Amazing Spider-Man 18 -- Spidey Wusses Out -- Melodrama Ensues

November 1964 -- President Johnson is re-elected, 2 stage escalation bombing begins in North Vietnam and the St Louis Hawks Bob Petit becomes the first NBA player to score 20,000 points.  It's a wild month for sports and science as we begin another wonderful session of Comics in the Classroom.

The fallout from last issue carries over as the battle between Spider-Man and The Green Goblin is the number topic all over New York, with villains, superheroes and pedestrians all still astounded that Spider-Man ran away from the fight like a coward.  Unable to give the reason why, lest giving up his secret identity, Peter Parker considers hanging up the tights for good as his guilt over not being there for his Aunt May is taking its toll on our web slinger.

While Peter worries over having enough money for May's medication, J Jonah Jameson is basking in his glow of claiming Spider-Man was a fraud from the beginning.  The whole city turns on Spidey, with the exception of his most loyal fan, Peter's high school nemesis Flash Thompson, who constantly defends his hero at the expense of being mocked by his fellow classmates.

While trying to avoid all confrontations, Spider-Man desperately tries to figure out ways to make money, trying to sell his webbing to an adhesive company or trying to sell his image for trading cards, all paths to nowhere.

Peter tries to add some positive vibes to his love life by trying to reconcile with Betty Brant, but she's pulling such melodrama over seeing Peter with Liz Allen at the dinner club last issue that she won't even answer his calls, leaving the class to debate whether or not Betty is capable of being the "Bond Girl" in our master script.  After too much of Betty's prancing and whining, I'm almost inclined to agree.  Reading these old stories from the 60's written by the legend Stan Lee is an honor in itself, but during Betty's constant mistrust of Peter Parker, you just have to fight the urge to have Peter grab Betty by her shoulders and shake the stupidity out of her and scream,

"MORON, I AM SPIDERMAN, NOW STOP GIVING ME CRAP AND JUST KISS ME DAMMIT!!!"

Going for a swing around the city to cure his depression, Spider-Man shoots mask first into The Sandman, who is itching for a brawl.  Rife with worry about his Aunt May, Spider-Man eludes The Sandman, who continues to pursue and taunt him for being a coward.  Even the TV cameras and bystanders start taunting Spider-Man as everyone is getting in on the act of catching him constantly retreating from trouble.

J Jonah Jameson continues to barrage the public with pictures and footage of Spider-Man fleeing from danger, and the public won't let up as Peter Parker nears a nervous breakdown.  His old nemesis and sometimes ally, Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch, flashes rapidly out of Fantastic Four headquarters with a mission to find Spider-Man and once and for all get to the bottom of the sudden change of character.  The Torch even writes a huge message in flames across the Manhattan skyline, begging Spider-Man to meet up with him at the spot of their last encounter, which ends up being a reference to another Marvel title called Strange Tales.  This leads to a quick reminder of how Marvel used their characters to cross pollinate with each other across other titles in order to increase awareness and sales for their lesser popular titles.  Can't fault the publishers for getting greedy, and of course many of the students point out that Marvel Studios is currently using the same tactic in their unbelievable line up of blockbuster movie franchises, dropping Easter eggs and several references and hidden messages in each film.

The Torch sits atop The Statue of Liberty for hours, anxiously awaiting for his friend and competitor to appear, which much to his disappointment and confusion, he does not.  The Torch isn't the only one who is depressed over Spidey's apparent retirement as Flash Thompson, determined to prove that Spider-Man is still out there and still a hero, foolishly dons a Spidey costume and sets out into the community to rebuild his hero's reputation.  When he runs into a trio of car thieves, Flash does his best to impersonate Spider-Man, but nearly beaten to death in the process and just barely rescued by the cops.  Peter tries to comfort Flash but is blown off, and to make matters worse, on his way home from school Peter spots Betty Brant on a date with another guy.

Fully depressed and content to ditch Spider-Man forever for an attempt at a normal life, inspiration comes from his Aunt May, who makes a miraculous recovery and gives Peter a firm monologue about the ability to use spirit and gumption to overcome any obstacle.  With his aunt's words lighting a small flame inside him, the final spark comes from another J Jonah Jameson editorial in the Daily Bugle in which the publisher claims the entire Spider-Man ordeal was just a big hoax and publicity stunt played upon the unsuspecting public.  With his heart on fire, and adding to his anger of losing Betty, Peter digs his suit out of the trash and is determined to swing back into the hearts and minds of the public, accepting his destiny as a costumed adventurer and a full fledged superhero.

