"TO SMASH THE SPIDER!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Gil Kane/Inker: John Romita Sr./Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: In the wake of her father's death, Gwen decides to support the austere Sam Bullit's campaign to become DA, but Bullit's pledge to bring 'law and order' to New York will prove dangerous for everyone...
Review: Much like the Prowler story that spanned Issues #78 and #79, the Bullit two-parter is a Spider-Man story with a strong social conscience, and as such, it remains one of my favourites. It is a story that feels keyed into the zeitgeist of 1970, but remains just as relevant - if not more so - today. This first instalment makes for a change of pace from what we expect from Spider-Man: there is no supervillain, and very little in the way of action, but there's a hell of a lot of substance and character drama, and that's where this storyline shines.
Sam Bullit is also a very different type of villain. The thing about the bad guys Spidey faces on a regular basis - Doctor Octopus, Electro, Kingpin etc - is that we love them. They may be on the side of lawlessness and criminality, but we can't help but smile whenever they turn up, because we love these characters and we love seeing Spidey go up against them. In their own way, they are kind of loveable. Sam Bullit is another beast; Bullit is a villain you are actively meant to despise, and I think this largely comes down to the fact that unlike Spidey's regular rogues, he's a completely normal citizen. He has no superpowers, no gadgets, no impressive bulk to help him out in a scrap - although there is a weirdly Kingpin-esque scene of him practicing martial arts with his henchmen - because all he has to be is a bigoted, fascistic authority figure that somehow manages to get a ton of followers behind his campaign. We don't see too many examples of his bigotry in this issue, but his Nazi style beliefs about how to run the city and keep the populace under control are here in full force: the scene where he orders two of his thugs to beat Peter up is especially blood-boiling.
If we look at this from the context of the time the comic was printed, Bullit clearly represents the 'hawks', people in favour of the Vietnam War and against the 'bleeding-heart liberals' who they believed were eroding American society and values. He makes reference to 'long-haired do-gooders', an obvious dig at hippies and counter-culture. Bullit would have been a very believable character back in 1970, as many of the readership - predominately liberals themselves - would have seen his type on TV or encountered him in public, or even at home. The fact that he bears something of a resemblance to then-president Nixon is likely no coincidence. Sam Bullit is a very real and very scary character, even more so these days in an era where extreme politicians are more prevalent than ever, and some of them even manage to win elections. Bullit is a rare type of comic book villain; he's the type that, for a moment, we worry might actually win.
The supporting cast are obviously affected by Captain Stacy's death in the previous issue. Gwen is distraught enough that she'll throw herself in with a fascist who claims he can get rid of Spider-Man, who she blames for her father's death. Of course, this leads to the biggest distance between her and Peter yet, as now he feels that he has no right to be with her because of his involvement with her father's death. It's some truly terrific drama, and we'll see it play out over the course of the next several issues. Even Jameson is upset at Stacy's death, commenting that though Stacy may have been a bit too liberal at times, Jameson respected him and thought of him as a good man. The fact that Jameson also supports Bullit's campaign should come as very little surprise - Bullit does pledge to 'crush Spider-Man' after all - and I love seeing the friction between him and Robbie, who is very much anti-Bullit. We'll see Jameson's opinion turn around in a big way next issue, but for now, it's interesting to see him and his closest friend have such an intense disagreement about something.
ASM #91 is a decidedly offbeat issue, but that suits Spider-Man down to the ground. I love Gil Kane's artwork in the Doc Ock issues he did, but I feel that this is where his style really fits the story being told; his talent for giving the streets of New York an ominous, grimy feel suits the oppressive beliefs of Sam Bullit perfectly, and whilst Stan's dialogue is hardly subtle, I would argue that the point he's trying to make is worth being a little bit heavy-handed about. Another triumph from this era of ASM.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, the race to stop Bullit winning the election intensifies, as Iceman enters the fray to do battle with the web-slinger...
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