The Amazing Spiderman #22

March, 1965

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Bizarre Reference:

Ringmaster: Who said that?

Spider-Man: One things for sure, I’m not Tuesday Weld.

Wikipedia tells me that Tuesday Weld is an actor, prominent in the 60s and 70s and still working today. She was most notably in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The Winter of our Discontent, and Once Upon a Time in America. I don’t know why Spider-Man would bring her up.

She was married to Dudley Moore at one time. So…there’s that.


Preeeeeesting: The Clown and his Masters of Menace

This issue is goofy. It’s the second appearance of the Ringmaster and his crew and this time there is division in the circus ranks. The Ringmaster, as his name would imply, is normally the leader of this silly group consisting of two gymnasts, a man who is regularly shot from a cannon, a snake lady, and a clown. But the circus has had a rash of bad luck and the Ringmaster has lead them into trouble time and again.

The Ringmaster begins to talk about his “next great scheme” (Page 3) and the others shoot him down before he can pitch them. And I don’t blame them. The Ringmaster’s scheme is always the same. They roll into some unsuspecting town, throw a circus and then hypnotize the crowd so that they can steal their wallets. They do this every time.

Every time but this time. This time the snake lady, Stan Lee likes to call her Lady Python, says, “Forget it, top hat! Just because you’re a cool hypnotist doesn’t mean we have to make you head man.” (Page 3) Lady Python has done a lot of talking so far and, while I was reading this, I thought she was going to lead the group. She continues, “(We need) someone clever and crafty. Someone who can think on his feet- someone people can trust.” (Page 3) Still seems like she’s going to suggest herself right? Then she finishes, “Someone like- the clown!”

Yeah. So the clown leads the group. Good call.

Their plan, however, does change. They don’t throw a circus and rob everyone. Instead The clown shows up at an art show that J. Jonah Jameson is throwing (apparently Jameson is really into art) and pretends to be a hired entertainer while the others clean the place out.

They get back to their hideout and sit around congratulating each other. Instead of trying to move their product and actually make some money, they start kicking around ideas on a name for their criminal group. They suggest The Carnival Champs, The Big Toppers, and The Masters of Menace. Each one of them lamer than the next. Luckily Spider-Man breaks in an punches everyone in the face.

He has some trouble with Lady Python because he doesn’t want to punch a girl. And there's also trouble because she tries to sleep with him. Unambiguously. She says, “We could make beautiful music together.” (Page 16) To which Spider-Man replies, “Sorry ma’am. I’m tone deaf.” You can decide for yourself whether that means he’s impotent or not.

The rest of the comic plays out as corny as the beginning of the comic and nothing of importance really happens. The only thing I take away from this issue is the opinion that Spider-Man needs to learn how to punch a girl. If you just do it once it’s a lot easier from then on.

Steve D. and Ayn R.

Here's a little follow up on Steve Ditko's affiliation with Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.

http://www.adherents.com/people/pd/Steve_Ditko.html

So, yeah. My essay on Amazing Spider-Man # 20 was totally on the mark. In your face.

The Amazing Spider-Man #21

February, 1965

Written By Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Where Flies the Beetle

This issue should almost be named “The Amazing Human Torch.” There’s a lot more time dedicated to Johnny Storm than to Spider-Man and the bad guy was originally a Torch foe.

Abner Jenkins, which is one of my favorite plainclothes names, has been released from prison. He was placed there by the Human Torch after battling in Strange Tales #123, as Stan Lee tells us in a boxed note at the bottom of the panel. When Jenkins dons his armored suit he becomes the Beetle, and he carries this suit while walking out of the prison. He says, “They had to give me back my Beetle equipment. There’s no law against a man owning an armored costume.” (Page 1) There probably is a law because the suit is actually a high-tech weapon that Jenkins has mastered and used for evil purposes. But if there isn’t a law, there should be. Because Abner throws on the suit in the woods outside the prison and then flies to New York City in order to murder Johnny Storm.

