Remembering 9/11 15 Years Later... The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #36

Today marks 15 years since "9/11" happened in 2001... And it will be forever a day where we will "Never Forget" the heroism and sacrifices so many made that day. People tried stood tall in the face of adversity and hopelessness... And one of the comics that paid tribute and remembered that day of shock and tragedy was Marvel's "The Amazing Spider-Man" - which printed a black covered issue released on December of that year and had its story titled "Stand Tall".

A lot can be summed about that issue in its way to depict the aftermath of the attacks that saw the destruction of the twin towers and many souls lost - heroes like Spidey in the story gathered to help their fellowmen and try to save as many lives and comfort those who were in dire shock. However, it was also a story penned by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by John Romita Jr. that honored those real life policemen, firemen, and soldiers - brave souls who answered the call to just make a difference and help the victims of that horrible event. Literally - everyone "Stood Tall"... And it brought everyone together because of the terror that hit innocents unexpectedly.

We Remember 9/11... Never Forget.

Remembering 9/11 and Comics that paid tribute to the real heroes...

It's the week where we remember and will never forget... And where everybody stood tall and came together to honor those who fell and gave their all to assist those in need.

That being said, I couldn't take my mind off particular issues of comicdom that reflected on the event, which was both ominous, silent, and poignant in conveying the thoughts and feelings of what many felt during the events of 9/11 12 years ago. One miniseries in particular by DC Comics shared the notion of paying tribute to the brave men and women who gave their all with "extraordinary courage" in the two-part "9-11".

Marvel also had a dark and solid take on the matter with their "Black Issue" of "The Amazing Spider-Man #36", which saw Peter Parker's alter ego and the rest of the Marvel Universe band together in the midst of the crisis that befell all during that dark time.

Outside of the superheroics and villainy, the real heroes do what they do to lend their fellowman a helping hand. We honor the brave and courageous by remembering.

Always remembered. Never forgotten.

A moment of silence for 9/11...

This classic Alex Ross artwork for the "9/11 DC Comics tribute" inspires a moment of silence... and a solemn reminder that we remember that day and those who gave their lives to help their fellowmen like true heroes.

Remembering 9/11 and The Amazing Spider-Man #36... 10 years later

9/11. The date alone evokes a lot of unpleasant and sad memories. It also makes me remember a certain issue of The Amazing Spider-Man that I have, which served as a remembrance of that day that will be forever remembered as one of the worst attacks by terrorism.

Yes, the simple black cover to this issue said it all. Originally released on December 2001, The Amazing Spider-Man #36 was one of the rare instances a comic book deviated from its ongoing storyline and focused on a situation/ event that was as real as it was going to get. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by John Romita Jr., the books serves as a medium for the writer and artist to voice out their feelings regarding what transpired that day, showing Spider-Man wracked with shock and grief like many others, as he looks over and searches for survivors over the remains of what was once the World Trade Center.

The message sent here was simple and clear -  it was a tragedy nobody could ever forget. The damage, fear, and chaos that was a result of those attacks still haunt many who experienced it first hand to this day, and those of us around the world who watched helplessly over various mediums could only feel pain, remorse, and anger over what transpired. My own memories of watching the horrible events unfold in CNN were as clear as yesterday, and even though 10 years have passed, we still remember and honor the memories of those who died and gave their lives bravely to help those in need that day.


Straczynski and Romita Jr. presented one of the most heartfelt tales that reflected the obvious shock people had over this event, as well as the overwhelming guilt and responsibility fictional heroes like Spider-Man felt over a terrible crisis like this. As someone who has fought for the safety of others, the webslinger is grounded and helpless to do anything even with all of his powers at his disposal. Arriving at Ground Zero after the dust clears, he valiantly looks for signs of life, joining his fellow superheroes to work with other rescuers and emergency units in finding as many survivors as they can. It was a heartfelt message of remembrance and heroism at a time when America truly needed those heroes. Even though it's been almost 10 years since this issue hit newsstands, it still resonates with me as one of the clearest and honest reactions to 9/11. We will never forget.

SDCC '11: Frank Miller's Holy Terror

If you know who Frank Miller is, then you're probably well aware that many of his works in the world of comics like Daredevil, Batman, 300, and Sin City, with the latter two eve made into blockbuster movies. His contributions to both film and literature are diverse and well known to fans of popculture, but arguably he is best known for bringing Batman back to his dark roots with his work on Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Those titles became legendary in status, and helped set the pace for future tales of the Caped Crusader to be told in a much more grittier and realistic fashion. Recent years have seen Miller return to writing sequels to his "Dark Knight universe" with The Dark Knight Strikes Again and All-Star Batman and Robin, but those books weren't as highly acclaimed as his previous two storylines (with the exception of coining the phrase "The Goddamn Batman" with his exceptional dialogue writing and script).

Originally pitched as a Batman story in 2006 but was eventually cancelled by DC, Miller is now working on a new graphic novel called "Holy Terror", in which a masked vigilante garbed and styled like the Dark Knight wages a one man war against the Al-Qaeda and Terrorism. A trailer has been released and can be seen below just to show just how graphic and serious this story is going to be, and it leans on the political aspect of the concept being used here. Check it out below for your reference and, if necessary, your amusement on what Mr. Miller has in store for his readers next.


Holy Terror trailer

Well, there you have it. For more info and details on the book, visit the source post at Bleeding Cool.

Holy Terror is scheduled to be released on September 2011, to coincide with the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Spotlight: Amazing Spider-Man #36 - The 9/11 Tribute Issue

September 11, 2001... a day that will live on as one of true bewilderment and sadness. It's been 8 years since that attack in New York City, and one cannot forget those devastating images of the Twin Towers shown in CNN, which continue to burn inside the minds and hearts of those overcome by grief and loss. Utter shock and disbelief fell upon my face, and like millions of viewers around the world, I saw the unthinkable happen. It was just too much to take in... and certainly not one for the faint of heart.

After that, it seemed like many were compelled to respond... to evoke what they felt inside. Tributes were given, songs were sung, and many tried to muster up the courage to shout back and say how they felt. Every kind of visual medium, from television to the internet, had something to say about 9/11 that echoed the stories of those who were greatly affected by this event. Needless to say, it even reached the world of comics. Many books and graphic novels were published at the time that showed many famous artists and writers responding to the tragedy at hand, and out of all of them, I can think of no other tribute issue that's as gripping and emotional as Amazing Spider-Man #36, which is also known as the "black cover" issue.


Written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by John Romita Jr., the black issue covers what you'd expect, Spider-Man's reaction to the attack on the World Trade Center. Like everyone else, he is wracked with emotion and grief over the incident, feeling helpless that he couldn't do anything to prevent such a terrible incident from happening. It's from this point that we get into his head, his thoughts full of concern and guilt. He does his best to help out with the rescue efforts, with other heroes and NYC's finest working through the debris to find any survivors. It's a very moving issue, one that deliberately throws all the fancy heroics out of the window and instead displaying pure human emotion at work, with everyone united under one great cause to help each other in the wake of this tragedy.


After all these years, I still remember this issue whenever the anniversary of 9/11 comes in. Call it nostalgia if you will, but I can't think of any fitting tribute other than this one, because to me, it's a clear and visible reminder of how people truly felt 8 years ago. With that, I'll end this entry with a youtube tribute video I found, which focuses on the issue itself: