Description

Spider-Man: With Great Power… {Marvel Knights}        Sealed Hardcover
Writer: David Lapham
Artists: Tony Harris & David Lapham
Cover by: Tony Harris

After the spider-bite, before the great responsibility! Meet Peter Parker, “Midtown High’s only professional wallflower,” a hapless young nerd suddenly gifted with great power — no strings attached! Happy at home with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but plagued by the bullies and mean girls of high school, see what Peter does when the bite of a radioactive spider gives him the strength to take the things he wants. Fame? Money? Fast cars? Girls? This dweeb’s up to his pencilneck in ’em! Surely things can’t suddenly be this easy. It’s a side of Spider-Man’s early life you’ve barely glimpsed, written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, TERROR, INC.) with art by Tony Harris (Ex Machina)!

Story/Spoilers
In part #1, Spider-Man stands in a wrestling ring, holding Crusher Hogan on his backside with one hand, the crowd cheering, looking on amazed. As the onlookers cheer, he thinks of how good his life is, so much better than what it used to be.

Peter reflects back on how things were before. In the school halls, Flash Thompson gives Peter a wedgie that looks like it would sting for weeks. Lousy timing comes into play when Peter spots Liz Allen looking towards him. Despite the fact that Liz and Flash are dating everyone says they’ve been fighting. Peter thinks of asking her out, but he just doesn’t have the nerve.

At home, Uncle Ben tells Peter that he got him a car. Peter is thrilled until he lays eyes on his not-so-sweet ride. To say the car would need “a little work” would be an understatement. The kid already has enough problems at school, he can only imagine the horrors that will await him when he shows up driving a piece of junk.

During a visit to a science exhibit, an experiment on radioactivity is being conducted. As the experiment begins, a spider slides down on a web between the path of radioactive rays. The spider bites Peter and it hurts unlike any other spider bite. He thinks of how he got sick and felt bad, and eventually got better. Man, did he get better.

Not only did that spider bite transform Peter physically, but it transformed him mentally as well. With newfound confidence he runs along the lockers in the halls, taking Flash by surprise, who is so stunned, he can’t even get a hit in, despite Peter taunting him with a freebie. Peter’s excitement fades when he realizes that he’s still stuck with a car no girl would probably caught sitting next to him in, dead or alive. A prize of $5,000 for anyone that can stay in the ring with Crush Hogan for three minutes could change all of that.

Peter enters the wrestling contest, concealing his identity wearing a mask that looks pretty laughable. Even though he looks far from intimidating to Crusher Hogan, Peter easily wins the prize money. In awe at Peter’s performance, Monty Caabash makes Peter an offer.

Peter drives up to Liz’s place, his car all fixed up. He things of knocking on the door to see if she’d like to take a drive but he starts having second thoughts. Peter’s begins to feel a buzzing in his head when he’s approached by Flash from behind. Flash asks Peter where he got his car. He tells him that he bought it but Flash doesn’t believe him. Just then, Liz comes out and says that she didn’t want to see Flash after what he did. Flash says that he came by with Peter. Before Flash can go on, Liz says hello to Peter. Peter is so surprised that she acknowledge him he can barely greet her back. Given new confidence, Peter challenges Flash to a race. Flash accepts the challenge.

Flash takes the lead and Peter thinks of how he’ll probably wind up killed for being so stupid. Peter feels the buzzing in his head just like he did before. He realizes that the buzzing in his head is a warning sign of just how far he can push himself. Peter floors it on the gas, making light of Flash before leaving him in the dust. There’s a raccoon running across the street. Peter swerves at just the right moment and goes off to the side of the road, smashing up the right side of his car and damaging the windshield.

When Peter comes home, Uncle Ben tries to console him but Peter acts upset to play things off. Even with his powers and new confidence, Peter still feels like a loser. He pulls out the EWO Extreme Wrestling card that Monty gave him and things of a way to change things.

Next in part #2, At the gym, Crusher Hogan is showing Peter some of his wrestling moves, giving the kid a bit of a scare in the process. Peter asks Crusher if the next move he shows him isn’t going to hurt but doesn’t get a straight answer. So Peter takes Crusher by surprise by showing him one of his own moves.

In the office of Monty Caabash, Peter talks about rules he insists they abide by. He wants no one to know his identity so the mask stays on at all times. He wants to be paid in cash. Finally, he’s already got a name picked out for himself: Spider-Man. Monty thinks that name will spook the kids so he rattles off some other names but Peter’s mind is already made up. The boy wants to be taken seriously so he wants a name that suggests such. Monty settles on his terms and agrees to let him call himself Spider-Man.

Monty tells Peter that he needs a costume because his current wear makes him look like he’s going to rob a corner store. He brings in Tiffany Lebeck, a older woman, who just happens to think Peter is cute, to work on a costume for him. She even offers him a place to stay until he can find his own place (not knowing that he lives with his aunt and uncle) but he declines because he has a test to study for.

