Issue #7 of the Amazing Spider-Man is the first story in the series with a returning villain, bringing back the Vulture by popular demand. The old bird isn’t the deepest of villains even at this stage, but there’s something to be said for a powered crook who just wants to steal money and be a jerk: there's an old-school charm to the Vulture that's hard to completely dislike.
That actually summarizes a lot about the vibe of this story: it feels like a return to the basics, with no profound introspection, groundbreaking villain backstory, or dramatic shake-up of the status quo. This is a monster-of-the-month story that’s structured almost like it was written with a checklist format, and it does it pretty well.
The Amazing Spider-Man #7:
"The Return of the Vulture"
- Writers:Stan Lee
- Artists:Steve Ditko
- Editor:Stan Lee
- Publication Date: September 10, 1963
- Cover Date: December 1963
The Vulture is re-introduced in a fast but cohesive sequence detailing (in vague terms) how he escapes from prison. We also get a recap of how the previous encounter played out, which is an interesting relic of a time when comics still bothered to worry about readers who didn't catch the previous appearance. It’s a nice touch that his hideout is still the same grain silo that he used in The Amazing Spider-Man #2. His ultimate plan is a little weird considering it’s based on the assumption that the Daily Bugle’s payroll is one of the biggest payouts in the city, which I find hard to believe, but we needed to get the Vulture and Spider-Man to one place somehow I guess.
We spend a little bit of time with Flash and Aunt May, both doing what they do best – Flash being a bully, and May fretting over Peter’s well-being. The bit hasn’t gone stale yet at this early point, instead coming across as a familiar gag that makes the Amazing Spider-Man a warm and comfortable world to interact with. We even get a happy ending for once, with the implication that Betty and Peter seem to be becoming romantically involved, in a scene that’s genuinely quite heartwarming.
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| Art by Steve Ditko. © Marvel Comics. |
The story itself is more action-oriented than some previous ones: we get two encounters between the hero and the villain, the second one lasting for about six whole pages. What this does is give Steve Ditko a good deal of room to show what he can do: the action is three-dimensional and dynamic, the fights are fun and engaging, and there’s a degree of tension and suspense because of the pacing of each combatant getting their licks in.
Aside from the physical contest, the fights are built around recognizable, graspable tactical elements: the Vulture needs space to maneuver, and Spider-Man needs to stop him from gaining that advantage. The fights interact with the environment in fun ways, and the second fight mostly taking place inside the Daily Bugle feels like a proper set piece. The conclusion, while not that outside-the-box, comes as a display of Peter’s cleverness: while the two of them are brawling mid-air, he webs the Vulture’s wings preventing him from flying, and then creates a web parachute (one of the charming web gadgets he used to make frequently in the old days) to bring both of them down safely.
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| Art by Steve Ditko. © Marvel Comics. |
Thinking about these elements and my enjoyment of the story, I recognized a hint of favoritism or inconsistent judgement. Why is it that I consider this issue as a generally positive and successful entry in the series, while simultaneously expressing disappointment in issue #6’s failure to bring anything new to the table, to explore deeper themes, or push the brand further? This issue definitely didn’t do any of those things, aside from setting up Peter’s emerging relationship with Betty.
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| Art by Steve Ditko. © Marvel Comics. |
There’s a different reason for each of those comparisons to not be as inconsistent as they might seem. The problem with ASM #6 wasn’t that it was mediocre or standard as such, it was that it set up so many great narrative and thematic dimensions and failed to deliver on any of them. That issue was a case of promises made that the story didn’t deliver on.
This one, on the other hand, is quite the opposite: the Vulture is a known quantity, and seeing him on the cover sets up a definitive expectation that’s based on the previous story. The suggestion is that you know what this is going to be, so sit back and enjoy it. That doesn’t mean there couldn’t possibly be anything more profound in a Vulture story because the first one was rather shallow, but the setup of this story doesn’t imply you’ll get anything more. Instead, you get what you remember, only bigger and better – it’s a textbook sequel to a story you’ve already seen.
The Iron Man criticism is a little more complex, because I honestly believe that this exact story with Iron Man in it at this point in time would have felt different. I would say it’s not bad, it’s just not great. If I was to score it, it would score the same as this Spider-Man story, but the tone of my review would be a little more critical.
The reason I believe that to be fair is that Spider-Man has earned a "business as usual" issue by having such a strong foundation already. Rather than yet another attempt at finding the magic that still didn’t quite hit, as it would feel like with Iron Man, this issue comes across as a sort of plateau – we’re taking a moment to let the characters and the story breathe, we’re checking in to see them do their regular thing, and that feels good because this issue isn’t trying to prove anything.
Issue #7 is definitely not as good as #3 or #4 or even #5, but it feels like a holiday episode of a TV show – it’s ok if you miss it, and it probably won’t be your favorite even if you don’t, but it’s there if you want to have a bit of fun before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming. It’s a lightweight story that doesn’t make you stop and think about morality or personal weakness – it’s an action yarn with exciting fight scenes, and an excuse to just see Spider-Man be Spider-Man with no asterisk.
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| Art by Steve Ditko. © Marvel Comics. |
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