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Last week I had the privilege and very good fortune to speak with Jeri Colpitts, an actor who spent an incredible twenty-three years portraying the Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel's personal appearance program, beginning in 1978. Jeri has had marvelous first-hand experiences inside this industry, throughout the 80s boom and into the present-day, getting to know Stan Lee, members of the famous Marvel bullpen, and avid fans around the world. He shared some of his stories and photos with me, making me feel like a kid on his first trip to Disneyland. I hope to have the opportunity to share as many of these anecdotes and experiences as I can, but first, I'll republish the column I wrote for the winter '09 issue of the Idle Times zine:
SPIDER-MAN REVEALED!
A conversation with Jeri Colpitts, the Man behind Marvel’s Main Mask
1978 was an important year in comic book history: Will Eisner introduced the world to the graphic novel with A Contract With God, direct market comic specialty stores started popping up around the country, and Jim Shooter took over the reins as Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics.
Less newsworthy at the time, 1978 also saw the birth of Marvel’s Personal Appearance Program: live actors in spandex representing some of Marvel’s more popular characters on hand for a variety of media events.
One of the very first actors hired for this fledgling program was Jeri Colpitts, a twenty-two year old theater graduate from the University of Maine. Upon arriving in New York City, Jeri adopted the stage name Jeremy Stuart, the name by which he was known for his entire 23-year career as the most iconic and most popular character in the company’s history: The Amazing Spider-Man.
“For the first nine or ten years Marvel kept me very busy, flying me all over the country,” Jeri explains. “I was opening toy stores, appearing at malls. I’m proud to say I was probably the most recognizable figure in the Macy’s Parade for a number of years.”
The industry boomed in the 1980s, and along with the rise in Marvel’s popularity came a number of more high-profile ev
ents for their signature spokesperson. In 1987, to coincide with the release of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, the highly-publicized wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, a capacity crowd of 53,000 Mets fans was treated to a live wedding at Shea Stadium. Jeri, in Spidey-formalwear complete with tie and tails courtesy of well-known NYC designer Willi Smith, was married to a Mary Jane-lookalike by none other than Stan “The Man” Lee. “All the Marvel characters were on hand. Captain America was my best man.” Stan sealed the deal (with this ring I thee web) “and the crowd went crazy.”
When Marvel went public in 1991, Jeri made an unprecedented appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, climbing down the wall to ring the opening bell. Despite practicing for several days prior, Jeri remembers that “heart-in-the-throat feeling. It’s like taking the stage on opening night: you’re nervous, and you know this could go in any direction, but that’s part of the constant thrill of being a performer.”
Unlike, say, a Disneyland character actor, Marvel’s live heroes spoke to their audiences, and Jeri was given a lot of freedom over the years to write his own speeches and dialogues. “It usually involved recycling the expected cheesy remarks: ‘This job has me climbing the walls,’” but it also meant that Jeri was able to embark on more meaningful campaigns, including an elementary school tour in partnership with the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. Coinciding with the release of a special edition comic book addressing the issue, Jeri had the opportunity to speak to thousands of kids in schools and hospitals around the country. “There was a lot of buzz and excitement about this project, and we really did some extraordinary things. I really am very proud of the program.”
Jeri wore the webs for over two decades, and the energy he generated portraying the character was, well, nothing short of amazing. “In traveling with Stan [Lee] over the years we’d often talk about what makes this guy so magic.” Here was a real hometown hero, a guy from New York City, “not Metropolis or Gotham. It was the realistic bent that Stan insisted on.”
This aspect of Spider-Man’s character has, of course, created a very passionate fanbase, and Jeri took on the role, each and every time, with the requisite great responsibility (thanks, Uncle Ben). “My attitude was to always treat everyone as a best friend I hadn’t seen in a while, because they sure know me.” Whether leading tours through the famous Marvel Bullpen, or stopping traffic on the streets of New York City, Jeri’s alter-ego elicited constant smiles, thumbs-up, and photo ops. “This character means so much to so many people. It was such a joy to absorb all that enthusiasm.”
Personally, it was a joy and a privilege to have the opportunity to speak with Jeri. Every story, every anecdote, recanted from a life spent as a central figure in this beloved medium turns me into a wide-eyed attention-rapt little kid all over again, and I look forward to further conversations with the Man Behind the Mask. We warmly welcome Jeri into Idle Time’s extended family, excited that he has already embraced one of our signature mantras. In the words of patron saint Wayne Coyne, “Enthusiasm can save the world.” Enthusiasm, and the proportionate speed, strength, and agility of a spider, natch.
- MDG
Spidey at the '89 Macy's Parade: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wc5l91No2gM&feature=relatedThe Wedding! http://youtube.com/watch?v=UQwslg6lat8
The Golden Age of Comics -- generally regarded as beginning in the thirties and continuing through the fifties -- birthed the modern superhero as we know it. Many of the "Golden Greats" are still prevalent in comicdom today. DC's main stable of heroes, including Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; along with heroes from publishers that were later absorbed by DC, like All-American's Wonder Woman and Fawcett's Captain Marvel, are icons that debuted during this comic book boom. Marvel revived some of its Golden Age heroes too, like Captain America and the Sub-Mariner, published originally in the 40's under Marvel's former identity as Timely Comics.
