#it’s the “fall fair suite should’ve been on the cast recording” drama all over again

[frankenruth]

I am a Ride the Cyclone high school edition defender

[hellzyeahwebwieldingreviews]

Untold Tales of Spider-Man 02: After the First Death… – by Tom DeFalco

A story that has me debating the nature of these stories.

A soggy Spidey swings through rainy Manhattan looking for crime shots for the Daily Bugle. He comes upon Kent and Wayne Weisinger on the roof of Stockbridge Jewelers, planning to rob it. Confident that he can end the fight anytime he wants to, Spidey stretches it out so that his automatic camera can take as many photos as possible. Kent and Wayne have a longstanding sibling rivalry marked by Kent's resentment of being the "muscle" to Wayne's "brains" along with feeling that his brother always cheats him. During the fight, Kent appears to charge at Spidey but when the web-slinger leaps out of the way, Kent doesn't stop, charging into Wayne and knocking him off the roof. Wayne falls five stories to his death and all the by-standers think Spidey did it. Guiltily, Spidey flees, forgetting about Kent altogether.

So, Kent goes to Wayne's estranged wife Jeannette to tell her the news. "Solid ice," Jeannette could care less about Wayne's death except that she's lost her meal ticket. When Kent blames the death on Spider-Man, Jeannette gets an idea on how to cash in.

In fact, Peter Parker seems to be the only one emotionally affected by Wayne's death. He has a sleepless night, trying to cope with the situation. Unguarded, he admits to J. Jonah Jameson that he has photos of the incident. His resolve to not sell the photos is beaten down by Jameson's arm-twisting and his own need for money. He sells the pictures and is then introduced to Jeannette, now the grieving widow of Wayne, who has come to JJJ for help in instituting a civil suit against Spider-Man. At school, Peter's conscience makes him counter Flash Thompson's avowal that "Spidey's no murderer" with "Maybe the wall-crawler didn't actually kill the man... but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be held accountable for what happened." Back in action, Spidey hesitates over stopping a purse-snatcher, fearful that he may cause another tragedy. Back home, Peter doesn't know what to do. He recalls that Uncle Ben's death made him swear, "that no innocent person would ever again be made to suffer because Spider-Man had failed to act. It had never occurred to him that anyone would suffer because of Spider-Man's acts." And while Wayne wasn't exactly innocent, "he had suffered because Peter had acted irresponsibly." He ends up having one of those vague discussions with Aunt May where he can't tell her any details because she doesn't know he's Spider-Man, yet she manages to hit the nail on the head, telling him in this case, "Everybody makes mistakes, Peter. You just try to learn from your failures as best you can, and you move on. You'll always get another chance to do better as long as you keep at it."

Meanwhile, Jeannette decides to kick Kent out of the deal and keep any anticipated profits for herself. So even as Spidey sucks it up and gets back into action, proving himself a hero, Kent decides he's not going to be kicked around anymore, buttonholes a TV reporter and gives an interview in which he reveals "that he deliberately pushed his elder brother off the roof of Stockbridge Jewelers because of numerous past frustrations." At Midtown High, Flash crows over Spidey's exoneration but Peter won't let the web-slinger off so easily. "A real hero would have found a way to save Wayne Weisinger" he says, "He would have acted smarter, reacted quicker, or behaved more responsibly... And that's something Spider-Man will have to live with for the rest of his life."

Because these are untold tales, prose stories and utilize the comic book continuity you can analyse them from several different angles and their worth changes depending upon those angles.

 Chiefly this boils down to whether I judge this as a story unto itself or within the context of comic book continuity as it existed back then? What about the fact that I’m here in 2020 evaluating a prose book written in 1990 that’s trying to synch up with comic book stories written in the 1960.

 It boggles the mind. All I can do is write about how I feel.

 I liked this story unto itself and within the context of this book. I think, kind of like the last story, that it doesn’t really integrate into Spider-Man’s comic book history.

 The emotional journey of Peter in this story involves learning that he needs to be careful about how he acts. In this regard it’s rather similar to his lesson from Gwen’s death, which is kind of my problem. This story’s title implies this is in fact the very first time Spider-Man has experienced death ‘on the job’ as it were.

Surely such a thing would weigh on his mind more, surely it’d crop up when he dwells on the list of people he’s seen die or feels guilty about dying. Or at least he’d be reminded of Wayne’s death when Gwen dies.

In the comics of course Wayne has never ever been mentioned. Duh, because he didn’t exist until DeFalco invented him for this story. Of course we could draw comparisons with Sally Avril, a character from AF #15 who died in the comic book version of Untold Tales but whose death went unacknowledged in stories from the 60s-90s.