The Torch, upon hearing about the Beetle’s release, cancels a date with Doris, his lady friend. This is Doris’ second appearance. She made her Spider-Man debut in AS #8, The Threat of the Living Brain. This means that she’s had one more appearance than the Lizard, one of Spider-Man’s major villains. And, in a way, she deserves it. She’s funny, smart, and constantly sassing Johnny Storm. They have a bit where she is forever unimpressed with the impressive Human Torch. He does something amazing and she points out how unamazing it was, constantly keeping the flying man firmly grounded. The Human Torch of the 60s is almost incomplete without her.

The Human Torch, and Doris to a lesser extent, have become regulars in Spider-Man’s world. A few articles ago I pointed out that every time there is a guest star the issue is ruined. And for the most part it’s true. But the Human Torch has appeared so many times now (six times in twenty-one issues) that he’s become a Spider-Man character. Just like Flash Thompson or J. Jonah Jameson, the Human Torch has his place and his role in the Spider-Man world.

The Torch, firstly, highlights Spider-Man’s competitive nature. Their fights are composed more of one-upmanship than an actual intent to do harm. Peter Parker, who attempts to scoff at the vanity of Liz Allen and Flash Thompson, can easily be pushed to the limit when going tic for tac with Johnny Storm.

Secondly, Storm’s inclusion shows Spider-Man’s inexperience. Two times, once in issue #19 and again in the fight with the Beetle, the two trip over each other’s feet in an attempt to beat the bad guys. It’s a joke, it’s bumbling Three Stooges bits from two normally graceful heroes, but it also shows that Spider-Man is no good working in tandem whereas the Torch, with his three Fantastic friends, is used to having someone watch his back.

And lastly, though Peter Parker will never admit it, The Human Torch is an idle. The respect that the Torch commands with the public is something that Spider-Man always strives for. Spider-Man has saved an astronaut from crashing to the earth, performed in a circus free-of-charge, tried to star in his own movie, appeared at a ball for his fan club and on and on, yet, at this point in his career, no one is even sure if he’s a criminal or a hero. P.R. comes naturally to the Torch.

But it’s not just the hero ego of The Human Torch that Spider-Man strives to emulate. Johnny Storm also lives the life that Peter Parker yearns for. Storm has no secret identity, he has a family member, Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, that he can discuss his life with, he has no money problems, and he has a girlfriend who is smart and challenging. Peter Parker has to keep his heroic life a secret. He constantly has to lie to and worry about his Aunt May. He is always on the look-out to make a buck. His girlfriend, Betty Brant, is weak and whiny and, really, no match for him. At least, not in the sense that Doris is for Johnny.

Ultimately, the freedom that Johnny Storm has to be himself is what makes Spider-Man jealous. At the end of the issue he stands over the city he protects and thinks, “I wonder if the world will ever acclaim me as it does others. Or am I always to go through life shunned and loathed? If only I could reveal my secret identity…if I could let people realize who I am…but I just don’t dare!” (Page 20)

22 Songs for Jeremy

Jeremy Sangster passed away in a fire this fall (www.jeremy22.com) Over the past few months, his friends have been working to compile a CD in his memory. The CD entitled 22 songs for jeremy consists entirely of friends or friends of friends of Jeremy’s, who donated a song to raise money for the scholarship in his honor. The songs on the CD run the gamut including Adult Contemporary, Electronic, Kid Folk, Reggae, Country, EMO, Punk, Alt-Country, Blue Grass and Indie Rock there is literally something for everybody.

The CD is available online for the suggested donated price of $10 http://www.jeremy22.com/songs.html
LOOK OUT FOR THE UPCOMING EVENT. Later this summer either in Bloomfield, NY or NYC or both some of the bands from the CD will get together to put on a benefit concert to raise more money for he scholarship.

