Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Rachelle Rosenberg; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Geoff Shaw & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 25, 2025

 

Miles was supposed to be at Brooklyn Visions Academy. Gust was easing Shift through his first day at Eastside Academy of the Arts. Dr Keisha Kwan was pouring herself a cup of coffee in her comfortable office. Then, Kwaku Anansi pulled them into his song. Along with Hercules, Ares transported them to Mount Olympus. There, Anansi's champions face off against Ares' champions: Zip Zephyr, War-Cry, Pyrrha, and Philomelus.

 

Can the spider god's champions defeat the God of War's divine Defenders? And will anyone steal the books from Gust's open school locker? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, and find out!

 

Story

Keisha enjoyed working in the office, but Dr Sasquatch nudged her out of her comfort zone. Instead of video counseling, she has met with Miles. But when Ares transports her to Mount Olympus and forces her to fight Philomelus, Keisha reveals the trauma she’s worked to hide. Like Bruce Banner and Dr Sasquatch, gamma radiation has changed Keisha. So, the mild-mannered psychiatrist gives the ancient tiller of the soil a WWF therapy session in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Shift's origins as a pawn in someone else's game still traumatize him. Agent Gao forced Gust to fight on her Cape Killers squad. Once again, others control Shift and Gust in Cody Ziglar's story. Both feel overwhelmed by being drafted to fight gods in an Agon. Agent Gao (or War-Cry) has told Zip Zephyr that superpowered individuals are dangerous because they often hide in plain sight. Whether they like it or not, Mount Olympus reveals that Gust and Keisha are more powerful than they realize in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Miles may not know what Anansi wants from the contest, but Ares and his followers crave power. Ares and his champions believe they are entitled to positions of status and haven't gotten the respect they deserve. While Ares grants Agent Gao an upgrade by becoming his avatar, it's unclear what he can offer the others. But even if they help him win the Agon, it's hard to believe they'll ever win Ares' respect. 

 

 

 

Art

Keisha's muscles bulge as she tosses Philomelus his plow. Then, Keisha shows the Greek god she doesn't need weapons to win her fights. While her actions shake Zip and Pyrrha and irritate Ares, Agent Gao seems unmoved. But then, after losing the Harpe to Deadpool, perhaps "War-Cry" prefers to remain in the background. Throughout Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, Anansi is in his element. While Hercules cheers on his team, Marco Renna shows Anansi crossing his arms over his chest, swelling like Ant-Man, or perching atop a broken pillar like Simeon Stylites. And all the while, the spider-god smiles, plays cat’s cradle with webbing, or shoots the air with finger guns.

 

The yellow and orange sky gives Mount Olympus an otherworldly feel. Keisha and Philomelus kick up the reddish dirt amid the pinkish-white stone pillars, pediments, battered temples, and empty stadium. Ares' helmet and Pyrrha's armor radiate a golden sheen, while Zip Zephyr's bluish-white cyclones complement Pyrrha's white and blue water jets. 

 

 

 

Bryan Valenza's nuanced palette grounds the otherworldly confrontations. Pyrrha's striking red hair and skirt foretell a later challenge that forces Ares to press his hands against his head. But then, Shift's body language suggests what Miles, Keisha, and Gust must feel: that The Gods Must Be Crazy!

 

Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White block letters introduce the singers of Anansi’s latest hit single. Ares, Zip, Philomelus, and Pyrrha utter diagonal letters, but Zip never gets the colored balloon borders that his high-born status deserves. The words grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects enliven challenges that sadden Keisha, enrage Ares, and perhaps hint at why Miles thinks of Ms. Marvel more often than Starling. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Ares has an axe to grind. Instead of battling Kwaku Anansi, he fights through intermediaries. While Ares belittles his followers and inflicts pain, Anansi preaches the value of togetherness. And once again, the spider-god reminds us that force and brutality are not the only way to achieve victory in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Man #10 Review

 

Writers: Dan Slott & Christos Gage

Artists: Mark Bagley, John Dell & Andrew Hennessy

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Stephanie Hans

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 5, 2023

 

Haunted by his failure to save a fire victim, Peter Parker tries to amplify his Spider-Sense. His experiments with Norman Osborn succeed, but all the danger signals overwhelm him. Can he protect New Yorkers from Electro’s latest attack while coping with his newfound abilities? Let's leap into Spider-Man #10 and find out!

