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Another reprint of great Marvel material, The Uncanny X-Men (UK) Annual included an obscure original story with artwork by Gary Frank.
Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man | Tagged: jim zub, spider-man, spider-man: homecoming
Obscure Comics: Spider-Man: Homecoming Part 3, Morning Rush & Jim Zub
There are comic book series almost every comic fan knows, there are comic book characters that most everyone knows, there are specific comic books most every comic reader knows, and then there are the more obscure issues that slip through the cracks. What makes obscure comics so interesting and vital is discovering those books that most don't know were ever printed, or that top tier creators worked on "that book" or on "that character." Obscure Comics are fun to find, interesting to know about, but that border between being great reads and terrible comics.
Spider-Man: Homecoming & Post Cereal
Three different comics about Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were released the year Spider-Man: Homecoming came out in theaters. Each was available through different channels, with the Spider-Man: Homecoming: Fight or Flight released first at Toys R' Us in June/July in 2017, as the movie was in theaters, and Spider-Man: Homecoming: School of Shock when Spider-Man: Homecoming came out for home release in September 2017. The last tie-in comic to be covered was advertised and made available around the time the movie came out in July 2017, Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush. It was done as a promotional comic for Post Cereal that was accessible only digitally though codes available only in Post Cereal books. Jim Zub, the writer of the two-part comic, first mentioned his work on it on Twitter, June 8th, 2017.
Obscure Comics: Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush Part One & Part Two
It was written by Jim Zub, drawn by Andrea DiVito, with covers by David Nakayama (Part One) and Andrea DiVito (Part Two). After doing the cover for Spider-Man: Homecoming: Fight or Flight, Andrea DiVito drew all sixteen pages (eight pages for each part) of a typical late night/morning for the MCU Spider-Man.
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- Part One Cover. Credit: Marvel
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- Part One Page 1. Credit: Marvel
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- Part One Page 3. Credit: Marvel
Part One begins with Peter Parker slipping out to be Spider-Man as Aunt May believes he is in bed. The typical late night for Spider-Man, though, is anything but typical, as a slow night leads to his mask being stolen in the morning from a sleeping Spider-Man by birds, just as the Enforcers (Fancy Dan and Ox) are trying to make a getaway from the police.
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- Part One Page 6. Credit: Marvel
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- Part One Page 7. Credit: Marvel
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- Part One Page 8. Credit: Marvel
Part Two starts with Peter having to create a make-do mask with a t-shirt, as he gives chase to stop the Enforcers. After a quick battle, Spider-Man tracks down his mask, helps some citizens, and makes it home in time to join Aunt May for a Post Cereal breakfast.
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- Part Two Cover. Credit: Marvel
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- Part Two Page 2. Credit: Marvel
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- Part Two Page 3. Credit: Marvel
For a tie-in comic, the dialogue and art are great, making a great read, and for a fun game of spot the Post Cereal product placement throughout the two parts.
Talking with Jim Zub
Jim Zub is well known for co-creating and writing Skullkickers and Wayward, as well as runs on Uncanny Avengers, Champions, Thunderbolts, Black Panther & The Agents of Wakanda, a lot of Dungeons & Dragons comics (including Rick & Morty Vs Dungeons & Dragons), and his current run on Conan the Barbarian, which will return in October. Jim was kind enough to offer some insight and explanation on this Obscure Comic.
Bleeding Cool: Jim, you have an interesting history having written a good amount of short Spider-Man stories beyond Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush. Can you give us a quick history on that?
Jim Zub: The chance to work on this ad tie-in came from the experience I had writing Spidey in Ultimate Spider-Man Magazine, which is an international publication for kids published in the UK and Europe. (Some of the stories were reprinted in the monthly Disney Spider-Man Magazine, which went by several titles and ended publication in 2019, all of which are Obscure Comics of their own.) Each issue of the magazine has short articles, puzzles, games, and a new 12-page Spider-Man comic story. Before I wrote any Marvel Universe continuity comics, I wrote 20 issues of Spider-Man Magazine, teaming a young Spider-Man up with characters that included Captain America, Thor, Cloak & Dagger, and even Blade. It was a great place to hone my craft and show that I could deliver an entertaining self-contained story on time.