Arriving home late, Peter sneaks in the house, but his efforts to keep his entrance noise-free fail. He hurries to his room, thinking that he should tell off aunt May and uncle Ben for all the times they were never there for him when he was picked on in school. When uncle Ben asks if Peter’s awake he just pretends to be sleeping.

Peter stayed up all night worrying about aunt May and uncle Ben’s feelings so he’s pretty much dead to the world in science class, not even hearing Liz whispering to him. When class is over, Liz tells Peter that they probably both failed the test. Once again Peter is taken aback by the fact that Liz is talking to him. She notices that Peter is bleeding, but Peter doesn’t hear a word she says. He can’t even finish what he was going to say to her because he passes out.

Waking up in a hospital, aunt May and uncle Ben are by Peter’s bedside. They say they found out what happened from Liz and they were worried about him. Peter berates them wondering why they weren’t worried when he got beat up and picked on. He turns his back to them to get some rest, knowing they’ll leave eventually.

The night of Peter’s first pro match and he’s all decked out in a new costume (not the familiar red & blue we all know and love, but close). Sensing that Peter is a bit nervous, Tiffany tells him that he’ll do wonderful and to show everyone what he can do. Peter wins the match without causing serious injury to his opponent.

Monty is off having a drink, chatting with some fellows that look like the type your mother would warn you to stay away from. The guy Monty is talking to, Mr. Angel tells him the time has come for him to “pay off on our investment.” Sweating up a storm, Monty tells him that Spider-Man will make things nice and even for them. Mr. Angel asks if Spidey is under contract and Monty stutters saying that’s he’s under contract for life.

Tiffany talked Spidey into carrying her to the top of the city, something he can’t believe he actually did. She tells him he has to push himself in life or else he won’t go anywhere. When she begins tugging on his mask, he tells her he isn’t ready for her to see his face just yet. She says that she understands but she expects there to be no secrets between them.

The night of another wrestling match and Monty is freaking out because there’s no sign of Spidey. Making a grand entrance in his revamped costume (the classic red & blue), “the Amazing Spider-Man” swings into the ring on his newly invented web. Spidey taunts the Mangler with the his trademark witty banter, giving him a few free shots before winning the match.

Peter patches things up with aunt May and Uncle Ben. He realizes that although they may not understand him, they are good people and he’s put them through a lot ever since he got his spider powers. Things seem to be better at school too because he spends the entire lunch period talking with Liz. Life seems to be getting better all the time for Peter.

Next in part #3, Everyone seems to love the Amazing Spider-Man. Too bad J. Jonah Jameson isn’t everyone. Sure, the rest of the press is filled with good news about Spidey, but Jameson thinks the web-head isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. What’s he got to hide behind that mask? His wants his news team to bring him some dirt on Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is out on a date with a woman who’s name he can’t even remember. Not that it matters because he could care less what her name is. They’re eating on a rooftop, watching the Fantastic Four fight some monster. Nameless date thinks the FF are pretty cool. Spidey says sure, if you’re into fighting monsters and all that jazz. She gives him some lip service as the fight continues.

Spidey was supposed to spend some quality time with Tiffany Lebeck and she’s none to pleased about his being late. She even knows about his date with the nameless groupie. Spidey apologizes and agrees to celebrating with her after his TV interview is over.

His first TV interview and Spider-Man isn’t nervous at all. As cool as a cucumber, he makes with the jokes and the audience laughs. While Spidey shows off for the crowd, the people who handle the money at the studio look like they could have a problem on there hands. There’s a fellow with shifty eyes sneaking around with a gun so if I had to guess, I’d say he was into some negative business.

Spidey’s interview ends and he waits for the elevator door to open where he’s just seconds away from a moment that he will regret for the rest of his life. A security guard shouts for Spider-Man to stop a thief, but what does he do? He lets him go. The security guard tells Spidey all he had to do was hold him up for a minute or trip him. Spidey says that’s not his job and he’s only looking out for number one–himself.

At a Club Mayhem, Monty and Tiffany are out celebrating Spidey’s first TV spot. Tiffany tells Monty that he was a loser before Spider-Man came to boost his business and he’ll be a loser when he’s gone. Monty realizes that Tiffany wants in on the action. Threatening to fire her, Spidey shows up and says that if Tiffany goes, he goes. With that, Tiffany is made Spidey’s official agent and manager.

Things aren’t going so well on the home front. Uncle Ben gets a letter from Peter’s school mentioning his absences and declining grades. He thinks Peter won’t end up in a good school if he keeps going in the direction he’s headed. Aunt May says Ben has always been like a father to Peter and maybe the time has come for him to start acting like a father would.

