One of the most well remembered advertising campaigns was the Hostess snack cakes comic ads of the 1970s and early 1980s.  Every child of that era is familiar with them.

 

The ads featured our favorite characters extolling the virtues of the delicious cakes (shilling if you will).  Oftentimes, the cakes were used in apprehending the criminal (Delicious Hostess Twinkies! Well, I know when my plan for world conquest is beaten, take me away.).  I guess the moral of the story always was that if the cake is good enough for a depraved psychopath, then it’s good enough for kids too.  Heck, some of those kids will probably grow up to be depraved psychopaths anyway.

 

But I digress.

 

This ad from Marvel Chillers #3 (also featuring the very first appearance of Tigra in her (Hubba-Hubba) Were-cat form is one of the strangest.  Firstly, it takes what should be an extremely traumatic event, the kidnapping of Peter (Spider-Man) Parker’s beloved Aunt May, and trivializes it.  This could have been a gripping multipart story – but nah, why do that?

 

Secondly, what kind of morons kidnap a little old lady who can barely pay her rent each month, and demand $50000 from her nephew, the freelance photographer who also can barely pay his own rent?  The same crooks who don’t run like the wind when Spider-Man shows up I guess.  Also the same crooks who don’t bother to check the suitcase for money BEFORE Spider-Man takes off with their victim.  Idiots.

 

And what of our pal Peter Parker?  His only flesh and blood relative has been abducted, tied up and possibly held at gunpoint, and instead of seething with rage and concern, he takes the time to fill a case with Twinkies.  They could’ve threatened to blow her head off, but you know what, nothing lightens the mood like Twinkies.  Sheesh!

 

I would’ve liked to have seen a sequel to this.  After all, the crooks have Pete’s phone number, and probably his address.

 

Then again, what man could survive eating a suitcase full of cream filled sponge cake… yeah, those guys are as good as dead.

 

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