Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 124

An estimated one sixth of the Earth’s population in 1969, 600 million, watched as Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on a stellar body other than Earth.

That was 52 years ago today.

June 20 has been set aside to remember the effort put forth by a nation and generation to put a total of 12 men on the moon with National Moon Day.

Last year Moon Knight was Four Color Holiday’s master of ceremonies. This year we celebrate with John Jonah Jameson III.

Jameson is the son of Daily Bugle owner/publisher J. Jonah Jameson II. The younger Jameson is also a former astronaut. He appeared in Amazing Spider-Man issue one, but is better known for his lycanthropic Man-Wolf persona.

Prior to his full-moon fever, Jameson was infected with space spoors that gave him super-human strength. Those were contained and on a subsequent mission to the moon, he found a space gem he kept and had fashioned into a necklace.

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 124

The gem was later reveled to be the Godstone, a ruby from another dimension.  It embedded itself to his throat causing Jameson to be transformed into a werewolf in the moonlight.

Spider-Man first battled the Man-Wolf in Amazing Spider-Man issues 124 and 125. Spidey was able to rip the pendent from Jameson’s throat saving everyone involved.

Morbius, the Living Vampire would later re-attach the pendant in an effort to find a cure for his blood disease. He did not and Spider-Man was forced to confront the monster duo and save Jameson a second time.

Man-Wolf would head up Creatures on the Loose from issues 30 to 37. He then returned to Amazing Spider-Man by the end of the decade for another two-issue story arc.

Jameson would bounce around the Marvel U after that. He would date She-Hulk, help Captain America prior to and during Civil War and return to space for the nation of Wakanda.

To observe National Moon Day, participants may recall where they were when Apollo 11 first made landfall. Break out the telescope and gaze at the moon for yourself. Discuss space travel.

President Richard Nixon was the first to proclaim June 20 as Moon Day in 1971. The observance stalled until Richard Christmas began a writing campaign. By 1975 he had 12 states making their own proclamations.

In 2019, President Donald Trump proclaimed July 20 as the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing. Again, the tradition has not be continued.