Another seasonal Spidey one-shot from MARVEL UK: The SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS WINTER SPECIAL from 1983.
The title, of course, is derived from the Marvel Productions animated series which made its' NBC debut in 1981 but took another two years to hit BBC ONE's schedules. The regular Spider-man weekly adopted the TV tie-in title (despite not having contents that matched the format of the show) between issues 553 (12 October 1983) and 578 (4 April 1984). This Winter Special appeared during this period.
The main reprint, lurking behind a nice uncredited new cover, is a reprint from US MARVEL TEAM-UP ANNUAL 6 featuring the Web Slinger, the New Mutants and Cloak and Dagger.
Deprived of much in the way of TV tie-in material (Marvel New York only adapted one episode of the Amazing Friends TV show), Marvel UK tried to justify the title by running an extended batch of Team-Up strips featuring, yup, Spider-man's amazing friends. Crafty.
I can't be certain but this may well be the first appearance of The New Mutants in an M-UK title.
So glad to see that you're regularly posting articles again this summer. I love the nostalgia and discovering new facts about my era of comic delights. More please.
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