I think the critical difference there is that (IIRC) Peter wasn’t particularly responsible for her death whereas in the case of Wayne, whilst he didn’t push him off the building, his arrogance really did directly contribute to his death. Plus seeing a man die in such a horrible way, especially if it is the first time he’s ever seen a dead body, would likely leave a bigger impression upon Peter than the nature of Sally’s death, although I must admit it’s been a long time since I read that issue so perhaps I am wrong.

From a continuity stand point this is the minefield you always walk, but at the same time it’d be difficult to generate drama if you didn’t step on those mines occasionally.

I feel DeFalco here wanted to tell a dramatic story that had Peter grapple with a genuinely emotional situation and also took advantage of the nature of this story as a flashback tale.

And frankly he succeeded. If you view this either out of continuity or essentially within an incredibly generalized canon of Spider-Man (i.e. Gwen Stacy died, whether Peter did or didn’t think about Wayne is ambiguous though) the story very much works. I doubt DeFalco or anyone else was honestly feeling any of these stories were going to strictly be canon anyway. However for the record this story happens at some point after ASM #9 because when we get a list of Spider-Man’s opponents they all appeared up to that issue.

 Looking at the story itself its flaws are incredibly minor.

 Some of the dialogue feels old fashioned, but I argue that is likely by design since this is set in an older time period. We go over exposition related to Peter’s origin again, which is more the editor’s fault since we got those details in the first story of the anthology. In fairness revisiting it does serve a greater purpose here because the story is directly ruminating upon the nature of responsibility. In that sense it would’ve been more logical to open the book up with this than the Ant-Man story and I see little reason as to why this couldn’t have in theory happened at an earlier point chronologically. Yeah the Ant-Man story claims Spider-Man’s a new figure on the scene but the passage of time in the first 10 issues of ASM is so vague it’s really not unbelievable that even by issue #9 Spidey might still be considered ‘new’.

 Not only does the story explore (and successfully at that) the theme of responsibility, approaching it from the opposite direction from the lesson Ben’s death imparted, but it also features the supporting cast more. Flash, Aunt May, Jameson, the Bugle and public distrust of Spider-Man are all given notable roles to play in the story, again proving that THIS should’ve opened the book.

 To go back to the theme of responsibility for a moment, perhaps the most nuanced bit of writing in the story is when Peter is on the phone to Jameson. Peter has a really great ethical dilemma. Would it be irresponsible to profit off of Wayne’s death or would it be irresponsible to not profit off of it and use the money to support his Aunt May?

 DeFalco more than any other writer GETS Spider-Man and his depiction of Peter’s internal debate, whilst short, rings utterly true. What gets me is that most of the time whenever I’ve seen this sort of thing done with Peter he’s actually made a different decision, but here DeFalco recognizes that in actuality Peter WOULD consider his responsibilities as the bread winner outweigh what boils down to him merely feeling bad about profiting off a man’s death. It’s not all that different to when he faked photos of Electro to help Aunt May. Yes it’s unethical, but there was a higher responsibility, a greater good at stake.*

 Kent and Jeanette’s subplot, whilst arguably wrapped up unsatisfactorily, does a neat job of evoking something of a daytime drama or even noir story, and in that light fits wonderfully into the brand of stories Lee and Ditko churned out way back at the start.

 In fact of the two opening stories this one more successfully captured that era and by extension the approach of the comic book version of UToSM. Whilst the Ant-Man story was fun, it was the prose equivalent of a typical MTU super hero yarn complete with dodgy pseudo science.

 This story though? Now this is a Spider-Man  story. It has a singular main character (Kent is ultimately a supporting player) and whether he’s in or out of the costume the story is driven by the emotional and human problems faced by the character, not the fantastical super human issues. In classic Spidey manner those two halves of his life bleed over into one another and lack a clear cut divide.

 Really in the Ant-Man story Peter’s personal life would’ve gone mostly unaffected whether he had gotten involved or not. It wasn’t about Peter Parker, it was about Spider-Man. This story is about both.

 Peter needs money to look after himself, his home and Aunt May. So he looks for trouble as Spider-Man and pads out a fight. That gets someone killed which haunts Peter and makes him hesitate to BE Spider-Man, even whilst he reluctantly profits off it as Peter Parker which in turn contributes to his being falsely accused as Spider-Man and kids as school hating on him because he will not defend Spider-Man from these accusations.

 Wham, Bam, DeFalco is the Man. THAT’S a fucking Spidey story right there!

