Tangled Webs: Peter David’s Spectacular Spider-Man Part 2

Peter David had an acclaimed run on Spectacular Spider-Man in the 1980s, arguably the best in the title’s history. But a complication with trying to read it years later is how haphazard it was. Sometimes he would provide material for other Spider-Man titles, while someone else was on his satellite. His 1980s work comes to about 40 issues worth of content, which would be appropriate for a giant omnibus. The scheduling may have been unusual, but the material was often good.

Web of Spider-Man #12
Following the events in the previous issue (which was written by Bill Mantlo),  Peter Parker is celebrated as a hero for standing up to some punks. They also burned down his apartment in retaliation. Aware that Spider-Man has some kind of connection to Peter, one of them asks his hitman brother to take care of Spidey, but the guy offers an alternative: he’ll take out Peter Parker. The New York Times and Daily Bugle work together to celebrate Peter. Spider-Man tries to take on the punks, when they’re trying to warn him about the hitman waiting in Peter’s apartment, with Mary Jane as a potential victim.
This story seems to be set before the events of the Sin-Eater saga, given the reference to a fire in Peter’s apartment. If there’s a message on crime in New York City in Peter David’s run, it seems to be that the situation is messier than expected. He’ll mock people who are too lenient in one story, but also show that sometimes we shouldn’t be too harsh, as when Spider-Man realizes that no one else in the community has been hurt by three punks, so that maybe they deserve a second chance. And the public is only on Peter’s side when he’s going with the simplistic narrative. I like how this story seems to be in a conversation with the rest of the run.
Sal Buscema and Bob McLeod deliver solid storytelling and atmosphere. There’s also a great sense of Peter’s character, both his better qualities and flaws, like how he squanders a break in a moment of ill-advised pique.
B+

Web of Spider-Man #13
Jonah pushes a story in which Spider-Man is accused of attacking an ordinary civilian, and this causes further damage to Spidey’s bad reputation, leading the public to prefer bank robbers to him. Ben Urich realizes that the “civilian” was a con artist who thought Spider-Man was chasing him, but before the Bugle can print a retraction, Spider-Man decides to go confront Jonah one last time.
In some ways, the issue is filler, since it doesn’t move any ongoing stories along, or have obvious repercussions. But it is steeped in history, like the scene where Spider-Man remembers all the times that he’s helped Jonah in the past. His frustration is understandable, while Jonah has some points about how things could be worse; he follows a specific code of honor. And it fits in a very specific time period in the Spider-Man comics, where Jonah & Robbie are starting a new project, Peter’s apartment burned down, and Spider-Man’s blamed for the body count in the Sin-Eater story. And we learn that Mary Jane made Peter watch the movie Network, but they have very different impressions of the ending.
Some sequences work really well, like the cut from someone asking how so many media types could get in a hospital room to a janitor counting a wad of cash. The opening scene contrasts a Daily Bugle article with the reality of the encounter between Spider-Man and the guy who panics, and that’s effective.
I don’t know much about artist Mike Harris, although inker Kyle Baker would go on to be a superstar. The art reminds me of John Totlebon’s Swamp Thing, but it works for a story that’s mostly about ordinary people where Spider-Man is a weird guy in a black and white costume (I’m curious as to whether the costume led to grittier stories, or whether an acceptance of grittier stories was what caused the black and white costume to stick around so long.) Sometimes the storytelling seems a bit awkward, but it’s fun and tells something about the characters and the world of the 1980s.
A-

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #115-116
Peter’s been having some bad luck lately, and it ruins a few opportunities for photos. He realizes that he’s still affected by the Black Cat’s powers and asks Doctor Strange to remove them, while she goes to steal something from the Foreigner (who makes his first appearance here after a cameo as just a voice in Web of Spider-Man #15.) She suffers a serious beating, barely escaping with her life, and gets targeted by Sabretooth, who figures this is going to help him make a new and powerful friend. Meanwhile, a scientist’s abused child seems to have gained new power.
This story seems to be a bit unfocused, although big stuff happens in ongoing stories. It’s not a great standalone, but it’s solid as two issues that are part of a much larger story, although the extent to which you’ll enjoy that may depend on how much you like that material. I like the drama with the Black Cat, and the set-up to an encounter with a kid who has great power, but the gold notebook’s been causing too much drama and the idea that Peter thinks Flash Thompson is the Hobgoblin is just ridiculous. There is a moment that’s important in retrospect where MJ wonders why it feels like she had a lovers’ quarrel with Peter. I’m probably happier just looking at the stories by Peter David and Michelinie, since DeFalco’s a few months from leaving Amazing Spider-Man in the middle of the Gang War story.

