"JUST A GUY NAMED JOE!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Plot/Pencils: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: Born loser Joe Smith is exposed to some strange chemicals whilst filming a B-movie, an accident that imbues him with super-strength and a belief that everyone is his enemy...
Review: And so, here it is, the great anti-climax. It's undeniably a shame that Steve ends his iconic run on ASM with one of his worst issues, but unfortunately, that's the way it is. He even left before he could produce a cover for the issue, meaning that we get a collage of various images from the comic itself; the whole thing just screams 'behind the scenes problems'. It's probably not his absolute worst issue, but there's very little in here to keep you engaged.
I do admire Steve for creating a story in which there isn't really a supervillain. Yes, Joe Smith does don a cool looking costume and go around causing a ruckus, but he's clearly under the influence of the chemicals and isn't really a bad guy at all. The fight scenes between him and Spider-Man are up to Steve's usual standard, but I must admit that I'm getting a little bit tired of Spidey simply punching every opponent he comes up against into submission - it's happened in almost every issue of late! Where's the scientific mind we were introduced to a few years prior? There are plenty of other fight scenes throughout the issue, as Spidey fends off several waves of hoods who have been offered a $20,000 reward for bumping him off. These scenes are fun at first, but the formula quickly grows stale: some ne'er-do-wells show up, fight Spider-Man, get defeated, rinse and repeat. It's not exactly exciting storytelling, but at least this subplot gives us another glimpse of Norman Osborn, the one who puts the offer of 20 grand on the table - in a disguise, of course.
This issue also features one of the more notorious ESU scenes of the Ditko era, where Peter becomes visibly angry with a group of student protestors; one need only look at Steve's other work to see the contempt he held for such individuals. Thankfully, Stan manages to dial this back by making Peter less of a jerk to them than Steve obviously intended, though even his dialogue is making light of the students, portraying them as insincere and shallow, rather than exploring whatever grievance they may have, although to be fair, Steve's artwork hardly allows for that. Now, anyone who's read this blog regularly knows that I love Steve Ditko. He's my favourite comic book artist of all time, and his tenure on Spider-Man represents the apex of the character for me. With that said, it's clear that by this point, it's time he moved on; his attitudes are starting to look really behind the times, and his insistence on making Peter a staunch Objectivist hero who shuns everyone and who is in turn shunned himself, is dragging the book down. If this sort of scene had become the norm, I think ASM would have started to drop in sales, especially considering how popular Marvel comics were with college kids and members of 60s counter-culture.
There are a few things to like in Issue #38. As said, Joe Smith makes for a good underdog, and I like the fact that the character has made re-appearances over the years; it's a nice little homage to this issue. I also enjoy seeing anything related to Norman Osborn, even if he's not in much of the story, and we get yet another tantalising glimpse of Mary-Jane. Ned Leeds returning and asking about Betty's whereabouts - he didn't elope with her after all - is another really nice plot development, and his confrontation with Peter at the Bugle feels as if it's been a long time coming. These moments are few and far between, however. The simple fact is that the story just isn't particularly engaging, and often feels repetitive. The subplots lift the issue up a little bit, but they're drowned out by the other events. As said, it's a shame that Steve's run on Spider-Man has to end like this, but I'll always support Steve for making what he felt was the right decision for him, and even if this isn't his finest hour, he gave us so many incredible stories that I can't complain.
Rating: 2.5/5
Before we go, I'd just like to say a little bit about Steve Ditko himself. Not only did he produce some beautiful comics for Marvel with characters like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange - plus brief stints on the Hulk and Iron Man - but he remains, for my money at least, the most dazzling visual stylist of all time. His talent for creating landscapes both urban and surreal was unrivalled, his figure work was immaculate, and his depictions of emotional intensity are indescribably powerful. After leaving Marvel, he went on to create some more of his best work for Charlton, giving us the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, as well as the Question; he later moved to DC, creating the Creeper, plus Hawk and Dove. Whilst Hawk and Dove is a bit heavy-handed, the artwork is sensational, and Ditko's work on Beware the Creeper is some of his very best. And of course, we can't forget his copious amounts of creator-owned work that explored his personal philosophies more closely than anything else he worked on. Whilst it can be very difficult to get into, and some of it is nigh-unreadable thanks to Steve's bizarre and idiosyncratic dialogue, I would highly recommend checking out anything he made for Mr A, or his graphic novel Static; the latter is a really underrated piece and the black and white art is divine.
Whilst I may not agree with every one of his personal beliefs, I will always respect Steve for his unwavering commitment to them. He was a dedicated, uncompromising man who never once sold out or did anything that went against his philosophy, and for that, he has my eternal admiration. Perhaps I simply relate to the man a bit too much; I myself am also a stubborn bespectacled bugger who couldn't care less about fitting in with the crowd, but I couldn't claim to have a twelfth of the artistic talent that Ditko possessed. He was a truly extraordinary human being, and the world - not to mention this lone blogger - is far better off for his having been around.
Stephen John Ditko
Thanks for everything
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