Spider-Man: Lifeline #1 (April 2001)

When people think of sequels, people tend to think of movies. But comics also do sequels as well. One storyline that got a sequel was the original Lifeline Tablet Saga, which ran from issues #67-75 (December 1968-August 1969) of The Amazing Spider-Man. You may be familiar with the tale if you watched the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. 

If you're not, let me fill you in. The Lifeline Tablet Saga told the tale of Spider-Man's fight against the debuting criminal Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi, a Sicilian-born Maggia (the Marvel Universe's version of the Mafia) Don. Silvermane was getting up there in years and heard about a clay tablet. The tablet's writing claimed to be a recipe for a potion that was essentially a Fountain of Youth. Long story short, he'd get the formula, but he would end up deaging out of existence. In your true comic stylings, he would return, and even become a cyborg in the 1980s. I love comics. 

What does this have to do with sequels? Well, the Lifeline Tablet Saga would get a sequel in 2001: The three-issue miniseries Spider-Man: Lifeline. How did this miniseries come about? Well, editor Ralph Macchio was approached by writer Fabian Nicieza to do a sequel to the Saga, including bringing in Steve Rude (most famous for Nexus) to do the art duties. Macchio was a fan of the original story, and he had wanted Steve Rude to draw on a Marvel title. And from there, the rest is history. So, how did this story go down. Was it the start of a worthy sequel, or were you just better off reading the original? Let's find out in Spider-Man: Lifeline #1!

The cover is a Steve Rude piece. It's a bit of a basic cover, but I do think it's very well-done. It depicts Spider-Man swinging while around him, surrounded by people and moments from his past. I think it's honestly a strange choice for the cover, as it doesn't really seem to preview the story within. It's still a nice cover, though.

"Part One: Pieces of Fate"
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Steve Rude
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Greg Wright
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada

The story begins with our man Peter Parker attending a museum opening. He's there as a member of the press, getting some pictures. His Spider-Sense goes off, confusing the Web-Slinger. A man named Louis Wilson steps up to the podium, revealing that he has been working to unearth more fragments of an ancient tablet from a pre-Sumerian civilization.

Peter has a history with the man and the tablet. Peter never learned the fate of the Lifeline tablet afterwards, but here Wilson showed that not only does he have it, but the tablet was also incomplete. Certainly explained what happened to Silvermane. Peter notices that one of the waiters bears a remarkable resemblance to Michael "Man Mountain" Marko, one of Silvermane's former Maggia lieutenants. 

Peter thinks this is hardly a coincidence that he's here, considering that he was involved in the original Lifeline Tablet saga. The photographer's suspicions turn out to be dead on the money, as Marko makes for the tablet pieces. Peter goes to the bathroom to switch his civvies for his classic Spidey red-and-blues, but the door is locked.

Parker luck, indeed. Petey's going to have to improvise. 

I admit, that is funny. Marko runs for it, but Spidey is able to web his ankles. However, Marko ends up accidentally tossing the collected tablet pieces in the air...and causing a giant caveman to come tumbling down. Marko gets away, but Spidey's able to save to save the tablet pieces and the caveman. He quietly returns the tablet pieces, despite J. Jonah Jameson's screaming about Spider-Man being the cause of the whole mess. Spider-Man watches Wilson leave with the fragments. He follows him, thinking Marko will try to get the fragments again. And again, Spidey's instincts are dead-on. 

The Man-Mountain was just a distraction, though. Another man made off with the fragments. Spider-Man tries to pursue the perpetrator, but they're slippery. Slippery as...an Eel. Spider-Man, realizing this, goes to talk to Wilson about it. After all, the Eel's involvement makes sense as well. Both Marko and the Eel once worked for a Maggia lawyer named Caesar Cicero...who once bailed Wilson out of jail during the original saga. Wilson insists he's legit now, but Spider-Man doesn't believe it.

Wilson is telling the truth. You see, he could profit more from those fragments himself than he could working for Cicero and the Maggia. Since his parole, he searched for the missing pieces of the original Lifeline tablet. He discovered the tablet was linked to the Hyborian Age (the era of Conan the Barbarian), Lemuria (linking it to the Deviants) and Atlantis. He realized that the formula that de-aged Silvermane to nothingness was flawed because it was not complete. Spider-Man notes that if Wilson was able to discover this...so would Cicero. 

The scene changes to Cicero's estate in Long Island. The corrupt lawyer hopes that obtaining the fragments will make the Maggia look at him with a bit more respect. But a new player busts in to wreck that plan: The Boomerang.

Not feeling that particular costume design, but that's a minor thing. Feel tries to attack the Australian merc, but a glue boomerang puts an end to that. He makes off with the rocks, as he was paid to grab them. Spider-Man goes to consult Doctor Strange about the Lifeline tablet. Strange confirms that the fragments do alter the formula, but due to the complexities of the language used to record the formula, he can't quite tell how exactly the formula was altered. He'll have to consult a friend. Peter himself also has a friend to consult in Queens: Mr. Arthur Stacy.

Arthur and Spidey have crossed paths before. Peter is...a friend of his family. You see, Arthur was the brother of the late police captain George Stacy...and the uncle of the equally late Gwen Stacy. Arthur possesses some journals written by his late brother regarding the cases he worked on during his life. We get a recap of Spidey's history with the Stacys. Arthur returns with one of the journals, revealing that after the events of the original Lifeline Tablet saga, the titular tablet was placed in police storage. Yeah, it was dumped in a warehouse like the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Arthur makes some calls. You see, he has some friends in the NYPD thanks to his late brother, and he learns that the Lifeline tablet is missing. The last time the inventory was checked was six months ago, so it had to be taken after then. Spidey has some suspects and asks Arthur to keep on checking. We next head to Brooklyn. There, the Boomerang takes the tablet fragments to the man who hired him: the metal-headed 1930s-loving gangster known as Hammerhead. There is another man with the two, and he assures the gangster that the fragments will be able to help improve on the original Lifeline formula of youth. Hammerhead tells the man they'd better, or else the man's family will meet with...an unfortunate accident.

Who is that man? Dr. Curt Connors, aka the Lizard. He's only doing this to protect his family...and he hopes the Lifeline formula will be able to free him from the curse of the Lizard.

I really enjoyed this comic, and I do think it's a very good start to what seems like a great sequel to the original Lifeline Tablet Saga. Nicieza gets Spidey, and he makes it so you can read this on its own without having to read the original saga. I got a good chuckle out of some of the quips he uses. I Steve Rude's artwork is also spectacular. His style has an old-school flair to it that really fits a follow-up to a 1960s storyline. In fact, I think this miniseries is very underrated. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2017 trade paperback Spider-Man: The Lifeline Tablet Saga. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!