In #21, Spidey meets the X-Men for the first time. It’s a very well done story. The group meet in their civilian identities at a coffee shop, and Peter Parker expresses empathy for mutants fighting intolerance. Then a (generic) bad guy attacks, they all get in costume, and defeat him. Afterwards, Spider-Man has to run off because he is worried about Aunt May and the X-Men assume he’s a bigot…
…And wish he were more like Peter Parker.
I really like this because it’s rare to see the issue of bigotry so nuanced–to see that its victims can see prejudice in places where it is not present. It’s an especially important message today, in 2023, when that kind of militant leftist view is dominating American discourse–and coarsening it.
Issue #22 has a Scarecrow/Green Goblin conflict (plotted by Busiek but sadly it’s written by Tom DeFalco). It, like #21, take place during those issues of Amazing Spider-Man where Peter Parker was trying to avoid getting hurt because Aunt May was sick, and he didn’t want to leave her without someone to help care for her.
Here’s the Bullpen Bulletin hype for #21