The Amazing Spider-Man #20

January, 1965

Illustrated by Steve Ditko, Written by Stan Lee

The Coming of the Scorpion

Issue #20 introduces another classic Spider-man villain, Mac Gargan, the Scorpion. J. Jonah Jameson is intensifying his harassment of Spider-man and has hired a private detective, Gargan, to follow Peter Parker. Jonah wants to find out how Parker gets all these spectacular pictures of Spider-man so that he can somehow use this relationship to damage the webslinger.

During the investigation, Jameson comes across a news article about Dr. Farley, who has created a serum that can “cause artificial mutations in animals” (Page 4). For instance, he can make a rat swim like a fish or a fish breath oxygen. Jameson decides that this doctor, for the right price, could mutate a human to be stronger than Spider-man. And he is right. Thus, Mac Gargan becomes the Scorpion.

The Scorpion is a mean bastard and beats Spider-man within an inch of death twice before finally losing. During the series of fights, Dr. Farley is chasing the Scorpion down because he has realized that the serum he created is not finished working. He realizes that “the more his strength increases the more his evil nature will take over." (Page 11) Farley believes that the serum will erode Gargan’s morals and he will become a super-villain. But this isn’t necessarily telling the whole story.

The way Farley talks, Mac Gargan was a standup guy before the procedure. But Gargan’s not a stand-up guy; he’s a thug. He’s too shady to be a cop, so he takes small gigs trailing people for under-the-table money. And he’s clearly hurting for money. Right before the procedure that will turn him into the Scorpion, Dr. Farley says, “Your body would become more powerful than Spider-man’s…but I don’t know how it will affect your brain.” (Page 6) Gargan answers “Who cares? I’m getting $10,000 for my part in this…and I’d do anything for that kind of dough” (Page 6) His morals were already questionable before the serum entered his blood.

This got me thinking. There are a few examples of what Spider-Man's foes did before they acquired their powers . The Lizard was a biologist, for instance, and Electro was an electrician. Dr. Octopus was a physicist; Sandman was a career criminal recently escaped from jail. The Green Goblin, we’ll soon come to find out, is a brilliant business man and inventor, Mysterio was a stuntman. Dr. Doom is a computer genius and ruler of a small country and The Scorpion is a lowly private detective.

The Lizard tried to cure himself of his disability and went insane. Dr. Octopus was in a lab accident and was driven insane. The Green Goblin drank his own strength serum and lost his mind. Dr. Doom had his face disfigured in a failed experiment and went nuts. All of these men were brilliant and, if not entirely good, at lease neutral and law-abiding. They were decent citizens who were involved in accidents and then became criminally insane.

Max Dillion, before he was Electro, was an electrician. He was asked to save a man stranded on a pole and he said, “Forget it! I don’t do anything for nothing. How much bonus will you give me?” (AS #9, Page 11) His accident didn’t affect his mind at all. He was evil to begin with.

The Sandman has no history but crime. In fact, one could assume that he dropped out of high school to begin his underground life. This is why he threatened Peter Parker’s high school principal in AS #4 by saying “Know what? I never graduated school. Maybe this is my chance to get a diploma (Page 11). He was already evil before his accident.

Mysterio was a stuntman for the movies and longed to be in the spotlight. Nothing ever happened to him. His mind is completely intact. But he went on a string of robberies and fought Spider-man several times, eventually joining the Sinister Six.

And back to the Scorpion. Though Dr. Farley’s serum might make him insane, he was clearly a ne’er-do-well before the injection.

The pattern is clear: If you’re educated you must have been driven crazy by something, but if you’re a blue collar worker you were already evil.

It’s even evident in some of the side characters. In AS #8 the two nameless workers who wheel in The Living Brain robot plan to steal it. “Then it’s a deal,” the first one says, “The first chance we get we steal the brain.” And the other answers, “We’ll make a fortune out of it and skip to some other country.” (AS #8, Page 5) And in issue #9, Electro stages a prison break to help him fight the police and the inmates are instantly chaotic. The prisoners are split between those those wanting to join Electro and those wanting to randomly run amok. None of them want to serve out their terms and work at being model citizens. After Spider-man knocks a few of them around, a prisoner shouts, “We didn’t realize how soft we had it in our nice quiet cells” (AS #9, Page 18).

