Tangled Webs: Peter David’s Spectacular Spider-Man Part 3

The last section of Peter David’s work is more eclectic. His Hill Streets Blues inspired run on Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man is largely over. He returns to the series for five more issues, and works on one of the most important Amazing Spider-Man issues, revealing the mystery of the Hobgoblin. Then he has a few more issues of Web of Spider-Man, tying up loose ends with Betty Brant and exploring the spider-marriage. First, we’ve got the return of Ace.

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #6

Ace returns, which may be the first time a new villain appeared in two consecutive annuals. Ace is testifying against his brother and the Reapers, a local gang, which upsets some of the other members. Child Protection Services want to send his sister to a foster home. Peter goes to the trial, and when Ace refuses to follow legal niceties, it leads to a rematch between him and Spider-Man.
There are cute scenes. I like Peter dreaming about validation for Spider-Man, and there’s an entire off-panel fight scene that doesn’t seem lazy because Peter’s camera malfunctioned so Spider-Man readers get to see as much of the showdown as the Daily Bugle readers.

This issue feels a bit off in the beginning. Peter doesn’t have much of a story for the first half- he dreams about a fight with Ace, and helps Aunt May at a garage sale, although it gets him in the head-space where he’s looking forward to a rematch, and then realizes that Ace did something impressive. One odd minor detail is the editor felt the need to make a note that “joint” is slang for prison.
And it just seems like a mess by the end. The pacing and storytelling feels a bit off. Part of it may be Mark Beachum- I haven’t paid much attention to him before, and he’s just not one of my favorite Spider-Man artists- he seems better suited to a story without costumes and superpowers, although in that context he seems undisciplined. It kinda works at times with Spider-Man in a situation he doesn’t understand, facing someone with an entirely different background and culture. Looking at this 35+ years later, it doesn’t feel very authentic, but I’m sure it was bold at the time.
C+

Amazing Spider-Man #289

Spider-Man first fought the Hobgoblin fifty issues earlier. Betty Brant had seen the Hobgoblin unmasked and went into shock in the previous Hobgoblin story. So it was definitely time to resolve the mystery especially with David Michelinie coming on board in the next issue to take the series in a new direction.
It’s difficult to remove this from what I know of the context. I know it was a mess behind the scenes which is why Peter David was brought in to tell the big story. He had a lot of freedom to do it whatever way he wanted, which is why he went with the unconventional revelation that the Hobgoblin was really a supporting character who had just been killed off. The stetcons (I’m going with Peter David’s own term for a retcon of a retcon in ‘The Hobgoblin Lives’) retroactively make this go down a little bit better.

Ned Leeds’ body is delivered from Berlin. His widow Betty is in shock. Peter Parker feels guilty for not being able to save Ned. The Kingpin has learned that the Hobgoblin was murdered by the Foreigner, and sends a message to Spider-Man. Flash Thompson is so miserable he’s unable to turn himself in to police. And a new Hobgoblin targets the Rose.
I’m conflicted on this story. Some parts of it are dumb and cliched. The Kingpin murders an underling who betrayed him to the Rose in a generic scene we’ve seen before where the big bad villain does something nasty just to remind people he’s the big bad villain who does nasty things every now and then. And Spider-Man’s in the next room, which makes it all careless. There’s another scene where the Macendale Hobgoblin kills some of Rose’s henchmen, which does get to a question of why anyone who wants to work for a supervillain in organized crime. There’s some decent stories about the minor career criminals who get jobs working for different bad guys, but here they’re dropping like flies.
The Macendale Hobgoblin is the first goblin who is obviously a B-lister. He pops up again in the Spider-Man comics, but they never settle into much of an identity for him. It does fit the cynical world the villains live in to have an A-lister dispatched by hitmen sent by someone else, and it makes sense for that person not to be as effective at it and for the Kingpin to recognize it. I alternate from thinking the story makes sense to thinking they’re lampshading the flaws.
Kupperberg’s art is okay. He especially delivers on the iconic moment of an unmasked Ned Leeds taken by surprise, and depicts a creepy Hobgoblin.
The story comes together with Flash saving Spider-Man from the Hobgoblin, inspiring Peter to keep Spidey and resolving the subplot about him being ready to give it all up. And the next issue he’s going to make a big decision, and his mindset here does fit that.
I can’t say it’s a good comic, but it’s an important one with some good moments. And the bad stuff’s been retconned.
B-

