Amazing Fantasy #18
The Amazing Spider-Man
Peter Parker sits in class trying to convince himself that he is not a hero. However, his classmates believe otherwise, as they discuss how Spider-Man stopped a Joey Pulaski from committing acts of sabotage. Peter thinks about how fate led to a radioactive spider biting his hand and giving him his powers. How he tried to use his powers for personal gain until a burglar he failed to stop later murdered his Uncle Ben, teaching him to use his powers responsibly.[1] He doesn't think he's a hero, only because he feels that he needs to use his powers to help people in need. Later that evening, Spider-Man assists in the efforts to rescue people trapped in a burning building. After getting a child to safety, Spider-Man doubles back to save a firefighter who almost falls through the roof of the burning building. When members of the media attempt to interview the wall-crawler, Spider-Man tells them to interview the firefighters, pointing out that they are the real heroes. The wall-crawler hangs back on the nearby rooftops until he is certain that he is not needed anymore and leaves. As he goes, he wonders why he puts his life on the line like this. When Peter Parker returns home, he finds his Aunt May struggling over their bills. When he expresses his concerns over their finances, May assures her nephew that they will find a way to manage.
Peter then begins his homework in front of the television, thinking about how his Aunt has been struggling since her husband was murdered. He watches an episode of the television series "It's Amazing" which highlights some of the activities of the various superheroes who have appeared on the scene recently.[2] One report is on how Thor assisted the government in testing new defensive missiles.[3] He thinks Thor is a real hero, while his own problems are closer to home. With Aunt May struggling with money, Peter realizes that he is going to have to bite the bullet and do something to resolve the problem. The following day, Spider-Man pays a visit to Maxie Shiffman, his agent, looking for work. Shiffman was looking forward to this as he has been working to get the wall-crawler on the television show "It's Amazing". When news that the wall-crawler is going to appear on the show hits the media, Flash Thompson and his friends are excited and have purchased tickets to be part of the live studio audience.
However, not everyone is happy about Spider-Man's upcoming television appearance. Newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson is furious to learn that his son, astronaut John Jameson, is being pulled from the show in favor of the wall-crawler. When Spider-Man arrives at the studio with Maxie Shiffman the production crew call him a hero. However, Spider-Man corrects them, telling them that he is not a hero like the Fantastic Four, Thor, or wartime hero Captain America, pointing out that he is just someone who can do some tricks.[4] As J. Jonah Jameson walks out in disgust, his criticisms are overheard by the wall-crawler. When Spider-Man asks Shiffman who the man was, Maxie tells Spider-Man not to worry about Jameson because he is a nobody. Still, Jonah joins the studio audience with his son John and spends the whole time complaining about how they bumped his son in favor of featuring Spider-Man on their show. John tries to convince his father that he doesn't mind being bumped from the show, but Jonah still sees it as an insult. He becomes more annoyed when Flash Thompson overhears his complaints and expresses his opinion that Spider-Man is much more interesting than an astronaut.
When the show starts, host Mac Sanders begins with a report about the activities of the new hero calling himself Iron Man.[5] Mac's opening monologue is interrupted by a costumed being calling himself Supercharger. With his power gauntlets, Supercharger blasts Mac aside and tells the audience that he intends to use his powers to kill them all. As Spider-Man wonders what to do, Supercharger orders the camera crews to continue recording as he wants his activities to be recorded on live television. Supercharger then explains that he was a normal person like them and was fascinated with the superheroes that have begun appearing in their world. His father, a scientist, wanted to learn if there was a way to induce superpowers in normal humans. However, his experiments ended in an accident. In the ensuing explosion, Supercharger's father was killed and he was forever changed, given amazing powers. The experience convinced Supercharger that there were no heroes, that these superpowered beings were nothing more than monsters and freaks.
By this point, Spider-Man has run into one of the offices to try and call the police but discovers that the phones are down. With no other choice, he goes back to the studio to face the villain just as he is grabbing his first would-be victim from the audience. The wall-crawler swings in and pulls the woman away and then swings back to face Supercharger. At first, Spider-Man is overwhelmed by Supercharger's electrical powers and is about to give up. However, hearing Flash Thompson cheer him on convinces Spider-Man to keep on fighting. Realizing that Supercharger is absorbing electricity from the equipment around him to replenish the power he expands he gets one of the technicians to assist him in stopping the villain. With a wire rigged up into the broadcasting system, Spider-Man snares Supercharger. This completes the circuit, draining his energy and harmlessly discharging it out of the broadcasting tower atop the television station. With the villain defeated the studio audience cheers Spider-Man for his victory. In the aftermath of the battle, the damage done to the studio guarantees that "It's Amazing" will have to be canceled. Talking to Maxie Shiffman, Spider-Man learns that he hired Supercharger in the hopes of creating a more spectacular show, unaware that he intended to murder the studio audience. Upon hearing this, Spider-Man orders Maxie to give back the money they were paid for the appearance, telling him that it is the responsible thing to do.
Overhearing this conversation is J. Jonah Jameson who thinks that Spider-Man did all of this for money. He ignores John's attempt to speak sense and vows that he never rests until everyone knows what sort of menace Spider-Man really is. As Spider-Man swings home from the studio, he is proud of what he has done that day. He finally realizes that he is a hero, despite all of his personal problems he is doing what superheroes do: they find a way.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Supercharger, Aunt May, Maxie Shiffman, J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, Sally Avril
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man's origins and the murder of his Uncle Ben were depicted in Amazing Fantasy #15.
The television Peter is watching is depicted as a black and white model. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
The news footage of Thor depicts the events of Journey into Mystery #86.
Spider-Man refers to Captain America as being a hero from the "old days", this story takes place prior to Captain America's revival in the modern age in Avengers #4.
This story takes place shortly after the debut of Iron Man who first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39.
