Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus covers by Todd McFarlane, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema

Remember the days when Spidey and Doc Ock weren't the same person?  LOL.  I do get a kick out of reading Superior Spider-Man.  But here are some old Marvel Tales covers when their relationship wasn't so close.

Marvel Tales #224 by Todd McFarlane in 1989 features a classic battle between Doc and Spidey on the rooftops.  This one reprinted the classic issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#89) where Captain Stacey dies saving a child on the street below.

Marvel Tales #223, another McFarlane cover features Spidey getting a full frontal attack by those robot arms.  You have to admit McFarlane draws a great Spidey, and he kept the underarm webbing!

Marvel Tales #40 from 1971-1972 featured a Gil Kane cover.  Spidey had lost his memory and became temporarily convinced he was Doc Ock's partner in crime?  Crazy huh?  Good thing the internet wasn't around then or we would have fans screaming about tentacle porn.

Marvel Tales #38 cover by Sal Buscema featured one of those Doc Ock larger than life motifs.  Now I feel even more creepy about those tentacles.  Nuff Said!

Todd McFarlane covers Spider-Man and the X-Men

The reprint title Marvel Tales starting throwing a number of popular artists on the cover pages.  One of them was Todd McFarlane, who drew some outstanding covers of Spider-Man teaming up with the X-Men.

Marvel Tales #233, this cover is my favorite out of this batch.  The X-Men are in their classic yellow and blue uniforms, Beast is large and chunky in the foreground, Cyclops looks all repressed and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) is absolutely ravishing with her red hair spilling out of her mask.

Original art to Marvel Tales #233, currently on sale at Heritage Comics auction site.  This will be an expensive purchase!  I think the auction closes in Feb 2013.

Marvel Tales #235, featuring the all new X-Men charging alongisde Spidey.  Wolverine and Colossus get the big foreground push here.  I wish Phoenix was upfront so we could have seen how McFarlane would have drawn that costume.

Original art to #235, this sold for over $56K on Heritage, wowza!  You have to admire the detailed line work in this piece.

Marvel Tales #236 features a classic McFarlane Spidey pose and Storm looks great in her original costume.  No original art for this one, I would love to see that one day.  Nuff Said!