 

Story

Electro's surges of power sizzle through the air. They hit Spider-Man, wreck vehicles, and set buildings aflame. As bystanders flee, their fright and pain give Spider-Man a nuclear migraine. Spider-Boy rushes to Peter's defense, startling Electro, who isn't used to fighting kids. Meanwhile, Norman blames himself for allowing Peter to talk him into upgrading his Peter Tingle. He races to find a way to reverse the process before Electro incinerates Peter.

 

As the firefighters helped kick off this storyline, their reappearance gives symmetry to its closure. As for Spider-Boy, we can all identify with loneliness and feeling like we don't belong. Dan Slott and Christos Gage's story reminds us how much Peter Parker cares for others. While this burden costs him personally, all that matters is protecting others.

 

 

 

 

Art

Aided by his inking sidekicks John Dell and Andrew Hennessy, penciler Mark Bagley gives Spider-Man #10 a classic appeal. Electro steps out of a Bronze Age Marvel comic. Yet Norman Osborn, wearing his new Gold Goblin costume, looks like he belongs. With his bright, animated TV-style costume, Spider-Boy serves as a bridge between the Past and Present. Aunt May's features show her concern for Peter, while her gestures demonstrate how fiercely she's fighting for her nephew. Crowd scenes communicate energy as flames leap from buildings and explosions rock the ground. The spiders in Norman's lab enhanced this dramatic story with humor. Yet Peter Parker, as the amazing Spider-Man, never gets relegated to the sidelines.

 

Edgar Delgado deepens the art with bold colors and rich shading, giving Spider-Man #10 three-dimensional realism. He paints streets and buildings with richness and nuance. The raging fires writhe like the Human Torch in pain, while gray smoke reveals hints of yellow, orange, blue, and purple. Spider costumes shine from fires, vehicle headlights, and lights on nearby buildings. Norman’s work lights, and the glowing spider tank, give the lab a moody nighttime appeal.

 

Joe Caramagna web shoots lots of uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. Font style, letter size, and spacing between lines make Spider-Man #10 a migraine-free read. Nick Lowe's footnotes—accompanied by a red spider—remind me of how characters and story elements relate to earlier issues. Sound effects help you feel explosions, lighting crashing into buildings, and the crackling hum as Electro charges his batteries between attacks. Red letters grip your heart as they escape a white dialogue balloon, and Spider-Man doubles up in pain.

 

Final Thoughts

While striving be our brother’s (and sister’s) keepers, Spider-Man #10 reminds us that we must also care for ourselves.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #27 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Mark Farmer

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Lee Garbett; Claudio Sciarrone; Lucas Werneck

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 14, 2023

 

Spider-Man and Black Cat pursue the Shocker. As they hurtle above the streets, Black Cat wants him to relax and enjoy the chase, but Peter treats it like an obligation. Mary Jane—the woman he imagined spending his life with—has given her heart to someone else. Ms. Marvel died protecting them from the Emissary, the mad math man whose actions tore them apart. Can Peter recapture the lighthearted joy he once felt protecting his fellow New Yorkers? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #27 and find out!

 

 

Story

Peter may be hurting, but he knows his love of crime fighting will return. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn struggles with how being a hero means reexamining your decisions and living with your actions. Doctor Octopus also embarks on a new odyssey: to vanquish equipment that developed a mind of its own. Even the indomitable J. Jonah Jameson comes into play when an unexpected guest darkens his door. 

