This is a bit tricky. See, I do like the concept of Spider-man, but for a long while now, it’s become its own worst enemy. Please bear with me as I lay the groundwork with what has gone before, which will highlight my appreciation for the main focus of this entry. To do that, you have to remember where Spider-man and Peter Parker came from and who they were. 

Now, for those of you coming in a half century late and missing the movies…

When the comic started back in the early ’60’s, it featured wimpy loser and nerd Peter Parker, a 15 year old high school student who lived with his aunt and uncle, who were drawn to look 65. Granted, that was just how artist Steve Ditko drew things.

Peter was a science nerd and was bitten by a radioactive spider while observing an experiment. The incident gave him the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider, along with the ability to stick to walls and a sixth sense about any approaching danger, a “spider-sense”. 

Young Parker immediately took advantage of the situation, first fashioning a costume and then by cashing in by crashing wrestling bouts and appearing on tv, grabbing fat stacks of cash. He was a fast star, The Amazing Spider-man! The power and fame immediately went to his head. So much so, that when the arrogant youth had the chance to stop a fleeing robber from the police, he let a thief getaway. When the cop asking him why he didn’t lift a finger to help, especially with his abilities, Peter said it wasn’t his problem. 

So the robber who he let get away, scrammed out of Manhattan, found his way all the way over to Queens, broke into the Parker household and just happened to kill Peter’s Uncle Ben, during the break in. Oops. 

Spider-man tracked the villain down and saw it was –amazingly– the same robber HE let get away downtown!

GUILT.

Now realizing that With Great Power, there Comes Great Responsibility, Peter becomes a devoted, selfless hero fighting crime to never let something like what happened to uncle Ben ever happen again. And you’ve got one of the most successful superhero franchises in the history of comics.

And for at least a good decade or more, the book was firing on all cylinders.

Young Peter did great work, fighting against the likes of Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, Green Goblin, and more. There was an interesting contrast in this young kid, still in high school, having to tackle these dangerous types, while at the same time caring for his doting, aged, sickly, withered aunt May.

Even though the creative team steering the book (Stan Lee, Steve Ditko) had Peter graduate high school and go to college, he was still plagued with every day troubles. He was always strapped for cash and May was always halfway into rigor-mortis. He was constantly berated by his boss at the Daily Bugle, who he took pics for as a photog, had to keep his grades up and all the while, trying to make time with the ladies, in particular, the wonderful Gwen Stacy. 

The point is, if ever there was a relatable superhero secret ID, Peter Parker was it. He was every nerd, every kid who had trouble, an underdog, someone who pined for someone who ignored you, you name it. And even in the late ’60’s/early ’70’s, when Peter was finally getting into a somewhat stable relationship with Gwen, he still had the old Parker luck, where things went bad just as often as good. 

Mind you, even though it’s now 1973, and the book had already been around for a decade, it *had* to keep going. Month after month. And since the creators didn’t tend to think in terms of these titles lasting over 50 years, they started to progress the characters life, taking Peter from high school to college and getting him into a serious relationship. The kind of relationship that would have stood the test of time.

So…..where do you go from here? After a decade of web slinging, the creators found themselves painted into a bit of a corner. 

Time passes differently in comics.

Peter could have easily stayed in high school for the decade, thus ensuring it would be another decade or more in college and maybe the ’90’s before the next stage of his life but no, Lee and Ditko busted him out of high school in issue 28, 1965. Back then, the characters were almost aging in real time, which again, Stan and Steve weren’t thinking long term at ALL.

So now, a decade later in ’73, editor Roy Thomas and writer Gerry Conway decide the only interesting thing they can do is kill off Gwen Stacy.

They do.

Then what follows is 40 years of Peter getting older, marrying Mary Jane Watson, who’s now a supermodel, dealing with loads of clones, revealing his ID to the public…..

….This was not really the relatable young nerd with problems anymore. Peter was married to a supermodel and was gainfully employed. Yeah, he still had problems but come on……so……

…….Editorial made him make a deal with the devil to make the public forget his ID AND make like his marriage never happened ……. and just stuff like that in general, lacking a lot of inspired creativity or common sense. 

No one really knew what to do with the character anymore to keep him moving forward yet remain the same. It’s kind of a no win scenario. Admittedly, most of the time, I wasn’t interested anymore. Especially in the new directions the creators were taking him.

And then came The Superior Spider-man. 

Dan Slott was writing the book and frankly, it was the same old same old, but then he got an interesting idea. 

Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus), was on his deathbed, barely being kept alive by machines. But his brilliant mind had a back doorway escape clause. He managed to insert his consciousness from his dying body into Peter’s mind and vice versa. Now, Otto was in command of Spider-man’s body while Peter lay trapped in Otto’s slowly rotting carcass. It was horribly, fiendishly brilliant. 

Slott plays it perfectly, though. Peter manages, through sheer force of will to hang on, in order to stop Otto. Peter manages to get some villainous assistance to break him out and “plot revenge” on Spider-man, with the actual plan being trying to figure out how to get the minds switched back. It ain’t pretty.

Otto switched minds with Peter by injecting him with some kind of probe in the back of the skull which facilitated the switch. When the two finally confront one another, the dying Parker tries to duplicate the injection/switch but Ock was ready for him, shielding the back of his skull. 

*Usually*, this would have been where the hero takes back his mind and wins the day. But he fails. As his life fades away, Peter Parker locks eyes with Octavius. And BOTH men see Peter Parker’s life flash before their eyes. It has an effective on Otto.

Peter Parker is dead. 

Doc Ock has won.

He is now The Superior Spider-man. 

To be concluded next Friday.