Spider-Man Goes Goblin Mode, Heartstopper Gets Stopped, Dan Green Dies | Comic Book Club News For August 23, 2023

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On today’s Comic Book Club News for August 23, 2023, Amazing Spider-Man reveals how Peter Parker goes goblin mode. Meanwhile, down in Mississippi, a small town has restricted Heartstopper to the adult section of the library. And veteran comic book artist Dan Green has died.

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Episode Transcript:

Veteran artist Dan Green has died

Spider-Man goes goblin mode.

Heartstopper gets stopped in Mississippi.

This is Comic Book Club News for August 23, 2023.

Dan Green Dies:

Some sad news to start off the day: veteran artist Dan Green has died. The news was first shared by his friend Walt Simonson, who said, quote: “Dan Green has caught the last train out. One of my oldest friends in comics. A wonderful artist who inked an X-Factor job I penciled. He had a beautiful line that complimented my own work, and I’ve always been delighted he inked it. Godspeed, pal. Thanks for the friendship.”

Green was best known to fans as an inker. A frequent collaborator of Marc Silvestri, notably on his long run on X-Men, as well as John Byrne and John Romita, Jr. However, Green also worked as an illustrator, including working with J. M. DeMatteis on the well-regarded 1986 graphic novel Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa.

After news of his passing broke, comic book fans and professionals took to social media to sing his praises and discuss how influential his work was on an entire generation. But we’ll leave you with this from DeMattias: “A great loss, a great sadness, for all who knew him.”

Spider-Man Goes Goblin Mode:

Back at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel teased that Spider-Man might somehow, some way become the new Green Goblin. And now, thanks to today’s just-released Amazing Spider-Man #32, we know how it happens.

Spoilers for the issue, written by Zeb Wells and drawn by Patrick Gleason. Way back in Amazing Spider-Man #50, which came out three years ago even though we’re just now talking about Amazing Spider-Man #32 because comics are impossible to follow, Norman Osborn became a good guy. Or rather, thanks to a character named the Sin-Eater, Osborn had his, uh, sins eaten. Subsequently, Osborn has taken on the heroic mantle of the Gold Goblin, and become a trusted ally of Peter Parker.

In today’s issue, Kraven the Hunter, who is actually the son of the original Kraven the Hunter, but they look exactly the same because again, comics are impossible to follow, has decided to use a magical spear filled with Norman Osborn’s sins to make him evil again. Fortunately for Norman, Spider-Man is there to stop Kraven Jr., and jumps in the way just as the spear is about to hit.

Instead, Spider-Man is filled with the sins of Norman Osborn, turning him evil.

In case you think this will be a temporary status quo: guess again. Spider-Man will seemingly officially take on the Goblin identity in the upcoming issue #35 of the title. And Marvel has promised that this storyline will fuel the next 24 issues of Amazing Spider-Man. Doing some quick math, that means the story will wrap up in issue #49, teeing up the second Amazing Spider-Man #50 in five years. Comics, man.

Heartstopper Restricted To Adult Section In Mississippi Library:

Heartstopper, Alice Oseman’s hit graphic novel series, has been restricted to the adult section of a Mississippi library after what can conservatively be described as a bunch of idiotic, raging bigots complained about the “homosexual” content of the books.

During a meeting with the Columbia-Marion County Public Library, a group of what the Mississippi Free Press describes as a “nearly all-white, mostly older crowd” demanded that the series be moved from the Young Adult section and placed in the restricted, age 17 plus adult section of the library. The reason? One mother, who homeschools her children, found a website that described the books as having, quote, “sexual activities; alternate sexualities; alternate gender ideologies; profanity; and violence.”

Back in reality, the book series, which Oseman appropriately describes as gentle, focuses on two teen boys who fall in love with each other. There are some extremely mild and non-graphic discussions of sex, but visually the books only depict kissing, hugging, and hand-holding. And regarding the violence, there are plot lines that delve — again, gently — into self-harm and disordered eating. But let’s be honest here: the issue these absolute tools are having is the homosexuality.

It doesn’t stop there. While only Heartstopper was moved to the adult section at the meeting, one self-hating piece of human garbage also offered up 14 other titles she thought should be similarly restricted. Probably a total coincidence, but all of those titles were written by women.

This push against Heartstopper and other similar books is tied to the organization Moms for Liberty, which has been correctly labeled an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Given that group is national, it’s possible that trying to stop Heartstopper, which is also an international hit on Netflix, is just getting started.

Comic Book Club News Outro:

For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And normally we won’t editorialize so hard on this show, but those people suck.

Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.

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