 

 

 

 

After Dark Web and the Emissary Epic, Zeb Wells resets the board in Amazing Spider-Man #27. Some readers will claim it's just another game. Yet Peter, Black Cat, Norman Osborn, and Black Cat remain relevant. As their journeys continue, we watch, rapt, as they take the hits life deals them and move on.

 

Some may fixate on the return of a seemingly vanquished villain. What hits me hardest is Peter's concern for Norman. Even though he's hurting, Peter comforts and supports him. Like the 12^th Doctor and Missy, Peter serves as a guide while Norman seeks to make amends and become a force for good. They may never be friends, nor may Peter ever trust the man. But he understands what the former Green Goblin’s trying to do and seeks to aid him on his new journey.

 

 

 

 

Art

While Peter and Black Cat emerge as powerful superheroes in Amazing Spider-Man #27, their faces reveal their emotions. Perhaps their features look soft, but Norman's almost seem too sharp. Shadows and light play across every wrinkle and contour. At times his face verges on caricature. Doc Ock resembles a villain in an Old Time melodrama. What if he tied his disloyal appendages to the train tracks? Would he cackle with glee? 

 

As for the returning villain, she bursts toward you like a force of nature, intent on taking back all she’s lost. Perhaps it's good that Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer aren't drawing a 3D comic: they might bring on heart attacks!

 

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz delivers bright, bold, and beautiful colors in Amazing Spider-Man #27. Light sources are apparent, and shadows deepen the drama. Proportions and scale walk together down the aisle toward creating a beautiful new comic, their union guided by invigorating composition. 

 

Black uppercase letters accompany the participants in white dialogue balloons and narrative fields. Extreme emotion swells words, turning the letters red, and dynamic sound effects accentuate each exciting, dramatic moment. From Spider-Man and Black Cat's battle with the Shocker to Norman's memories of death-dealing and Doc Ock's vicious revenge, Joe Caramagna ensures you don't miss a step as we embark on this new phase of Peter Parker's epic journey.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As characters struggle to accept their pasts, reinvent themselves, and control their destinies in Amazing Spider-Man #27, a vicious villain returns to crush their hopes and upset their plans.

 

Rating 8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Strange New World of Saguaro National Park West

 

 

Venture into Saguaro National Park West, and you step into the Land of the Lost. Giants guard this barren world. Called Saguaro Cactus, they tower over puny Humans like you and me.

 

Once in danger of being cut down and lost forever, Saguaros now guard this swath of desert outside Tuscon, Arizona. Their silent vigil reminds us of an earlier time, before the incursion of civilized man.

Yet not all of this forgotten landscape is relegated to earlier times. Explore beyond the well-trodden paths, particularly in the less-visited months, and you'll discover a quiet land, populated by denizens such as the Gila Woodpecker. This puny resident pecks cozy homes into this land's giant guardians.

Once its eggs hatch, and the Gila Woodpecker moves on, other species, such as the elf owl, may come along and discover a new, ready-made home inside the mighty Saguaros.

 

Outside Saguaro National Park West, Tuscon's local comic shops also offer strange new worlds to explore. Some of the journeys they'll propel you on may surprise and delight you.

 

Like Saguaro National Park West and the elf owl, you'll never know what wonders you might discover, until...

Dragon Dave

New Journeys of Discovery

 

Recently, I've been ordering fewer new comics at my local comic shop. Even though I read comics regularly, some of this may reflect a reluctance to invest myself (my time, thoughts, and emotions) in new comics. Still, I think mostly this is due to publishers ending series I enjoy, producing fewer titles, and releasing issues less frequently. 

I must also admit that, with the prices of new comics rising, costs all across the board increasing, and retirement looming, I'm questioning how much I ought to be spending on new books. 

Still, I love new comics. Old comics are great. Like old novels: they're always fun to read. But new comics are just...awesome. There's nothing quite like the thrill of perusing the comic shop each week, and checking out the new arrivals. What stories might I discover? What adventures might I embark upon?

