"NOTHING CAN STOP...THE SANDMAN!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: The slippery Sandman is on the run from the police, and decides to hide out at Midtown High...
Review: ASM #4 is another highly significant issue in the pantheon of Spider-Man, and another triumph for Lee and Ditko; I'd forgotten just how good this story is. Here we see the first example of how Peter's activities as Spider-Man interfere with his personal life as Peter Parker, when his quest to hunt down the Sandman prohibits him from taking Liz Allan out on a date. The soap opera elements that we all love Spider-Man for start here, and although this is a fairly simple start, it's a nice added complication to Peter's life (and it only gets crazier from here). We start to see Peter's tendency to brood and grow maudlin as the weight of his responsibilities grows heavy; the final panel is an absolutely beautiful depiction of teen angst and isolation; I know I wax lyrical about him in every review, but Ditko really is the best, and he gets better with every issue.
The supporting cast is starting to grow and develop as well: we get to see more of Jameson, Flash, Liz and Aunt May than ever before, plus we get a brief debut for Betty Brant, although it wouldn't be until next issue that her mutual attraction to Peter starts to develop. Jameson is now firmly entrenched as the comic relief of the book, flying into thunderous rages at the slightest provocation, and needing to change his trousers after Spider-Man webs him to his office chair (a scene that, despite its silliness, raises quite the chuckle from me). I also love the scenes with Aunt May here; this is where she starts to really fuss over Peter, insisting that he take his umbrella with him to school in case it rains, and not to exert himself too much. Spider-Man has always been an unconventional superhero, and this issue really hammers that home in such a delightful and amusing way; I particularly love the scene in which Peter has to haphazardly sew his mask back together in his bedroom after his first fight with Sandman.
Of course, a hero has to have a villain, and what an impression the Sandman makes in his first appearance. He may not be Doc Ock, but Flint Marko is still a formidable opponent, able to change his shape or consistency at will, and as expected, the Ditko fight scenes are just gorgeous and brilliantly inventive, with tons of varied moves for Sandman to pull against Spidey. Even when he's standing still he makes for an imposing villain; Ditko does a beautiful job of making Sandman really look as if he's made out of sand or rock; his skin looks coarse and rough, an effect achieved simply through expert application of pencil and ink. The fact that he's beaten by being sucked into a vacuum cleaner is just priceless as well; a nice example of Spider-Man outsmarting a foe, as well as a humorously mundane method of dispatching a super-villain.
Really, this is another stone-cold classic from the early days of Spider-Man. The villain is terrific, the character drama is starting to come through, and the combination of action and humour is spot-on. I also love the fact that the big fight between Spider-Man and Sandman takes place at the high school; not enough issues made use of this location, but here we get to see the battle rage through classrooms, corridors, the gymnasium, and finally, the basement; it's all fantastic stuff. Even Principal Davis makes a good impression, selflessly standing between the Sandman and a class of students. Things are only just starting to come together to create the perfect Spider-Man cocktail, but this is a pretty wonderful beginning.
And how stunning is this splash page:
Rating: 4.5/5
Next time, Spider-Man faces one of the most dreaded villains in the Marvel Universe...the legendary Doctor Doom!
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