As I sit down to write my second blog entry I feel a sense of excitement, gratitude, and motivation. Partly due to feeling just plain honored to have this opportunity and platform of comictom101.com to talk with you all and share our common interests. Mostly, though, my emotions are probably running wild from having just re-read Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #33. I'm so excited to highlight this book because it's possibly one of my favorite Peter Parker stories ever! The way it's written makes it easier than ever to relate to Peter and by the end you'll likely need a tissue or twelve!
Like my last blog entry, this book choice and topic is heavily motivated by my childhood! When I was a child I didn't have the opportunity to buy books weekly so when I did grab a book I loved the ones that had stories where I could see the resolutions. This issue is certainly one of those books that anyone can pick up at any time and truly enjoy and become invested in without having to follow the run. However, it's certainly not a Spider-Man story regardless of the splash page I shared above that quickly retelis his origin.
The story kicks off with Spider-Man telling us that the current day is the day that Uncle Ben died. Now, it doesn't give us an exact time as far as how much time has passed since he was first killed. All we gather is that it's a hard day to be Peter Parker and it's the anniversary of the day that inspired him to be Spider-Man. After the splash page there's only one other panel that shows our hero in costume. The rest of the issue we get to see Peter going about his usual route to Shea Stadium for Mets opening day!
Now, I'm only going to go into so much detail as I hope my blog can excite you and inspire you to pick up this issue that's available in dollar bins everywhere. They write flashbacks throughout the years of Uncle Ben and Peter attending Mets opening day with predictable disappointment and growing frustration as the Mets continue to lose by miles to their opposing teams. A great Uncle Ben quote is bred from this and he preaches it to Peter year after year until their last opening day together when Peter just doesn't want to hear it. It's almost that classic teenager feel during the last game when Peter wants nothing to do with opening day and another Mets' loss. Aunt May gives him a stern look and his immediate guilt brings him to give in and go through the motions with Uncle Ben.
As the two sit at the game, Peter shutting down Uncle Ben's attempt at delivering his now age old speech about the beauty in losing, something that seemed unbelievable and downright impossible is happening- The Mets start to win! Now this is where the emotions
truly just hit you like a ton of bricks. Uncle Ben and Peter share a moment and without having to say a word Ben knows that the lesson has finally been learned. Now that they've experienced that sweetness of victory Peter quotes his Uncle, "Yeah...I get it. Life's a very long season. Some you win..." Then just three short days later Uncle Ben was dead.
Now, in closing, I chose to highlight this book because it encompasses everything that makes Spider-Man the hero that he is today. However, this isn't a Spider-Man story in the slightest. This is a very human story that has stuck with me since I was 10 years old and is why so many of us seem to love Spider-Man. This is a story that makes you miss, love, and wish Uncle Ben was still alive even though his main role was always his death. This isn't a story that needs to be read after 5 previous issues or before the next 3. It's just a good story for any and all people looking to read an extremely relatable and fantastically written book.
Thanks For Hanging Out With Us!
John, Theresia, and Clark