Summary
In the first story, Peter wishes he never became Spider-Man as a result of the death of Uncle Ben and worries about how he and Aunt May are going to pay their bills. He tells Aunt May he's going to quit school and get a job, but she insists he continues his studies, because Uncle Ben wanted him to become a scientist. Pete ponders turning to a life of crime, but realizes Aunt May would be devastated if he were caught. Later, he continues his public appearances, but can't get paid because the producer writes him a check for tax reasons and the bank won't cash a check to "Spider-Man" without proper ID. (His costume doesn't count.) The next night, the producer tells Pete that he's got to cancel his public appearances, because of an article written by JJJ calling him a menace has turned the public against Spider-Man. (JJJ tells people they should respect his son, John, a test pilot, instead of "selfish freaks" or a "masked menace.") Reading the piece, Peter wonders how other superheroes ("like the Fantastic Four and the Ant Man") don't have troubles and "make enough dough." While trying (and failing) to get a part-time job, he watches Aunt May pawn her jewelry. He becomes irate when he sees an article about JJJ's son planning to orbit earth, blaming his troubles on JJJ, but decides to attend, "having nothing better to do." When the launch goes wrong because a guidance unit on John's capsule malfunctions, Pete dons his Spider-Man costume, gets a spare unit from the military officials, and convinces a pilot to fly him to the falling capsule. He then replaces the unit and John is able to release the chute. Pete leaves the scene ("I'd just be embarrassed if everyone wants to congratulate me and make a big fuss about what I've done!"), but is later shocked when JJJ accuses him in a front-page "Daily Bugle" editorial of sabotaging the capsule to make a hero of himself by saving John. The public continues to turn against Spider-Man and the FBI makes him a wanted man. At home, Aunt May hopes that the authorities "find that horrible Spider-Man." Peter laments that everything he does with his powers turns out wrong and wonders if becoming a menace is the only option for him.
In the second story, Pete decides to resolve his money problems by joining the Fantastic Four. After getting caught sneaking into the Baxter Building, he "fights" the FF to prove how fit he is to join, but its members inform him, after the fight, that they're a non-profit organization, with all their money going to create "the most effective super-crime-fighting apparatus." Meanwhile, Chameleon steals military plans from a defense installation, planning on selling them to an "Iron Curtain" country. Seeing a TV report on Spider-Man trying to join the FF and a newspaper article on him being wanted by the FBI, Chameleon figures out Spidey is having money problems. He sends out a message over the radio waves that Pete's "spider senses" can hear telling Spidey to meet on top of the Lark Building at 10:00 pm, saying it will be very profitable for him. Pete hears the message and makes his way to the building. Meanwhile, Chameleon disguises himself as an elevator operator to break into the Lark Building and later changes into Spider-Man to steal the missile-defense plans. Chameleon escapes in a helicopter, and the cops try to arrest Spidey as he arrives on the roof. Realizing what happened, Pete uses his "spider's senses" to "tune in" on the ship with which the helicopter is trying to rendezvous. Spidey successfully prevents the ship (a submarine) from emerging by webbing up the hatch and boards the helicopter, capturing Chameleon. Pete delivers him to the cops, but Chameleon escapes, and another round of confusion follows, with the authorities thinking Spidey is Chameleon dressed as him again. Pete flees the scene and the cops eventually capture Chameleon, who has changed into a cop costume, after they see his Spidey costume under a tear in his cop costume. Dejected, Pete sobs that he wishes he never got his super powers since nothing turns out correctly. Meanwhile, the FF ponder what would happen if Spidey turned to crime, with Sue noting how confused he seems.
The Review
I have to say, I'm really fascinated by the two stories in this issue. I'm mostly intrigued by the extent to which Lee portrays Peter as struggling for money and considering a life of crime. In fact, this entire first issue is consumed by it. In the first story, we first see Peter contemplate robbing a bank to make some cash, discarding the idea only because it would devastate Aunt May if he got caught (not necessarily because it's wrong; I'll turn to that twist in a minute). Everything goes from bad to worse when he loses his sole source of income, public appearances, because of JJJ's public crusade against him. This desperation to make money results in him trying to join the FF and, in the second story, falling prey to Chameleon's plan. Lee also combines this financial desperation with a deeper emotion, namely Peter's frustration over everything he does as Spider-Man not going the way he wants it to go.
