AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31: Where Do We Go From Here?

Published: December, 1965

As this post goes to press, I find myself on the cusp of some big changes, as today is the first day of my Retirement. At the same time, Russ is also preparing to hand over administration of the Marvel Chronology Project—which he began so many years ago that it actually pre-dates the internet! So it’s only natural that in reading this issue of Amazing Spider-Man, my thoughts are all about how Peter Parker’s life is changing. Though all these changes (for me, Russ, and Peter) may be somewhat bittersweet, none are of a negative nature. So I’m not feeling sympathy, but rather a whimsical sense of empathy.

We recently saw Peter Parker graduate from high school, and now he moves on to college. I find this astonishing, because since I started reading Marvel comics, which began way back in 1961 when the Four were zapped by cosmic rays, aside from the acquisition of superpowers, so little has fundamentally changed for any of these characters.

From my viewpoint, Peter Parker has been in high school for over four years, though surely he was not a freshman when I first met him. Of course, I’ve seen this literary suppression of time before. The Simpsons shine as a most dramatic example, with Bart in fourth grade for over 30 years, during which Marge has not once changed her hairstyle, and only rarely worn a different dress. The Marvel Comics Universe of the 1960’s certainly feels less cartoonish than that, but still asks us to employ great flexibility regarding the passage of time.

For as long as I’ve been reading Marvel comics, time has felt like it’s standing still, or moving very slowly, and I’ve been lulled into a comfortable, complacent stupor to which I’ve had no objection. But then, in the space of a couple of months, several things started happening to wake me up: The Avengers have progressed to an entirely new roster; Reed and Sue, after years of “Will they or won’t they?” have actually tied the knot; and now high schooler Peter Parker has graduated and is off to his first day at Empire State University.

Suddenly, this all feels so much more real than it did before.

MOVIN’ ON UP
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in Peter’s college career. It begins with a bang when, on page six, we are treated to a montage of first day activities and jitters, complete with old characters, new friends, and multiple challenges. I always love a good montage, and behind this one I can’t help hearing “The Jeffersons” theme.

Not only is Peter now in a new situation, but he’s also acquiring a new cast of supporting characters. In addition, we may see some changes in his relationships with the people from his past. But one thing that seems unlikely to change (and this provides a comforting note of consistency) is his relationship with Flash Thompson.

In the middle of this college montage, I literally chuckled when Flash gets off a quick “Drop dead!” upon seeing his old pal Peter Parker. I previously noted that Flash seems stuck in the past, stalking former girlfriend Liz Allan, rather than embracing the exciting co-ed opportunities of college life. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t actually see a lot of change in Flash; after all, juvenile stupidity is at the core of his character.

Unlike Flash, Peter is well-adjusted and intelligent enough to accept the growth process available to him in his new surroundings. But I wonder if the same will be true of Spider-Man? In the action-packed intro (which plays like a James Bond pre-credits sequence), Spidey spends a good deal of time fighting thugs…as he always does. And making snide remarks…as he always does.

Is this going to continue? Will Spider-Man also evolve and mature, or forever act out as the flippant unflappably annoying foe that he is to the criminal element? Only time will tell…

INTRODUCING…GWEN STACY!
Through Marvel movies and interactions with fans, I’m aware that Peter Parker will someday meet a girl named Gwen Stacy. And that day is now. Continuing the cinematic mood set forth in the action-packed prequel, Gwen and Peter have a cute/awkward “meet,” which, even if I didn’t already know there will be history between them, alerts me to be on the lookout for further romantic developments.

But… Hello!! Whatever happened to Mary Jane? I know she also will eventually become part of Peter’s life, but the audience of the day must have been thinking Marvel had simply dropped Mary Jane and was setting Peter up with this new flame, a beautiful blonde to rival Liz Allen.

CULTURAL CONFUSION
There’s always been a slight disconnect in these early Marvel Comics I’ve never quite been able to pin down. Unable to attract the new guy’s attention, Gwen fumes, “Peter Parker is the only boy I’ve met who hasn’t given me a tumble!” Whoa! Is there something about Gwen I haven’t yet learned? Or is this another of those cultural confusion moments where the meaning of a phrase has changed over the last fifty years?

Likewise, new character Harry Osborne calls Gwen “Doll,” which also sounds odd. Did college guys really talk like that in the 60’s? Or does Harry think it’s groovy to emulate the gangsters of film noir? More likely, Harry’s language is just another example of middle-aged men writing young people the way they remember, from back in their glory days. (Or am I simply looking across the gulf from the 1960’s to the 2020’s?)

SOPHISTICATED STORYTELLING & THE MASTER PLANNER
During these first years of Marvel superhero comics, the audience has been evolving from little boys, to high school kids, to, in many cases, even college students. As Peter grows up and goes to college himself, will the audience also mature? And if so, will that audience demand more sophisticated storytelling?

Perhaps, however, in an effort to have more sophisticated storytelling, Marvel has gone too far with the Master Planner. I understand the wish to evoke an air of mystery regarding the villain’s identity, but I spent most of the issue wondering if I’m supposed to already know who he is. After all, we’ve had villains named Mastermind, the Puppet Master, the Crime-Master, Master Mold… Am I simply being my usual forgetful self, unable to figure it out? It’s not until we get to the last page that the Master Planner reveals that he and Spider-Man have not met before, so I finally feel better about myself.

But I’m not the only one figuring things out too late! In the early scenes, the Master Planner’s minions are surprised to see Spider-Man, and the Master Planner himself exclaims “Spider-Man! I never expected that I’d have to contend with HIM!” Apparently the Master Planner has contingencies all the way up to Plan G, yet was never able to anticipate possible interference by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Well then…he’s not really much of a “master planner,” is he?

On the plus side, I really enjoyed the intermingling of the old with the new. There’s nice connective storyline tissue as just about everybody from Peter’s life makes at least a cameo appearance. It reminds me of the old Hollywood studio contract players, when any actor could appear in any movie at any time. This week, everybody works!

The Narrator ends with a hospital scene “hook” virtually guaranteeing we will learn the nature of May’s illness in the next issue, and also promising we will finally learn the identity of the Master Planner. Oh boy! With all that to look forward to, and so many questions about college man Peter Parker’s love life, who isn’t coming back?