8 Real-Life Events That Forced Comics To Change
3. A Bomb Threat – Web Of Spider-Man #19-21 (1986)
Like any fictional series, comics regularly incorporate topical news stories into their plotlines to stay current. But sometimes, this practice causes more trouble than its worth. In 1986, Marvel prepared to write a Spider-Man story revolving around the unrest in Northern Ireland at the time. Since this conflict's origins go back centuries, it's an extremely touchy subject for anyone with ties to this territory.
So, when Web of Spider-Man #19 kicked off with a bombing that led to the death of a young girl, it was no surprise that many readers were outraged. Days later, a bomb threat was made on 387 Park Avenue South (where Marvel Comics office was based), forcing everyone in the area to evacuate.
Editor Jim Owsley hired writer Len Kaminski to revise the second half of this story arc so the bomb was set off by Roxxon employees who were pretending to be Irish and English agents.
Even though Web of Spider-Man was meant to focus on more controversial topics, that idea was abandoned after this incident, causing the comic line to become a generic Spider-Man series.