I did not greatly enjoy last week, and I don't have high hopes for this week...or the rest of the month. But, nothing to do for it but keep going: I'm not throwing in the mask--er, towel--like this issue! From 1990,
Web of Spider-Man #61, "Dragon in the Dark" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Keith Williams.
It's an
Acts of Vengeance crossover today, but more importantly, Spider-Man's got cosmic power this week! And somewhat typically, he is not overly enthusiastic about this: in fact, he acts like he's been diagnosed with leprosy. If "with great power comes great responsibility," then with too much power comes too much responsibility, and it's done Peter's head in. Sick of having the people he saved be afraid of him, Spidey throws away his mask in a rainstorm...but it's caught before it hits the ground, by the Wizard! He takes it to his
AoV cronies: both Dr. Doom and the Kingpin are positive it was a fake, a ploy of some kind. The Wizard plans to use it, to finish Spider-Man once and for all, by setting the android Dragon Man on him! The Wizard really talks up D-M, and he is impressive; but it's not like he invented the thing or was anywhere near the first to control it. He probably feels the need to hype himself up a bit, to compete with the other guys, since yeah, he was not at the same level. Wizard might have been brought on as glorified tech support.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker...takes a shower, at his upscale apartment, and the bathroom seems laid out weird? He couldn't afford it in a million years, but Harry Osborn gave him a break on the rent. Which somehow adds to his responsibilities? Also, despite making a stink about quitting, he still puts his Spidey-suit on, under his street clothes! He has a brief visit with Liz Osborn on his way out, and Liz can tell he's depressed: she had known him for years, and probably seen that dozens of times. Then, on the subway, Dragon Man sniffs out Peter, and blasts him with his flaming breath!
We cutaway to Doom, plotting to steal the cosmic power from Spider-Man: it worked on the Silver Surfer, should work here, right? It doesn't, the power is too much, and the ensuing explosion nearly kills him. Mary Jane visits her cousin Kristy, who was getting treatment for her eating disorder: her parents sound pretty terrible, although I don't know if they, or Kristy, have returned. Meanwhile, cosmic Spidey was unharmed by the flames, and creates a new costume out of thin air. Then, immediately has to make another, after getting flamed again. The fight does a good amount of damage, but Dragon Man is no match for cosmic power. Still, as bystanders show legitimate concern to the fight, Spidey's had it, and tells them once he takes Dragon Man to the Vault, he is
done. Except, a crowd of people from the subway sing Spidey's praises for saving him, and he's back in it. And the Wizard worries, what if the others find out, he gave Spidey his groove back?
Two final subplots: Doom realizes--or maybe just assumes--someone sabotaged his attempt to score cosmic power. Loki is watching, but may or may not have done anything? And Liz Osborn is worried about calls she keeps getting, from someone out of jail: probably the Molten Man, but maybe not. (
Yep!) I know Spider-Man is a tough gig, but good grief, is Peter mopey in this one, and it kind of feels out of place: great wife, good friends, nice apartment, new powers, boo-freaking-hoo. And I didn't like how the ending made it seem like he needs adulation to keep going: everybody knows action is his reward. Still, now I need to check if I've read
Web #65, where most of the villains Spidey beat with cosmic power, team up and come back! They'll give him something to cry about...nah, they'll bicker, get over-confident, fail to work together, and get clowned; if I had to guess.
2 comments:
I didn’t have this one, but I had the one where he fought Titania.
If you think he’s mopey here (and he is) you know just how much of a mope-fest the mid-90’s turn out to be, not to mention his current state now. I know part of Peter’s appeal is how down in his luck he is, but it seems as if the current writer & editorial staff seem to take that & ramp it up every chance they get, using him as their own personal trauma dummy.
As far as the Acts of Vengeance tie-ins went, the previous issue was Spectacular Spider-Man, and yeah, he keeps saving people and getting yelled at or having stuff chucked at him. At one point Mary Jane tells him he did look like a menace out there with his new powers, which didn't help his mood (though he acknowledges after that he overreacted.)
Honestly, I wouldn't last five minutes helping people if they acted like folks in the Marvel Universe do. You think you're unhappy about your paint job getting scratched when I kept you from getting trampled by the Big Wheel? Well now I'm taking your wallet, and I'm crumpling your car into a ball. Have a shitty day!
As for the rematch against all the enemies, they stomp him pretty conclusively in round 1, but Graviton gets lazy about canceling the effect of gravity on him, so Spidey can latch onto an airliner before he floats into space. He does a lot better in Round 2 because, yeah, they don't work well together.
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