Spidey observes three "punks casin' a jewelry store" and attempts to stop them from breaking into it. However, since he stops them before they actually commit a crime, they call for the police, claiming that he's harassing them. Spidey departs (having learned a valuable lesson) and the cop informs them, "If I were Spider-Man, I might have tackled you myself...'cause you got larceny written all over you!" Fleeing the scene, Spidey observes someone escaping the police and attempts to stop him. However, that someone is the Sandman, who, according to Spidey, is "wanted by police from Maine to Mexico." Sandman easily evades Spidey and shoves him to the ground, tearing his mask. Fearing someone will see his face and expose his identity, leading to his arrest and Aunt May's impoverishment, Spidey flees. Sandman continues to the bank, where he steals money from the vault. At home, Peter is sewing his mask and watching a news report on the Sandman, learning that he gained his powers in a nuclear accident after escaping prison and hiding in an "atomic devices testing center." Pete goes by the "Bugle" to try to get an advance on his paycheck to create new webbing, but Jonah refuses, ordering him to get photos of the Sandman. Going to school, a distracted Peter suddenly remembers his date with Liz Allen, but informs her -- to her anger -- that he'll have to postpone, since he'll need to pick up the Sandman's trail after class. Meanwhile, Sandman is evading arrest (again) and decides to hide in the school, where he accidentally runs into the principal lecturing a class. Pete, who had been delivering old bottles to the janitor, who was working on a "new king-size vacuum cleaner," overhears the commotion, changes into his costume, and fights Sandman, much to the thrill of his classmates. Pete manages to lead him to the janitor's room and uses the "huge industrial vacuum-cleaner" to capture Sandman. He realizes, however, that he forgot to snap photos of the fight. So, he sets up his camera, he throws some sand in the air and pretends to punch it, and hopes that JJJ, Jr. will buy it. He later delivers the canister to the police, who thank him, much to the fury of JJJ, Jr., who's come to the school on his suspicion that Sandman and Spider-Man are in cahoots. Peter changes into his civvies and runs into JJJ, Jr., giving him the roll of film from his "fight." Pete then tracks down Liz to tell her he can go on the date. She says no, and Pete finally loses his cool when Flash teases him about it. However, he remembers not to fight Flash, given that his Spider-Strength could seriously injure him, and accepts the humiliation of deciding not to fight him and being branded a coward, a tag already pinned on him when Flash noticed that he had been missing during Spidey's fight with the Sandman. After hearing people on the street wondering if Spider-Man is a "neurotic," Pete resolves to keep fighting crime as Spider-Man, believing he was given his powers for a reason.
The Review
"It'll be duck soup for me to get 'im." Really? "Duck soup?" What does that mean exactly? I'm going to ask my grandmother if she's ever said, "It'll be duck soup to whip up a batch of chocolate-chip cookies." Along those lines, is "all hollow" and the same as "and how?"
We get a new variation on the "Oh, no, Spidey exhausted his Web-Fluid!" moment here when Peter tears his mask and is forced to repair it in secret. I can't say I've seen this one too often, mostly, I guess, because Peter's stitching skills eventually improve.
Speaking of the mask, I love how Peter tearing it sends him on an extended dream sequence where he imagines the consequences, including being run from town by JJJ, Jr. and Aunt May being forced to…sell shoelaces? Did poor widows really sell shoelaces on the street for 10 cents in 1963 to make money? Again, I think a call to my grandmother is in order.
Were nuclear test sites just, like, totally unguarded in the 1960s, except for cartoonishly large "Danger! Keep Out!" signs? It seems that way.
I believe we get Betty Brant's first official named appearance here. I'm also pretty sure we get JJJ, Jr.'s first (and possibly -- hopefully -- last) appearance in his underwear.
I can't believe Peter actually had a date with Liz Allen! I love that Peter has to cancel because he's got to pick up the Sandman's trail after class. Peter's schedule: "Finish chemistry homework, capture Sandman, work on science project." Just your average high-school student!
I have to officially apologize to Mark Waid. In my review for "Amazing Spider-Man" #624, I really take him to task for having Peter doctor a photo of Jonah fighting the Vulture, which ultimately leads Jonah to expose Peter as a fraud and end his career as a journalist. I felt that Peter might not be committed to being a journalist, but he wouldn't go so far as to doctor a photo. Well, I was totally wrong. In this issue, we see Peter do exactly that, throw bits of sand around himself after his fight with the Sandman to get some photos, since he failed to do so after the fight.
Lee returns to ending the book on a somber note, with Peter yet again questioning why he continues being Spider-Man. (The three stories in the previous two issues have ended more positively, with Pete celebrating the money he made from selling the Vulture photos, pondering the weirdness of the Tinkerer, and thanking the Human Torch for inspiring him.) However, Lee puts a different spin on Peter's questions. For the first time, I believe, we see Peter deciding not to give up being Spider-Man because he feels he's been given his powers for a reason. Previously, he's been driven by a combination of seeking adventure and making money, along with a vague sense of helping people. In fact, Peter even acknowledges that he might not be fighting crime for altruistic reasons, thinking, "Am I more interested in the adventure of being Spider-Man than I am in helping people??" But, in the end, he says, "I must have been given this great power for a reason!" It's an interesting shift. Lee is having him grow up a little here, deciding that it doesn't matter if he's misunderstood, because he need to do the right thing. That's the Peter we all know and love!
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