Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985)

While not Peter David's first professional comic book story (this actually was his second story), this story allowed David to break into writing as a full-time career, a career that would cement him as a living legend in the industry until his passing in May 2025.

This story came about because of Jim Owsley, whom you may know better as Christopher Priest. He was editor of the book at this time. In fact, he was the first African-American editor of mainstream comics. Priest was not a fan of the book's more whimsical tone at this time under scripter-artist Al Milgrom. As such, he replaced Milgrom with David and artist Rich Buckler. The three took the book in a darker, more serious direction. This storyline was meant to cement that.

Priest wanted to shake things up in the book, so he decided to kill off Jean DeWolff. Yeah, killing her off was not David's idea. It was Priest's. David actually did have plans for her as a living character. Priest and David worked the story out, with David contributing ideas of his own, mainly the idea of Spider-Man being pushed over the edge by a villain that was much more heinous than the costumed villains he faced at the time. He also wanted to underscore differences between Spider-Man and Daredevil, which is why he appears in this story. 

So, who was Jean DeWolff? First appearing in Marvel Team-Up #48 (August 1976), created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, DeWolff was a tough-as-nails, acerbic cop with a love of 1930s fashion who would become a prominent ally to Spider-Man. She would also encounter other superheroes in her lifetime, most notably Iron Man and Doctor Strange. She was one of the few cops that seemed rather appreciative of the superhero set, 

The story begins with a look back on the life of Jean DeWolff. The daughter of a police inspector, he was never happy with the idea of being a dad to a daughter. He had wanted another son like her brother Brian, the future Wraith. He blamed her mother for it, leading them to split for good when she was six months old. In the divorce proceedings, Brian ended up with him, she ended up with her mother. 

Her mom remarried, her new husband being a patrolman named Carl Weatherby. I'm guessing her mother had a thing for boys in blue.

Unlike her biological father, Weatherby adored Jean. They grew close, him inspiring her to want to be a cop just like her dear old stepdad. When she graduated from the police academy, Weatherby did not smile, but it didn't matter to her. She knew he was incredibly proud of her. She rose through the ranks, collecting commendations like they were Pokémon cards, yet he stayed a sergeant. He wasn't bitter about it. In fact, the opposite. He wanted her to not only surpass him but also become a commissioner. The first woman to be one. Sadly, that doesn't look like it will be in the cards for Captain DeWolff. 

Page 7, Panel 5

So, where is Peter Parker in all of this? Well, he's taking some photos around New York City, hoping to make a bit of cash off of them. He then runs into a Mr. Ernie Popchik, who was rooming in May Parker's boarding home at the time. He's gone to cash his Social Security check so he can do some shopping. Unfortunately, he gets ambushed by some pickpockets.

Page 9, Panels 4-6

An infuriated Peter Parker sees this and goes to check on the man. He ten tells someone to call an ambulance while he goes to get help. Remember, this is the 1980s. Cell phones are not as ubiquitous then as they are now. Peter switches into his Spider-Man togs and pursues the pickpockets.

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Yeah, this version of the Black Costume is not the symbiote that would eventually become Venom. This was a regular cloth version given to him as a gift by Black Cat, I believe. Spider-Man easily takes care of the pickpockets. The police come by to pick them up and tell him that the man (Mr. Popchik) they mugged is on the way to the hospital to get checked out. It's then they also inform him about Jean deWolff being murdered. Spider-Man is naturally shocked, as he just saw her the other day. 

Over at a church, a man goes to a confessional booth. He has some sins to confess. 

We next go to the Daily Bugle, where Robbie Robertson and J. Jonah Jameson discuss DeWolff's death. Jameson laments that he'll never get used to a headline like this one. He calls her a fine officer, which amuses Robertson as he believed that Jameson didn't like DeWolff that much. Jameson didn't, but that doesn't mean he can't be genuinely sad for her death. You can tell that DeWolff's death has shaken him as he states that as much as he hates Spider-Man, he doesn't consider him as bad as the person that killed DeWolff.

