Went to Sacramento Comic Con today. Lots of fun. One of the interviewees/speakers was none other than Jim Shooter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_ShooterQuestion time rolled around and I took the opportunity to settle a mystery that has remained unsolved since 1984.
How does Spiderman beat the X-Men in the first part of Secret Wars? I mean, come on. Spiderman and all four X-Men are in a room. Fight's on. In a sane universe, Spiderman does not make it out in one piece, right?
Maybe I forgot to mention I was asking Jim Shooter in front of a room full of people.
Apparently, this was Jim's specific call. Spiderman, who at the time was falling into obscurity by a ragingly popular X-Men was getting a facelift and renovation, and who stood in the way but the Uncannys. Jim reminded us all the Spiderman was actually a righteous badass, despite his humble demeanor. No one else could dodge Electro electrobolts.
Spiderman has powers. He also happens to be Jim's favorite. Jim does the palm out hand sign at me, so I'm webbed and helpless. I told him it was a cause of some disagreement and shock back in the day. Bottom line. Spiderman puts some moves on the X-Men and that's that. 'Sez Shooter. Very well, sir.
Jim did remind us all that the X-Men did, in fact, win the war and Spiderman was about to get a whole new archenemy dealing with Venom and so I figure reminding the X-Men that Spiderman has been on this gig for a long time was his due.
It was some comfort to find out from Jim himself that the whole scene was done over Chris Clairemont's strenuous objections.
If this all means nothing. Suffice it to say this fight between Spiderman and the X-Men was a thing and remained a thing for a long time. Now, 33 years later, I got to ask him in person and he settled it
like the thing it was. That was pretty cool.