Stuff that didn't make it into the book

[Steve Saffel]

One of the most challenging things about the book was choosing what we would show. At times I look at it, and wish I had had time to hunt down a few more items. But the simple fact was that, at some point, we had to let go and send the files to the printer!

One thing I didn't get in was a cool Macy's poster from the Thanksgiving when the Spider-Man balloon made its debut. I finally got a photo, though it's a bit yellow--the border is supposed to be white. The balloon itself was awesome, towering high above the street. One year I was actually lucky enough to be one of the handlers during the parade.

I was delighted to find that, when it came to the text, I was given the freedom to include just about everything I wanted to cover. Marvel gave us tremendous freedom, and didn't tie our hands at all. They have my thanks for that.

[The Amazing Spider-Fan]

I remember, as a young boy, waking up early every year to watch the Macy's parade if for no other reason than to see the Spider-Man balloon. I would wait with anticipation for the broadcasters to announce before the commercial break, "Coming up: Spider-Man!" Which was still always a good half-hour before the balloon actually showed up. :)

Then there was the year or two where the parade had a Marvel Comics float, filled with different heroes and villains...my then-teenaged brain wanted to explode at the coolness of it. Well, not of the way some of those costumes actually looked, but the fact that the float existed. I can't remember if the float replaced the Spidey balloon for those years, though...I want to say at least one year, they had both.

[spidertour02]

I was delighted to find that, when it came to the text, I was given the freedom to include just about everything I wanted to cover. Marvel gave us tremendous freedom, and didn't tie our hands at all. They have my thanks for that.

That's great to know! A lot of times, I get the sense that permission to publish and access to material is "exchanged" for an understanding that the results will be favorable to the subject party, and that said party will have editorial control over the published work. (I especially get this sense with biographies of noteworthy people.)

[Steve Saffel]

Here's a rumor I'd like to confirm or deny. More than one person has said they think Morgan Freeman was the guy in the Spidey suit on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, but this last weekend I was at a convention where someone swore they had seen Freeman onscreen with the web-slinger on the show.

Now, even if that's true, Freeman still could have been in the suit some of the time. Does anyone know whether or not he's ever said anything about it?