No Natural Hero

Spider-Man’s first appearance in 1962 was cutting-edge at the time, and while surface-level elements might seem dated now, the core of the story remains strong as ever.

The way Peter Parker is written really sets the book apart from many other ’60s comics. Nothing about him suggests he’ll inevitably become a superhero. At times, he even sounds more like a villain in the making. The radioactive spider bite is merely the inciting incident; it’s hardly the whole story.

Countless comics influenced both The Flying Woman and The Silver Stranger. But for the latter especially, this was one I paid extra attention to as I figured out how to approach the main character. Alyssa is a very different person from young Peter overall, but she’s not inevitably a hero, nor is she inevitably not a villain.



(Image from Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.)
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Published on February 08, 2022 16:21
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