Throwback Thursday: AIM Toothpaste Spider-Man Tie-In Comic (1980)

Dental Dilemma!

In honor of Stan Lee’s recent passing, I’d like to share one of my earliest comic book memories as a child.  In 1980, I was four years old and still uncertain about going to the dentist.  My mother cared about my teeth and wanted me to have some healthy pearly whites, so anything that she thought could convince me to brush my choppers on the regular was good in her eyes.  Little did she know that she was about to unleash  a monster on the world.

AIM Toothpaste released a free The Amazing Spider-Man comic book featuring Spidey taking on the Green Goblin.  This was my earliest introduction to Spider-Man on the printed page.  I had skimmed a few of my older brother’s comics, but he was mainly into Star Wars comics with a few X-men comics thrown in for good measure.  This AIM comic introduced me to the Green Goblin, one of Spidey’s greatest villains, and hooked me on the Webslinger and the Green Guy immediately.

As the years have passed, I’ve forgotten much about what this comic was about (although I still own it).  The bottom left panel featuring Spidey slamming into the Goblin is, to this day, one of my favorite panels in all of comics.  The next panel, with Goblin trapped in a giant set of teeth, is another of my favorites.  The story was written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by Alex Suviak and ink by Mike Esposito.

While AIM’s intention was most likely to get kids to buy their toothpaste, it hooked me on Spider-Man and the Green Goblin instead.  It’s a well known fact that Spider-Man was Stan Lee’s favorite superhero, and he’s one of my favorites as well.  I hope that you’ve enjoyed this quick trip down memory lane with me, and if you’re a person of faith, say a little prayer for Stan, his family, and all of the fans that have been touched by Stan’s work over the years.  He has created and/or co-created some of the biggest characters in comics history.

As always, thank for reading.  I still need to post my review of my recent visit to the Texas Renaissance Festival.  Be on the lookout for that real soon!