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #128-129

Peter tells the Black Cat just what the Foreigner’s been up to, and she’s not happy. J. Jonah Jameson hires Silver Sable to go after Spider-Man, now that he’s credibly accused of murder after Keating framed him. Stan Carter’s out of jail and thinks there’s something suspicious about all of this. Betty Brant refuses to accept that Ned is dead, and a seriously injured Flash tries to help her. After a showdown with the Wild pack, Peter overhears a conversation between Felicia and the Foreigner that indicates she’s playing him for a sucker.

There are some decent details. I like a fired SHIELD agent from an earlier story returning as an angry member of the Wild Pack. Spider-Man musing about other superhero names has some decent payoff with a joke when he gets attacked. Felicia’s call to police that Spider-Man broke in and is trying to kill her boyfriend is a decent complication.
The story seems meaningful. It feels like Peter’s ready to make a major change to his life (and the proposal issues of Amazing Spider-Man are coming out at the same time.) And it plays fair with Felica, who has her own agenda rather than betraying Spider-Man for the Foreigner.
I don’t like the Foreigner that much. His stature seems unearned (I have similar complaints about Alfredo in the Gang War issues of Amazing Spider-Man/ Web of Spider-Man at the same time) but I do like that he’s Silver Sable’s ex.
Alan Kupperberg’s art seems strange and plastic at times.
B+

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #134-136
In his last Spectacular Spider-Man story, Peter David concludes the saga of the Sin-Eater. In one of the most misguided decisions in Spider-Man editorial history, Peter David was pushed out of the book by people who were jealous that a guy from the sales department was invited to write their biggest character. Fortunately they had a harder time kicking him off his other title The Incredible Hulk, partly because when he took it over sales were in the gutter. At the same time he revealed the final fate of the Sin-Eater, he wrote arguably his most beloved issue of the Hulk, the classic battle with Wolverine illustrated by Todd Macfarlane. It wouldn’t be until 17 years later that Marvel did the obvious thing and put him on a Spider-Man monthly as the lead writer. And his symbiote Spider-Man mini-series have essentially added up to a new monthly, set just before his run on Spectacular Spider-Man.

Stan Carter is released from prison, based on the argument that his murderous rampage was caused by experimental drugs which are no longer in his system. Peter Parker’s not happy to learn that the man who killed Jean Dewolff is back on the streets, and showing an anger that Mary Jane hasn’t seen before. What’s worse, he discovers that Stan is crippled, walking with a cane and diminished hearing, not because of any abuse he suffered in prison but because of the beating Spider-Man gave him when he saved Betty Brant’s life. The guilt causes Spider-Man to hold back against Electro, leading to a painful defeat and a public embarrassment as he refuses to throw the first punch when Electro confronts him in front of a studio audience. And while everyone thinks Stan is cured, he still sees the Sin-Eater everywhere.
This works on so many levels. The main story is compelling, with a difficult challenge for Peter. Reading this era of the comics, I get a sense of an aspect of Spider-Man’s character that can be downplayed in the comics. He can be quite angry and he’s aware that when that happens, he’s capable of great harm.

Other characters have great stories. Mary Jane is realizing new things about the man she married, some of them scary. There are some new revelations about Stan, who legitimately comes across as a tragic figure. And Electro’s having the time of his life.

