LCHS grad sparked Spider-Man's new outfit
Marvel, the comic book publisher, paid Randy Schueller $220 in 1982 for his idea to give Spidey a dark costume
BY MATT WILLIAMS
THE COURIER
Published Friday, June 01, 2007
"Spider-Man 3" already ranks 15th in all-time worldwide sales, earning $810 million, but the man who may be responsible for the movie received just $220 for his idea 25 years ago.
Randy Schueller, a 1978 Lincoln Community High School graduate, sent an idea to Marvel in 1982 to give Spider-Man a new costume, and now Spidey's new glistening black threads are part of one of this summer's biggest blockbusters.
"I was just out of college and Marvel had this contest to where you could send in ideas," Schueller said. "I was thinking, 'This is a guy who is swinging around at night wearing a bright red-and-blue costume.' That's where the black suit came from."
Soon after Schueller sent in his idea, he received a letter from then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter asking him if he could buy it.
Shooter also asked Schueller's help in possibly writing a script for Spider-Man's new look. He was thrilled to say the least. After attempts to work with editors to develop a story, though, it looked as if his idea was going to die. But in May 1984, the famed comic book hero appeared in his first issue with his new black costume.
"I am not an artist, but when I thought it out I had it as a red spider (on Spidey's chest)," Schueller said. "They couldn't do that though because the red ink would bleed across the black.
Now the idea is on big screens all over the world, which helped Schueller come out with his story.
"The movie has made so much money," he said. "I can tell people now and not seem like such a geek. I had to tell all my friends and co-workers."
Schueller, now a chemist for a beauty supplies company in Chicago, always was intrigued by science, making Spider-Man a natural choice as a favorite comic book.
"Peter Parker (Spidey's 'human' character) was a scientist and it was kind of my inspiration then," Schueller said. "I was kind of Spidey fan ever since I was little kid.
"Basically, at the time, the scientific part of the character appealed to me so I gave him a new costume that made his powers work better."
Since Schueller, now 47, has come out in public he has been featured in the New York Post, Inside Edition and
www.comicbookresources.com.
His kids even think he is famous.
"My kids are thrilled about the story, of course," Schueller said. "They ask, 'Can I have a copy of the newspaper to bring to school because you are famous?'"
To say Schueller has seen the new movie would be an understatement.
"I saw it three times as a matter of fact," he said. "It has a lot of great parts in it."
Schueller, who still makes his way back to Logan County to visit his parents Jerry and Judy Conner in Beason, is now asking for a little acknowledgement from Marvel.
He figures they don't owe him any money because of their original contract, but he wouldn't mind being mentioned or even being featured on commentary when the DVD comes out. "Marvel did nothing wrong because they paid me for the story," Schueller said. "My theory is that they are afraid I am going to sue them. It's not like it's going to cost them anything (to give me some credit)."