It's then that a man arrives at the Daily Bugle, a man of the cloth: Reverend Jackson Tolliver. He was hoping that his new ministry in New York would get some notice by the Bugle. Jameson remarks that he was mentioned in the "Atlanta child slayings" some years earlier. Yeah, this is a topical reference, one to the murders of Atlanta children from 1979 to 1981. It was believed that the majority of the murders were committed by alleged serial killer Wayne Williams. Williams was convicted for the murders of two adult men and was never tried for the child murders, even though police did attribute many of the child murders to him. To this day, Williams has claimed he is innocent of the child murders. It's some dark stuff, so be careful before clicking the Wikipedia links. 

That evening, Spider-Man visits the police station, wanting to speak to whoever is investigating the killing of DeWolff. He learns it's a Sergeant Stan Carter. The two meet and discuss the case. Carter doesn't mind superheroes very much, as he sees them as nuts. Well, they're nuts, but they're obvious about it. It's the quiet, hidden nutjobs that worry him. Stan reveals that Jean was actually quite well-liked by the force, and she was fond of them too. She was also rather fond of Spider-Man, which is why Carter is willing to talk to the Web-Slinger in the first place. Peter admits he liked her, too.

With a new dawn comes a new day. And with the dawn comes the Man Without Fear, Daredevil, swinging through the rooftops. Matt Murdock not here to fight a supervillain, though. He's working pro bono, playing public defender to the punks that attacked Mr. Popchik. In that role, he gets the punks released on their own recognizance. Popchik is understandably outraged, despite May assuring him this is arraignment (formal reading of the charges a defendant is accused of), not an actual trial. Peter confronts Murdock, and this allows Murdock's super-senses to discover that he's Spider-Man.

Matt confers with the judge, a Horace Rosenthal. He points out that he was taught that everyone had to be treated equally under the law. And yet, he now feels terrible about his letting the punks go. Horace waves it off, telling Matt that he dislikes getting his hands dirty. Maybe working a few years as a public defender would help with that. He heads out to use the little judge's room. That is rather convenient for Matt.

Why? Because his radar sense picked up someone in the judge's study. He goes to investigate and finds a man there. His pulse and perspiration indicate he may be on something. The man points a shotgun at him, and introduces himself as the Sin-Eater.

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The sin-eater takes his name from a British isles ritual in which someone eats a ritual meal to take on the sins of a deceased person, absolving their souls. 

The Sin-Eater shoots at Matt, but he's able to get behind a desk. Unfortunately for Matt, Judge Rosenthal peeks in.

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Matt is paralyzed. He could leap up and stop the Sin-Eater, but it would jeopardize his secret identity. Rosenthal pleads for his life...and the story ends with the Sin-Eater giving the judge some hot buckshot.

It feels a bit tamer compared to many comics today, but I can imagine that in the mid-80s, this was quite a shocking way to start a run. 

Jean DeWolff's death would have some major impact on the Spider-Man mythos. The Sin-Eater would return in a later storyline (also written by David), and most notably, the investigation into the identity of the villain would lead to Eddie Brock becoming Venom. Her friend, fellow officer Yuri Watanabe, would become the latest Wraith (the first being DeWolff's brother Brian) In the Dead no More: The Clone Conspiracy event, Jean DeWolff would be brought back to life as a clone of the original, one of the many deceased friends and allies of Spider-Man by the Ben Reilly Jackal to win over Spider-Man's allyship. This Jean would give her life aiding Spider-Man in stopping him. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Aquaman #1 (August 1994)

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, many characters' histories were altered in some form. Some, like Superman and Wonder Woman, had their entire Silver and Bronze Age histories erased. Others, like Batman and Green Lantern, had their storylines continue on as if nothing ever happened. This was not unexpected, as Crisis was not supposed to be a complete reboot of the DCU, just a streamlining of its history.