In the school halls Liz asks Peter if they’re still going to study after school. Flash sees the two talking and he is one unhappy camper. He tells Peter if he sees him talking to Liz again he’ll rearrange his face. Peter isn’t intimidated by Flash’s threat in the least.

Peter talks Liz into ditching their study session at the library and going to Club Mayhem. At the Bugle Jameson asks Ben Urich if he has anything on Spider-Man but he tells him he’s got zilch. Jonah is convinced that something is there. As Peter and Liz leave the club, they get busted by uncle Ben. Liz breaks out the waterworks while Peter stays nice and calm. Just as uncle Ben is about to lay down the law, Peter’s spider-sense goes off. He quickly pushes uncle Ben aside, saving him from some falling rubble. Why is it raining building slabs? There’s a freak show attacking the city. Well that’s one away to avoid getting in trouble with the folks.

Next in part #4, The city is under attack from a creature that looks like it stepped out of a movie staring monsters in rubber suits. Even though the Fantastic Four have shown up to fight this monstrosity, the situation is still grave. With his spider-sense to warn him, Peter moves through the crowd of panicking people to get uncle Ben and Liz to safety. Among all the chaos, Peter comes across a homeless man trapped under rubble. The Thing steps in and gives Peter a hand and tells him that he’s got more spine than all the thugs on Yancy Street combined. Unfortunately, the homeless man still dies, despite being saved, which weighs heavily on Peter’s conscience. Thing tries to console Peter but he runs away.

During the long drive home, uncle Ben tries to comfort Peter, telling him that it was the Fantastic Four’s job to handle the situation because they have powers. Uncle Ben says the famous line “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” He says he’s proud of his nephew for trying to help even though he has no powers, making Peter feel even worse.

Still feeling down, Peter goes to a club with Tiffany as Spider-Man, has a few drinks and ends up puking his guts out in the toilet. Peter tells Tiffany that he was there when that monster attacked, how he tried to save a man but he still died. She says that it wasn’t his responsibility. Peter passes out and she takes a peek under his mask.

Peter wakes up and see J. Jonah Jameson ranting about how Spider-Man acts irresponsibly while the city is in danger. It is then decided by Monty’s higher ups that Spider-Man has to become a hero.

Finally in part #5, Spidey is perched on the wall of a police station where an elderly man is about to commit suicide. In trying to prevent the guy from jumping, Spidey says the wrong thing and he takes the leap. Luckily, Spidey catches him before he hits the ground.

Later on at Tiffany’s Spidey tells her that he doesn’t feel he’s cut out for the hero business. She says Angel knows of a bank heist that’s going down the tomorrow and Spidey questions just where Angel gets his info and wonders why he doesn’t call the cops. If he did, Angle would be in danger. Spidey feels like his life is no longer his own.

The next day, just as Tiffany said, the bank job is going down. Spidey drops down and spooks the robbers, causing the driver to floor it injuring a few of the other crooks in the process. He crashes into a fire hydrant and Spidey feels like a total chump.

Angle sees the next edition o the Daily Bugle, which slams Spider-Man for endangering lives out in public. Angle thinks he should pay a visit to Jameson but Tiffany suggests otherwise, stating that Spidey isn’t ready for this type of life and he’s about to snap. Angel gets rough with her and tellers her that it’s her job to make sure he is ready.

When Spidey stops by Tiffany’s that night, she’s got a black eye in addition to being wasted. Spidey finally decides to come clean and pulls of his mask but Tiffany is so hammered she says she’ll be lucky if she can even remember her was here. Tiffany tells Peter that Angel is on his way to shut Jameson up for good. Just as Jameson faints from Angel’s thug getting rough with him, Spidey crashes through the window. After saving Jonah’s life, Spidey takes a look at the editorial he was typing and makes several alterations.

The next day, Jameson sees the Bugle headline which praises Spider-Man’s crime fighting. Jameson is not pleased. Swinging off, Spidey admits what he did was childish, but he is a kid and he thinks its time he started to act like one. Stopping by Tiffany’s he sees all her things are cleared out. He knows he’ll never see her again and he’s fine with it.

Peter’s on his way home when he sees the two police cars parked in front of his house. Running inside, Peter finds aunt May crying. Peter asks where uncle Ben is. Uncle Ben is… alive? He walks in shortly after Peter. He was looking all over for Peter because he was gone for a whole week. Thankful that uncle Ben is OK, he gives him a big hug. On the TV, the news reports of an armed robber on the loose…

Hardcover reprints/collects: Spider-Man: With Great Power… (2008) Issues #1-5.  Marvel Comics

Sealed Hardcover is bagged and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publication Date: October 2008
Format: FC, 120 pages, HC, 10.5″ x 7″
ISBN-10: 078511968X
ISBN-13: 9780785119685

Collectible Entertainment note: Hardcover is Brand New & Factory Sealed.  Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Spider-Man collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Very Highly Recommended.

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