 The only thing for me which really and truly did let this story down wasn’t the fault of the book, but the audio production.

 I’m hoping DeSantos was just off his game for this story, but between this and his prior efforts I think he’s achingly miscast as the narrator of this title. He worked better narrating Stan Lee and Busiek’s forwards than the actual stories. As Aunt May, Kent and Jeanette he wasn’t that bad (actually pretty good as Kent), but his Peter/Spider-Man fails. He can’t even sell the emotion of the non-dialogue bits. He’s not a bad narrator, but not right for this book.

 Over all taken strictly within comics canon there are a lot of contradictions. But taken as it’s own thing or (I suspect) within the context of this one book, this is a knock out story.

 *By the way DeFalco also seamlessly blends humour and tragedy in the scene. Peter’s internal debate and horror at the prospect of profiting off of Wayne’s death leaves him in silence which in turn is misinterpreted by Jameson causing him to raise his offer which in turn causes Peter more internal strife. Just brilliant!

[bugheadjones-the-third]

Title:  Civil War Summary: Based on the Bughead Pillow Fight photo for EW— Even if he’s a South Side Serpent and she’s the Perfect Girl Next Door, neither Betty nor Jughead will give up on a pillow fight. A/N: It’s finally here! It took me some time because of my studies, but now it’s finally ready! It’s meant to be a cute, funny one like some of my fics, but this time, I’m leaving a hint regarding the theme for my very first multi chap! I’m so excited!!! Well, hope you enjoy this, and please, tell me what you think! . read it on AO3 . . .

When it comes to movies, there is just no joking around with Jughead Jones. 
 If there is one thing Betty admires and loves about her boyfriend, it’s certainly his passion for the 7th art. His devotion to the stories played on big screens, the strange connection he has with the classics and his broad knowledge of castings and directors are things she finds incredibly beautiful to see in a boy his age. The title of cinephile suits him perfectly, and the fact that he can watch the same movie over and over again just to prove a point— no matter how irrelevant it may seem to others— is one of the things that defines his personality the most. 
 She remembers how he made Archie watch the Breakfast Club at least three times, so their ginger friend could understand  the true depth of the title. Whenever Don’t You Forget About Me started playing, she remembers the smile that spread across his face, and she swears she could watch the whole movie again just to see that smile. She remembers this and so many other occasions, where the same thing happened only with other movies. and if she has to be honest, she always thought that his determination was quite endearing. 
 That is, until today. 
 It’s Friday night, Alice, Hal and Polly are out, but instead of enjoying their youth and going to the Bijou’s for a double feature of Moly Ringwald movies; they’re both in her pink room, splayed around her bed, with sodas and an empty bowl of popcorn resting on her nightstand. Psycho is playing on her small TV, and the sound of the rain outside is the only thing invading what could be called their lovers’ nest. Normally, she wouldn’t complain about that at all. Any chance of spending some time with him and classic movies is always very well appreciated, especially after he moved to the South Side.

This could be a really great opportunity for them to forget about all the drama happening in Riverdale, but— 
 “Tell me why we’re watching Psycho again, Jug?”


