10th Anniversary Celebration: Maybe Next Year

[cyberghostface]

Couldn't think of any specific stories that fit a 10th anniversary, so I figured I'd just repost an old one; a story from Paul Jenkins, who's run on Spider-Man IMO was one of the best.

This story comes from Peter Parker Spider-Man v2 #33. It was written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Mark Buckingham.

The issue opens it with another year passing on the day that Uncle Ben died, and Peter remembers how it was his fault for not stopping the burglar in time. Each year, Aunt May visit's Ben's grave to remember him, and Peter lets her go by herself so she can be alone with him. He has another way of remembering his uncle--by going to a Mets game.

Looking up into the sky, Peter asks "What d'you say, Uncle Ben? Maybe this year?"





As an adult, Peter thinks to himself how "Maybe Next Year" became their mantra. Every time they go, however, something goes wrong. At one point, Peter gets beaned trying to catch a baseball that flies into the stands. A mascot (a giant baseball head) is there when Peter wakes up, causing Peter to scream and pass out again.

Eventually, Peter gets tired of going to the games.

Comments

[alschroeder3]

VERY cool story. Gives us a feeling of who Uncle Ben actually was as a person. No wonder Peter and May missed him so much.

[amaniwolf]

Agreed, i still love this moment.

[starwolf_oakley]

Someday they are going to have to do a story that says Uncle Ben was wrong about something. Nobody is right about everything, so a story where Spider-Man has to realize Ben Parker was wrong about something without having a nervous breakdown has to be done.

[cyberghostface]

I think there was a (non-canonical) one-shot that had Uncle Ben as a shady gambler who was killed because he didn't pay off his debts to his loan shark.

[thatnickguy]

I loved Paul Jenkins' run on Spider-Man. I feel like it was the best Spider-book save for maybe Ultimate Spider-Man.

[donnblake]

I wonder if Uncle Ben swapped calendar planning tips with the Waynes. "How to pack as many life lessons, guilt trips, and general beyond the grave influence into the last week before your murder."

[squirle]

Yeah indeed. I like these kinds of stories, but it's kinda silly that they always happen right before the hero's origin story. Must be annoying for those people who try to make complete chronologies for their comic collections!

[bj_l]

I've never liked this story. Don't know if it's the art (never been a Buckingham), or the subtlety of the writing (yes, jesus, Ben was a saint, we get it), but it doesn't click with me, and I'm always slightly surprised to see it get such universal love.

[seisachtheia]

It clicks for me I think because it's not necessarily Ben-as-a-saint. I mean, yes, the whole thing works as a life lesson too, but it's exactly the kind of cheesy thing dads (and fans of eternally losing sports teams) say and do that make you cringe like hell as a teenager and get all nostalgic over when you're older. So yeah, it's maudlin and manipulative as hell, but I guess for me it taps well enough into my own nostalgic moments with my father and grandfather.

[chrisdv]

The "Three days later, he was DEAD." is too heavy handed, and I don't like it because it subsequently means that Peter's origin as Spider-Man took place over 2 days or less.

Peter simply noting that it was the last game he & Ben saw together works just aswell, if not better for not putting a definitive timetable on things.

The art makes teenaged Peter come off like a snotty little brat, sulking because he didn't get his way.

But yet... I like this.

EDIT: Wait, does this artist not know the difference between right & left? Peter says Ben was to his left, but he's on Peter's right.

[icon_uk]

Well, there's nothing to say that he didn't have his origin some time BEFORE that event. He could be moping and down because he's just found out he can't cash his winnings from his short-lived wrestling career.

[mrstatham]

This. Given the look Aunt May gives him, Peter might have wanted to go out and do more Spider-Man related things, but.. Well, you don't fuck with Aunt May, as we all know. So.. Yeah, he could already be Spider-Man here, and just basically goes to the game because Aunt May insists.

And his high-school-geek getup could just be something he's maintaining for Aunt May and Uncle Ben's sake, unless the books didn't adjust his appearance as quickly as the Raimi film did.

[liliaeth]

In the comics he pretty much kept his geek get up until he left highschool.

[espanolbot]

To be fair a lot of takes on the origin have him acting like a dick in the gap between getting his powers and Ben dying. It's what causes Peter's neverending spiral of grief after all.

[fredneil.livejournal.com]

There are versions where he doesn't act like a dick? Dickishness is pretty much the essence of his origin.

[his_spiffynesss]

You know, I noticed there are very few Yankees fans at Marvel.