Marvel Team-Up #68
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Team-Up #68 marks the debut of D'Spayre, a Fear Lord whose influence would ripple through Marvel's supernatural corner for decades — appearing against Cyclops and Man-Thing in Uncanny X-Men, menacing Doctor Strange, and ultimately being retroactively woven into the origin of Cloak and Dagger as the hidden architect behind their swapped power sets. The issue is a rare Bronze Age single-issue story that functions as genuine world-building: writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne used the Florida Everglades and the Nexus of All Realities as a stage to introduce a villain whose central conceit — feeding on despair itself — gave him a philosophical hook sturdy enough to sustain appearances across five decades of Marvel publishing. It is also notable for pairing Spider-Man with one of Marvel's most tonally distinct characters, Man-Thing, whose empathic fear-sense creates an unusually layered dynamic when both hero and monster must face an enemy whose power source is fear itself.
In "The Measure of a Man!", Spider-Man and Man-Thing team up in a poignant, swamp-bound adventure that begins when Peter and Mary Jane stumble upon the misunderstood creature on display in a traveling circus. Written by Chris Claremont and brought to life with dynamic art by John Byrne—whose cover pencils are completed by Joe Rubinstein—this 1978 issue explores identity and purpose as Spider-Man helps Man-Thing return to his roots, leading to a showdown with the sinister d'Spayre and a quiet moment of connection in the Florida marshes.
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The issue was written by Chris Claremont and penciled by John Byrne — the same creative partnership then in the early stages of their transformative run on Uncanny X-Men — with inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Phil Rachelson, lettering by Bruce Patterson, and editing by Archie Goodwin; the cover was penciled by Byrne and inked by Joe Rubinstein. It was released on January 24, 1978, with an April 1978 cover date, situating it squarely in Marvel's Bronze Age expansion of horror-mystical storytelling. Claremont drew on Man-Thing supporting characters — Dakimh the Enchanter and Jennifer Kale — who had been created by Steve Gerber during his foundational run on the Man-Thing series, signaling continuity respect while adding his own villain to that corner of the Marvel universe; a hidden carving reading 'Steve Gerber Was Here' on a cabin wall in the story serves as an explicit tip of the hat to Gerber.
Trivia · 10 facts
- First appearance of D'Spayre (real name unrevealed), a demonic Fear Lord and agent of the Dweller-in-Darkness, who would become a recurring Marvel villain for decades.
- First appearance of Amos Jardine, the circus owner who has imprisoned Man-Thing as an exhibit in New York.
- Written by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Byrne (interior pencils and cover), with Bob Wiacek on interior inks and Joe Rubinstein on cover inks; edited by Archie Goodwin.
- Story title: 'The Measure of a Man!' — released January 24, 1978 with an April 1978 cover date.
- The narrative hinges on Spider-Man and Man-Thing facing D'Spayre near the Nexus of All Realities in the Florida Everglades, where D'Spayre holds Dakimh the Enchanter and Jennifer Kale captive in a disguised demonic spire.
- Mary Jane Watson appears at the story's opening as Peter Parker's date at the circus, providing the inciting discovery of Man-Thing on display.
- Dakimh the Enchanter and Jennifer Kale — both created by Steve Gerber — appear as supporting characters and mystic allies; a tribute carving ('Steve Gerber Was Here') is embedded in the story's artwork.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in Essential Man-Thing Vol. 2 (2008, black-and-white), Essential Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3 (2009, black-and-white), the Spider-Man: Marvel Team-Up by Claremont & Byrne hardcover (2011), and Doctor Strange: Lords of Fear (2017).
- D'Spayre went on to appear in Uncanny X-Men #144, Doctor Strange #32, the Cloak and Dagger ongoing series (where he was revealed as a hidden influence on Cloak and Dagger's origins), and was portrayed by Brooklyn McLinn in Season 2 of Marvel's Cloak & Dagger on Freeform (2019).
- A UK price variant of this issue (cover price 12p) was produced for the British market.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints [Marvel Hostess Ads] #25 (1978)
Reprinted in Eclipso #70 (1980), L'Uomo Ragno [Collana Super-Eroi] #252 (1980), Die Spinne Comic - Taschenbuch #9 (1981), Marvel Tales #204 (1987), Marvel Méga Hors Série #11 (2000), Essential Man-Thing #2 (2008), Essential Marvel Team-Up #3 (2009), Spider-Man: Marvel Team-Up by Claremont & Byrne #[nn] (2011), Man-Thing Omnibus #[nn] (2012), Spider-Man Team-Up : L'intégrale #1977-1978 (2015), Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung #38 (2016), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #103 (2017), Doctor Strange: Lords of Fear #[nn] (2017), Spider-Man by John Byrne Omnibus #[nn] (2019), Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Team-Up #7 (2023)
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