There are some nice sequences, and I like the idea that Peter’s luck was so bad that Dr Strange needed to fix it (although he declines to get rid of Black Cat’s memories of his secret identity, so this is the first seed of One Moment in Time/ No Way Home.) Spider-Man’s fight with Sabretooth has a solid resolution. There’s a nice sense that Peter and Black Cat are aggravated at the same thing, but the moment of his epiphany on this is a bit clunky.
Mark Beachum draws the first issue, and Rich Buckler draws the second. Both are a decent match for street-level stories, though I think Buckler’s better at keeping things on-model while maintaining a sense of atmosphere.
B

Amazing Spider-Man #278
Peter David and Jo Duffy wrote the script over Tom DeFalco’s plot. Flash Thompson has been arrested as the Hobgoblin, and Peter is pressured by the Bugle to arrange for an interview. He doesn’t know that the Flash is targeted by the Scourge, a master of disguise wiping out bad guys in the Marvel Universe. At the same time, Jean Dewolff’s brother Brian has a breakdown and becomes the Wraith once again.
The idea that Peter believed that Flash was the Hobgoblin seems kind of dumb. I just can’t get past that specific part. Peter wrestling with moral questions when he’s connected to a major media story is fine, although it’s a story beat I’ve seen quite recently.
Peter David will return to the series for Amazing Spider-Man #289, which does tie up the Hobgoblin saga (although I didn’t like it the last time I read the series.) I wonder if he chose to use the Wraith, since it does connect to Jean Dewolff, but all it really ends up doing is removing a C-list villain.
The encounter with the Scourge is okay. I like how Peter doesn’t realize what his spider-sense is warning him of when he encounters a disguised cop, and the Scourge takes advantage of the environment of the prison. I wonder if this is the first comic where Peter realizes he can’t get his webshooters past a metal detector. The clues about the Hobgoblin are really obvious.
Frenz is solid here. I generally like his 80s work, where he was almost Ditko-esque with storytelling that was both clean and bold, but it’s a bit off at times.
B

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #117
Peter Parker is missing as a result of events in Web of Spider-Man. The Black Cat tries to pay Doctor Strange a visit. Alex, the super-powered kid, is still on the run after accidentally killing his father. Things are awkward at the Robertson residence because Randy got married to a white girl without telling his parents. The Black Cat also has a confrontation with the Foreigner. All of these stories intersect through an accidental power outage.
I like the idea of occasional issues where we see what’s going on with ongoing subplots, but Peter Parker’s mostly missing. He doesn’t have to be believed dead for that to work. I know Bendis would have occasional spotlights on side-characters, like Aunt May visiting a psychiatrist, and that Geoff Johns had a gimmick in the Flash (20+ years ago at this point) of spotlight issues on bad guys once or twice a year.
I don’t really care for the Black Cat’s new costume, although there is a good revelation about it. The developments with Foreigner are more intriguing, and changes to her powers have potential. The Robertson story is relatively lightweight, in that these are complex discussions within a family that have to be conveyed in about four pages in a comic book. Some smaller moments work, like a near-accident with a dart and a twist with a Heimlich maneuver. I am sold on Alex’s story, which takes some dark twists, with black humor and pedophiles who get turned into ash.
B+

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #118
Alex is still on the run after gaining superpowers and accidentally incinerating his dad. His teacher gets in touch with Peter to see if Spider-Man can help find Alex. Alex has an encounter with cops who confuse him for a mutant, which leads to overzealous SHIELD agents and Mandroids chasing down a kid.
Mike Zeck provides the breakdowns, with finishes by Bob McLeod and letterer Rick Parker. The reason I mention the art team is that they’re also responsible for Kraven’s Last Hunt. They’re fine here, although the work seems a bit cartoonier than in their more major project.
This is an interesting dilemma for Spider-Man, dealing with authorities who seem to be going way too far, but maybe a kid this dangerous should be taken out before he kills anyone else. There are some good character moments like Peter not correcting the teacher’s memory of meeting him and Spider-Man at the same time. Alex is believable as a kid who is in way over his head. The ending is sudden, but it does land.
A-

Alex’s story seems to come to an end here, but there’s a different conclusion in the pages of the Incredible Hulk, where Alex is illustrated by Todd McFarlane.

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #119
Spider-Man’s not feeling a hundred percent after suffering a concussion. Sabretooth escapes from a hospital, wanting revenge against Spider-Man. And with his sense of smell, he tracks the wall-crawler to Peter’s apartment where a party’s going on. The Black Cat decides to take him on, and a weakened Peter Parker realizes he’s going to have to go and save her, as Mary Jane struggles with what it means to be close to someone who risks his life over a hobby (her words.)
This issue really has Lee/ Romita vibes. There’s drama in Peter’s personal life, as he’s not quite over the Black Cat, but realizing that MJ’s into him. There’s a party at his apartment, which brings together multiple characters, so Harry Osborn and Liz can make an appearance, along with the Robertsons, and Peter realizes that his neighbor- a minor supporting character- is lying about something big. A villain returns after a defeat two issues earlier kinda like Kraven in Amazing Spider-Man #49 or Rhino in Amazing Spider-Man #43. The resolution occurs in a way that isn’t cliched. There’s also something about Buckler and McLeod’s Peter that seems John Romita-like.

