In every installment of I Love Ya But You're Strange I spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories. Feel free to e-mail me at brianc@cbr.com if you have a suggestion for a future installment!
This time around, we're looking at what was probably one of the very earliest parodies of “Star Wars”, from November 1977's issue of “Spidey Super Stories” #31 (the tie-in comic to Spider-Man's appearances on the TV series, “Electric Company”) by artists Win Mortimer and Mike Esposito and an unknown writer (Kolfax Mingo is the listed writer, but come on, that's totally a pseudonym), an issue dubbed “Star Jaws”.
The issue opens with Peter Parker having a date with Mary Jane Watson that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing. It turns out that the ship was an escape rocket with Sam the Sesame Street robot in it. Sam was traveling with Moondragon when they came across a giant space station…
The station was operated by Doctor Doom (and a bunch of robots who worked for him) who then captured Moondragon, but Sam escaped to go get help…
While Spider-Man and Sam try to find a ship to travel to the space station, Doctor Doom was showing Moondragon how the station worked – it EATS planets!!!
Okay, so here's where the story gets weird. I know you're thinking, “Wait, NOW it gets weird?” but that's the truth, as Marvel Boy (MARVEL BOY?!)) is in the comic book as he is starring in a movie about space. He is partnered with a gorilla for some reason. Spider-Man and Sam burst onto the set and Marvel Boy and the Gorilla decide to help them. And, oddly enough, the movie they're filming somehow has an actual working spaceship (what?!?) so Spidey (Luke Skywalker), Marvel Boy (Han Solo), Random Gorilla (Chewbacca) and Sam (R2D2 and C3PO) all fly to the Death Star substitute to save Moondragon (Leia). Once there, they disguise themselves as robots…
They save Moondragon and Spidey has an amazing freaking LIGHTSABER FIGHT with Doctor Doom! HOLY CRAP, THIS IS AWESOME!!
They land back at home and come up with a great plan to stop Doctor Doom. They collect a whole pile of TNT and put it out into outer space where Moondragon uses her mental powers into tricking Doctor Doom's station into thinking that the pile of TNT is the Planet Earth!!!
Oh man, is that bananas or what? But in the best possible way.
The post Spider-Man's Out of This World 1977 Star Wars Mash-Up! appeared first on CBR.com.
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