Aquaman was the latter case. Much of his Silver and Bronze Age history was kept intact, just some adjustments were made. In 1989, the Legend of Aquaman Special retold his origin story for the Post-Crisis DCU. It was written by Robert Loren Fleming and had art by Keith Giffen (who was a regular collaborator with Fleming), and legendary Superman artist Curt Swan. The creators would reunite for a five-issue miniseries starring the King of the Seven Seas in the same year.

In 1990, Peter David would first dip his writing pen into Aquaman's world, writing a miniseries called The Atlantis Chronicles. It's regarded by David himself as one of the works he's proudest of. This miniseries would tell the history of the DCU's version of Atlantis to the day of Aquaman's birth. This miniseries was notable for introducing Atlan, a powerful mage who was also Aquaman's father. If you saw the movie, you my know who he is. David would go on to write the four issue Aquaman: Time and Tide miniseries from 1993-94. This miniseries delved further into Aquaman's origins.

It would be from this point that David would continue Arthur Curry's adventures in an ongoing series, which was Aquaman's fifth. The first issue of it is what we're going to look at here. This ongoing would be one of his longest-lasting, with 75 issues under its belt. David's work would be incredibly influential in Aquaman's portrayals afterwards. Justice League Unlimited paid homage to David's work, for example. So did the DC Cinematic Universe. Even Jason Momoa's Aquaman seems to have some influence from Peter David's work. So, yeah. Peter David did a lot for the Sea King.

So with that out of the way, let's take a look at Aquaman #1!

The cover is pretty cool. It depicts Aquaman defiantly trying to swim his way through an underwater cyclone with teeth at the bottom. I like this cover. The skeletons are a nice touch, gives a horror vibe to the cover.

"Hitting Bottom!"
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Marty Egeland
Inker: Brad Vancata
Colorist: Tom McCraw
Letterer: Dan Nakrosis
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Kevin Dooley

The story begins with Arthur Curry seemingly being trapped in a watery typhoon. Curry is a powerful swimmer naturally, but even he is having trouble getting his bearings. A figure appears, pointing out that Arthur now knows the truth about his parentage. The figure is supposed to be Atlan. He warns Arthur that things are only going to get worse for the King of the Seas. Arthur screams for him to help, and the mage offers a hand.

Arthur reaches for his father's hand, but his hand passes right through him. It's like trying to grab air. Or a ghost. Atlan remarks Arthur is on his own. Atlan seems to fade into the water, as Arthur is pulled deeper. The bottom of the whirlpool revels a terrifying sight.

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!

That mouth isn't there to give Arthur a big kiss. Aquaman tries to keep the giant jaws open, screaming for help. However, it's all for naught. The jaws close...and Arthur wakes up. Yup, Arthur just had a bad nightmare. Mera always told him eating kelp pizza before bed would do that.

Up on the surface, a pair of young men are doing a bit of jetski racing. Their race is interrupted by what appeared to be a speeding torpedo, leaving one of the men to wonder if they stumbled into The Hunt for Red October. It wouldn't be a Peter David comic book story without a pop culture reference or two. And speaking of submarines...

A fish swims around the submarine, just looking around. It's a fish. It's not going to do much. The fish encounters the floating corpse of a sailor when a hand grabs it. The hand's owner simply kills the fish by...crushing it, I think? The hand's owner believed they gave the fish mercy.

Back to the jetskiers! What was that thing that raced by them? Well, it was not a what, but a who. It was Garth, aka the original Aqualad. He's been searching for Arthur, as he's seemingly vanished right off the face of the earth...several weeks ago. Garth is able to find Arthur in his old Aquacave. The Aquacave, which first appeared in Adventure Comics #270 (March 1960), was once a sort of headquarters for the Aqua-Family. It would be used as a place where Arthur kept momentos of his various adventures and exploits. He stopped using it regularly after he was crowned King of Atlantis, but he would return to it every so often when he needed solace...like now.