Small moments land. I like the idea that Mary Jane tries to go with lessons from pop culture, or just small lines that make conversations between psychiatrists compelling. The public sours on Spider-Man, except for one little kid; that ends up taking a dangerous turn. Electro’s method of robbing a bank is clever, and there’s a big revelation about how Spider-Man’s power work, that contributes to a major beating.
Sal Buscema has been working on Spider-Man on and off for well over a decade, and will basically stay on the series as its main artist until Maximum Carnage. He’s got the Tombstone saga and the Harry Osborn saga ahead of him, but I don’t know if he’s ever been better. This is a psychological drama where super-powered people in costumes sometimes show up, and don’t seem out of place. He makes conversations look compelling, and he’s no slouch when it comes to shoot-outs with cops. He just conveys the necessary emotions and body language in a seemingly effortless way.
A+

Web of Spider-Man #40-43

Betty Brant had a nervous breakdown after her husband’s death and seems to have fallen in with a new group: the Students of Love. Flash Thompson’s trying to find them as well, while Peter’s city editor Kate Cushing worries that this may be the cult that her own sister disappeared into years earlier. When Spider-Man pays a visit, Betty has already been brainwashed warning the others of his arrival. Spider-Man hides amongst them, but when he sees their leader performing what appears to be a miracle he starts to wonder if they may be on to something. Flash Thompson and Reverend Tolliver work together to try to deprogram Betty but it doesn’t appear very different from a kidnapping. And one of the students of love is a pyromaniac who isn’t kept under appropriate supervision. Meanwhile, Mary Jane considers whether to take some racy photos to help her career, but Aunt May sets her right.

For the first two or so years, Web of Spider-Man had a unique identity as a series that took Spider-Man out of New York and out of his comfort zone, but by this point it’s more of a generic Spider-Man title, a series for fill-ins or when a story in Spectacular Spider-Man needs expanding. Soon enough, it’s just going to be Gerry Conway’s other monthly Spider-Man title. Alex Savuik joined the series as penciller a few issues earlier, and generally sticks around until just before the Clone Saga. He’s not my favorite although part of may be the combination of his style and the garish coloring of the time (it worked better with the likes of Todd Macfarlane, Erik Larsen and Sal Buscema.) He’s a decent storyteller with a good handle on expressions and action choreography, so I could see why Marvel editorial obviously liked him. I like the term “The Newlywed Years” for the period between Kraven’s Last Hunt and the Clone Saga, and he’s one of the major artists of this era.

The story is about something, with the dangers of cults and how people can be manipulated. Not every sequence lands. There’s an action scene in a burning building where Betty grabs Peter’s mask that just doesn’t sit right by me, like an effort to artificially increase drama by adding an action sequence. Cartoonishly evil behavior by some members of the Students of Love takes away from the idea that this is supposed to be a major dilemma for Spider-Man.

But some of it is quite good, especially in the use of the supporting cast. Betty’s breakdown isn’t for the sake of this one story, but is something that Peter David had seeded for a while, so it feels earned. Cushing’s story comes to a conclusion that is powerful, and it works that we’ve seen her as such an ice queen. We get new layers to the Reverend Tolliver, previously depicted as more of a showboater. The deprogramming sequence is painful and compelling- the story could’ve gone further in dealing with the messiness of these questions, but that’s more about how it could be even better.

The most controversial element might be the tension over whether Spider-Man could actually fall for something so transparent. Should the protagonist be more perfect because readers want to relate to someone who is never in danger of falling for something like this, or is the message about how we have to be careful about this kind of thing more effective if even Spider-Man is tempted?