If I had the financial means, and the time, I might just read them all! But then, I wouldn't have time to read my older comics. 

(Sigh).

Lately, I've been feeling the desire to embark on new journeys of discovery. While I've read most of Brian Michael Bendis' run on Ultimate Spider-Man, I've never followed Marvel's premier series about webhead Peter Parker. I'm not nearly as familiar with Frank Miller's work as (perhaps) I should be. I read the first few issues when Star Wars returned to Marvel, but nothing since. As for Daredevil...

Can you believe that I've never read a single issue about the blind superhero? (Until now, that is).

There may come a day when the arrival of each week's new titles no longer interests me. There will likely come a day when I cannot purchase and read new comics. But until that day comes, I'll keep on the lookout for new stories that transport me to strange and wondrous places.

Dragon Dave

Inflated Values for Spider-Man and Hulk Comics?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been reading the series "Skaar, Son of Hulk" lately. It's a highly visual story that takes place on the planet Sakaar, after Hulk departs for Earth at the end of the Planet Hulk storyline. Hulk thought his son had died along with his wife in the nuclear explosion that devastated Sakaar, or he would never have left. But Skaar grows up alone, raised by a priest, and defending villagers from the armies that battle for control of the ravaged planet. He feels rage at his abandonment, and at the injustice of the millions of peaceful inhabitants who die while a few warlords battle for supremacy. So when the Silver Surfer arrives, and announces that Galactus will soon come to feed on Sakaar, Skaar fights him instead of organizing an escape for everyone. It's up to the shade of his mother Caiera, sustained by the planet's Oldpower, to hurl Skaar into the nearby wormhole, so she can order soldiers to put down their arms, load up the spaceships, and escape the planet before Galactus arrives.

When Skaar exits the wormhole, he finds himself on Earth. Enraged at the destruction of his home planet, he seeks out the father who abandoned him and his world. In his rage at his father, he attacks, and such aggressiveness causes the Hulk to respond in kind. As they pound away at each, cracks form in the ground beneath them. As the cracks widen, and the ground shakes, Skaar realizes that the battle with his father has significantly damaged a nearby nuclear power plant. He could not save his beloved Sakaar, but he can undo the damage he has caused, if he is willing to vanquish the rage that has fueled his life up to this point, and focus the Oldpower he inherited from his mother to strengthen the walls, foundation, and underlying bedrock of the nuclear power plant.

Through this sacrificial act, in trading-in his rage and desire for revenge, he saves Earth, the planet his father ultimately loved more than Sakaar. Doing the right thing costs Skaar, and brings him little in satisfaction or acclaim. But then, the lot of the common people, and his desire to save them from the injustices inflicted upon them by the warlords of Sakaar, are who Skaar is, and what makes him a hero.

I've enjoyed learning about Skaar's origins, and Greg Pak's world building skills are impressive for the comics medium. So I was willing to seek out the final issue I couldn't find at my usual comic store, and pay the extravagant price of $4.25 to complete the series. I couldn't wait in the hopes that it would turn up in the $1 section any time soon: I had to read it now!

So imagine my surprise when I saw two well-dressed ladies plunk down $3000 in crisp, unblemished $100 bills for an old Spider-Man comic. Although I couldn't tell for sure, I believe it was a copy of Amazing Fantasy 15, which contains Spider-Man's origin story. The comic was stored in a hard plastic (or glass?) case, which the owner had to screw to open in order to take out the comic to show the ladies. Presumably, this case forms a hermitic seal, and keeps the comic from aging. Then, when they want to read it (if they want to read it), the ladies will carefully extract it from its case, and using gloved hands (and specially designed tools?), turn the pages.

