"IF THIS BE MY DESTINY...!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Plot/Pencils: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: Peter starts his studies at ESU, Aunt May is rushed to the hospital, and the malevolent Master Planner schemes from his secret underwater lair...
Review: I don't normally like to give away my opinions about issues that I have yet to cover on this blog, and yet in my last post, I mentioned that ASM #31 begins the greatest Spider-Man story of all time. The reason for my mentioning that is simple: the Master Planner Saga is the greatest Spider-Man story of all time. I adore Spider-Man. We're very lucky as Spider-Man fans that so many talented and brilliant writers, artists, editors, actors, filmmakers and composers have contributed something to our beloved web-slinger over the years, but for my money, the peak of Spidey storytelling is told across ASM #31-33. It's not a controversial opinion; this three-parter is commonly rated very highly by readers, and this first instalment may just be my favourite issue of any Spider-Man comic. So what is it that makes this story so damn good?
The opening splash page tells us that a new era in the life of Spider-Man is about to begin, and they're not kidding. This issue very much feels like a big change has come to the book, a much-needed surge of energy that revitalises the stories. That's not to say that the past few issues have been bad, but the introduction of so many new elements all in one issue without anything feeling rushed is a truly staggering achievement. First of all, Peter's enrolment day at ESU is masterfully depicted: the large panel that shows a montage of the whirlwind of confusion and excitement that starting university will always be is fantastic. Filling in tons of forms, waiting ages in long queues, feeling absolutely exhausted by the end of it; this is all so relatable to anyone that has ever been to university, or heck, anyone who's started a new job will know the similarly supreme hassle that comes with signing on with a company. In this new chapter of Peter's life, Lee and Ditko once again prove how well they can ground the character and his life in things anyone can relate to.
With this new chapter come new faces, and it's these new characters that get a lot of the focus in this issue, rather than the usual crowd of Betty, Jameson, and Ned, who only appear on one page of the twenty. It's here that we are first introduced to Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn, two of the most significant characters in the entire Spider-Man mythology; two people that, along with Mary-Jane, are generally classed as Peter's closest friends, so it may come as a surprise to some Ditko era newcomers to discover that Gwen and Harry are initially rather unkind towards Peter (Harry more so than Gwen, who insists on giving Peter the benefit of the doubt after everyone else is so harsh to him). This is all down to Peter's concentration and anxiety over Aunt May's health, leading him to distance himself from his new classmates, who take his aloofness to mean that he thinks he's better than everyone else. These scenes really remind me of similar moments in Ditko's other work, particularly Mr A and the Question, where the protagonists are frequently held in contempt by their peers simply for doing what they believe is right; I think this is where Steve's Objectivist philosophies start to really make themselves known in his artwork, but Stan manages to curb all of that with his dialogue, which is as strong as it's ever been, instantly getting us on side with Peter after his classmates are so thoughtless towards him.
There's one supporting character who really stands out in this issue, and that's Aunt May. After keeping her dizzy spells a secret from Peter for a couple of issues, she now can't hide them any longer, when she faints into his arms just as he arrives home from enrolment day. The relationship between Peter and his aunt is rarely more touching and heart-breaking than it is in this storyline. The sight of Peter staying up all night because he's too worried about Aunt May to be able to get to sleep is staggeringly moving, but the real emotional gut punch hits when you realise how little Peter and Aunt May tell each other about their problems. The same way Aunt May didn't want to worry Peter by telling him about her illness, Peter doesn't tell her about how he hasn't been able to settle in at ESU, instead assuring her that everything is fine, and he's made lots of new friends. The love the two of them have for each other is plain to see, but it's made so genuinely heart-rending because it means they can't bear to tell each other the truth. Few issues really hammer home how difficult being Spider-Man is: Peter has to juggle his aunt's illness, starting university, studying, making some money to pay medical expenses, and fighting criminals. We really see the toll it takes on him, leaving him no opportunity to get any sleep; he's having to run on reserve power for almost the entire issue.
Of course, amidst all of this character drama, there's the usual dazzling Ditko action you've come to expect. The issue opens like a big-budget movie, with the Master Planner's masked henchmen - absolutely LOVE their design - raiding a nuclear power plant of atomic chemicals. When they try to escape via helicopter, Spidey leaps into the fray to stop them, triggering an epic sequence in which the web-head furiously battles one group of henchmen, whilst another group drops their stolen cargo into the sea to be picked up by a team of scuba divers, and it all ends with Spider-Man using his web to swing a chunk of debris into the helicopter's rotor blades to bring it crashing down into the water. It's a truly spectacular sequence, probably the best opening scene in any issue of ASM. The issue is relatively light on action after that until the very end, when Spidey tackles the same goons trying to steal more radioactive chemicals from the docks. I love how Foswell - in his Patch disguise - gets involved with this; I especially love seeing him turn to his former enemy Spider-Man for help in apprehending the criminals. All the while, we're treated to brief snippets of the Master Planner - or rather his voice - as he plots and schemes in his underwater base; there's a real sense of something big brewing in this issue, a threat the scale of which Spider-Man has never faced before, and it sets the tone perfectly.
And so, with the Master Planner's gang thwarted, but with no real answers as to why they're stealing these materials, the issue ends, but not before giving us a tantalising and ominous clue of what's to come. Two doctors reviewing Aunt May's medical tests look ashen-faced at the results, and one proclaims - as an unaware Spider-Man swings past the building - that "the poor woman can't last much longer!" It's a truly chilling end to a perfect issue, and I defy anyone to not want to read on after the twenty pages they've just experienced. They won't be disappointed; this story doesn't come close to losing its momentum in the following two issues. As for this first instalment, what else can I say? I really could just talk this issue through panel by panel and break down just how marvellous it is, but that would just go on for far too long, and besides, I want you to experience it for yourself if you haven't already. It's too good to miss.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, Spider-Man goes on the rampage to track down the Master Planner as Aunt May's condition worsens...
No comments:
Post a Comment