A command that forces the Sentinel to recognise it's own upgrades as mutant deviations from it's distant predecessors, the Sentinel Mark I models.


Though the Tri-Sentinel did not turn on itself as the individual machines would have - it pauses. Pausing long enough to allow the cosmic Spider-man to pool his enigmatic resources and focus them into a final attack.

When the crackling energy settles disaster is averted, and the Tri-Sentinel is reduced to so much as dust. Exhausted, Spider-man learns that he too was reduced, back to that of a man with the responsibility of proportionate size and strengths of a spider. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The hammer...
Yay! Cosmic Spider-man saves the day, of course.

As I understand it, this was Erik Larsen's first official issue as on-going artist on Amazing Spider-man. This gives an added significance to the issue, because for me, Erike Larsen is probably the Spider-man artist I hold most personally as a favourite.

I think it would be fair to say that if you asked me to think of my definitive Spidey artist I'd filter through the likes of John Romita, Sal Buscema and Mark Bagley - but Larsen is the one that I probably identify most fondly. Not because he was the first artist I read, or even because I'm a dedicated Larsen fan. There was just something special about those issues, and Larsen's rendition of the character.

Visually Spider-man has reverted back to his roots.
These days the eyes are quite small, the webbing is relatively low key, and the movements are probably generally on a more controlled scale. Certainly a far cry from the popular work of Todd McFarlane which introduced the 'spaghetti webbing', and the spine-bending poses that made us question whether Spidey could in fact kiss his own butt. [I think he could.]

What I think is so memorable about Larsen's Spider-man, for me, is that it took those established extremes from McFarlane's work - but tweaked them.
To me, Larsen's characters were asthetically a little cleaner while their proportions and expressions were just a little more grounded in reality.

Overall Larsen had a lot in common with his predecessor, but the minutia of those details made all the difference then, and now.
Certainly the issues don't contain the paced and relatively intelligent storytelling of many of todays writers, but what the stories lack in sophistication, they make up for with big superhero action, and exciting characters!

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 5.5

NEXT: Wolverine versus Lobo!