justinfairfax wrote:
I side with placing G-S Super-Heroes #1 in a Marvel Team-Up volume.  While some might argue it is not a "team-up" in the traditional sense between Spidey and a co-star...it IS a "team-up" between Morbius and the Man-Wolf!

Another point is that the Giant-Size Spider-Man title was clearly meant to be a successor to G-S Super-Heroes once the "Giant-Size" titles went from 35 cents to 50 cents...just like Giant-Size Fantastic Four was a successor to Giant-Size Super-Stars #1. The only difference is that the Spider-Man title didn't continue the numbering over to the new title! (Why? Probably only Roy Thomas knows!)

The Conway/Kane team worked on Amazing Spider-Man, but also just as much on Marvel Team-Up...at the time, Kane was doing most of his Spidey work on MTU (Ross Andru had taken over ASM by then)!


I just replied to this on the MTU thread, without seeing Alan's reply to you here: he is 100% correct ! GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN (AND DRACULA) #1 was not a continuation of SGIANT-SIZE SUPERHEROES, but rather a down-sizing of the planned SUPER-GIANT SPIDER-MAN (AND DRACULA) #1. Copying my reply from the MTU thread:



"justinfairfax wrote:
GS Super-Heroes was the predecessor to GS Spider-Man as GS Super-Stars was the predecessor to GS Fantastic Four...only difference being that the numbering was not continued from the previous title.




No, it wasn't; they were intended as separate books from the beginning. GIANT-SIZE SUPERHEROES #1 was originally planned as GIANT-SIZE SUPER-STARS #2 . Marvel initially intended GS SUPER-STARS to be a monthly book , with 3 rotating features ( FF, Spider-Man solo stories, and Conan). That was the reason issue #1 of GSSS was titled " GIANT-SIZE SUPER-STARS FEATURING THE FANTASTIC FOUR" instead of just "GIANT-SIZE FANTASTIC FOUR", because it was planned as a monthly with rotating features; a generic title was needed. Someone in accounting realized that if, instead of 1 monthly book with 3 rotating features, they instead made them into 3 separate quarterly books, they could keep each issue on sale longer,since with a monthly book, an old issue would be pulled when the new one arrived. Both GS SUPER-STARS and GS SUPERHEROES, as well as GS CHILLERS (originally planned as a monthly to rotate Dracula, Werewolf and Man-Thing) and GS CREATURES (Werewolf By Night, this title was added much like GSSS to make it a separate quarterly from the Dracula book) were 52-page, 35-cent books.

At the same time, a book called SUPER-GIANT SPIDER-MAN (AND DRACULA) #1 was announced and advertised as a companion magazine to MARVEL TEAM-UP, to be 100 pages for 60-cents. But before any of the 100-page books were produced, they realized all these different price points and page counts were confusing, so they made them all 50-cents for 68 pages. They also dropped the generic titles (SUPER-STARS, SUPERHEROES, CHILLERS, CREATURES), and since they didn't want two Giant-Size books with "Spider-Man" in the title, they dropped the solo series (there was a second issue of the Spidey solo series advertised in issue #1 to be titled "The Night They Tore Old New York Down"). Why they didn't just title the team-up book "GIANT-SIZE MARVEL TEAM-UP" is unknown, unless they felt that made the title was too long ("GIANt-SIZE MARVEL TEAM-UP WITH SPIDER-MAN AND DRACULA" - sheesh!).

Another clue that GIANT-SIZE SUPERHEROES #1 and GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN (AND DRACULA) #1 were never the same book are the cover dates; GSSH #1 had a June, 1974 cover date, GSSM #1 was released one month later with a July, 1974 cover date. Had they been the same book, there would have been a 3-month difference, as all the Giant-Size books were quarterlies (GIANT-SIZE SUPER-STARS FEATURING FANTASTIC FOUR #1 was dated May, 1974, GIANT-SIZE FF #2 was dated August, 1974). And while GSSH #1 did offer a (sort-of) team-up of Morbius and Man-Wolf, it definitely was not a MTU-type story, and was never intended as such. It was a solo Spider-Man story with him facing off against two of his monster foes."