People collect books, and my collection probably rivals many readers when it comes to quantity. As for quality, I've never worried overmuch about condition: what mattered was that I had the story, as a reminder that I had read it, or so I could read it (or reread it) when I wanted. Comic books have grades, upon which their value is placed. But, as in all other aspects of the free market, demand dictates the selling price, not an item's purchasing price or its intrinsic value. Given the ups and downs of the stock market, and the way house prices can rise and fall unexpectedly, I suppose that paying $3000 for an old, rare comic, that lots of people will always want to own makes a certain amount of sense. Still, I'm satisfied with my own high-priced issue of Skaar, and my reprint of Amazing Fantasy 15 that was included in the San Diego Union Tribune back in 2006. I have no plans to sell either any time soon. I can take either out of its plastic case, handle it without gloves, and enjoy the story again and again 

Still, nobody else had better try to handle my comics without my approval, or do so in a reckless fashion. Otherwise, they're apt to see my muscles swell and turn green. You wouldn't want to see me when I'm filled with rage, would you?

Dragon Dave

She-Hulk's Favorite Superhero

Even superheroes like to have fun. In a recent episode of "Hulk and the Agents of SMASH," the hulks go trick-or-treating. Skaar may not realize that pirates only wear one eyepatch, but at least he's trying. (Hey, in the TV series, he's from another dimension, so give him a break!) Still, he does pretty well with two eyepatches, so maybe he has super-vision in addition to his super-strength. 

You may have noticed that Spider-Man, standing behind Skaar, looks rather well-endowed in the chest area. There's a reason for that.

It's She-Hulk! And Spider-Man, as she proudly tells her comrades Hulk, Red Hulk, and A-Bomb, is her favorite superhero. Think about that. Spider-Man's just a scrawny High School geek. She and the Hulks are already pretty special. Spider-Man is her favorite superhero, really?

Cool. Good choice, Shulkie.

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Dragon Dave

Focusing on What You Do Best

In "Growing Pains," Issue 2 of "Ultimate Spider-Man," once Peter Parker gains his superpowers, he tries out his new abilities. One place he does so is the school Basketball court. Using his enhanced strength and reflexes, he surprises the coach by making shots that would have previously been beyond him.  

Then he notices Flash Thompson chatting up the girl he loves, Mary Jane Watson. He hurls a basketball across the gym. The ball slams into his rival's head.

Needless to say, Flash is not amused.

Flash refuses to calm down, and catches up with Peter after school.  

While the basketball throw might have been instinctive, Peter doesn't really want to fight Flash. Peter tries to evade the blows, and raises his hands to ward them off. Then Flash punches Peter's outstretched palm, and crumples to the ground. Suddenly, it's Peter Parker who grew up on a high-gravity world; along with his increased strength and agility, his hand is as hard and unmovable as stone.

This incident is one of several that helps Peter realize responsibilities accompany abilities.  Even if a career in professional Basketball lay within his grasp, he has more to offer the world than he can ever contribute on the court. So, while he can do much more than he could before his transformation, he decides to focus on what he can do best. For him, this means rededicating himself to his studies, running density tests on the molecular adhesive his father was developing before he died, and keeping the streets of New York clean of nefarious villains. Hmm…an incredibly strong molecular adhesive? I wonder what he could do with that?

What do you do best?

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
Stan Lee's First Spider-Man Story

"Growing Pains" was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas, penciled by Mark Bagley, inked by Art Thibert, colored by Steve Buccellato, and lettered by Richard Starkings and Troy Peteri. You can read about more of Peter Parker's transformation into Spider-Man, and his first battle with the Green Goblin, in the seven-issue compilation Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power And Responsibility. 

Playing Basketball Like Peter Parker

The summer before my Freshman year, I signed up for High School Basketball. I was never particularly good at guarding, or getting the ball in the basket, but I enjoyed playing, and it was a sport I could play by myself, or with a few friends, when I got tired of reading and wanted a little exercise. Suddenly, I was facing off against players from a higher-gravity planet: they could move faster, leap higher, and make far more baskets than me. 

The coach was equally alien. Instead of instructing us to guard man-to-man, or guard in fixed areas of the court, he diagramed plays and strategies as intricate as those of a professional dance troupe.  