BC: Had you worked with Andrea DiVito before this story?
JZ: No, this was my first time working with him, and he did a great job balancing it all out. His storytelling and action are solid throughout.
BC: What were your requirements or limits on writing Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush?
JZ: It was a promotional tie-in for the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie done for the Post Cereal company, so they had concerns about violence or danger because they didn't know how young people reading the story might be. Creating plausible threats when you can't fall back on typical superhero beat 'em up action was a challenge, but that's the kind of limitation that forces you to get inventive.
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- Part Two Page 4. Credit: Marvel
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- Part Two Page 5. Credit: Marvel
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- Part Two Page 8. Credit: Marvel
BC: Was it any different writing Peter Parker (the MCU version) for Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush versus other times you've written Spider-Man?
JZ: There are a lot of similarities to the younger Spidey I wrote in Ultimate Spider-Man Magazine, so in that way, it felt quite familiar. He's less experienced than the Peter we know from the current Marvel Universe monthly books, and that naivety makes it a bit easier to set up problems and leave him flustered. Even still, no matter what age or era you're dealing with, it's still Peter Parker, so his determination will shine through, and that's just one of the many reasons why he's so iconic.
BC: Well, you still got to work in the Enforcers (Fancy Dan and Ox). Are they villains you enjoy writing?
JZ: Yeah, they're absolute classics! It was a bit up in the air whether we'd get to use them or not but, thankfully, we got approval on that.
BC: Have you been asked about, or talked about, this comic since it came out or you tweeted about it?
JZ: This is the first time I've talked about it, actually. The intended audience for these kinds of gigs don't tend to hunt down the creative team involved, but I knew that going into it. That said, it's always fun to write one of my favorite heroes, and I look forward to spinning webs again any time.
BC: Last question, in reading all three Spider-Man: Homecoming comics, they all three involve Spider-Man chasing down villains who have stolen money. I doubt you are aware of the connection, but I have to ask did the Enforcers steal from a bank in your story, like the other two stories?
JZ: If I recall, in the first draft, I had the Enforcers, then on the 2nd, I was asked to change it to generic criminals, and then, in the end, it was changed back to the Enforcers. I don't think we specified where the money was coming from. It could be a bank or a rival Maggia boss or just about anyone. I'm not picky.
Never Reprinted, Near Impossible to Find
Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush, is very interesting as an Obscure Comic, as there are many hits for it, but there is nowhere online to find it to read, no summaries for it, and only the one panel Jim Zub posted on Twitter to show artwork from the issue. Finding pages from the issue are near impossible, and despite being the comic most would assume was easiest to get for readers, most readers never read it or got to see it. The release date of the comic is also in question, as the credits state April 2017, but Jim Zub mentions the comic in June, and some sources state the cereal boxes with the codes were out as early as May, and most other sources stating the promotion was done around when the movie came out in July. Considering promotions like this are usually out in advance of the movie, in retrospect, this means that Spider-Man: Homecoming: Morning Rush is most likely the first Spider-Man: Homecoming promotional tie-in comic released, though the Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude was published in March.
Never physically printed, the comic existed only digitally and required anyone to read it to buy a box of Post Cereal and use the code inside to be able read it.
However, the promotion did not seem to be done in the United States, the United Kingdom, or any other English speaking country except Canada. Shreddies itself is not a cereal released in the United States and is only available in Canada.
Honey Bunches of Oats and Honeycomb are cereals released in the United States and elsewhere, but one source as the these cereals were being released stated the promotion was only in Canada.
If so, despite the fact that many comic fans throughout the world wanted to read this story, few could. In addition, with no physical copies, and the code likely only providing access to read the comic on a web page, not download it, being able to read the full issue has been difficult for most and has made this comic the most obscure of the Spider-Man movie tie-in comics. As for value, considering it can't be found anywhere just to read, value is completely speculative.
Thanks to Jim Zub for all the information he provided. The Skullkickers 10th Anniversary RPG project from Zub and Edwin Huang will be launching soon on Kickstarter.
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