With references to actor Peter Sellers, Russian premier Krushchev and even The Cardiff Giant, as well as editor's notes referencing other issues in the Marvel Universe, this was definitely one of the odder and intriguing tales in the life of our beloved Arac-Knight.  All in all another fun filled day in the annals of Comics in the Classroom.

Vocab Word Web

1- Cringe

2- Preconceived

3- Valiant

4- Furtive

5- Jittery

6- Generous

7- Hypocrite

8- Redeem

9- Morosely

10- Respite

11- Adhesive

12- Evaporates

13- Popularity

14- Cowardice

15- Jovial

16- Impersonate

17- Gumption

18- Sympathy

19- Sensitive

20- Invalid

Amazing Spider-Man 17 -- Goblin's Back -- Torch is Wack

October 1964 -- The Summer Olympics kick off in Tokyo, Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Peace Prize,  50 people crawl through a narrow tunnel under the Berlin Wall, the Russians launch the first flight crew into orbit without space suits, the 565 carat Star of India is stolen from the Museum of Natural History and at a campaign rally in Madison Square Garden, President Johnson pledges the creation of a Great Society.

With all this hullabaloo going on in the world, Spider-Man gets a chance to redeem himself after last issue's shameless marketing mess when he takes on his deadliest foe to date.............the dreaded Green Goblin.

Our tale begins with the Green Goblin practicing a number of lethal tactics on a Spider-Man dummy while talking out loud over his obsession with the wall crawler before showing off his redesigned weapons and then changing into his street clothes.  His identity still hidden, I think Marvel had no idea who they intended the Goblin to be so they kept him in the shadows, although he is well dressed.

Across the city in Midtown High, Peter Parker is also thinking about the Goblin while Flash Thompson is making plans to start his own Spider-Man Fan Club.  Even though Peter is not on the guest list, he decides to make an appearance at the first club meeting in order to surprise his biggest fan.  Of course the teenage hijinks fly when Peter walks Betty Brant home from the Daily Bugle and run into Liz Allen and Flash Thompson.  Liz and Betty get into a competitive war of words, which makes Flash insanely jealous and Peter intensely flattered.  Using her father's money and dinner club, Liz Allen buys an ad in the paper inviting Spider-Man to make an appearance, an advertisement also read by the

mysterious Green Goblin, still facing away from the cameras to hide his secret identity.

On his way to the club meeting, Peter spots a burglary in progress, but before he can change into his Spidey duds the robber is caught and dropped by Spider-Man's old competitive nemesis............The Human Torch. The Torch tosses Peter an autograph, which leaves the annoyed Peter wondering why he doesn't have as successful a career as the Fantastic Four.  I leave some time open for discussion with the class to ponder the valuable question.

Is it better to compete or co-exist?

I then recount my college days to tell them about the guy I competed with in college who ended up becoming one of my best friends still to this day.  Nothing like a walk down memory lane to invoke odd stares from teenagers as I get lost in my own crooked nostalgia.  All the while Peter is still fending off Aunt May and her consistent attempts to set him up with what he thinks is frumpy old Mary Jane Watson.

Spider-Man heads off for his big appearance at the Avenue Dinner Club, where all the gang has gathered for another display of aerial stunts.  Besides Flash, Liz and the rest of the Midtown High crew, J Jonah Jameson shows up with Betty Brant and even The Human Torch shows up with his girlfriend Dorrie, who makes him swear not to compete with Spidey.  Also en route to the club is The Green Goblin, who vows to make Spidey's appearance a major smash.

Spidey flips in and wows the crowd, but someone is throwing bombs on stage shaped like small stuffed frogs pumpkins, ghosts and bats.  The Goblin pops in and battles Spidey, meanwhile the audience thinks it's part of the show.

As the two combatants trade barbs and jabs, The Torch spots the Goblin's goons attempting to rob the club during the melee.  Torch flames on and goes to attack the goons, running right into Spider-Man and the Goblin in the process.  As Goblin turns his attack to the Torch, Spider-Man takes the opportunity to make a quick appearance as Peter Parker, as Liz Allen has become the first of many curious females who question why Peter and Spidey are never in the same place at the same time.

