"THE END OF SPIDER-MAN!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: After running out on his fight with the Green Goblin, Spider-Man is a public pariah, and things are only going to get worse...
Review: It is my belief - and the belief of many Spider-Man fans - that it was Steve Ditko, and not Stan Lee, who was the main driving force behind the stories for the first three years of ASM. This is not to say that Stan didn't contribute anything to the character, or that he wasn't partially responsible for Spidey's success; far from it. Stan was able to ground the characters in something that readers could relate to and connect with, and gave them distinctive voices, something that, even as a huge Ditko fan, I doubt Steve would have been able to do - anyone who's read Ditko's creator-owned work will know that dialogue was not the man's strong suit. However, it is a commonly known fact that after a while, Steve started developing the stories for Spider-Man entirely by himself, leaving Stan to just add some dialogue in afterward. I don't believe it's known for certain when this arrangement began, but I'd wager it was somewhere around this issue. ASM #18 feels like a Steve Ditko story through and through, and it's one of the greatest Spider-Man issues of all time.
Issue #18 takes an approach that was innovative and totally unique for the time by completely excluding any scenes of superheroing, instead focusing entirely on the characters. There is a brief but exciting sequence in which Sandman chases Spidey through the streets, but at no point does the web-head turn around to do battle. He simply tries to stay out of the villain's way. There's a very good reason for this: Aunt May is still gravely ill after her trip to the hospital last issue, and she needs around the clock care, meaning Peter doesn't dare fight any criminals as Spider-Man, in case anything happens to him and leaves Aunt May on her own. It's a believable motivation, and allows the characters and the story more room to breathe than they usually do, instead of rushing to the next fight scene, but then again, Ditko's story structure for Spidey was always a little bit unconventional compared with other superhero comics.
This is a story more of individual moments than it is an intricately woven plot; it's the little things that count in an issue like this. Spidey trying to earn some money to pay for Aunt May's medicine by offering to license his image to a trading card company, or demonstrating his webbing to a glue manufacturers; these are scenes you just would not get in any other superhero comic. It's also a strange but totally compelling sight to see the web-slinger call off an attempt to take on a group of burglars single-handed, and instead step into a phone booth - in costume, no less - and inform the police that a building is being robbed.
The supporting cast continue to shine as well, and provide some great drama of their own. Flash's popularity at Midtown High is now waning thanks to his continued support of Spider-Man, and once again, he dons his very own ill-fitting Spidey costume to take to the streets and try and prevent a crime - this obviously doesn't end well for him. Jameson is, for once, a happy man, and if more proof was needed that Ditko was a master of drawing expressive characters, just look at Jameson's ghastly grinning face throughout this issue; it's perfectly hideous, and like his employees say, we all liked him better when he was a grouch. Betty has decided to move on from Peter, refusing to speak to him or take his calls, and begins spending time with another young man, which Peter himself witnesses towards the end of the issue; once again, Ditko captures the quiet devastation on Peter's face as he watches from a distance. The fallout from the previous issue is very much being felt.
Of course, we all know that Peter is going to don the red and blue suit again - even if he does briefly throw it in the trash - and don it he does after Aunt May begins to recover. This issue features one of my favourite Aunt May moments, when she, in no uncertain terms, tells Peter that although she's an old woman, she's not a quitter, and that the Parkers are tougher than people think, a sentence that always makes me tear up. Next to Jameson, Aunt May is my favourite member of Spidey's supporting cast, and that's down to moments like this. Up until now, she'd bee portrayed as a sweet, kindly old woman who was prone to nearly dying whenever the plot called for it. Now we finally see that she has a strength and a stubbornness all her own, and it's lovely to get a glimpse of this. With his aunt's words ringing in his ears, Peter races upstairs to retrieve his costume, and once again vow that he can never give up his destiny, that he was born to be Spider-Man. This final panel is a masterful combination of Stan's emotional dialogue, and the powerful pose that Steve gives to Spider-Man. This is a scene worthy of much more attention; it's on a similar level of impact to the likes of Issues #33 and #50.
ASM #18 is one of my favourite issues of any Spidey comic; it may even be the best issue of ASM up to this point. Every page is full of wonderful character moments and great drama. As said, I feel that this is a Ditko story through and through; his work outside of Spider-Man frequently features stories in which the costumed heroes don't do much costumed heroing; Mr A and the Question are particularly good examples of this. I'm sure it won't be for everyone, but it certainly ticks all of my boxes for what a great Spider-Man story should be. Stan himself put out a notice in advance of the issue's release, saying that some readers were sure to hate it - this is another clue that makes me think Steve plotted this one himself - but I often feel that Stan didn't always credit Marvel's readership with enough patience. This is a true masterpiece, and to my mind, essential reading for any Spider-Man fan.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, Spidey strikes back to prove to the world that he's back and better than ever! With the Human Torch by his side, he'll take on not just the Sandman, but the returning Enforcers...
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