 “We?” He lifts an eyebrow, sarcastically, as Marion Crane asked the cop why she should show him her driver’s license. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Betty. I’m clearly the only one who has watched this movie before.” 
 A pout crosses her lips, as she turns her eyes to slightly glare at him. He feels her gaze burning into the back of his head, yet, he did nothing, not taking his eyes off the movie. If there is one thing Betty should’ve never told her boyfriend, it’s that she has never watched the black and white version of Psycho. It’s not like she minds black and white movies — in fact, she loves them —, but it’s not her fault that she used to prefer the colored versions as a child. This is by far one of her top 10 movies, but right now, with a killer on the loose and with all the things going on around Riverdale, she was just not in the mood for that kind of movie. Couldn’t they have just watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off instead? “Is it so wrong to have watched the colored version?” 
 “Of course not.” He continued, as the driving scenes went on and on in the background. 
 “Then why can’t we go to the Bijou?” 
 “Because, my dear, innocent Betty… You have only watched the colored version. And everyone knows that Psycho is supposed to be watched in black and white.” 
 “But why, though? Give me one good reason for it, Jug.” 
 “Oh my god, Betts! Hitchcock would be offended! Psycho is a black and white classic of the American cinema and its iconic scenes were perfectly designed for that kind of image. It gives out a mysterious vibe, and it’s just brilliant!” He continues, clearly getting excited as all the reasons cross his mind. There’s a proud expression ruling his face, and while they discuss the matter, Norman Bates is happily showing his collection of dead animals to his guest, who doesn’t seem that entertained. “Besides, the shower scene is way scarier in black and white. I bet you’re gonna scream as much as Janet Leigh did while recording that part.” 
 “I truly doubt that… I’ve seen this movie many times already, and I don’t think I’ll ever scream because of the shower scene.” There’s a smirk on her face now, as she snuggles closer to him. 
 “Wanna bet?” 
 “Are you asking me if I want to win?” 
 “If you win, we can even do a Julie Andrews’ session.” 
 “Oh, It’s definitely on, Jug.” She smirks, biting her lower lip. 
 “Hn, you’re too confident for a girl who screamed watching American Werewolf.” He smirks back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and bringing her even closer. His fingers caress her soft skin, and they soon return to a comfortable silence as their eyes are focused on the screen. 
 A smile settles on their lips as the psychopath makes his way back to the spooky house. Even if she doesn’t want to admit it, Betty knows now that Jughead really has a point regarding the effect caused by the lack of colors in the movie. There’s this noir aura enveloping the characters, and the shadows around the characters are somehow deeper and darker than when she first watched it. 
 Her green eyes are now glued to the screen as Marion works on some numbers regarding her money. This scene in black and white is just so hypnotic and mysterious, and before she knows it, Betty feels as if she’s watching Psycho for the first time in her life. She’s not afraid—far from that— but she can feel the Hitchcock thrill taking over her body and sending shivers down her spine. Norman’s eyes are boring holes into her soul, and soon, she catches herself holding her breath as the bathroom scene starts. 
 Oh, god— she thinks, biting her lower lip in pure anxiety. The whiteness of the image shows off all the details of the bathroom, creating the perfect contrast. Her satin robe falling to the floor is so delicate and fast, and soon after that, the camera moves to face her, as the water soaks her naked body. 
 The angle of the camera changes again, and now, when her short, blonde hair is already glued to her head, a dark shadow comes up behind her. It makes no sound and it seems a lot more mysterious than when she first watched the movie. Betty can feel her bones getting colder under her skin, and she suddenly feels the need to scream for Marion to turn around. The classic, background music is creating an exciting tension, and when the curtain is finally pulled— 
 “AHH!” 
 Her voice echoes around the entire house and she practically jumped from her spot. Her scream gets mixed with the movie, but instead of a psychopath dressed in his mother’s clothes, Betty’s scream was caused by hands sneaking under her shirt and touching her waist in an abrupt movement. Her eyes widened, her breath is stuck in her throat, and her heart is racing as she hears the accusatory laughter of her boyfriend. Jughead’s eyes are closed, his hands are hugging his stomach and his face is getting redder with every second, as he can’t seem to stop laughing at his girlfriend’s reaction to the oldest, scary trick in the book. 
 What a silly girl, he thinks. 
 And oh— she’s definitely mad right now. 
 “I cannot believe you did this!” Betty starts, her chest moving up and down frantically, as she runs her fingers through her loose, golden locks. They’re now sitting apart from each other, and her eyes are still holding that glare. 
 “Y-You said you wouldn’t get scared.“ He starts, wiping a tear that managed to slip from his eye. “But you looked like a scaredy cat now, Betty. And I’ve just won our bet.” 
 “That’s not fair! You made me scream, not the movie.”
 “Technically, you screamed during the shower scene, so…” He smirks, moving his eyebrows in a teasing way. “I won the bet.” 
 “Oh, you’re such a child, Jughead Jones!” She states, pouting childishly as the smirk stays on his face. “And stop smirking like that!” She grabs her white pillow, hitting him with it and making a soft, stuffy sound. 
 “Hey!” He says, defending himself from the powerful pillow attack, still smirking. “Who are you calling a child, child? You’ve just hit me with a pillow!” 