Torch is being knocked around by The Goblin, forcing Peter back into action before he can confront Betty Brant, which sets her jealousy levels over his relationship with Liz Allen into major overload.  Spider-Man gets back into the fray with The Goblin while the Torch collects himself.  In the midst of their battle there's a call at the club looking for Peter Parker, who was known to be in attendance as a club guest.  When Spider-Man overhears the call, he learns that his Aunt May has suffered a massive heart attack.  Without hesitation or concern for The Goblin, Spider-Man immediately ducks out and heads for the hospital, leaving the entire crowd utterly stunned and convinced that he cowardly retreated from battle, much to the delight of Spider-Hater Jameson and the complete shock of Flash Thompson.

Peter is so distraught he swings across the city out of costume while The Torch fends off The Goblin long enough to make him retreat.  While Peter sits at Aunt May's bedside, Jameson runs a special edition of his paper reporting Spider-Man's defeat and retreat, Betty sulks in her apartment wondering if the man she loves is two timing her with Liz Allen, and Flash Thompson's club falls apart before it's even started, even though Flash refuses to give up on his hero.  All in all this was not a good episode in the life of our titular hero, which gives the class a great perspective on why Spider-Man was such a popular series not only in the 60's but today as well.  Spider-Man represented the first series that made the supporting storylines just as intriguing as the action and heroism.  As we come close to finishing the historical portion of our class, the students are getting very excited at the concept of writing our own Spider-Man story.  Our master script continues to take shape, and another wonderful episode of Comics in the Classroom concludes.

Vocab Word Web

1- Vanquish

2- Puny

3- Editorial

4- Aroused

5- Hesitant

6- Publicity

7- Gossamer

8- Emitting

9- Hunch

10- Potent

Amazing Spider-Man 14 -- Peter Parker Goes Green -- Betty Gets Petty

Another masterpiece from Fred Hembeck

President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, abolishing racial segregation across the USA, casualty reports go over 1,000 in the Vietnam War and the Ranger Program sends back thousands of close up photographs of the moon.  Speaking of photographers and bad segues, it's another installment of Comics in the Classroom starring everyone's favorite tortured teen, the Amazing Spider-Man

This is an explosive Super Double Feature as it debuts the villain who will be torturing both Spider-Man and Peter Parker into the next century...................................The Green Goblin,

It also features a guest appearance by everyone's favorite emerald brute..............The Incredible Hulk

Before getting into the story I have a quick discussion with the students about the power of fanfare.  At the time of this publication, The Incredible Hulk comic book series was cancelled and poor Bruce Banner's alter ego was lingering in limbo.  Writers didn't know what to do with the character and many considered him a bad rip off of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hype or Frankenstein.  At that point Marvel tried to place the Hulk in the occasional cameo shot in other comics titles to see if a little boost could revive the angered soul.

Fans wrote in droves about how much they loved the Hulk's appearances in their favorite titles and soon enough, The Incredible Hulk was back on the shelves.  In a similar story relative to the student's modern entertainment, the popular animated show Family Guy was also canceled early in its run, leaving poor Seth McFarlane to wonder if he wasted all those hours in front of TV and Broadway musicals.  Fox didn't think the show had legs, until of course they looked at the DVD sales and read about 5 zillion message boards conveying their love and obsession for the show.  Once rejected and tossed by the networks, Seth McFarlane is now a billionaire who hosts the Oscars.  Yet another reason to love comics and the animation it inspires.

Our tale begins with a man in the shadows, plotting, scheming, and trying out an array of dangerous looking weapons before slipping on an outfit that makes him look like a leprechaun on steroids.  The Goblin jumps on his flying broomstick and makes off for a meeting at a sleazy hotel with................The Enforcers.

That's right, Marvel's version of the Keystone Kops make their return to comics as they have been recently let out of jail and instead of learning from their criminal ways and going straight, go right back into the life of sin. Headless since their leader, The Big Man, was caught and revealed to be mild mannered reporter Frederick Foswell, The Goblin takes advantage of this and convinces them t fall in with him, vowing to help them gain revenge on the man who put them behind bars, The Amazing Spider-Man

The Green Goblin's plan begins with him crashing the penthouse home of a Hollywood movie producer and coaxing him to finance a movie starring himself, the Enforcers and the real Spider-Man.  The producer agrees and I am left bitter and angry when I realize my years of trying to get a screenplay sold would've been shortened if I only had a flying broomstick, a Goblin costume and the balls to crash into a studio honcho's apartment.  Either way I let the anger go and finish my lesson.

