In a completely selfish hope that Marvel Comics' new high end collectible Wolverine Adamantium Edition may be followed by a Spider-man Web Slinging Edition I’m taking the opportunity to highlight the stories that I think are representative of what makes Peter Parker “Amazing”. I’m sticking exclusively with the mainstream Spider-man most people know of and worked hard to keep the page count as close to 720 as possible. I’m also working in publication order so that we can see the character growth and development as it happened. Last week we saw “The Conversation” between Peter Parker and Aunt May in Amazing Spider-man #38 (#479).
Amazing Spider-man#500 is actually a very coincidental choice that’s very apropos. December 2003’s “Happy Birthday, part three” was chosen for the five minutes at the end that Peter gets to spend with his Uncle Ben. Upon rereading it though, #500 opened with a time lost Spider-man, both seeing his origin and his end at the same time, not just traveling through time but physically being there and able to effect the outcome. Peter does nothing to change what’s come and fights exhaustion to make sure he at least accomplishes what’s come before.
What’s coincidental about this story is that some of the moments from his past that he experiences have found themselves on this list, reaffirming yet again, just what makes Spider-man so Amazing.
As I said, this issue was chosen for the closing pages. For his birthday, Doctor Strange gives Peter a golden box. In solitude and on the roof, Peter opens the box to find a note that says “You have five minutes spend them as you wish” and is promptly greeted by his Uncle Ben (who had just been shot). For the next five minutes Ben and Peter talk about life and Ben tells him that there’s nothing to ever apologize to him for and that as humans we all deal with loss and pain and asks Peter, if all of that aside, he’s happy with his life. Peter Parker is happy with his life and Uncle Ben fades away again in a loving embrace.
We don’t get to visit with our lost loved ones, but in comics Peter can and did accomplish that and was not only able to say his final goodbyes but received the good word that his life matters. That he’s done well and made people proud and you really can’t have a better birthday than that.
Michael R. Murray has been buying and collecting comics for over 35 years. At one point his collection included two copies of Amazing Spider-man #1, and one copy each of Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #2, Avengers #4, Showcase #22, and dozens more high grade and key issues. The collection has grown to include original art pages, as well as statues and busts, with the current emphasis on collecting original drawings from appropriate artists on the inside of his hard covers. His personal collection of graphic novels consists of over 2,000 hard covers and trade paperbacks. He has attended all of the Boston and New York Comic Cons and experienced Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Diego. He has championed comic books in the local schools and was very proud that both of his children read at least three years above their grade levels, due nearly exclusively to comics. He’s quick to point out that none of this makes him an expert, but that his love of comics is most enjoyable when he can share it. Follow on Twitter at mycomicstore001 or like his Facebook page.