Death in the Family would make a perfect final Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin story.  I've always considered it the Spider-Man equivalent of The Killing Joke (complete with both hero and villain sharing a laugh at the end).  Without spoiling anything, Spider-Man scores one of his greatest victories against the Goblin at the end of the story, and not in the way you'd expect.  Death in the Family provides new insight into the Peter Parker/Norman Osborn relationship and what motivates both characters.

The death of Captain Stacy is one of the most poignant moments in Spider-Man's life.  That it was one of Spidey's own inventions that led to Stacy's demise reminds us that Spider-Man, like the rest of us, does not always think things through and is prone to mistakes.  Unlike most of us however, when Spider-Man screws up, there are dire consequences.  Stan Lee makes Peter Parker's final moments with the man who became like a father to him touching and heartfelt, as Stacy reveals a secret he's kept from Peter and asks him to take care of his daughter Gwen.  Given what happens only 31 issues later, this story takes on an even greater level of tragedy.

I'll just use this thread to vent a pet peeve of mine.


I find the death of Gwen Stacy arc is constantly referred to in Top 10 lists, but the death of Captain Stacy arc consistently fails to get the love.


I honestly believe Captain Stacy's death is the better storyline.


For one thing, it's a more complex ethical situation. Where Gwen Stacy dies as a result of what Peter Parker does, Captain Stacy dies because of a specific action Peter takes.


After Captain Stacy dies, it leaves Peter in a lot of ethical and emotional binds. What is his responsibility to Gwen now? Should he tell her what happened? And what's his obligation to her? Could he be tempted to date another girl, knowing that he inadvertently killed her father? Does he have a deeper obligation to leave her because his vocation is dangerous or stay with her because he owes her protection? These are the kinds of things Peter thinks about.


I also think the loss of a father figure who actually approved of Peter's activities is as devastating as the death of his lover. It's beautifully ironic. Here is an authority figure who can almost offer Peter the one thing he craves above all else, which is Uncle Ben's approval. It's not quite the same thing as Uncle Ben but close. And the moment where he does offer Peter his blessing is tainted by Peter's culpability in his death! It's tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.


Also, it's a better technical accomplishment. The pacing is better.

It is the dynamics of the relationship between Spider-Man and Wolverine that make this mini special. Wolverine's attitude changes through the issues and we see him becoming a little more caring and responsible. Spider-Man too becomes a little more understanding towards Logan. Two of Marvel's most popular characters, who mostly hate one another, learn to get along to get back to their time. Some of the things that made this event special include.

• The team up itself
• Numerous fight scenes between the two
• Wolverine getting thrown into the past, wrestling a young Peter Parker in the ring, who just got his Spider-powers and is busy making money in the ring. He notices this Parker hasn't learn responsibility yet and is pretty care free. ( Uncle Ben is still alive) In a moment, Logan realizes what Spidey has been through with his Uncle and wishes the kid good luck for when the time comes.
• Spider-Man being blasted into Wolverine's past, when his older brother is trying to kill him for gutting their father. Here Spidey kinda gets some first hand glance at Wolverine's past.

It's kinda hard to explain what makes this story so special without spoiling it. The story isn't all that fantastic, especially when you find out who the bad guy is. However, the friendship developed between Spider-Man and Wolverine throughout the story definitely makes it worth a read. A reader would never know what these two have been through in this story from reading about their usual adventures in the Avengers or the like.

In this story, Jason Aaron essentially drops Spider-Man and Wolverine in one bizarre situation after another and writes how they react.  When you combine Aaron's mastery of characterization with his off beat imagination you know you have a winner.  The banter between Spider-Man and Wolverine is hilarious, and the story throws so many twists and interesting concepts at you that you're left guessing what's going to happen next from issue to issue.

This story by Paul Jenkins highlights one of the most important and enduring aspects of the Spider-Man character; his sense of humour.  It reminds us that no matter how much he gets pulled through the mud, Spider-Man remains at heart a character who can see passed the grim aspects of life and find humour in any situation.  This issue also fleshes out Peter's relationship with his late Uncle Ben, showing us the man he was before his murder and really making us feel for Peter's loss.  No one yet has written Ben quite like Jenkins has.

It was the last day of school before summer vacation, and I went to my LCS with a friend. He was a bit surprised that I was so eager to pick up this issue of a Spider-Man comic, and asked whether there were even new stories to tell with a character who had been around for nearly 40 years. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, especially considering the most recent books. Spider-Man: Chapter One was literally just a retelling of the Lee/ Ditko classics. And it had been an year and a half since the four monthly titles were turned into two books written by Howard Mackie.

Jenkins did have an excellent three-part story in Webspinners, but I was surprised by just how great his run with Buckingham was. It was the first great Spider-Man run that I got to enjoy while it was coming out. This was before JMS and John Romita Jr's Amazing Spider-Man, which I always felt suffered a little in comparison, and Bendis/ Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man. 

When I took over Peter Parker, a lot of people told me that Spider-Man was finished.  Mary Jane was supposed to be dead, and I didn't really like that very much.  It was a very tragic period.  I heard so many times that there was no way to repair Spider-Man, but my answer was always that I could fix him in one issue.  I was determined to get back to the essence of the character, so I wrote the story where he regains his sense of humour.  He goes to the cemetary and he tells Uncle Ben that he doesn't think he can continue to be Spider-Man.  He just can't laugh anymore and he can only be Spider-Man because he's got a sense of humour.  In a way,  I was saying that all the fans are a bit sad, because they think Spider-Man's too convoluted and Mary Jane's dead.  On the last page, a car drives by and covers him with water, and he starts laughing his ass off.  In the course of that one issue, we get to the core of the character and discover that he's still the same old guy he used to be.

Our first issue remains one of my favourite stories.  It was a good way to start the run, and I really enjoyed drawing the material that showed Peter as a child and his early relationship with Uncle Ben.  I also liked the opportunity to do these little cameo flashbacks.  The whole thing just kind of flowed really well for me, and it felt like Paul and I had hit the ground running.