So many artists cite the earliest Ditko issues, insist Spider-Man’s suit was meant to be red & black, and fill the blue part almost entirely with black. Marcos Martin seems more devoted to Romita, Sr., and it’s a nice change of pace, honestly. This issue, we begin with Aunt May, disappointed that Peter isn’t at FEAST like he promised, but the collapsed subway is on the news and giving him a good alibi for a change. Meanwhile, down in the tunnel, Spidey is up on the ceiling, telling everyone his web is gonna dissolve in 20 minutes (So, like, add some more?), but he’s more concerned with having learned the identity of JJJ’s dad.
Good jokes on this page. I expect no less of Waid.
Thus, Spider-Man has no choice but to quickly tinker with one of Shocker’s gauntlets to make it more or less work again, and then climb up to try to use it to blast the escape tunnel free. His first attempt seems to bury him in rubble. But we cut away to JJJ & Marla…
A divorce!? Say it ain’t so! No marriage is safe in Spider-Man anymore! Back underground, the others are digging Spider-Man out of the rubble, which knocked him out for awhile. While his gambit did clear some of the escape hatch, there’s no way for everyone to get up there, and time is running out. Spidey puts JJJ Sr. on his back to hold his light and goes up the hatch…
Some of the heaviest and most desperate thing-lifting Spider-Man has ever done! And covered in rats, no less. With every one up, he uses the Shocker’s gauntlet to zap the rats off himself, then they take off down the tunnel. But the water is rising fast, and we skip ahead a little, and now everyone’s waist deep. But they seem some lights up ahead, which Shocker guesses is a rescue team. Then he tells Spider-Man he was so close, and hits a button on his belt. Spidey’s danger sense warns him, but he probably didn’t need it to know…
That’s cold to John Jameson. But our hero goes back and saves the elders Jameson, and emerges into the world near a news broadcast that’s found the other survivors.
I would say this is easily the best BND story to date. Taunt, pushing Spider-Man to his limits, funny, and still making time for some good stuff with supporting cast members. There’s such a push in the modern era to give Spider-Man super high stakes superhero adventure material, but this is where he really thrives. Just a guy trying his best in a nearly unwinnable situation, beating the odds. It’s the kind of thing that makes you hearken back to Roger Stern. And isn’t that a fine segue into next issue, but, sadly, we’ll have to hold that for a later block. We’re gonna end this one with 2 posts returning to actual print comics I bought at the time. What a novelty!