MJ’s subplot is interesting. She makes major decisions without ever telling Peter, partly because he can’t get a hold of her while looking for Betty or hiding among a cult. I like the idea that she has adventures and temptations that she never tells Peter about; she’s got her own secrets.  It’s also funny to see her trying to keep a friend staying over from finding anything that could reveal Peter’s secret identity.
B

Web of Spider-Man #44/ Incredible Hulk #349

Peter Parker is on a national book tour to promote Webs, his collection of Spider-Man photographs. This takes him to Las Vegas, where he draws the eyes of Marlo, girlfriend of mob enforcer Joe Fixit who thinks he’s kinda cute and might make her boyfriend jealous. Marlo is seriously injured in war games arranged by mercenaries. Spider-Man obviously gets involved, but things get more dangerous when he realizes that he’s met Mr. Fixit before, as the Hulk. 

It obviously makes sense for Peter David to get involved for a crossover with the Hulk. The Hulk was believed dead after a nuclear explosion a few issues earlier (Peter and MJ made a cameo responding to the news item) so it’s a smart approach to do a crossover where a bigger character at Marvel realizes that the rumors of the Hulk’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. From the perspective of a Spider-Man fan, a problem is that there isn’t much interesting for them. The Hulk is dangerous enough that Spider-Man could believe he’s callous when his girlfriend is injured, but that doesn’t mean there’s much here appealing to Spider-Man fans. Hulk artist Jeff Purves pairs with inker Terry Austin and colorist Petra Scotese to produce something unique, with a flat pop-art sensibility, but that’s not necessarily compelling by itself. From the perspective of Spider-Man fans, this may be the most disposable story from Peter David’s run.
C

Web of Spider-Man #49

This story is told a bit out of order. After Mary Jane discovers that her friend Lorraine is addicted to cocaine, her husband decides to spend his time following her dealer, to make his life very uncomfortable. While MJ looks for her friend after she disappears, Spider-Man gets involved in a mob fight.

This seems to be a story Peter David wanted to tell. Lorraine was introduced in the Cult of Love saga and supporting character Kate Cushing sends Peter Parker on his assignment. It’s more didactic than any of his other stories, even those dealing with situations like how to deal with paroled criminals. But it is thought-provoking and the developments feel earned. Artist Val Mayerick is okay, capturing different sides of a messy topic.
A- 

Web of Spider-Man Annual #6

Peter David made one more contribution to a 1990 annual with artist June Brigman. Mary Jane’s on a jury, where the defendant says that he was framed by Spider-Man. So it’s a self-conscious riff on Twelve Angry Men except one person is confident of the defendant’s guilt and everyone else wants to go home. Veronica Mars did an episode on this, but in fairness, Peter David beat them to the punch by about fifteen years.

For the most part it’s an inoffensive half-issue story (14 pages) focusing on Mary Jane. It does seem Peter David liked covering the Peter-MJ relationship. It was a big part of his final arc on Spectacular Spider-Man, as well as his final regular issue of Web of Spider-Man, so if you were fan of the marriage, it’s one more reason to be upset that one of the best Spider-Man writers ever was pushed off a satellite book. 

I will note this annual, part of the Spidey’s Tiny Adventure Crossover pitting him against Psycho-man has impressive creative teams. For the main story, Stan Lee scripted over Gerry Conway’s plot while the art was by Gil Kane, Sal Buscema and others. Conway also had an Aunt May back-up (where she teams up with the Punisher) illustrated by Ross Andru! And there was a Captain Universe story illustrated by Steve Ditko, who refused to work on Spider-Man ever again but was willing to do occasional stories with different artists.

My dad’s a lawyer which makes me a bit more suspicious of the depiction of the legal field in pop culture, and there are some messy questions. Mary Jane uses information other jurors do not have access to in order to defend her husband who is implicated in a case. She had plenty of grounds to avoid being on the jury even with a frustrated judge unhappy that so many jurors were excluded. But it is still plausible that she’ll do what she does. The resolution is okay, but I don’t know if this needed 14 pages before we consider the question of whether MJ acted ethically.
B-

You could definitely make an omnibus out of these. Even with the erratic schedule across multiple titles, we get some satisfying longer stories like the tragedy of the Sin-Eater, the mystery of the Foreigner and the breakdown of Betty Brant.