In "Powerless," Issue #1 of "Ultimate Spider-Man," Peter Parker finds himself in a similar situation. He's not trying out for the team, but merely enduring his afternoon P.E. class.

After Flash Thompson and Kong make impressive baskets, it's Peter's turn to throw.

Unfortunately, his efforts fall short of impressing the coach.

No matter how hard I tried that summer, my abilities still resembled those of Peter Parker before he was transformed by that famous spider bite. Yet my coach remained kind and gracious. While he constantly encouraged me to step up my performance, he never called me out or belittled my efforts. Even though I was a drag on the team, he kept me involved during practice sessions. He even asked me to attend a preseason game. As it was a close game, he didn't send me in to play. Still, he wanted me there, and I appreciated the fact that he asked me suit up and sit with the team.  

Perhaps my coach was an exceptionally kind man.  Perhaps, in this instance, he decided that effort counted for more than ability.  Either way, he rewarded my efforts that summer with an A, and gave me an Excellent for "Citizenship."  In other words: even though it was to obvious to everyone that I was a drastically inferior Basketball player, he gave me the highest marks possible.  

For me, that makes him a real superhero.

Dragon Dave  

Related Dragon Cache entries
Celebrating Brian Michael Bendis

"Powerless" was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas, penciled by Mark Bagley, inked by Art Thibert, colored by Steve Buccellato, and lettered by Richard Starkings. Read about Peter Parker's transformation into Spider-Man, and his first battle with the Green Goblin, in the seven-issue compilation Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power And Responsibility. 

Celebrating Stan Lee

Comic Book Heroes

A Treasury of Stan Lee's Spider-Man

In the pantheon of comics, Stan Lee is renowned as a cauldron of creativity, an engine of enthusiasm, and a paragon of perspicacity.  His characters are immortal, his soap boxes memorable, his personal appearances prized, and his movie cameos cherished.  Is it any wonder that any blog post celebrating this comics culture cornerstone should be craved?  I think not!  

If you're a long-time lover of Stan Lee, the following posts will increase your ardor.  If you're unfamiliar with this living legend, then they'll educate you as to his greatness.  If you're indifferent to comics, they may infuriate you!  But frankly, I regard the latter as likely as a bashful bookworm being bitten by a rabid radioactive arachnid, and becoming a superior super hero.  Oh wait: that did happen, didn't it?

Dragon Dave

Celebrate the sensational Stan Lee with these amazing Stan Lee posts!!!
Everyone Wants to See Stan Lee
Forever Spry: Stan Lee
The Life and Times of the Great Stan Lee
Stan Lee's First Spider-Man Story

Related Internet Links
Stan Lee Interview: On Cameos & Underappreciated Superheroes

Stan Lee's First Spider-Man Story

Monday Comics

We've seen him in the movies.  We grew up watching him on TV.  If you're into comics, you may have read some of his adventures.  But do you know how Peter Parker became a super hero?  

In Marvel Comics "Amazing Fantasy" Issue 15, the other teens refer to Peter Parker as a bookworm or a wallflower.  Stan Lee introduces us to two of them: Sally, who rejects Peter, and Flash Thompson, whom she (and all the other schoolgirls) finds dreamy.

While his Aunt and Uncle adore him, and his teachers believe he's smart enough to earn a scholarship, Peter finds the rejection of his classmates hard to take.

Good thing experiments involving radiation
were open to the public in the 1960s.

Peter attends a demonstration in the Science Hall.  Despite the crowd assembled therein, no one notices a spider crawl into the equipment.

Public Health Warning:
Spider bites hurt!

Distracted by the bite, Peter walks home.  At the last moment, he notices a car speeding into his path.  He leaps out of the way, and finds himself clinging high up on the wall of a nearby building.  He climbs the wall, and accidentally crushes a metal pipe.  Realizing the spider bite has changed him, he devises a means of testing his strength.  Wearing a mask, he enters the ring with a wrestler, and emerges the victor!