And now, in issue #20, poor, hyper-educated Dr. Farley is riddled with guilt over creating the Scorpion. He risks his life and tracks the villain down saying, “I can’t live with the knowledge that I’m responsible for you!” (AS #20, Page 13). The reader is made to sympathize with the doctor. His conscience will punish him justly for his crimes. Fortunately for the good doctor, the Scorpion throws him off a building. He dies before his conscience can really get to him.

And this is the crux of it. Those who are intelligent, the comics teach us, could never be evil because their great intellect would torture them with the knowledge of the evil they’ve committed. Something must have happened to them to make them that way. The uneducated, however, will jump at any chance to gain fame and riches. They will not think twice about hurting innocent people so long as they can drag themselves out of the gutter at another’s expense.

It’s an odd lesson and I don’t know exactly what to make of it. It doesn’t seem like a great moral to teach, and I’m sure Stan Lee didn’t set out to push this agenda, but the examples happen over and over again.

It could be an elitist view in the style of Ayn Rand: Those who are down should stay down. They are there for a reason and rising to another level is the equivalent of theft.

It could be anti-communist sentiment, prevalent in the early sixties: Everyone cannot be treated equally, because people will react differently to similar situations. Certain people cannot be trusted to play their part fairly.

Or, it could be as J. Jonah Jameson says at the end of AS #20, “I know now that anyone with too much power is liable to turn into a menace sooner or later.” (AS 20, Page 20) Jameson, in his own way, believes that power either seeks out those that are corrupt or corrupts those that are good.

Jameson's life morale makes him the antithesis of Peter Parker. Jonah's credo is like the bizarro world version of “With great power comes great responsibility.” It’s true, Jonah would argue, with great power does come great responsibility. Therefore, no one should have great power.

The Amazing Spider-Man #19

December, 1964

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Embarrassing Reference: "If anyone asks you guys what happened to you, remember to spell my name right. There’s a hyphen in it remember!” (Page 3) So, thank you Uthor, but Spider-man himself would have told me eventually. (See the comment section of issues #11 and #12)

Spidey Strikes Back

After the fightless issue #18, Spider-man goes on a rampage of ass-kicking. He beats up a large gang of bank robbers (who, along with jewel thieves, seem to be abundant in 1960s New York), fights the Enforcers twice, and tackles the Sandman along with tons of faceless henchmen mixed in.

The Enforcers are now working for the Sandman. Apparently, the Enforcers are terrified of Spider-man (as well they should be, having lost to him more than any other villains up to this point). When Sandman finds out that Spider-man has returned after his short hiatus he tells his thug, “Quiet, fool! I don’t want the Enforcers to hear. They only joined forces with me because they figured they wouldn’t have to worry about Spider-man.” (Page 5). The four of them have captured the Human Torch and are planning to capture any costumed hero they can get their hands on so that they can go on their crime spree uninhibited.

Spider-man gets on the case and begins tracking down the Enforcers. I believe this issue and the last mark a maturing for Spider-man in a few different ways. The first noticeable thing is experience. He’s known around the crime circuit at this point and has certain people he goes to for information, much like a private detective would. He finds Louie. Louie, in previous Spider-man comics, would have been a nameless thug. But Spider-man’s been around the block a few times and he and Louie, and assumedly a cast of other seedy characters, are on a first name basis. Spider-man confronts Louie and the terrified criminal asks what he wants. “Just a little information, Louie. The kind a stoolie like you is sure to have. I know the Sandman and the Enforcers are back in town. Where are they holed up? Talk, you weasel!” (Page 14). Spider-man has turned from a young punk into a Raymond Chandler detective.

