Reading The Amazing Spider-Man: Issue Number Four

Welcome to the latest weekly installment of Reading The Amazing Spider-Man, where we learn about storyworld and story franchise development and creation by examining the first five hundred issues of a landmark comic book series. As we read issue number four, the establishment of the amazing Spider-Man's rogues gallery continues with the introduction of the Sandman!

The splash page for this issue neatly summarizes the action to come: the triumphant Sandman, one hand clutching a bag of money and the other dripping sand all over the amazing Spider-Man, straddles a split screen: on the left, police gathered behind their squad cars fire bullets that go right through the villain's sandy form, while on the right, the students of Midtown High gaze on in concern and excitement as Spider-Man's fist passes harmlessly through the Sandman's chest. The caption, a yellow rectangle in the lower left, is nothing more than a brag box exclaiming the popularity of the comic book with phrases like "greatest," "most phenomenal," and "record-breaking." Stan Lee, master of hyperbole. Let's get on with the story, already…

Synopsis

It's early evening and the amazing Spider-Man is patrolling the city. He's irritated by a billboard advertising "The Spider-Man Menace," a new series in The Daily Bugle by J. Jonah Jameson, but he doesn't have much time to grouse — there are three suspicious characters slinking toward a jewelry store just moments after the proprietor has locked up and left. Spider-Man drops some hoops of webbing down on the toughs and swings down to confront them, but it doesn't quite go as planned.

The leader, after admonishing his nervous cohorts to "shaddup," pulls off the web loops and, after Spider-Man warns him not to put up a fight, tears our hero a new one:

There's no law against three honest citizens walkin' in the street at night! Then you come swoopin' down on us, scarin' us outta our wits! You're a menace… just like J. Jonah Jameson says!

Spider-Man kicks himself for not waiting until the bad guys actually committed a crime… but what can he do now? The hoods actually call over a cop. With those incriminating web hoops littering the ground, Spider-Man decides on a hasty retreat to a nearby rooftop. Down below, the cop tells the hoods to get a move on, since they've "got larceny written all over you!"

Spider-Man blames the whole sorry scene on the bad public image he has courtesy of J. Jonah Jameson. He decides to pay him a visit, but finds the publisher's office empty. Spider-Man leaves him "a little souvenir" and swings away. Before long, though, he spots police cars speeding through the streets and notices a man climbing up the side of a building nearby. When the suspicious character reaches the roof, Spider-Man flashes his belt-mounted "spider-signal" and drops down to confront him.

A craggy, blocky man with a head of tight wavy hair (we'll eventually see variations of this odd hairstyle on two other characters, and, as we'll see quite a bit down the line, they're all related!) wearing a striped green shirt and brown work slacks and boots brashly introduces himself as the Sandman. Spider-Man's heard of this guy; he's "wanted by the police from Maine to Mexico!" But when the amazing Spider-Man tries to grapple him, the Sandman slips through his fingers like, well, sand.

The next four panels serve as a demonstration of the Sandman's powers. He can transform into an ambulatory stream of sand, quickly moving from place to place. He can make his body soft and porous so Spider-Man's fists fly right through him. He can harden the sandy particles that make up his body so he's solid as iron. He can stretch and manipulate his body very much like the elastic Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four… which is how he propels the amazing Spider-Man over a skylight.

Momentarily out of the Sandman's sight, Spider-Man is mortified to discover that his fall tore his face mask. Terrified at the Sandman seeing his face and revealing his true identity, Spider-Man feels he has no choice but to run:

I've got to get away! I can't take a chance on him recognizing me! The risks are too great!

The Sandman scoffs at the retreating Spider-Man, then goes about his business robbing a nearby bank. Spider-Man heads back home, where, still in his costume, he holes up in his bedroom and attempts to repair his mask. Unfortunately, Peter Parker's sewing talents are apparently awful. He's "all thumbs." Don't forget, dear reader, that this didn't seem to be a problem when Peter Parker first created his costume!

Peter Parker's suddenly lapsed sewing ability gives us an excuse for him to be in his room long enough to catch a news report on the Sandman, who . The report presents a convenient re-enactment of the Sandman's origin, much like a sixties version of "America's Most Wanted" with a bigger special effects budget. The Sandman was a career criminal named Flint Marko who escaped from Island Prison and hid out on the grounds of an atomic devices testing center. (Y'know, like you do…) His visit coincided with the explosion of a nuclear test, which, "by some incredible accident," merged his body with the sand beneath his feet.

