So, the last time I wrote a comic book article for The Odyessy it reached 1 millions page views. That means I have probably peaked already in life. However, that gives me the excuse to my comic books my schtick on here. We have 42 weeks until the release of "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Meaning I have 42 weeks to cram as much Spider-Man knowledge in to everyone's head as possible. It's no secret that Spider-Man is my favorite superhero, and I consider myself an "The Amazing Spider-Man" historian. So, enough preludes. We have a lot to get through.
Week One: Origins.
Now, everybody with even a shred of pop culture knowledge knows the Origin of Spider-Man. He was bit by a radioactive spider which gave him the powers of a spider. Hell, most people know the origin of how Stan Lee came up with the characters and the struggle he had to put him into existence. So, I won't waste your time going over that. Instead, I'll go over Peter Parker and his origins.
Peter Parker was just a kid from Queens. Besides the fact that he was the most intelligent dude in his class, there wasn't very much special about him. This immediately separated him from all other Superheros up to that point. In any other book during the period of comics the focus would have been on Flash Thompson, the school jock. It could also have focused on some rich dude with a dream of web-slinging to be a symbol for the masses. Peter would have just been a background character. Peter never had any big aspirations to be a hero. He just wanted to fit in and not be the butt of Flash's cruelty. He also was far from a ladies man, he was ridiculed for even attempting to ask a girl out. He was an outcast in every sense of the term.
Once Peter got the spider bite, he was now placed in a position he was not accustomed to, capable of gaining some attention and popularity and even a chance to financially help out his Aunt and Uncle, who adopted him. However, he decided to wear a costume to protect his identity. He was already an outcast; sticking to walls like a spider would not help him break that stigma. However, concealing his identity would cause problems when it came to cashing checks.
Peter began making TV appearances strutting his powers and amazing and scaring the crowd with what he was capable of. Peter got to the point where he was so used to the world being cold towards him, that he decided to be cold right back. He was presented in opportunity to stop an armed robbery but he let the robber go. He didn't care about others problems because nobody cared about his own. A truly selfish notion and not at all hero like.
However, because of his own selfishness, the same armed robber in a freak occurrence guns down his Uncle Ben. In that moment Peter learned with great power comes great responsibility. You all knew that part, but I'd like to look at that statement under a microscope. Peter realized right then and there that he can't be as petty as the world has been to him. He has the power that no one else has. He could use that power to set the proper example that Aunt May and Uncle Ben set for him. He realized he was always a hero, it was what Aunt May and Uncle Ben raised him to be. Now, he has the means to use his inner power to do some good in the world.
In the 15th issue of "Amazing Fantasy" in which Spider-Man first appeared in there was no super villain opposing Spider-Man. Yes, the robber who shot Uncle Ben could be considered a villain. However, the true villain of that issue what Peter himself. He betrayed who he is and that cost him dearly. The robber was just a manifestation of Peter's biggest mistake. You'll see that Peter being his own worst enemy is a common trend in the Spider-Man universe. Especially in next weeks discussion.