When Spider-man breaks into the hideout, he doesn’t fight his way in, like he did with the Enforcers hideout in issue ten. He sneaks all the way through the lair and finds the cage they’re keeping the Human Torch in before he’s jumped by the Sandman. And in his fight, he doesn’t try to take on all comers single-handedly, like he did in the first Annual when he turned down the Torch’s help. (AS Annual 1, Page 36). He makes sure to break the Torch out of his cage so they can fight together.

And even in Peter Parker’s life, the decisions seem to be more mature. Parker finds that his former girl, Betty Brant, is now dating a writer for the Daily Bugle named Ned Leeds. Instead of stressing about it or trying to steal Betty back, he introduces himself to the guy and they become friends. (Page 10).

These examples, combined with the abstinence from fighting in issue # 18 in order to spend more time with Aunt May, shows a dramatic change in Peter Parker’s demeanor. Just a few issues ago, in Kraven the Hunter (Issue #15), Peter is terrified that Aunt May will fall on hard times if Kraven manages to take him down. But in that instance, he was unable to quell his desire for competition. He used to think about fame and money for his own personal gain. Now, the only time it comes up is when he needs it to give to Aunt May. His motives have turned from juvenile to adult. The maturation of Spider-man has taken nearly twenty issues, and he’s not fully there yet, but growth is happening and the adventurer is becoming the hero.

The Amazing Spider-Man #18

November, 1964

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Bizarre Line: There’s an aside from the super heroine The Wasp as she discusses Spider-man’s woes: Wasps and spiders are natural enemies, so I don’t feel that bad for him. (Page 2)

This is actually true. There are certain types of wasps, particularly the South American Spider wasp, which kill and lay their eggs inside large spiders. While freakishly horrifying, I don’t think that this should rule the sociability between The Wasp and Spider-man who are both generally nice people.

The End of Spider-man

Spider-man does not get into a fight in this issue. This is the only hero-based comic I’ve ever seen where the main hero does not get into some type of altercation. And it was a really good issue to boot.

The premise is based on Spider-man’s fight with the Green Goblin in issue #17, which I pretty much didn’t cover. I didn’t care much for the Green Goblin when he first appeared in issue #14 and I don’t find him much improved now. At least his drama has not improved. He’s basically some mysterious guy that wants to kill Spider-man in order to become famous. But he does have some new toys, like his jet flyer which replaced the motorized broom and pumpkin bombs. The new weapons made a difference in the level of action and it was a decent fight. But, as I said in the blog about issue 17, Spider-man has to run out on the fight in order to attend to Aunt May who has fallen ill.

His retreat is witnessed by hundreds of people and Jameson jumps on it. He starts running press about how Spider-man has “turned yellow” and how the Daily Bugle has been calling him a fraud since day one. And, for whatever reason, the fickle New York City of Stan Lee’s imagination buys Jameson’s crap again. Everyone starts calling Spidey a chicken.

Peter Parker also decides that, while his Aunt is sick, he can’t get into any fights as Spider-man. He knows that if something happens to him, May will definitely die. This leads to an amusing scene where he sees the classic three-guys-robbing-a-jewelry store and instead of stepping in and stopping the crime he finds a pay phone and calls the police.

He also randomly runs into the Sandman who was just walking down the street in his green and black shirt, apparently having broken out of prison since the Sinister Six escapade. We’ve reached the point where Lee is no longer writing prison break stories before every villain repeat. Spider-man knows he shouldn’t fight the Sandman while Aunt May is sick and, again, publically flees a fight, further damaging his reputation.

This is definitely a maturing issue for Peter Parker. He realizes that many of his problems, his difficult relationship with Betty Brant, the constant lying to Aunt May, his aloofness towards his classmates, all stems from his escapades as Spider-man. He thinks that every time he gets into a fight, he risks leaving his Aunt stranded and helpless. He decides that he will quit being Spider-man forever and begin to lead a normal life. He thinks, “I should have done this long ago…but I was too conceited. I enjoyed being Spider-man. It made me feel like something special. What a laugh that turned out to be!”(Page20).

