MANSLAUGHTER, the Amazing Spider-Man #271, 1985.

(Click the cover for a larger version!)

It’s pretty typical that back in the 80s, bruthas were cast as the middle-manager boss, hired-gun, and backbreaker. Manslaughter Marsdale was no exception in the Amazing Spider-Man #271.

With a stable of solid fighters, Manslaughter works a boxing gym and rules with iron fists. One of the main stories in the issue revolves around Crusher Hogan, (everyone knows this is the cat that Spider-Man beat in the ring shortly after gaining his powers), and a young boxer in the Marsdale gym that is thinking about jumping ship to new management.

Naturally Manslaughter isn’t feeling the news and decides to school the boxer on his options:

(Click the scan for a larger version!)

One thing that immediately stood out to me is the fact that this cat is huge. Freakishly huge. Larger than Crusher Hogan, (and you know how big that cat was over Spider-Man). The size of his hands are like two 10lb turkeys grafted onto the end of his arms, but, his dome is tiny! I’ve always wondered about any villian with a small cranial set. Is that on purpose? The implication is that my mans physical size and strength must compensate for a smaller realm for the neurons to fire and someone else is masterminding behind the scenes.

It’s true that Manslaughter is the middle-manager boss type, answering to a higher authority in Madame fang:

I can’t say it surprises me that Manslaughter is frontin’ muscle for this crustly lil’ woman, given that it’s the 80s and typical of large-muscle-little-brains to be doin’ someone else’s dirt. Still, it would be on point for one of these thoroughbred type bruthas to have their own crime syndicate hustle going on (ala Wilson Fisk a.k.a Kingpin). On the one hand, it makes me think that no matter how strong a Black man can be, he’s always got to answer to someone who seemingly has more mental hustle & flow to exploit the juice for their own gains. Could it be that bruthas are susceptible to puttin’ in work for someone else, because, thats the way it’s always been and Black folks just think smaller???

On the whole, do we just accept the short-term gains because thats the angle we get played and at least we get a lil’ somethin-somethin’??? I’d like to think otherwise, personally, but here I am reading a Comic that sort of embodies my fear. I know plenty of cats, including myself, that are counter to that perception — the triple threat (i.e. big, Black, and intelligent). Was the mode back in the 80s that Black folks couldn’t aspire for more? I wonder if thats how the whole stereotypical mentals of, “but, you’re an exception to the rule” came about? Things that make you go, hmmmmmmm. Still, Manslaughter in the end is just your typical third-string street goon and is necessary to make this whole play seem plausible.

This is a Spider-Man Comics issue, so the cat does appear, but, I haven’t been focusing on his role (this is called Dark Stars remember!). Spidey’s story aside, we’ll fast forward to the part where he goes toe-to-toe with Manslaughter.

Spider-Man really finds out what it’s like to fight a brutha who feels no pain. One of Manslaughter’s main hustles is the operation he underwent to remove all pain receptors. Makes it tough to put a man down who can’t feel the can of whoop-ass you just broke out on him.


(Click the scan for a larger version!)

In the end though, Spidey lets Manslaughter know why he’s just fakin’ the funk as a boss-playa with the ol’, “Spider trumps Lambchop-hooks, FOO!!!“:



Black folks, if you’re out there and reading this…WHATEVER you go for, go for it all. Think big, go for broke, and STOP SNITCHIN’!!!! (at least on each other). You can’t be the peoples-champ type hero if you’re a sidekick and you can’t survive as the evil genius if you’re the first one to die on the front line. MAYHEM is a man called MANSLAUGHTER, Spider-Man, #271.

Bahlactus has spoken.

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