But this is still just a fraction of the Golden Age's legacy of adventure and imagination. Rocketing out of the pulp traditions of mystery, romance, and science fiction, the comics of the day reflected a variety of genres and characters, from the mystical buddhist power of the Green Lama to the shadowy investigations of Witness. Many of these characters were reincorporated into modern continuity, particularly at DC, where an entire universe of Golden Age characters has been the focus of the Justice Society of America for some time (including an excellent current run written by Geoff Johns).
Even more recently, three projects have garnered critical praise for bringing back long-forgotten company-owned and public domain superheroes from decades past. Dynamite Entertainment is publishing Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers, a limited series that tells of the revival of a number of Golden Age heroes, including Black Terror and Fighting Yank. The initial storyline is currently available in hardcover and will ship in paperback ($19.95) at the end of this month. Come for the Ross covers and new character designs; stay for the engaging plot developments. The team behind Kingdom Come and Justice can do more than just paint a pretty picture.
Over at Marvel, long-time Spider-Man writer and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski leads a revival of obscure (some appeared in but a handful of comics in the 1940s) Timely heroes in The Twelve. The premise here is that the heroes were captured and cryogenically frozen by the Nazis during the war... and have been thawed out in the 21st century. Hijinks! JMS takes what would otherwise be ridiculously-campy War-era castoffs (like Laughing Mask and Rockman) and drives them through an entertaining modern rendition of the classic pulp serials -- twelve chapters featuring twelve characters, all woven together in this "Thrilling Novel of Tomorrow." The first six issues have been collected in a hardcover edition ($24.99) with a paperback due in March.
Maybe the most exciting Golden Age revival (and the point of this blog in the first place), is Jeff Parker and Leonar
d Kirk's outstanding Agents of Atlas, finally available (as of last week) in trade paperback ($24.99). The 2006 series brings a number of Atlas Comics characters (Marvel's identity in the 1950s) together for the first time since a brief appearance in a 1978 issue of What If? Badass Jimmy Woo's team takes on the fiendish Yellow Claw in a sci-fi-tinged capes-n-tights mystery staunchly rooted in modern mainstream Marvel U. In fact, later this month, Agents of Atlas launches as a regular series: what better way to combat the Dark Reign than with a killer robot, talking gorilla, and orphaned Uranian? Grab the trade and get up to speed.
One of the best things about the collected edition is the inclusion of gorgeous Golden Age reprints, including stories from such atomically-charged whizbangs as Menace, Men's Adventures, and Marvel Mystery Comics. Pulp-tastic!
Comics have come a long way since their inception, and there's no discounting the modern quality of writing, art, and innovation. But when modern creators can successfully tell an entertaining story while simultaneously paying homage to their Golden ancestry -- especially by mining unfamiliar ground -- the result is something truly special. You don't have to be a comic book aficionado to appreciate the revival, any more than you need to be abreast of cinematic history to appreciate what Steven Spielberg was trying to do in each of the Indiana Jones films. Admit it. You liked Temple of Doom.
Look at their names all big, bold, and grayscale. Like a movie marquee. These guys are fucking celebrities. And in case you haven't read anything by Brubaker and Sean Phillips yet (something like Sleeper or Criminal), then understand: these guys are comic book celebrities, of the first order. And your first order is to eat up every goddam thing these two are involved with before they get lured away by TV or movies or freaking video games I guess... one of the many visual literary media that pays a helluva lot better than the comics industry. And then maybe, just maybe, these cats will keep churning out one amazing four-color rag after another and the world will be that much closer to its realization as an idyllic land of free Wi-Fi and rampant funnybook aficionados.
So, today, Friday the 2nd of January in freshly-hatched 2009 (or any subsequent day I suppose... just don't dawdle), run over to your nearest comic shop and pick up the first issue of the new Brubaker & Phillips jam: Incognito. Zack Overkill is a former supervillain in witness protection. He turned his former boss Black Death over to the feds years ago and has been sedated with powers-suppressing medication ever since. Or has he..?
Make it a New Year's Resolution, my friends: Read More Comics. I'm here to help. And start by helping yourself to the year's first really exciting new book. Also includes a pretty great article on the pulp history of The Shadow.
ents for their signature spokesperson. In 1987, to coincide with the release of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, the highly-publicized wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, a capacity crowd of 53,000 Mets fans was treated to a live wedding at Shea Stadium. Jeri, in Spidey-formalwear complete with tie and tails courtesy of well-known NYC designer Willi Smith, was married to a Mary Jane-lookalike by none other than Stan “The Man” Lee. “All the Marvel characters were on hand. Captain America was my best man.” Stan sealed the deal (with this ring I thee web) “and the crowd went crazy.”
Unlike, say, a Disneyland character actor, Marvel’s live heroes spoke to their audiences, and Jeri was given a lot of freedom over the years to write his own speeches and dialogues. “It usually involved recycling the expected cheesy remarks: ‘This job has me climbing the walls,’” but it also meant that Jeri was able to embark on more meaningful campaigns, including an elementary school tour in partnership with the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. Coinciding with the release of a special edition comic book addressing the issue, Jeri had the opportunity to speak to thousands of kids in schools and hospitals around the country. “There was a lot of buzz and excitement about this project, and we really did some extraordinary things. I really am very proud of the program.”