Peter has finally realized that his adventures and his desires are not what drives his life. Aunt May and his love and appreciation for the woman who raised him is his main motivation and her safety and well-fare are put above everything else. Peter’s vices, his addiction to money, fame, and competition, are put on the backburner when May is in trouble.

He comes downstairs the day after his retirement to find that Aunt May is up and walking around, spritely as a young maid. She says, “Even though I’m an old woman, I’m no quitter. A person needs gumption- the will to live- the will to fight! You mustn’t worry about me too much, Peter dear. We Parkers are tougher than people think.” (Page21) Who can deny a woman when she drops a ‘gumption’? Of course, Peter takes this speech as inspiration and vows to come back next issue and kick some serious ass. And so ends an issue with no fighting.

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1

1964

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Bizarre Reference: From Spider-man to Kraven: “You can’t leave yet, Gunga Din!”

Wikipedia tells me that Gunga Din is a character from a Rudyard Kipling poem. Like in many Kipling works, Gunga Din is a native from a tribal area that ends up having stronger morals than his civilized counterparts. But Spider-man is probably referencing the famous movies about Gunga Din, one starring Carey Grant and the other in which Sammy Davis Jr. play Din.

The Sinister Six

The first Spider-man annual is action packed. And that’s about all it is. There’s not much to the storyline and there are numerous holes in the plot. Normally, this would sort of piss me off. But the annual is the one time of year where a comic should go big, throw caution to the wind, and just make something fun. And this is what Lee and Ditko have done.

This comic is actually pretty funny. It marks the first incarnation of The Sinister Six. This super group is comprised of nearly every meaningful villain Spider-man has fought so far (Only the Chameleon, The Lizard, and the Enforcers are left out).

Octopus has captured Betty Brant (for the third time) and Aunt May. Instead of just ganging up on Spider-man and beating him to death like real evil people would do, they decide to fight him each one-on-one. All the villains have a card on their person telling them where the next member of the Sinister Six is waiting to receive a quick punch in the face. Spider-man follows this ill-planned scavenger hunt all over the city defeating foes that nearly killed him in the past in just a few panels each. He ends up at a giant castle to fight Dr. Octopus in a giant fish bowl. The plan seems like it was designed by Jeff Probst instead of Dr. Octopus

J. Jonah Jameson is terrified the whole time because he was responsible for making sure Spider-man found out about the kidnapping. The Vulture tells him, “See that Spider-man gets this message- or we’ll hold you accountable!” (Page 12). This sends Jameson on into a tizzy, calling every super-hero he knows in an attempt to contact Spider-man. At one point, he sees a spider in his office and starts screaming at it, assuming that Spider-man has sent it to him with a message.

Aunt May is equally comedic. She is completely charmed by Dr. Octopus and never once realizes that she’s been kidnapped. Betty Brant, completing her hat trick of kidnappings at the Doctor’s hands, says something nasty about Octopus and May responds, “Now, now dear…we mustn’t be prejudiced against the poor man just because he seems to have some trouble with his arms.” (Page 11). Aunt May, who has the tendency to be strict and sharp, totally dons the old lady persona in this book and it ends up, while out-of-character, pretty entertaining.

And Stan Lee’s not the only one to let his creativity run wild. Steve Ditko is given full page pictures for every character of The Sinister Six. The picture that encompasses all of page 16 is particularly impressive. Spider-man is punching Electro in the face and the detail that Ditko is able to accomplish because of the extra space adds a new dimension of reality and violence to his art.

I wouldn’t, at any level, call this episode classic. But it was definitely a good read.