Before he can watch any more, Peter hears his Aunt May coming. Frantically, he throws a robe over his tights and clutches it tight. Aunt May, who was on a mission of mercy involving milk and cookies because "you've been studying so hard," notices how agitated her nephew is and concludes he must be ill.

Peter has no choice but to go along with it. She brings him some aspirin and a thermometer and insists he goes right to bed. Trapped by his doting aunt, Peter loses his chance to finish repairing his mask before The Sandman robs a bank and gets away clean.

The next morning, Aunt May declares that Peter's temperature is normal and he can go to school. He's been up half the night finishing his mask, "but at last it's finished! So I'll just wear my Spider-Man costume under my clothes today…" From the looks of things, he's slept in it, too. Yuck.

Aunt May makes him a nice breakfast, warns Peter not to exert himself, and makes sure he has an umbrella when she sees him off to school. Amused, Peter wonders what the world would think if they knew the amazing Spider-Man had to carry an umbrella and promise not to exert himself.

Meanwhile, at the offices of The Daily Bugle and Now Magazine, J. Jonah Jameson sits in his desk chair and discovers there's adhesive webbing all over the seat and arm rests. Similar to Peter Parker's sewing skill waxing and waning at the whim of the plot, here's another inconsistency: it's been established (in a special feature in the back pages of The Amazing Spider-Man number one) that his webbing "disappears into nothingness after one hour has elapsed." Not today it doesn't, not when there's a joke to be made!

Jonah asks his secretary — seen before, but now named or the first time as "Miss Brant" — for a fresh pair of trousers. J. Jonah Jameson apparently keeps several pair around the office, but not in the office. Why?

She goes to get them, sees Peter coming in, and asks him to take them to J.J.J. since "he's in such a bad mood, I hate to face him!"

Peter brings Jameson his trousers. Jonah wants to know when Peter's going to have new pictures of Spider-Man for him — he wants to run a feature on whether or not Spider-Man and Sandman are the same person — but Peter's been too busy with his studies. Peter actually came by looking for an advance on his next pictures. That gets him barked out of the office:

You teen-agers are all alike — you think the world owes you a living! Now go out there and get me some shots of Spider-Man, and don't come back till you do!

Ah well. Peter needed the dough to finance some experiments on his webbing, but it will have to wait. He heads over to Midtown High just before the first bell. There, Liz, a blonde we've seen before but who, like Miss Brant, has been unnamed until now, is telling the incredulous Flash Thompson she's finally agreed to go on a date with Peter Parker. But when she asks Peter what time he'll pick her up tonight, he's got to ask for a rain check — after all, he's got to get after the Sandman! Of course, that's not what he tells her. He uses the old "I've got to study for tomorrow's exam" line, but she's wise to him. He's "the top student in the class. If you can't spare one evening for a date, then I'm sorry for you! Goodbye!"

Flash Thompson swoops in, insults Peter's umbrella-carrying, and offers to take Liz out instead. In class, Peter zones out, wondering why things can't turn out right for him, and gets yelled at by the teacher for daydreaming. Good grief!

"Meanwhile, not far away," the Sandman has so many police chasing him he's beginning to tire. He decides Midtown High would be the perfect place to hole up for a while. He slips in while everyone's in class, except for one kid carrying a box of used bottles down to the boiler room. It's Peter, of course. He gives the bottles to the janitor, who delivers some foreshadowing when he tells Peter he'll throw them out "as soon as I adjust this new king-sized vacuum cleaner!"

A few floors above, the Sandman fears someone is coming and ducks into a classromm… which just happens to be Peter's class! The principle is there, too. The Sandman semi-seriously demands the principle write him a high school diploma, since "a guy like me deserves the best of everything!" Principle Davis is brave man of, um, principles, though: he refuses the Sandman and even tells the kids to run while tries to hold the Sandman off.

Lucky for Principle Davis, Peter heard the ruckus and bounces in as the amazing Spider-Man. While the Sandman and Spider-Man square off, Liz Allen wonders where Peter is, but Flash Thompson assumes his bookish rival is "hidin' with his head under a desk somewhere!"

What follows is four full pages of comicbook action fighting as the amazing Spider-Man and the Sandman brawl up and down the halls of Midtown High. It's a lot of fun. Stan and Steve take full advantage of their metamorphic villain and show him with rock-hard blocky fists, flowing and twisting through the halls, and finally trapping Spider-Man in a sort of sandball. Our hero takes advantage of the situation to maneuver the Sandman down the stairs into the boiler room. That's where the aforementioned king-sized vacuum cleaner gets put to use when the amazing Spider-Man tricks the Sandman into assuming his most granular form… which Spider-Man promptly vacuums up.

