588 SPIDER-MAN
who made the mistake would be held accountable for it, in this story the martyr-
dom of Uncle Ben establishes the moral. Moreover, the changes brought about by the
irradiated spider and Peter’s realization of responsibility can also be seen to stand in for
puberty and the ways in which a teenager transitions to adulthood. Indeed, the inter-
action between Spider-Man using his powers responsibly and Peter Parker attempting
to adapt to his often rapidly changing personal circumstances—and the ways in which
one aspect of his life infl uences or interferes with the other—has come to character-
ize the essence of Spider-Man comics. For instance, a blood transfusion from Peter to
Aunt May results in her becoming ill from radiation. Th e serum necessary for the cure
is hijacked by the nefarious Doctor Octopus, and it is up to Spider-Man to fi nd it. In
one of the most iconic sequences of Ditko’s art, a trapped Spider-Man frees himself
from under tremendously heavy wreckage to reach the serum and save his aunt—all
of this just before Peter is set to begin college.
As if the death of Uncle Ben was not enough, Spider-Man is often involved in the
deaths of many others close to Peter Parker, and many of Spider-Man’s most trenchant
villains are linked to his private
identity. Retired police captain
George Stacy is killed when he
saves the life of a child standing
under falling debris from Spider-
Man’s battle against Doctor Octo-
pus. Stacy’s daughter, Gwen, Peter’s
girlfriend, is later killed during
Spider-Man’s battle with the Green
Goblin. Meanwhile, the Goblin is
actually Norman Osborn, the fa-
ther of Peter’s best friend, Harry.
Although Norman Osborn had al-
ready been a manipulative tycoon, a
chemical accident turns him into a
super-powered villain and contrib-
utes to his mental degeneration.
Osborn never tires of torturing
Peter/ Spider-Man, for instance
kidnapping his and wife Mary Jane
Watson’s baby, presumably mur-
dering her.
Being situated in contemporary
contexts, Spider-Man comics have
always dealt with social issues.
Spider-Man comics in the 1960s
and 1970s depict college protestsThe Amazing Spider-Man issue #19, published in Decem-
ber 1964. Marvel Comics Group/Photofest