Before The Great Responsibility
A look into the life of Peter Parker after he was bitten by the radioactive spider but before his career as Spider-Man took off.
My Thoughts:"With great power…comes great responsibility." A classic quote that has become identifiable with Spider-Man for years. This story lands right in the middle of that quote. Peter Parker has recieved his "great power" and now we see what he does in the meantime until he finally accepts that "great responsibility" eventually evolving into the superhero he will one day become.
The story is written by David Lapham who focuses on some of the usual things teenagers go through such as trying to look cool, girls, cars and money. I thought it was interesting to see how Peter became a little cocky after winning a few wrestling matches and started trying to show off for the ladies which ended up backfiring on him when he totaled his car Uncle Ben got him. After the childish trivialities happen comes my favorite part; the evolution of a hero. We begin to see Peter's morality define and develop into that of a true hero. I'm glad Lapham added the part about Peter designing his Web Shooters. It really is an important part of Spider-Man's origin.
The art is by Tony Harris except for the final issue which is drawn by the writer David Lapham. I liked the quality of the art a lot. You can easily tell both men are talented artists the only thing I didn't like about the art was the way certain characters looked. What I mean by that is that Peter Parker, Aunt May and Uncle Ben don't resemble the way they're normally drawn. It's not really a big deal or confusing in any way.
I think long-time fans of Spider-Man will appreciate and enjoy this comic. If you're new to Spider-Man this is a great place to begin reading.
Rating: 4/5