Never mind that the Sandman has shown enough strength and power to surely tear out of the heavy canvas vacuum bag… this was a fun and, in context, at least, ingenious solution on the amazing Spider-Man's part. The entire fight balances Spider-Man's agility and speed with the fact that he's also very, very smart, and the vacuum cleaner trick drives that point home. If only the next bit didn't nearly cancel that out.

Spider-Man realizes he was so busy fighting the Sandman, he forgot to take pictures to sell to J. Jonah Jameson. The kid needs that money, so, naturally, he fakes it. After setting up his camera's auto-timer, Spider-Man grabs some ordinary sand from a bucket marked "For Fire Only." He tosses the sand into the air… and jumps through it. He does it again… and throws some punches into it. Spider-Man's rationalization?

Since this really happened a few minutes ago, it can't be unethical! It's like shooting a re-take of a movie!

Sure. I bet that's just how Edward R. Murrow did it.

Spider-Man delivers the bag of Sandman to the police outside the school. J. Jonah Jameson, who apparently followed the story to the school, demands that the cops hold Spider-Man until they find the Sandman, since "it could be a trick!" Spider-Man declines, and swings back into the building, where he switches back to Peter Parker. On his way back to his classroom, he's intercepted by Jameson, who is pleased to learn that Peter got pictures of the fight. Jameson's glee is short lived, as the police have decided they have no reason to pursue Spider-Man. Besides, they appreciated Spider-Man's help. The police chief scolds Jonah a little:

You can print what you want in your papers, but sooner or later people will realize you're just airing a private grudge of your own!

Peter slips back into class feeling pretty pleased with himself. He even tells Liz Allen that he can go out with her tonight after all… but of course she frostily declares she's made other plans. Flash Thompson gloats that she's talking about him, and Peter loses his temper. He grabs Flash by the sweater and says he's going to "wipe that stupid leer off your face right now!"

Flash is all for it; he's all "right now, behind the bleachers, after school" and stuff… but Peter, realizing he can't cut loose without exposing his secret identity, quickly backs down. The kids all laugh, Liz Allen thinks he's a coward, and Peter slinks home. On the way, he hears people on the street talking about Spider-Man in less than complimentary terms. Alone in his room, he bemoans his fate, but at least he seems to have accepted his self-imposed responsibility and vows to remain the amazing Spider-Man "no matter how difficult it is."

Thoughts On Issue Four Of The Amazing Spider-Man

Even though this issue introduces a fun, brash villain who's interesting to watch and gives Spider-Man a good challenge, this story is actually noteworthy for how much it strengthens and enhances the character of Peter Parker and his world. In particular, we see more of his interactions with the women in his life than we have to date… indeed, we see that there are women in his life other than his doting aunt (who out-dotes herself in this story, come to think of it.) This is the first time, too, that we're shown how Peter Parker is a bit more confident than we assumed — his life and success as the amazing Spider-Man has a positive effect on his life as Peter Parker. He asks out the pretty blonde. He has friendly conversation with his boss's (slightly) older secretary. He even stands up to the guy who's bullied him relentlessly for the last three issues… even if he has to back peddle on that a little.

Peter's confidence doesn't always serve him well, though. He's a little cocky, and setbacks really piss him off — we see that when he jumps the gun with the would-be jewelry thieves, when he has to retreat from the Sandman when his mask tears, and most dangerously when he nearly clocks Flash Thompson.

In other words, Peter Parker is a complex character — he has conflicting motivations; he sometimes gets in his own way; he ultimately just wants to do what's right. In this issue in particular, he's sympathetic without being irritating (the fake fight photos excepted.) In other words, he's everything a thoughtful creator wants his protagonist to be.

This issue demonstrates how to present a likable character the reader can relate to, all while setting up points of conflict and interaction that can be called upon to enrich stories to come. Despite some inconsistencies committed in the name of the plot, The Amazing Spider-Man number four is a huge step forward.

How do you demonstrate your characters' sympathetic qualities while moving plot forward in your storyworlds? Share in the comments!

The Amazing Spider-Man number three

"Nothing Can Stop… The Sandman!"

Cover Date: September, 1963

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Steve Ditko

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Matthew Wayne Selznick - Telling stories with words, music, pictures and people.