Bad impressions.
‘Learning to crawl’, on first reading, seems to be the rite
of passage – from a gimmick to a hero.
Slott is exploring the gauntlet of emotions Peter must face
in the wake of his uncle’s murder, in which he indirectly contributed.
And for the most part, it’s a good read. Yes, it retreads a
lot of points already shown in different media (most recently, The Amazing
Spiderman) but has some new material that will ultimately shape Peter into the
beloved do-gooder he is today.
SPOILERS FOLLOW…………….
Following Uncle Ben’s murder, Peter has sadly misconstrued
his final words. Instead of becoming more than what he was, he decides that he
doesn’t deserve to be anything more than a ‘circus freak’.
In the days following, Peter talks to strangers about his
uncle’s debt-ridden legacy. I know things were tough in the Parker household,
but this is a new level that Ben couldn’t afford his own funeral.
I’m not sure it shows Ben in a very good light. Yes, they
were living very badly but the ‘can’t pay my bills’ route is a little more familiar
than this.
As Peter goes to his agent as Spiderman, the guy shows that
his catching the thief responsible for Ben’s murder has made the front page.
When the agent, Maxie, says it’ll be huge if Spiderman declared himself the
hero that stopped the thief, Peter reacts violently.
Self-denial and guilt are two highlights pervading under
this book. Peter’s psychosis is that if he couldn’t save the man who mattered
to him, how can he be a hero?
At Midtown High, Peter is reprimanded gently by his
Principal for bunking classes. And in a long line of excuses down the road, he
rebuffs Liz Allen’s apologetic gesture of watching Spiderman perform live with
their gang. That earns him Flash’s wrath.
Elsewhere, Clayton (the Spiderman obsessed teen) is revealed
to be as brilliant as Peter is but more isolated and alone, living off from one
Spiderman performance to another.
We see a smattering of emotions as Peter performs. From the
start of Flash’s long lasting fandom to JJ Jameson’s indignation, from Clayton’s
wonderment to the piqued curiosity of a future foe – but none of them realize
Peter isn’t enjoying this one bit.
In an interview, Clayton learns that Spiderman built his own
web shooters and it inspires him to do something similar. More and more,
Clayton is getting confident he can be a hero in his own right. Spiderman’s a
teen tech-genius and so is he!
The principal informs May of Peter’s recent absentee from
school as they leave for Ben’s funeral. Ben’s charitable and humble nature
endeared him to many, as is revealed by the large turnout at the funeral and at
May’s house.
Though Peter is resentful at his uncle’s excessive generosity,
May admonishes him that the universe always helps those who help others and
Peter is unable to admit he paid for the funeral arrangements.
We get a glimpse of Quinten Beck pre-Mysterio as they set up
real buzz saws for Spiderman’s next show. Unable to get to the studio for rehearsals,
Peter is sent to counseling thanks to May’s vigilance.
Hurrying to the studio distracted, he is shocked by the real
machines aimed at him, leading to a massive fire erupting that Peter barely
manages to stop.
This sets off a chain of events – Peter starts getting
blacklisted, Jameson pens his first assault on Spiderman and Clayton becomes a
costumed hero named ‘Clash’.
SPOILERS END……………………
Slott is going into great detail into Peter’s emotional upheaval
in response to his uncle’s murder, while going back to the origins of Spiderman’s
associations with several of his supporting cast
The mainly new material through is Clayton. It’s not
foresight to say that this boy’s actions will ultimately determine Peter’s future
path.
So, I give it 6.0 out of 10
+Good parallel with Clayton
+Peter’s emotional upheaval is being handled well
-Artwork is evocative of 70s style, but fails
-Retreads very basic associations
-Parker household shown a little too badly which reflects on
Ben
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