In both his depiction of Pete's worries over making money and his frustration over his public image, Lee shows an amazing insight into the teenage mind. Lee suggests that it's Peter's frustration over the public constantly accusing him of being a bad guy that might actually drive him over the edge and inspire him to begin committing crimes. Pete wonders, "must I be forced to become what they accuse me of being?? Must I really become a menace? Perhaps that is the only course left for me!" Later, at the end of the second story, after the police try to arrest him thinking he's Chameleon and he's forced to escape, he sobs in the alley, crying that, "Nothing turns out right…[Sob]…I wish I had never gotten my super powers!" It's a really sad moment, and Lee does a great job of reminding you Pete's essentially just a boy, completely overwhelmed by the adult situations in which he finds himself. As mentioned above, he discards the idea of robbing banks only because Aunt May would be devastated. Here, Lee also gives us a typical teenager's world view, where he's not really considering the ethical and moral consequences of his actions, but more the immediate and personal ones. Lee also underscores Pete's adolescence by showing Sue Storm's concern for Peter in the next panel, having her note what a menace such a strong and confused teenager could be. Sue, in fact, is probably the only character at this point who has shown any sympathy to Spider-Man.
Reading these issues, you realize that Pete really struggles here with issues similar to the ones that lead his enemies into lives of crime. How many times has Hydro-Man or Sandman or Shocker committed a crime because he desperately needed cash? I don't think it ever dawned on me that Pete could've turned to a life of crime, but reading these issues you realize what great work Lee does with Pete here in building a hero, by having him consider not being one.
Continuing the discussion of differences between what I thought Spidey's origin was and what it actually is, when we hear Peter in the modern issues discuss his regret over the death of Uncle Ben, it usually centers around him not stopping the thief who would eventually shoot Uncle Ben. However, in this issue, Pete doesn't actually mention that aspect of the story while he's reviewing the events of "Amazing Fantasy" #15; instead, he laments that he wasn't home when the burglar arrived, because he was busy "showing off" at a personal appearance. I don't think I knew that Pete was at a personal appearance when Uncle Ben got shot, and it does really add some complexity to the guilty that Pete has carried with him all these years.
Looking at firsts, we see JJJ here for the first time. We don't really get too much detail on why he thinks Spider-Man is a public menace, other than the fact that JJJ seems annoyed that people would respect Spidey and not JJJ's son, John, the test pilot. I'm intrigued to see how Pete eventually gets the idea to go work with JJJ, because, in these issues, JJJ is the epitome of everything that goes wrong in Pete's efforts as Spider-Man. We also see Peter's Spider-Sense, I believe, for the first time, though it's less well defined than it is in modern comics. He uses his "spider instinct senses" in a pretty standard way in his fight against Invisible Girl, but he later uses them to hear radio waves along certain frequencies. He also uses them to locate the ship with which Chameleon is trying to rendezvous, but I'm not entirely sure whether it's supposed to be because he hears the radio frequency or something else. Finally, we also get our first costumed villain, Chameleon. We don't get much background on him, other than the fact that he's trying to help "Iron Curtain" countries. But, I have to say, I'm surprised that Chameleon has the honor of being the first costumed villain. I thought it would've been Doc Ock or someone similar.
As an aside, I loved how Pete's producer had to pay him with a check so he'll have a record for tax purposes and the bank won't cash a check made to "Spider-Man" without proper ID (and doesn't accept his costume as "proper ID"). It's probably the last time such reality entered comic books!
Finally, to do some nitpicking, I'm not entirely sure why John couldn't eject from the capsule in the first place. Why did he need the guidance unit to activate the chute? Also, Pete's trouble to get a part-time job comes in part because a manager tells him he doesn't want a boy but "a man" for the job. Really? Teenagers didn't work in the '60s? Pete appears to be applying for a job to be a bus boy, and I'm pretty sure a teenager can wash dishes just as well as someone with more chest hair. Also, last but certainly not least, who knew that, for an issue, Peter Parker was Peter Palmer! (Don't believe me? Check out this link to see it for yourself! http://comiccoverage.typepad.com/comic_coverage/2009/08/superbloopers-tangled-in-the-web-of-alliteration.html) But, given that Stan was in the middle of creating, you know, every Marvel superhero, I'll let him off the hook for these errors!
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