Arthur's been spending the past few weeks doing a LOT of brooding. Man, good thing they're underwater, because I can imagine that Arthur would barely have bathed during that time. He'd smell terrible if he was on land. Garth asks what is going on, but Arthur just wants to be left alone. He's working through some stuff. The future Tempest thinks that's garbage. After all, if Arthur really wanted to be left alone...why would he cloister himself in the old Aquacave where Garth could find him? The younger man thinks that Arthur is letting what's bother him eat him up. He doesn't have the guts to get himself out of his emotional muck, so he's waiting for Garth to pull him out. So, the future sorcerer has a way to do it.

Water-dwellers take knocking sense into others very literally.

Yup. When in doubt, apply Mighty Punch. Garth is fed up with Arthur being all brooding and sad. He finds it dull, and Arthur responds with a kick to the gut. Arthur notes that this was the second time Garth punched him to emphasize a point. The first was in Aquaman #8 (July 1992). This was because Arthur took a dying Garth to his home for treatment from injuries he suffered during the Titans Hunt storyline over in the New Titans book at the time. Thing is...Garth's homeland exiled him. It was because he was born with purple eyes, and according to the superstitions of his homeland of Poseidonis, it meant that he was evil. Yeah.

Anyway, Arthur warns Garth not to do it again. The former King of Atlantis notices that his sidekick has a backpack, and opens it up.

"We're not going to some weird party, are we?"

Arthur wants an explanation for the radiation gear. Garth tells him he can explain en route. The potential for an adventure seems to perk Aquaman up a bit. As for what's going down? Well, the United States Navy lost one of its nuclear submarines: the Triton. The sub is leaking radiation, poisoning the ocean. And the sub is too far down for their salvage operations. So naturally, they want Aquaman and Aqualad to check it out. Neither of them are nuclear physicists, so they would have no idea how to shut down the leak. This makes Arthur smell a rat. They surface and find a Navy helicopter waiting for them. One of the occupants offers to drop a ladder, but the Atlanteans are able to literally hop aboard.

Later, the two Atlanteans are at the sub. Aqualad is a bit freaked out by all the floating dead bodies. Considering what he's seen in the past, I doubt this should freak him out so much. The two swim towards the engine room, passing by a dead cook...who grabs a cleaver. A fish warns Aquaman.

He's alive! ALIIIIIIVE!

Aqualad grabs the not-dead cook, whogrowls that this is not the Titan's concern. He slams the Poseidonian-born hero out of the sub, and slashes him open with his cleaver. Aquaman attacks, but the cook sends him flying with a Mighty Backhand. Aquaman tries to fake injury, letting the man come closer. Arthur Curry goes for a kick, but it's blocked and the man starts bashig him around a la Hulk smashing Loki in the first Avengers movie. He explains that the Navy was warned not to alert the Atlanteans about him, or else he'd crack open the engine, which...would be very bad. Remember, this is a nuclear submarine. Yeah. And he plans to do it anyway. This guy is a villain.

Arthur tears his way out of his radiation suit, and manages to get his legs around the mystery villain's neck, threatening to break it. The villain scoffs at this. After all, Aquaman is a member of the Justice League. He's one of the DCU's biggest superheroes. However, Arthur Curry is not Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne. He's got no code against killing. He's not afraid of any legal consequences. Also, they're in the ocean. Arthur could easily hide his body. And the fourth thing...the Aquaman is not in the best of moods today.

In a twist, the villain is not concerned with Arthur's ethical code. Arthur won't kill him...because our mystery man won't let him. The mystery man introduces himself as Charybdis...and creates a whirlpool. Yup, he named himself after Charybdis, the sea monster/whirlpool from Greek mythology. Funny enough, the mythological Charybdis is often referred to as female. He uses the whirlpool to knock Aquaman unconscious. Before he goes under, Arthur whispers for help...but he hears Atlan saying he's on his own. This...is not the end for the King of the Seas, though.

"Hello, class! I'm Professor Charybdis, and we're going to dissect an Atlantean today!"

