AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #2: Science and Magic

Published: August, 1965

Underneath the colorful costume, at his core, Spider-Man is basically a nerdy, high-school brainiac who just happened to have a run-in with a radioactive arachnid. Though he’s not the best example of the power of science in the Marvel Universe (Reed Richards, anyone? Bruce Banner, Tony Stark?), science is essentially what he’s got going for him. And no Marvel character represents the world of magic better than Dr. Strange. So the feature story in this Amazing Spider-Man Annual, more than anything I’ve read so far, really exemplifies the wonderful way these two powerful forces can work together for spectacular results—not only for the characters in the story, but also for the readers.

WHEN HEROES MEET
It’s always fun to see existing characters meet for the first time. So often, this leads to the quandary, “If A fought B, who would win?” There’s no fun asking that question about a hero and a villain, because of course the hero will win, or if not, at the very least, one of them will somehow “run away and live to fight another day.” So for greater interest, the writers manipulate storylines; when our heroes meet, one is usually under a spell, drugged, hypnotized, or some such thing, which gives us the opportunity to compare their strengths without any real wrong-doing going on.

On occasion, when heroes meet, there are no actual fights, just personality clashes, as we find with Torch and Iceman, two headstrong teenage boys who just can’t seem to find common ground. Spider-Man has a similar experience whenever he and Wasp are in the same room, as the spider and the wasp are almost as antithetical as fire and ice. But it seems poor Spidey is always misunderstood by everyone, thanks to the propaganda of JJJ, and of course the imagination of Stan Lee, who loves writing him as the most hapless, most misjudged character in all comicdom.

So it was nice, this time, to finally see Spidey meet someone in the Marvel Universe with whom there are no misunderstandings, no personality clashes. Both he and Dr. Strange are so clearly heroes on the side of right, the only question is how can they help each other?

And the answer is: a lot!

XANDU AND HIS AMAZING HYPNOTIC BULLIES
So, what are these two New Yorkers up against? In Spider-Man’s world, the villains are usually thugs, hoods, mobsters. But in this story, the big bad is clearly pulled directly from the world of Dr. Strange.

Xandu bursts on the scene as an ambitious magician, seeking the other half of a magical wand which he believes will make him “Master of All!” In his quest, he chooses two “savage bullies” because they’re “powerful…rough…and sorely lacking in intelligence,” then hypnotizes them to do his bidding.

I can’t fathom any internal storyline reason why Xandu needs these two clods. Why not just go get the wand himself? After all, he is a powerful magician, is he not? If this were a Dr. Strange story, Strange and Xandu would simply meet and attempt to out-spell each other until one is victorious (or runs away, to live to fight another day). The only reason these “savage bullies” are in this story is to give Spider-Man the opportunity to do what he does best: fight and outsmart his opponents. Strange has his metaphysical moments as well, and by combining the phenomenom of magic with the predictable Spidey brouhahas, we’re actually getting the best of both worlds.

WORKING IN CONCERT
After a few pages of fighting, when Spider-Man is overcome by the brute strength of the hypnotized bullies, he throws a tracking spider device so he can find them after he’s “rested up” and is ready for “Round Two.” (Did I mention: “live to fight another day”?) If Spidey had asked, I’m sure Dr. Strange could have easily conjured a spell with some fancy words to reveal their location. Either way would have gotten the job done. But together, they have so many options at their disposal!

Later in the story, it becomes evident that when magic and science work together, that is what finally saves the day. Dr. Strange provides the spells, Spider-Man slings his webbing, and they’re a lot more effective together than either would be on his own. Their combined powers confound Xandu, who laments, “Between Spider-Man’s web…and the spells of Dr. Strange…I do not know where to turn first!!”

When villains pool their resources, they only pretend to help each other, and then only for as long as it furthers their own selfish agendas. But when heroes, with identical notions of right and wrong, combine forces, we get results, and quickly.

STRANGE NEW WORLDS
What I love most of all about this story is that it refreshingly delves into the differences between the worlds of Peter Parker and Dr. Strange, by placing the two of them all over the map. First, we’re on the city streets; next, we’re in some magical fantasy world that looks like a page out of Dr. Seuss. Perhaps one of my favorite images yet from Marvel Comics: this juxtaposition of our Queens boy, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, in this strange otherworldly place, wondering how he’s going to get back home.

WONDERFUL WORDS
Finally, we know that Spider-Man has a way with words, since he never shuts up while thrashing his opponents, but no other corner of the Marvel Universe beats Dr. Strange for the most fantastic and inventive combinations of words. (Actually, you could see my Strange “Hoary Hosts of Hoggath!” and raise me one Reed Richards “Experimental Passenger Intercontinental Ballistics Missile,” but in the end, I believe I would win.)

Case in point: Villain Xandu seeks the Wand of Watoomb. First: Xandu. Well…why not? Any word with an X in it is fair game when it comes to Marvel Comics. Next: Watoomb. Really? I honestly think Stan must have eaten alphabet soup for lunch every day, as he was writing these stories and just strung together whatever letters magically appeared in his bowl. And if so, is this a deliberate and scientific method for coming up with new words? New words which, incidentally, certainly sound…magical!

Speaking of soup…LMAO! Before the action gets started, we happen upon Dr. Strange in his shadowy sanctum sanctorum, seeking the secrets of the universe in an ancient borscht recipe. Oh my! What a blending of the mundane and the magical! What secrets might Strange discover between the beets and cabbage, the parsley and sour cream?

By the end of the story, we have not gone back to Strange perusing the borscht recipe, but I hoped we would. Of course, I realize Stan was just making a joke, and there is no epiphany in a recipe for borscht…but then again…why not? It’s called the “culinary arts,” but really it’s a blending of sciences (thermodynamics, chemistry, molecular biology, nutrition) that culminates in something that, if you’ve done it right, is delicious and…dare I say it…magical? Science and magic working together for good: that’s sort of the whole gist of this story, isn’t it?