"THE TERRIBLE THREAT OF THE LIVING BRAIN!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Art Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: A highly advanced computerized brain goes haywire and begins attacking people in the halls of Midtown High, after two crooks attempt to steal it...
Review: In my review of ASM #4, I mentioned that I enjoyed the fact that the battle between Spider-Man and Sandman took place at Midtown High, and lamented that the location wasn't used more often as a battleground for Spidey and his foes during the Lee and Ditko era. Well, here we are, only four issues later, and we're treated to another Midtown High fight (technically two fights), as Spider-Man goes up against a malfunctioning computer, a story that feels like it could only have been told in the Silver Age, and a fight that doesn't quite match the fun of the Sandman battle, but it's still pretty enjoyable nevertheless.
The Living Brain itself is a marvellously kooky piece of Ditko design with its cumbersome shape and crazily rotating arms, and the ways in which it out-thinks the moves that Spider-Man makes during their fight ensures he's a tougher opponent than you might have guessed, although I could have done without Stan's repetitive dialogue that constantly reminds the reader that the Brain can out-think any human; I counted seven instances in total (and that's just during the fight itself). The battle goes on for perhaps slightly too long, but I do get a kick out of all the little ways in which the Brain adapts to Spider-Man's movements and attacks: testing the strength of his web to find the exact amount of pressure required to break it, trying to dislodge the web-head from his vantage point on the ceiling by swinging a door at him; it's all fun stuff that maintains a decent level of tension throughout, and all ends with a spectacular swing on Spidey's web that sends the two opponents crashing through a window.
The other fight scene is far shorter, yet far more personal: Peter's boxing match with Flash in the gym. I'll admit that it's satisfying to see Peter make mincemeat out of Flash without even trying, but the whole thing just reeks a bit too much of unrestrained testosterone for me; apparently the only way in which two teenage boys can settle their differences is by beating the tar out of each other. What's most surprising about all of this is that Mr Warren - their teacher - encourages them to do it to settle their rivalry once and for all; hardly professional behaviour for someone who's supposed to be an authority figure. I suppose you could argue that this is the point at which Flash starts to gain more of a respect for Peter, but the two don't really start to warm to each other until years later, so I can't even really give it points for that.
The Living Brain story is a fun, goofy little side-step that feels as if it would have been much more at home amidst the earlier issues of the title, as by now Lee and Ditko had crafted a world with a bit more substance than what this story offers. It's beautifully drawn - a textbook piece of Ditko-panic-face can be seen on page 4, when Peter begins to worry that the Brain may be so smart it can guess his secret - but Stan's dialogue feels rather perfunctory and does little to liven up proceedings. It's a pretty enjoyable outing for Spidey, and once again I like the use of the school, but it's nothing great.
Rating: 3/5
"SPIDER-MAN TACKLES THE TORCH!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Jack Kirby/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee
Synopsis: Spider-Man gate-crashes the Human Torch's party in order to steal his girlfriend. A fight ensues...
Review: This is, without doubt, the worst story of the Lee and Ditko era. There are a few issues here and there that I'm not too keen on, but none of them are anywhere near as pointless and banal as this. There's almost nothing of merit here, other than Jack Kirby's pencils combined with Steve's inks; the artwork on the whole is nice, although Jack's rendition of Spider-Man is nowhere near as exciting to look at as Ditko's. The fight between Spidey and the Torch has some fun moments - including the rather nonsensical 'fire net' - but I can't get behind any of it because the set-up is so limp and turns Spider-Man into a jerk. You can't feel any sympathy for a guy who breaks into someone's house during a party, tries to steal their girlfriend, then picks a fight with you. Even when the rest of the Fantastic Four turn up, Spidey still acts like a dick and tries to take them on as well.
There are several team-ups of Spider-Man and the Torch during the Silver Age, as they were Marvel's two teenage superheroes at the time, and every other meeting between them is better than this, even the pretty mediocre story from Strange Tales Annual #2. I certainly don't think you could have stretched out the Living Brain story to another six pages, but surely there was a better use of everyone's time than this.
Rating: 1.5/5
Issue #8 is billed as a "special 'tribute to teen-agers' issue," though I'm not sure how that's reflected in the stories, other than an abundance of teenage characters acting in a generally meat-headed way (which is hardly what I would call a tribute). This has never been one of my favourite issues from the Lee and Ditko era, and I only enjoyed it slightly more this time around, but it's retained a somewhat iconic status over the years. Its cover was homaged for Web of Spider-Man #35, which also featured a story in which Peter returns to Midtown High and battles the Living Brain again, so obviously some people have a lot of love for it.
Next time, we return to full-length stories with the debut of another villain, the shocking Electro, and ASM begins to really kick into full swing!
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