Spider-Man. The greatest Hero of all time. I would also say without hesitation the greatest literary character of all time. From his beginnings in August of 1962, the soon to be cancelled Amazing Fantasy #15, where the most famous line in comics was born, “With Great Power, There must also come Great Responsibility!” Peter Parker has gone from worried teenager, to worried college student, to worried adult. But always the Hero. And the public has been along for the ride. Spider-Man has many stories that have been told in his 57 years on this planet, and while not all of them are gems, I would say he has more hits then misses.
So with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home soon upon us, I thought I would share some of my favorite Spidey stories. And while some you might know, I am hoping that you will find some hidden gems along the way.
The Story: The Child Within
The Creators: J.M DeMatteis Words, Sal Buscema Art, Rick Parker Letterer, Bob Sharen Colorist
The Comic: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Volume 1, issues #178-184
The Characters: Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Green Goblin/Harry Osborn, Vermin/Edward Whelan, Mary Jane Parker, Dr. Ashley Kafka, Liz Allen, Normie Osborn, Norman Osborn (Ghost), May Parker
In Kraven’s Last Hunt (or Fearful Symmetry), Spider-Man was beaten and buried alive. Kraven takes the place of Spider-Man, hunts down and defeats Vermin. When Kraven believes he has bested Spider-Man, he kills himself, leaving behind a beaten and emotionally scarred Spider-Man and Vermin. Written by J.M DeMatteis, Kraven’s Last Hunt is considered by many to be one of Spidey’s greatest stories.
Fast forward 4 years and DeMatteis unearths the emotional turmoil that event took on Peter Parker’s life. Not only Peter’s life but also Edward Whelan, the man who is “trapped” inside Vermin.
In the opening issue of “The Child Within” we see that Vermin has escaped from the care of Dr. Ashley Kafka, who has grown close to the creature. Dr. Kafka believes that Vermin, is as much a physical part of Edward’s being as well as a psychological manifestation as well. Spider-Man isn’t convinced. When Vermin escaped he murdered a bunch of hospital staff members on his way out. Spider-Man is full of guilt and sets out to capture Vermin.
Harry Osborn, no longer the Green Goblin is spending time with his son, Normie. Harry however cannot escape the “ghost” of his father as he torments Harry. Explaining to him that his son doesn’t care about what he is saying. Norman tells Harry, “I don’t want you raising that boy weak!” This makes Harry lash out at Normie, which frightens the child, Harry realizing that he has scared his son, quickly apologies, disappointing his “father”.
Vermin soon retreats to the sewers, where he meets a frightened little boy. The small child tells Vermin that he is lost and asks the creature if he can take him home. Vermin agrees, but is also surprised the child trusts him.
The issue ends with Peter and Harry both in the arms of their wives, and Vermin makes it home after killing a truck driver and commandeering his truck.
Part 2, Vermin makes it to his home, there we find an elderly woman and man sleeping in separate beds. Vermin crawls into the bed of the man and cuddles with him, saying “daddy—I’m home.” The man reaches for a gun and shoots Vermin. Vermin flees the home with the child he brought with him looking on in terror.
Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May are visiting the graves of their lost loved ones. Peter is distracted and haunted by Vermin. When Peter makes an excuse to leave, his wife and aunt are not convinced, Peter however doesn’t care and decides to leave.
Harry and his family are enjoying a day at Central Park. While on the carousel Harry once again is visited by his “father”, who once again torments him for being too soft on his son. After another outburst, Harry snaps out of his daze, but the damage has been done.
Spider-Man pays Dr. Kafka a visit, still not convinced she can “save” Edward from Vermin. Dr. Kafka pleads with Spider-Man to give her a chance, he reluctantly agrees and is about to search for him when Vermin appears outside of Dr. Kafka’s window. At first, Vermin is scared but when he sees Spider-Man in the doctor’s office, his fear soon turns to rage and he races up the side of the building to the roof.
