#282 and #283
July / August 1986

Bitten by a radioactive spider, student Peter Parker gained the proportionate strength and agility of an arachnid. Armed with is wonderous web-shooters, the reluctant super-hero struggles with sinister super-villains, making ends meet, and maintaining some semblance of a normal life.

    Miscellaneous Comments:    January 3rd, 1999 It's ages since I read some Spider-Man, and I really enjoyed these. The first one finds Spider-Man up against X-Factor when J. Jonan Jameson sends the "mutant hunters" after everybody's favourite web-slinger. This, the central plot-point, is definitely the weakest part of the issue, since it's hard to believe that a fight would start this easy between such long-standing heroes as Spider-Man and the original X-Men. Never mind. The rest of the issue (MJ protecting Peter; Robbie Robertson helping Flash, and confronting J.J.; and Spidey going out to help Flash, though he's in great pain himself) makes for a great little read.
    #283 is a better issue. "With Foes Like These..." finds Flash hiding out in an alley-way, and Spidey still on the look out for him. What he finds, however, is Titania - still reeling from her defeat at his hands during Secret Wars. Never mind. She enlists the help of her boyfriend, Crusher Creel, and soon Spider-Man is forced to back down, and web-sling into the night, to save innocent lives.
    This I liked.
    The fact that Spider-Man had to back off and let the baddies "win". Good stuff.
    Type of Series: Costumed Super-Hero; Action-Adventure
    Similar Comics: Daredevil.
    Strengths: Spidey himself. He is an incredibly engaging and self-less character, and #282 highlights that quality.
    Another thing to like about this series is the large supporting cast, and (again) these two issues highlight some of those. Particularly Robbie Roberson.
    Weaknesses:
    Impressive Characters:Spidey is very impressive in the first of these issues. He's been badly injured, in the previous issue, and he still forces himself out to try and help his buddy Flash. Spidey is self-less.
    Impressive Writers: Tom DeFalco is the writer here. There's nothing spectacular, but there's nothing dreadful either.
    Impressive Artists:
    Less-Than-Impressive Characters:
    Less-Than-Impressive Writers:
    Less-Than-Impressive Artists:
    Continuity: Strong. Particularly in these issues with Flash Thompson on the run from the police. This was around about the time that the mystery of the Hobgoblin's identity was coming to a climax, so these issues are littered with small scene, where supporting characters say/do sinister things. This is all in an effort to make them all look suspicious.
    Contemporary Events: All this ties in with the Masters Of Evil and their antics in Avengers #273 on. Meanwhile, Ben Grimm was facing old demons in Fantastic Four #296 and there was tragedy looming in the Morlock tunnels, as witnessed by Thor, X-Factor, Power Pack and The Uncanny X-Men.
    Guide:
    Reviews:
    Other Info:

-Spider-Man being so heroic. Yeah, I know I'm going on and on about it. So sue me. I like that. He's as much a boy-scout as Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap.
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-As I said, I was a little bored by the way Spidey and X-Factor fell into a quick fight in #282.
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Comments are welcome: dec@iol.ie