The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963)
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: John Duffy
Cover: Steve Ditko
"Duel To The Death With The Vulture"
On a busy New York street a man wearing a ridiculous green bird costume swoops down and steals a man's briefcase, which contains a fortune in financial papers.
Over at Jameson Publications, the home of NOW Magazine, J. Jonah Jameson demands photographs of the Vulture but no photographers have been able to get a shot.
In the science lab at Midtown High, Flash Thompson and his friends are reading the latest issue of NOW and comment on how valuable a photo of the vulture would be. Peter has the bright idea to use his spider powers to take the photos and make some money (he's so transfixed by the idea that he lets his experiment go haywire). At home Aunt May gives him Uncle Ben's miniature camera
Meanwhile, the Vulture is plotting his next caper: The Park Avenue Jewelry Exchange is moving their diamond inventory across town. As he leaves his Staten Island hideout and flies into Manhattan he crosses paths with Spider-Man, who had been checking his camera on an apartment building. Unnoticed by the Vulture, Spidey is able to follow and photograph him as he sends messages announcing his impending theft to Jameson Publishing, the radio station and the Chief of Police. However, he gets too greedy and the Vulture notices him. The greenhorn webslinger is knocked out and thrown into a water tank while the Vulture makes his escape. His webshooters are empty and the walls are too slick to climb but he manages to leap out of the tank. Even luckier, he is able to find his camera and head home.
In his room he has developed the photographs and does a little work to improve his costume. It was originally designed to look good on stage and on TV but now it has to be more practical. He builds extra web cartridges and fits them to a belt, which remains hidden under his costume. When he gets paid more he'll buy a miniature camera to clip on (doesn't he already have a miniature camera?). For good measure he also comes up with a plan to stop the Vulture, believing himself to have figured out how the Vulture flies.
The next day Peter schedules an appointment with Jameson. Jameson loves the photos and wants to know how he took them. Peter refuses to say and asks that he not be credited for the photos. Jameson writes him a check and tells him he'd love to get some pictures of Spider-Man.
Peter joins Flash and the gang are watching the diamonds be shipped. The place is heavily guarded by police. In case something does happen and he needs to change, Peter ducks out early to the teasings of Flash. But to the surprise of everybody, when the transfer begins the Vulture pops out of a manhole cover, steals the diamond briefcase and escapes through the sewers and subway tunnel. Peter changes into his costume and uses his spider sense to track down the Vulture. Spidey is able to catch his foot with his web and grab ahold of him. Activating his device, the Vulture loses his flight and the two begin to fall. Spidey saves himself with his web while the Vulture's wings slow himself enough to fall without injuring himself. The cops arrest him and Spidey snaps a couple picture. He reveals the genius of his plan: The Vulture was able to fly silently, which meant he had to fly using magnetic power. With an anti-magnetic inverter he was able to deactivate his powers!
At Jameson Publishing JJJ is over the moon about the photos. Peter reminds him about their no-questions asked deal and Jonah is happy to oblige, even paying Peter a bonus. He tells Aunt May that he has paid the rent for an entire year and will be buying her new kitchen appliances while in a jail cell the Vulture swears vengeance against Spider-Man.
"The Uncanny Threat of The Terrible Tinkerer"
Peter's science teacher introduces him to Professor Cobbwell, who has asked for an assistant for the weekend. Peter is thrilled and agrees to pick up a radio from a repair shop on the way to Cobbwell's lab. Flash mocks Peter for preferring to spend his weekend in a lab rather than out with friends.
The clerk at the radio repair shop introduces himself as The Tinkerer. Peter requests the radio and his spider sense acts up. He blames it on the shop equipment. The Tinkerer goes down to his basement and picks up the radio, which has been modified by a green alien for sinister purposes. Peter is shocked to discover the repairs only cost a dime (around 60 cents in today's money). At Cobbwell's lab Peter can't let up his suspicions about the Tinkerer. When the radio sets off his spider sense Peter resolves to go investigate and Cobbwell leaving for a lecture gives him the opportunity to do so.
As Spider-Man he breaks into the shop the Tinkerer and his alien allies are collecting data being recorded by all of the radios they've "repaired," which are in the possession of scientists and military personnel. The data will be analyzed and used to formulate an attack plan for an alien invasion. But Spider-Man discovers the aliens and attacks them. Physically they're no match but a blast from their laser gun stuns the wallcrawler. They put him in a "resisto-glass" enclosure and suck the air from it to kill him. But Spider-Man is smarter than they are and realizes that if the air is being sucked out there needs to be holes for that to happen (!?!). He aims his webshooter at the hole and fires a webline right through and hits the control panel. Freed from the cage Spider-Man engages the aliens once more. The fight starts a fire and Spidey flees the building (as passerby blames Spidey for the fire, which is technically true).
In a wooded area (Central Park?) the aliens fly off in their ship, believing that without the element of surprise they could never conquer Earth. They remotely destroy their spy devices and leave. At the lab Cobbwell returns. He swears he saw an alien spacecraft but without proof nobody would believe him. Peter smiles to himself. He's holding The Tinkerer's human mask but revealing the truth would risk his secret identity.
Observations: The Vulture story illustrates Peter's continued lack of understanding of who he is. He goes after the Vulture not to stop him from robbing people but for the opportunity to make money. Both times he encounters the Vulture it is the Vulture who attacks him, first to test his own strength and later to do away with such a powerful foe. The irony is Spider-Man wasn't really a foe of the Vulture's to begin with. Sure he eventually defeats the Vulture but it's not a priority. It's also neat that rather than beat his foe with his spider powers he does it with his scientific mind.
It's also interesting that even though Spider-Man is famous for taking photos of himself (which, in Civil War, prompts Jameson to sue Peter after Peter unmasks himself) in this first story Peter just uses his spider powers to take good photos and doesn't sell a single photo of Spider-Man despite Jameson's requests for such. The dynamic between the two characters isn't fully formed, with Jonah being more than gracious to Peter rather than the grouchy, unappreciative skinflint we'd come to know and love. To top it off, rather than sell photos to The Daily Bugle, Peter sells them to NOW magazine!
If the Vulture story is about Peter not understanding himself then the Tinkerer story is about Stan and Steve not understanding their book. The twist ending alien story is way out of the realistic tone that had been established in the last four stories. It's interesting to see that this early in the Marvel Universe the existence of alien lifeforms was still not known to the public but this story really is a stinker. Thankfully Stan and Steve would stay away from hokey nonsense like this from here on out.
Duel To The Death With The Vulture:
4/5, a good story but I've never been a particularly big fan of The Vulture
The Uncanny Threat of The Terrible Tinkerer:
1/5, goofy and not in the fun way
Other notes:
- Jonah tells "Joe" to stop the presses. It could be a way early reference to Joe "Robbie" Robertson but I doubt it.
- This is the first time New York is referred to by name and New York geography is mentioned repeatedly.
- Wouldn't it have made more sense for the diamond shipment to be set in the Diamond District (on 47th street) rather than Park Avenue?
- Why does Uncle Ben have a miniature camera?
- This is the first time Peter snarks back at a bully, rather than just soak up the punishment. This is also the first appearance of Flash Thompson in "The Amazing Spider-Man," having been absent last issue.
- The first time the half-Spidey mask appears when Peter's Spider-Sense buzzes
- The famous logo has moved away from the triangular configuration of ASM#1 into the configuration it would stay as until the present day (barring a few interruptions where the logo isn't used). Like the costume, the logo has held up remarkably well.
- This is the first issue to feature the iconic Marvel corner box