We’re about to reach a point where this title dips dramatically, but not today. I think this is another “fan favorite” issue of this series. (Issue #15 is where the quality starts to decline.)
In this issue, we spend some time with Crusher Hogan—the wrestler who Peter Parker humiliated in Amazing Fantasy #15, soon after he was first bitten by the spider. His life isn’t going well. He’s in debt to Hammerhead, he’s an alcoholic, his wife is mad at him, his boss wants him to throw a match in order to get paid…And the punchline of this very well crafted story is that it all takes place BEFORE he gets humiliated by Spider-Man. The final panel of the issue—where is facing the choice whether to throw a match and get paid—is where he faces the masked Peter Parker. His narration acknowledges that everyone hates him, everyone wants him to lose, and then says that whoever does finally beat him, “will be a hero.”
Excellent writing. Great art. Another home-run for SpM’s TW.