As Vermin makes it to the roof, Spider-Man is waiting for him. (in a great piece of psychological art, Sal Buscema draws Spider-Man in all black except for his eyes, making Spidey look terrifying to Vermin) Spider-Man offers to help Vermin, Vermin doesn’t believe the web-head and soon attacks. However, Spider-Man is the one that is over come with anger and is soon beating the living hell out of Vermin. Dr. Kafka arrives on the roof and begs Spider-Man to stop, he eventually does. But the damage is done. Vermin bites and attacks Dr. Kafka. Spider-Man saves her but Vermin gets away.
The issue ends with Harry tucking in Normie. When Harry turns around he sees his “father” holding the Green Goblin costume and telling Harry, “It’s time.”
The third part Harry continues to fall into madness. Harry is being berated not only by his “father”, but now “Peter Parker” is there as well. Harry’s descent into madness is now complete.
Vermin is back in the sewers, and we learn the little boy with him is not real, but Vermin as a young boy. We also learn that Vermin was sexually abused by his father, adding to the complex layer of a creature that is misunderstood.
Dr. Kafka is having doubts as well. Can she save Edward from Vermin? Is all her work for nothing? Dr. Kafka soon realizes that she most try and save him.
After spending all night looking for Vermin, Spider-Man returns home. Lost in his thoughts, Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense soon alerts him of danger. The Green Goblin has returned and is looking for a fight! Harry taunts Peter throughout their skirmish, with Spider-Man remarking that the Goblin’s voice is full of anger and hate. The Goblin throws a bomb at Spider-Man and Spidey thinks he’s dodged it. However, he soon learns that he was hit with a knockout gas and is in the clutches of the Green Goblin.
The Green Goblin tells Spider-Man that this fight isn’t about the Green Goblin or Spider-Man, it’s about Peter Parker and Harry Osborn.
Part 4 doesn’t let up on the psychological warfare. The Goblin tells Spider-Man that killing him is too easy, instead he unleashes a hallucinogenic gas onto Spider-Man.
Spidey is soon confronted by failures from his past. The forms to make shapes, from Kraven the Hunter, to Peter’s parents and Norman Osborn, Spider-Man is reduced to a small child. The guilt is overwhelming and drives Peter insane.
Awaken from his hallucinogenic state Peter goes berserk. In fact he is so out of control that Harry removed the Green Goblin mask and attempts to calm him down. Peter just wails on Harry and escapes. Peter eventually makes it to Dr. Kafka’s office and begs her for help.
Meantime, Vermin decides he has had enough of the pain his father has caused him and returns to his home. There he attacks his mother and father, telling his father that he is there to kill him.
Part 5 begins with Peter lost in his own subconscious. Dr. Kafka is pleading with him to find his way out. Spider-Man with encouragement from Dr. Kafka is able to overcome his crippling guilt and the effects of the Goblin’s gas and “breaks free”. He and Dr. Kafka soon learn that Vermin is in Scarsdale attacking his family. In the distance we see the ominous shadow of the Green Goblin, waiting to strike. Spidey soon swings into action, heading out to stop Vermin.
Vermin has his mother and father at his mercy. When Vermin attempts to kill his father, he cannot. Vermin becomes frustrated with this and doesn’t understand why he can’t hurt someone who has hurt him so much.
Spider-Man arrives and Vermin is confused no longer. Vermin can hurt Spider-Man with no guilt. The two men fight their way to the roof of the Whelan’s home. Vermin gets the upper hand is about to defeat Spider-Man when he is hit from behind by the Green Goblin. The Goblin informs Vermin that Spider-Man is his to kill!
The finale to The Child Within starts with a bang. Spider-Man and the Green Goblin tussle in Scarsdale. After Vermin is saved and subdued he is safely handed over to Dr. Kafka, Spidey turns his attention to the Goblin.