Arthur is trussed up on some weird device, like he's being placed on display. Charybdis, wearing that outfit...yeah, it was the 90s. It's hilarious! Look at it! Gold armor on the arms and legs, that wacky loincloth, no shirt...just, just look at it. This is the 90s right here. Anyway, Charybdis assures Arthur he won't kill him, as Arthur being alive is beneficial to the both of them. Arthur sees a figure nearby. Thinking it's Aqualad, Arthur asks if he's alright. It's not Garth, though. Charybdis had another DC water dweller in his clutches: Dolphin.

So, if Dolphin is there...where's Aqualad? Well...he's not in the best of shape right now.

There's blood in the water, and the sharks are ready to frenzy. Too bad Garth hasn't become Tempest yet. His magic powers would be very handy right now.

This comic was pretty good. David is clearly setting up a new status quo for Aquaman. He has said that he saw Aquaman as a contemporary for Tarzan. The long hair and beard is a good way to show that Arthur is a bit of a wild man, and it's clear David is sending him more in a savage direction. He's angrier, more embittered, not the goofy superhero with the goofy power that he had been seen as thanks to Superfriends. Charybdis is very 90s in his look, and he seems to be your standard "crazy mysterious villain". That's pretty much all I can say about him, really. Dolphin's appearance was a surprise. I did like the whole bit with Arthur's prophetic dreams. Nice bit of foreshadowing there.

As for the art, well...let's just say that American comics (especially the Big Two) had a rep for terrible artwork in the 90s. Egeland's art is not the worst from the era, but there is a slight "90s-ness" to it, for lack of a better term. But again, it's not as bad as other comics of the 90s when it comes to art.

If you want to read this comic for yourself, I suggest you hunt down the 2018 trade paperback Aquaman by Peter David, Book One. It collects the first eight issues of his run on the Aquaman book, as well as the Time and Tide miniseries. It also has a fun foreward by David himself. I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! Next time, the Secret Wars rage on!

Spider-Man 2099 #1 (September 2014)

Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of the cyberpunk dystopia known as 2099 A.D., has found himself stuck in the early 21st Century thanks to a temporal distortion. Now, he has to adjust to a life and world far away (and far less advanced in some ways) than the world he knows.

Peter David returns to the character after writing the original Spider-Man 2099 twenty years earlier. I have to say, this was a smart move on Marvel's part, not only because David co-created the character, but also, he is still a great writer.

The first page is a recap page. I like recap pages. I think more comics should have these, so that readers who are picking things up in the middle of a storyline can get caught up without wasting a lot of time and page space. Rather cleverly, Miguel's holographic assistant, Lyla, takes up this role here, giving us a little bit about Miguel, how he became the Spider-Man of 2099, and how he got stuck in the 21st Century.

This issue does a little bit of establishing Miguel's new life in the 21st Century. We see him getting a new apartment, and keeping an eye on things in Alchemax by working under an assumed name. As part of this mission, he has to deal with the rather weasel-esque head of Alchemax, Tiberius Stone, who is also Miguel's future grandfather. Yup. Time Travel.

We also see him deal with his first super-powered threat: A time-traveling law enforcement agent with future knowledge and a ray that can kill people. He doesn't get a lot of development, but he's a one-offer, so that's okay. I don't know why, but the guy kind of resembles the Destroyer armor from the Thor mythos, given a sci-fi makeover. I get a feeling we'll be seeing other agents from this guy's agency in the future.

The fight between Miguel and the Temporal Secret Agent Man takes them through the Alchemax building. It's an action-packed fight, with a funny moment involving Miguel's holographic clothes. They end up in the office of Liz Allen, where Miguel is able to trick the agent into destroying himself. The comic ends with Liz Allen wanting to know who Spidey 2099 is, hoping she can get him to work for her personally.

This is a fun first issue. I was excited to read this comic, having read and enjoyed the original Spidey 2099 series in trade form. It did what a first issue should, and it did it well. The issue also planted seeds for future storylines that I cannot wait to see pan out. It also even had a little hidden nod to X-Factor. Mr. David, you hit the ball right out of the park. Cannot wait for more! If you're looking for a good series to get into, try this one out.