I don’t know if it’s intentional. There is a difference this time, because Peter’s no longer in college, so one of his friends just got married, a married couple has an infant and it’s a mix of people who don’t know him very well and who have been with him through multiple tragedies. This time, someone in his life knows his secret, so Mary Jane’s realizing what his life is like, and he’s realizing that she’s going to process his charming stories about the Rhino dropping a Ferris wheel on him (Amazing Spider-Man #281- the concussion is understandable) differently than he would.
It’s been noted that Sabretooth is different here than we’re used to. He’s tough, but he’s not someone you can imagine holding off the Hulk. In fairness, the Black Cat did get a power boost lately and Sabretooth is still recovering from serious injuries.
A

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #121
It’s a riff on Rashomon as Peter, Mary Jane and Jonah have different recollections of a bank robbery. It starts off with MJ’s version, as she flatters Jonah and tries to avoid revealing too much about why Spider-Man popped up. Jonah remembers it a bit differently. Peter has a choice between embarrassing his boss by telling the truth, and doing what’s best for his career and ability to keep refilling his webshooters.
It’s funny. There are easy jokes with characters coming up with flattering versions of events, especially with Jonah’s version of the story and Robbie’s realization that a guy who is trying to smoke pretzel sticks may have had a few drinks. It says something about the characters, especially Mary Jane’s willingness to finesse the truth to get to the best outcome. And the reality of the lunatic bank robber is a good moment. This story also highlights something special about Spider-Man, with all the personal sacrifices he makes to be an effective superhero; he struggles for his bills because he has to pay for things like webbing.
The issue has work by multiple artists John Romita Sr, John Buscema, Mark Texeira which gives a variety to the different renditions of the story. Given the names involved, you might expect something a bit more impressive, but it’s solid.
B+

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #122
Peter Parker finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster, after an altercation with an angry Irishman claiming to be the dad. When Spider-Man brings a baby to a hospital, the public’s interested. Then it turns out dear old dad is the Mauler, a soldier of fortune who now has more to lose than ever before, and wants his kid back. And he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process.
There are some decent gags, like Peter casually webbing a pickpocket’s hands to a woman’s purse, or his enemy thinking that Spider-Man saved his kid from the nasty Peter Parker.
But this story also says something meaningful. Spider-Man is pushed pretty hard here; not so hard that it seems unreasonable, but definitely more than in a typical single issue story. The bystanders have personalities, from a nurse explaining why she lied to a doctor realizing that he may have live to up to his claim that he can deliver a baby in darkness, a cop deciding he doesn’t have to do what Spider-Man says or a cancer victim deciding that he’s not willing to be used as a hostage. The hospital setting is used pretty well, especially Spider-Man’s discomfort when a fight goes to the morgue.
A

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #123
The Black Cat calls Spidey for help when she’s targeted by the Blaze, except he was more of a scam from #103. This new guy’s more dangerous and trying to impress the Foreigner. He takes a hostage, but when she’s killed, Spider-Man is rather upset. This leads him to jump back into a relationship with the Black Cat, although he gets framed for murder by an unusual suspect.
Part of the fun here is seeing the Black Cat interacting with Peter’s life. I like how she handles the frequent complication of Peter’s attractive neighbors suntanning on his roof, keeping him from being able to enter through the ceiling. She also gets an official introduction to Mary Jane, who is motivated to call fling Alfredo. We also gets hints of the things she’s keeping secret from Peter, like strange new abilities (the claws are kinda similar to what Miguel O’Hara would later have so it may something Peter David thinks about) and he’s able to pick up that she knows more about the Foreigner than she’s willing to admit (a reader of #119 is going to also pick up on that.)
I’m not familiar with Dwayne Turner. His style fits what I’ve seen in the series. It might seem more traditional superhero comics than crime story, but it’s fine. One of the features of the Spider-Man comics of the time was that Peter would develop relationships with precinct captains over the city. We all know Dewolff’s story. Keating was one of the other cops and this story’s setting up something big.
B+

And that’s it for Peter David as a consistent Spider-Man writer, at least in the bronze/ early modern age. He comes back in a few months for a two-parter with the Foreigner- to resolve the Black Cat and Keating stories, a rather consequential double-sized Amazing Spider-Man fill-in, and then a three part Sin-Eater sequel. He does occasional Web of Spider-Man stories, and then his main work on Spider-Man in the 90s is either in prose or Spider-Man 2099. There is still enough material for one more entry.

There were some behind the scenes problems with some of the people at the Spider-Man offices angry that he was hired to do creative work when he was initially in advertising. It’s a shame that they made these decisions decades ago out of pique that compromised the quality of the Spider-Man comics.

We got some good stuff out of it, but it could have been better. It had to be annoying for regular readers to have so many fill-ins, although Peter David’s able to make it work, with a sense that Spider-Man’s adventures in other titles count, and that Peter’s been mulling over things while there.