A Note about Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited

Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited has the first 100 Amazing Spider-Man issues available online. And it's really cheap. If you like the blog and want to read the comics as I do, check it out. $4.99 a month gets you unlimited classic and new comic books. This is a link directly to the Spider-Man page:

http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/titles/amazing_spider-man.1963

The Amazing Spider-Man #17

October, 1964

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Bizarre Line: Flash Thompson says, “That creep is as funny as a second hand crutch” (Page 16)

Does anyone know what this means? I couldn’t figure it out. I suppose a second hand crutch would be a crutch that someone else has already used. But I don’t know why this would be funny or not funny. Little help?

The Return of the Green Goblin

This issue is based around Flash Thompson’s attempt to make a Spider-man fan club. He’s thought long and hard about how cool Spider-man is and how awesome and he’s decided that he doesn’t think it’s enough to talk about him all the time or to use Spider-man’s name while picking on Peter Parker or getting in fights over who is the best super hero anymore. He wants to make it official. He loves Spider-man and wants to be the president of his fan club.

Here are some of the things that Flash has been saying about Spider-man:

“He’s the greatest guy in the world! (pounds his chest) And he’s all heart!” (Page 7)

Clapping his hands on page 12, “What a great guy!”

“Now are you convinced? Didn’t I tell you ol’ Spidey’s the greatest?” (Page 14)

And after someone makes fun of Flash for liking Spider-man a bit too much, “No, he’s not a relative. He’s just the greatest guy in the world. And you’ll all admit it some day. Just wait and see.” (Page 21)

So Flash clearly thinks Spider-man is great. And he clearly has only one word for things he likes. It was apparent in previous issues that Flash is a big Spider-man fan, but this storyline takes it a step further. Flash Thompson is willing to stake his lofty reputation on the fact that Spider-man is, in his words, the greatest. He organizes a banquet in Spider-man’s honor and even advertises in the paper for it. At the end of the issue, Spider-man receives news that Aunt May has fallen ill again and has to run out on his fight with the Green Goblin. Everyone starts calling Spider-man a coward for fleeing. And there’s nothing to make one think that he’s not retreating from the fight. But Flash continues to stick up for Spidey, going as far as threatening his friends.

Now, if you’ve been following this blog, you probably think I’m going to infer that Thompson has a gay crush on Spider-man. You probably think I’m going to read homosexuality into all his macho rage and say something about how the archetypes of the fifties and sixties are clashing in Flash’s mind with his physical attraction to Spider-man.

But, while it’s tempting to read the sensational into it; I actually don’t think that.

I think that this is just another example of Stan Lee masterfully writing the
teenage personality. Here, he focuses on the aging bully. Being a successful bully, much like living in Never Never Land, is a gig set aside for young children only. Passed twenty years old, the bully is referred to as the “meathead” and no one really likes him. Remember, though Flash is bigger than his contemporaries, he’s still a teenager. He’s definitely not over 19 and could be as young as 17.

He was on top of the world just a few years ago. No one cared that he wasn’t smart, it was cool to like sports and Spider-man, and Parker was nothing but a bookworm. But his alpha male status grows feeble with each passing day. His friends are becoming interested in music and art, his girlfriend is trying to take him to museums (AS #6), and suddenly it’s cool that Peter Parker is smart. Flash is still of the mentality that he would make fun of Parker for reading (AS #17, Page 6).

Flash sees his high school kingdom falling apart and he grabs onto the one thing that remains solid: Spider-man. Spider-man is the constant in Flash’s life. He’s strong and agile, like Flash. He seems to view the world in black and white, good and evil, just like Flash does. And, just like Flash, Spider-man is polarizing and misunderstood.

Flash relates to Spider-man more obsessively as his high school popularity wanes because he sees similarities in the way that Spider-man is treated by the press and the way that his fickle friends are turning on him. Even if Spider-man messes up, Flash thinks, at least his heart was in the right place. And this is how Flash feels about himself, no matter how misguided that might be.

