PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN #35 (133)

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Friday, September 28, 2001

In these troubled times (it's a cliché, but sometimes it's the best way to express an idea), we all find ourselves looking for a hero. Those of us who grew up reading comic books have an even stronger connection to the fantasies of our youth, but at times it can make reality seem all the more harsh and unforgiving. For here in our own time and place, there are no Spider-Men or Supermen to save the day. True, there are policemen, fire fighters, and other 'mere mortals' who risk their livesand frequently sacrifice themto make our lives a little better, a little safer. But there are no paranormal beings, no mutants, no aliens from afar, not even any arachnid-like young adventurers to lend a hand. Would that there were.

And even in a world where superheroes exist and regularly fill the skies or crawl along tenement walls, sometimes a little boy needs a hero. Truth to tell, in this particular issue, we never really learn for sure whether the world we're seeing is that of the Marvel Universe or our own, but in the end it doesn't matter a bit. This standalone story is titled "Heroes Don't Cry," and our hero is a bright young boy named Lafronce. He is a delightful kid with a desire to learn and a very active imagination. But his mother is a depressed, drug-addicted woman who clearly cannot take care of him, or protect him from the gangs and sordid characters that regularly filter through their lives. His aunt and uncle want to take custody of Lafronce but cannot due to the sort of legal restrictions that allow kids like Lafronce to suffer needlessly while those who could help play golf and ignore the needs of those less fortunate than themselves.


Luckily, Lafronce does have help, in the form of a friend named Spider-Man. To this red-and-blue clad superhero, Lafronce is a dedicated sidekicka "Spider-Kid" who can aid in the battle against evil. But is this Spider-Man really there, or just a figment of Lafronce's imagination? And can a fantasy protect him from the very real evil that threatens him and his mother? Perhaps true heroism isn't about colorful costumes and super-powers; perhaps Lafronce will need to be his own hero.

At times recalling another (perhaps stronger) story from many years back, "The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man," this one-off examination of a little boy and his desperate need for a hero is a welcome departure from the norm and a strong example of how a writer can tell a Spider-Man tale completely bereft of continuity or comic book clichés. This is a story that could easily take place anywhere, in any time and place, and indeed should serve as a timeless example of the true power of heroism and the unfettered imagination. A gem.

PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN

Grade: A

Issue: No. 35 (133)

Author(s): Paul Jenkins, Mark Buckingham, Wayne Faucher

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $2.25