Deciding to capitalize on his new abilities, Peter makes a costume, and uses his scientific knowledge to develop web shooters.  Then he goes on TV, and makes money from personal appearances.  Stardom seems within his grasp, and he seems destined to get his own TV show, or become a movie star.  

As he emerges from the TV studio one night, a cop calls out, asking for his assistance in apprehending a criminal.  Despite his strength, abilities, and web shooters, Peter merely lets the criminal run past.  

At first, this seems hard to understand.  But then: 

Of course, we all know what happens later.  The criminal Peter could have helped capture robs their home.  In the process, he kills uncle Ben.  Spider-Man captures the man, and hands him into the police.  

As Stan Lee admits, no one thought Spider-Man would become a great super hero.  But thanks to public fascination with the character, he and later writers would be able to enhance our knowledge of Peter, his world, and his past.  Peter would go on to fight villains like the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.  He would fall in love with girls like Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson.  He would develop friendships with Harry Osborn and Doctor Connors.  This first story is only eleven pages long, and contains none of that rich cast of characters.  We don't even hear much from his uncle, except a joking complaint that Peter is starting to beat him (occasionally) at arm-wrestling!  

Yet one moral shines through this initial story.  No matter our situation, our station in life, or how little others esteem us, we all have a responsibility to the world around us. How each of us contribute to others' lives reveals the gifts and abilities with which we have been entrusted, and the character which makes each of us special.  (Or should I say super?)

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
A 1998 interview with Stan Lee at www.barnesandnoble.com

The Life & Times of the Great Stan Lee

As a young man, Stan Lee etched his name into the annals of comic book history.  For it was then that he created characters who will live forever in our hearts, such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.  He proved such a dynamic, creative force that Marvel kicked him upstairs, so to speak.  "So what has he done with the rest of his life," you ask?

Well, after he moved into editorial roles, he oversaw all the different magazines Marvel produced.  For example, along with Roy Thomas, he was instrumental in bringing "Conan The Barbarian" to Marvel.  He also served as Marvel's spokesperson.  As he had created so many great heroes, his was a name we could trust.  If Stan Lee said we needed to buy something, or that we would enjoy reading a particular story, well, it was time to raid the piggy bank, and head out to the store.

Today, Brian Michael Bendis is a major writer for Marvel Comics.  When he was just starting out, he made up signs for a Superman Parade and Comics Convention, and welcomed the celebrities as they arrived.  He describes how he met Stan Lee in his book Total Sell Out.

Stan Lee may not have superpowers, but he possessed the keen wit to look at Bendis' name tag, which is how he welcomed the aspiring writer and artist so warmly.  Then again, perhaps he does have superpowers. In "Super-Skrull," an episode of the 1990s animated TV series, The Fantastic Four, he pauses the action to welcome viewers, and then activates his English/Skrull translator device.  

When the action resumes, everyone can understand what the Skrull are saying.  This allows our heroes to discover the nefarious plot, and us to enjoy the story.  

Most ninety-year-olds would spend their days relaxing at home.  But not Stan Lee: he's got too much enthusiasm for life.  While he still advises Marvel, spearheads projects, headlines comic book conventions, and appears in Marvel movies, he insists on keeping active and serving others.  He maintains his youthful fitness, nurtures young adults, and protects New York City by working as a janitor at Midtown High School.  

In "Stan The Man," a recent episode of Ultimate Spider-Man, Stan risks his life to help Spider-Man and Mary Jane rescue Harry Osborn and Principle Coulson from the evil Lizard.  In doing so, he shows off his incredible fitness, and demonstrates how the tools and skills of a custodian can be used to protect and defend others.

No wonder Spider-Man loves and admires his creator!  Just don't expect Stan Lee to expound on all the amazing ways he's benefitted our lives. For as he says in the episode, "My greatness is only overshadowed by my modesty."  

We can all learn something by studying the incredible life and times of the great Stan Lee.

Dragon Dave