Spider-Man is Marvel’s icon. How can he not be? He’s had countless comics, from The Amazing Spider-Man to The Spectacular Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man just to name a couple. Spidey has had dozens of different comic series. For my money, I would say Spectacular Spider-Man is one of the more underrated comics of his. This line was enjoyed by fans, but it was still overshadowed by the hero’s main run.
Spectacular Spider-Man is such a special comic due to how it was structured. It had storylines just like his other comics, but it was more so a secondary piece. This lets the writers have fun with telling some unique and fun stories. For this time, I’m focusing on the Spectacular Spider-Man Issue 102, written by Cary Burkett and drawn by Larry Lieber. This one-off issue is a hidden gem of a story that is crushingly intimate and beautifully written.
“I’m Swinging Here!”
Screenshot by Nicolas Scagnelli, courtesy of Marvel ComicsThis comic starts as a pretty typical Spectacular Spider-Man affair. A villain, Killer Shrike, is robbing a bank, meanwhile, Peter Parker aka Spider-Man is returning from a trip with his friends Harry Osborn and Liz Allan. Pete hops on a long bus ride and makes friends with a girl named Donna. They talk for the whole ride, become good friends, and then part ways. Pete then witnesses Donna get hit by a car, and then immediately follows the driver, who happened to be dead drunk.
Our Spectacular Spider-Man then follows Donna to the hospital, and the doc says she’s going to need an organ transplant, and can only be done by a family member. She happens to have a brother in town, Donnie, and Spidey goes looking for him. Donnie is going through a struggle, with depressive and nihilistic thoughts, due to his money problems and his girlfriend breaking up with him. Both stories are being told at the same time, and in the background, Killer Shrike tries to get the jump on our web-headed hero.
Spidey Races Against Time!
Spidey frantically searches for Donnie, meanwhile Killer Shrike guns after him! Killer Shrike is, funnily enough, a very unknown villain, especially for Spider-Man. He kind of appears out of nowhere in this comic. It helps the story feel like a random day in the web slinger’s life. Spidey is forced to fight Shrike instead of actively seeking Donnie since Shrike is playing for keeps. The art here is great especially, there’s not a ton of action in this comic, but that isn’t an issue, since the conflict and drama are so compelling.
Spidey deals with him quickly, but finds Donnie on the top of his apartment rooftop, about to jump off. Donnie is hopeless, he can’t find any will to live. He feels like a burden due to everyone in his life. Spidey realizes this and tries to appeal to his humanity and the little hope that is left in him. He opens up to Donnie about how he’s failed before, the same way Donnie feels he has. He begs Donnie to stop feeling so hopeless and tells him how only he can save his sister.
The Spectacular Spider-Man: A Hero with a Heart
Screenshot by Nicolas Scagnelli, courtesy of Marvel ComicsThis is the best part of the comic, and honestly really surprising part. The Spectacular Spider-Man #102 came out in 1985, almost forty years ago. It’s crazy how this was such a deep, mature story for a character like Spider-Man, who is mostly aimed at kids. This decade was really something for the character, considering that later in the ’80s, Spidey would get some of his most acclaimed stories, like “Kraven’s Last Hunt”. This humble issue really inspired other creators to make more adult, mature stories.
And that’s what is so incredible about this Spectacular Spider-Man issue. The character at his heart, is just an everyman, trying to do the right thing. What makes Peter Parker a hero isn’t his powers, but his good nature to always be responsible. The story ends in a hopeful way that is inspiring to not only the characters but also to the readers, including myself. That’s why this character is so important. He can teach us all how to be a better person. If more people tried to be like Spidey, we would have more light in this world. A guy can only hope!
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