Spider-Woman #50 Photo Cover

 

From left: Brian Postman, Lynn Luckman, Mark Gruenwald, Mike Carlin, Eliot R. Brown. Photograph by Eliot R. Brown.

Clipped from  Marvel Comics: The Untold Story: Photo cover to Spider-Woman #50, shot behind Bob Camp’s loft on 37th Street by Eliot R. Brown. Painted enhancements by Bob Larkin. Mike Carlin recalls,

The Scarecrow was Mark Gruenwald. I was in front of him as The Needle (the guy with the needle). Werewolf By Night was colorist Bob Sharen. The guy hanging off the fire escape is Spongebob animator Vincent Waller. The Moth Lady was Mark G’s wife Belinda. Tigra was Annie Nocenti her own bad self. Brian Postman is the Hangman, though ya can barely see him. Not sure who played The Shroud—Ralph Macchio? White-haired guy in white is letterer Jack Morelli. And Green Hoodie guy MIGHT be Ren & Stimpy animator Bob Camp. Lynn Luckman was a secretary from the business-side of Marvel—and she looked awesome in the suit! In fact she’s the only character painter Bob Larkin didn’t have to “enhance” with costume-lines and such! Lotsa fun here!

Photographer Eliot R. Brown recalls:

Mike [Carlin], Mark [Gruenwald] and I had been working on A) Mark’s OMNIVERSE #3, AND B) [THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE] MARVEL UNIVERSE, and any time either of us needed to do something for the other, we did it. This was pretty much the way of the office—we would all jump through hoops for each other…this cover is an apex of self-sacrifice—never mind us crawling up and down fire escapes in the dank and the cold! Lynn—an executive secretary from the mythical “11th Floor”—was such a good sport to wear something so spandex-y and form fitting. She had to crouch on crumbly blocks of brick—she was a trooper! Now, I cannot recall if we did both shoots on the same day/night. I do know I didn’t take enough pictures at the time—well, I had to buy my own film! I do think Mark got us all some pizza, which paid off the extras. I also remember the shot of Belinda (his first wife) as Moth Person, was blown out because we shot that at the last moment in Camp/Waller’s place with room lighting! The print, cut out and pasted up by Redoubtable Ron Zalme, was worked on to make visual sense by Bob Larkin (major league cover painter). I think I made $75 for this, but spent more on a new, improved lighting kit. Oh yes! And the costumes? All from Mark Gruenwald’s Box O’ Costumes—he had all of these readily to hand!”

Dork Note: Thank you - Sean Howe of  Marvel Comics: The Untold Story for all the awesome Marvel stuff! I just bought your book on Amazon - now I am patiently waiting for it to land on my stoop.