Nothing Can Stop The Sandman!
Opening with a blurb naming Spider-Man one of Marvel's quickest successes, it's surprising then that it took them three months to come up with a third issue, and makes you wonder if the big wigs wanted solid figures before they backed whatcould have been another Hulk-esque failure. Suffice it to say however, just as Lee gloats once more, Spider-Man is back in yet another thrilling episode as he does battle with what is touted as his toughest foe yet, The Sandman—a dude who can harness the power of the grain. Sand, man. Think about it. Invincible, right?
All joking aside, this debut of Sandman does his character well and shows why he was viewed as yet another Spidey villain that would show up more than once when the cards are on the table. It's not quite the well-rounded appearance that Doctor Octopus has last month, sure, but it's ample enough and with tight enough action to ensure that readers don't quickly forget the villain any time soon. And hey, that's not all that poor Pete has to overcome this month; there's his usual girl troubles, having to cough up some cash (despite finding a year's supply not too long ago), and the tiny issue of his mask ripping after his first unsuccessful encounter with The Sandman.
What's definitely most interesting this issue however is the further developed clashing between Jameson and Spider-Man as the editor really goes out of his way this month to turn the public against New York's biggest "menace." What results is the first major stepping stone into turning Spidey into the unfortunate and misunderstood hero that he would eventually become and in turn shape his adventures by differentiating his options and decisions in a way that might either set the record straight, or simply serve the people and give them their menace. All in all though, Lee and Ditko do well in serving up the fourth solid adventure for Peter and his alter-ego in a row, for once living up to the hyperbole and making you want more. Even if Peter is already having minor doubts as to how long he can keep this all up for.
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