Spider-Man reminds the Green Goblin that their fight isn’t about them, it’s about Harry and Peter. After they exchange blows, Peter tells Harry if you want to kill me go ahead, saying he’s not going to fight his best friend anymore. Harry is confronted by his “father” again, who tells him it’s a trap. Peter says it’s not and opens his arms as if to say, “I won’t fight you if you want to kill me.” Harry points his glider at Peter and guns it. Getting closer and closer to Peter with his “father” cheering him on.
Just before he is about to hit Peter, Harry abruptly turns his glider causing him to crash. Harry whines as to why he can’t kill Peter. Peter tells him because he is a good man and he knew he wouldn’t kill him. Harry rejects this notion and tells Peter to stay away from him. He also warns Peter that he will be back and if he even thinks about handing him over to the police he will tell the world that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one in the same.
There is an epilogue to The Child Within, where the characters are attempting to pick up the pieces of what has happened.
Harry sees his son in the Green Goblin costume and tells Normie that he is going away for a little but but he will return soon. Liz Allen, Harry’s wife walks in terrified that Harry is the Green Goblin again. In a panic Harry leaves and pumpkin bombs the hell out of the street below, arguing with himself if he is Harry Osborn or the Green Goblin.
Dr. Kafka is continuing her work to free Edward for the grip of Vermin. And while Spider-Man still isn’t convinced that it will work, he believes in Dr. Kafka.
Spider-Man returns home. He complains to Mary Jane that he isn’t sure letting Harry go was the right thing to do. Mary Jane puts her finger to Peter’s mouth and the two embrace, and go to bed in each other’s arms.
Peter soon wakes up, puts on his Spider-Man costume because he knows that his job is never over, especially with the Green Goblin at large!
The Child Within is one of the best stories ever told. Although there are some super hero fights, the story isn’t the fights between super-powered people, but the fights with ourselves.
DeMatteis weaves a mature, dark and unforgiving story of loss, redemption and failure. He taps onto the minds of all the characters involved telling a story that is unforgettable.
Vermin was once a monster of an enemy, but here DeMatteis deconstructs who he is and gives him a tragic backstory. He also doesn’t hit you over the head with it either. The slow, frightening buildup to the shocking revelation that Edward/Vermin was sexually abused by his father makes Vermin one of the most tragic villains of all time. Sometimes revealing where a villain comes from takes away the mystique of the villain, in this case however it makes it so much better. When you read the earlier appearances of Vermin you can’t help but think of how he became the monster he is.
DeMatteis explores the verbal abuse that Harry suffered from his father so much better than it was before. Being haunted by your past is an ongoing theme throughout The Child Within, however it seems that Harry’s preconceived idea of never being good enough for his father is the most damaging. Where we expect Spider-Man/Peter Parker to be able to fight the ghosts of the past because of who he is, Harry could never and will never escape his inadequacies that his father would constantly berate him with. In fact, DeMatteis would continue to explore this theme in Harry’s and the Green Goblin’s subsequent return in the next couple years in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man.
As for the art, what can I say other than Sal Buscema is my favorite Spider-Man artist and he absolutely crushes it in these seven issues. Buscema’s story telling cannot be touched I believe in the comic medium. His line work is so clean and his panels move so well, that if someone had never read a comic before I would give them a book Sal worked on because they would be able to follow the story easily. One of my most favorite things to do with comics is to put my hand over the word balloons and see if I can still read the story without the help of dialogue. With Buscema the answer is 100% yes. There are several pages in The Child Within where it’s Vermin on a security camera, the page has 12 panels, each panel is small and each panel tells the reader exactly what is going on and how Vermin feels in each panel. It truly is the work of a master.
To me, Buscema’s Green Goblin is one of the best. I will always have a soft spot for John Romita’s Goblin, but Buscema’s has such a range emotionally that you see the conflict in Harry’s decisions, even with the mask of the Goblin on.
From the story to the art, there are not very many more complete comic book stories. The shocking heartbreak of Vermin being a sexual abuse victim, to Harry’s further descent into the darkness that will consume him and eventually kill him, The Child Within is one of Spider-Man’s greatest stories.