In Spider-man, Flash sees a Christ-like figure. Spider-man is someone who always works hard towards noble purposes and will be spit upon by the crowds because of it. The teenage vanity that has built up from being top dog for so long overwhelms Flash’s sense of reality and he sees himself in this fashion as well. In his mind, he constantly works towards noble pursuits and no one notices. Everything that Flash Thompson says about Spider-man is a veiled self-compliment. When he’s arguing that everyone should see how ‘great’ Spider-man is, he’s also arguing that his own greatness should be appreciated.

Also, the Green Goblin and Human Torch were in this issue. And I know it seems as if I’m skipping the villains a lot to focus on side-character-drama, but it turns around next issue. The Sinister Six are coming.

The Amazing Spider-Man #16

September, 1964

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Duel with the Daredevil

This issue is pretty much an advertisement for Daredevil. Stan Lee is set on Daredevil riding Spider-man’s coattails to success. They even had Electro appear as the villain in the second issue of Daredevil’s comic. Now they have blind ole’ Matt Murdock showing up with his cane, hogging one of Spider-man’s issues. But more on that later.

There’s a bit in the past two issues that I really like. Aunt May and her neighbor have cooked up a scheme that their niece and nephew should date. Aunt May says, “She’s a niece of our neighbor, Mrs. Watson. And she’d just love to meet you, Peter” (Amazing Spider-man #15, page 11). This is, of course, Mary Jane Watson, the future Mary Jane Watson-Parker, the love of Peter’s life. I had no idea she showed up this early in the series. If I have my Spider-man time-line straight, there should still be a few years dedicated to beautiful, doomed Gwen Stacy.

But Mary Jane is on the scene, if not in person, in spirit. She actually hasn’t made an appearance yet. It's almost like a running gag. Peter nearly gets stuck dating Mrs. Watson's niece and it falls through at the last second.

Despite the excessive absences, Aunt May has been all up in Peter’s shit about dating her. And it’s not just nagging old-woman-nosiness. May gets aggressive. She knows that Peter is seriously dating Betty Brant and occasionally flirting with Liz Allen. She doesn’t care. She’s decided to get Mrs. Watson’s niece laid and she’ll pull out all stops to accomplish this. At first, she takes the matronly approach, saying “It’s time you began to think seriously about your future.” (Page 11). But she knows Peter already has a girlfriend so she adds, “You’ll want a girl who will make a good housewife- someone like Mrs. Watson’s niece!” This implies that Peter wouldn’t want to be with someone like Betty Brant. A woman who has secured her own job and supports herself. In other words, a hussy.

Peter blows May off and she tries again. Peter says, “I’ve got a girlfriend, Aunt May. I don’t want any blind dates” (Amazing Spider-man #16, page 1). She comes back at him, “But Mary Jane would love to meet you. And you’re not really engaged or anything.” (Page 1) Now, that's pretty forward. This isn’t a plea you hear from your nagging Aunt, this is something that’s said over a line of coke in a strip club bathroom.

And she won't give up. There's a scene where Peter's head is buried in a book and she continues pestering him. Peter’s just trying to study and May’s hanging over his shoulder talking about pussy. May is like a really annoying college roommate. When Peter concedes to meet her, Mary Jane calls off the date due to a headache. Sounds like a drama queen already.

This is really the only part of the issue I care to discuss. As I said before, the rest of the story is focused on ramming Daredevil down your throat. The Ringmaster’s there with a circus and his hypnotizing hat and he’s sorta stupid too. There have been four guest appearances in the series so far: The Fantastic Four, The Human Torch in a solo appearance, The Hulk, and Daredevil. They’ve all been bad in one way or another. The guest stars are either thrown into the story needlessly, as with the Hulk and Daredevil, or Spider-man acts completely out of character in the presence of his guests so that they can fight each other, as happened both times when members of the Fantastic Four barged in. I know Stan Lee needed to cross-pollinate his fan base, but I wish he would have put the story line above his need to advertise.

It's not like you're hittin' that anyway...