Back on the other coast, Peter is starting to impress his fellow students with his smarts, as well as his improving physique, which is making Flash Thompson increasingly jealous.  Peter's joy is interrupted when a radio reports a flying Goblin across the New York skyline.  Peter jets off and changes into Spider-Man to investigate the situation.

In the story, Peter makes a reference to J Edgar Hoover and Khrushchev the Russian premier.  We do a quick side about world leaders in the 60's and I let the kids entertain the idea of both historical figures possible involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy.  After all this is a Comics class and conspiracy stories are always welcomed and encouraged, even if I am the one to poke the students into talking about it.

When Spidey meets The Goblin, he tells him Hollywood producer BJ Cosmos is looking to sign him for an exclusive action film and came to New York to finalize the project.  Spider-Man visits BJ at his hotel and the producer offers him 50 grand to star in an action flick.  Anxious to provide his Aunt May with a better life, Spidey signs on the dotted line and makes plans to head west.  Much to his satisfaction, Jameson also wants to send Peter Parker to Hollywood to get the exclusive pics on set.  Peter is basking in his good fortune when Betty Brant starts to show her possessiveness and jealousy over all the Hollywood beauties Peter may come into contact with, along with expressing her displeasure over the recent affections thrown to her boyfriend by Flash's ex, Liz Allen.  I have to calm the class down once our discussion veers off into the high school drama of relationships, cheating and petty jealousy.  That segue nearly takes up the entire class.

So while a naive Spidey thinks they hired incredible Enforcer look a likes, the movie crew heads to New Mexico to start shooting fight scenes.  Before the cameras are ready to roll, The Goblin and The Enforcers jump Spider-Man.  So The Goblin's plan all along was to get Spidey on camera in the middle of the desert and then go for the kill, even I couldn't sell this one to the students but we ride out The Goblin's plot for the duration, and especially because of the oncoming guest star.

Then it occurs to one of my students as a glowing light flashes across the classroom,

They wanted to get him out in the desert so Spider-Man is out of his element and doesn't have the advantage of sticking to walls or climbing over buildings.  A slow tear forms in my eye as I see my students deciphering clues on their own.  Not bad for special education :)

So once Spidey realizes he's been duped it's too late as Goblin and the Enforcers put the hurting to him gangland style.  Goblin is dropping pumpkin bombs all over the desert as The Enforcers take turns pummeling Spidey into exhaustion.  When they pile on him, Spidey uses all of his strength to knock them away before webbing up some tumbleweeds and using his strength to whip up an old fashioned dust storm so he could escape into a nearby cave underneath the cover of the smoke screen.

Hiding in the cave, things get intense when the fearsome foursome follow him inside and block off the escape with a large boulder.  Spider-Man uses his enhanced sight to stalk and take out the Enforcers one by one until it is down to him and The Goblin.  Goblin starts whipping multiple flash bombs all over the cave until Spidey ducks into a dank corner and runs head first into.................................

THE INCREDIBLE HULK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing like seeing everyone's favorite green monster hiding out from his latest path of wanton destruction.  Of course Spidey is caught off guard and The Hulk goes on a rampage, destroying the entire cave with his bare green hands while Spider-Man tries to elude his destructive rage and Earth crushing fists.

When Spider-Man decides to take it to The Hulk, he nearly cripples himself.  Instead he uses his intelligence and places himself in front of the boulder blocking the entrance to the cave.  The Hulk plow after Spidey and smashes through the boulder, freeing Spidey and The Green Goblin, who deserts the captured Enforcers.  When Spidey tries to catch the escaping Goblin, he is too worn out from his brawl with The Hulk and falls into a small lagoon.  The Goblin escapes and The Hulk wanders off into the unknown, more then likely to turn back into Bruce Banner in order to walk off to that piano music so familiar from the Bill Bixby TV series that my students would obviously not remember, making me feel very old :)

Spidey swings back to Hollywood, where his 50 grand is non existent due to no shooting on their movie.  Spidey learns just awful and frustrating the movie business can be.  All in all, a fantastic issue, probably the best we have read in class so far.  It always a blast during Comics in the Classroom.

Vocab Word Web

1- Grotesque

2- Legitimate

3- Publicity

4- Murky

5- Expansion

6- Glamorous

7- Sensitive

8- Lummox

9- Astonished

10- Studious

11- Articulate

12- Overestimate

13- Ember

14- Subtle

15- Disposal

16- Colossus

17- Baleful

18- Submerged

19- Dreaded

20- Undiminished