 “Yes, I did.” She hits him again, the pillow now hitting his arm. "And I’ll keep doing it until you admit you've cheated.” 
 “Are you looking for a pillow fight, Elizabeth?” He smirks, his hand already reaching for the weapon he had been resting his head on for the past 40 minutes. 
 The corner of her lips slowly lifts in a challenging way, and right now, both of the teens know that there’s no turning back anymore. “Yes, I am, Forsythe. And if you don’t wanna be humiliated, you should just—” 
 Her voice was abruptly interrupted by a pillow hitting her straight in the face. Her hair is now falling over her eyes and as soon as she sees his proud face, Betty Cooper’s competitive side takes over. 
 It’s definitely on. 
 It doesn’t take more than five seconds before the two children turn her perfect room into a war zone. Pillows are on the flour, plush toys are already hiding under the bed and feathers are spread around the entire place. It’s like the adults’ civil war, where she’s from the North, he’s from the South, but unlike Riverdale, they’re not fighting because they’re standing in different sides of the tracks in a small town, no. Instead, they fight because of a bet over the most iconic scene of black and white cinema. 
 And no matter how they looked at it, their reason to fight made a lot more sense in their young, brave heads. 
 For the following 20 minutes they have been aiming at each other’s arms and bellies, and never before had a fight been so much fun. Both Betty and Jughead are kneeling on her mattress, each of them holding a cushioned weapon. Smirks are plastered on their faces, and she’s sure that if her mother walked in to see that scene, she would probably think her perfect daughter had snapped. 
 And maybe, she did. 
 “You’re not winning this, Jughead!” She smiles, feeling her stomach jumping in childish happiness. “I have the advantage of the field!” 
 “Poor, innocent Betty.” He smiles, too, his dark waves now a mess after Betty managed to hit his crown shaped beanie from his head. “I grew up with a little sister. There’s no way you’re beating me.” 
 “I’ll show you what I'm made of, Jones.” 
 “Bring it on, Cooper!” 
 Even if she first decided to let him be the one to attack, Betty decides to give up on that strategy and just follow her instincts. The blonde charges her pillow attack, and when she finally unleashes it, something unexpected happens. Jughead is hit. She was waiting for him to dodge that— since he basically dodged her attacks during the entire fight— and that’s why her eyes widen when the fluffy material hits his belly, sending him straight to the floor. Her ears capture his voice screaming in surprise, followed by the sound of his body hitting the carpet, and right now, the Cooper girl just doesn’t know what to do. 
 Did she win? 
 Did she really hit him hard enough to send him to the ground? 
 Did she hurt him? 
 Betty doesn’t know. Her chest is moving fast due to her erratic breathing, and her heart shaped lips are slightly parted. “Oh god! Jughead? Are you okay?” Slowly, her hands clutch tighter around the pillow, and her heart starts beating even faster. She’s waiting for his response and for the sight of his head shooting up like a marmot, but nothing happens. “Come on, Jug. This is not funny…" Silence takes over the entire room, and all the happiness that was taking over her senses seconds ago, is now gone and replaced by a sudden concern. 
 She’s biting her lower lip now, and all the worse scenarios start playing in her head as she approaches the edge of her bed. He was probably caught off guard by her attack and fell on the ground, eventually hitting his head. Something inside her tells her that as soon as she looks at her carpet, she will find a pool of blood— his blood— and the lifeless body of her boyfriend over it. Betty just can’t believe she killed him with a pillow, and soon, tears start pooling around her eyes as a result of losing the love of her life. 
 “Jug?” Her voice is shaking now in fear, and she's afraid of looking past her bed. Betty swallows dry, and now, as she stands just a few inches away from a possibly bloody scene, she knows she’s screwed up. She killed him— of course she did it— and now life will be sad, boring and less sarcastic without Jughead Jones the Th— 
 A thump breaks her line of thought, making her close her eyes for a moment in pure reflex as something soft hits her face. A second later, her green eyes are widened, her lips parted and the Jones boy is looking at her from the floor, his head leaning over his closed hand. The boy is laying casually on the floor, with a smirk on his face, and right now, Betty doesn’t know whether she’s relieved or really mad at him for playing with her like that. 
 “Have I ever told you how cute you look when you’re worried about me?” 
 Oh, she’s definitely mad. 
 “You big, fat, jer-“ 
 “Betty! Language!” 
 There’s fire in her eyes now, and with puffed cheeks, Betty throws herself back on the bed. She’s doing her best not to scream her anger out, not bothering to offer him any help or comfort as he stands up, laughing, as his fingers run through his raven locks. His eyes immediately drift to her, as she has her back pressed against the mattress, her golden hair splayed around, as her hand rests on her forehead. His eyes examine his girlfriend, and even if there’s a bit of guilt inside him, he can’t help but think how cute she looks right now. 
 Even when she’s mad and even after they just finished a pillow fight, Elizabeth Cooper is still extremely beautiful. 
 But simply stating that won’t change the fact that he has to bring a smile back to her face. 
 “Betts…” He starts, his knees making contact with her bed. She feels his weight molding the mattress underneath them, and even though she’s doing her best to avoid his eyes, Betty can’t fully avoid him now that he’s leaning over her, his arms placed on either side of her body to support him. His face is mere inches away from hers, and she can feel his hot breath brushing her cheek. “Are you still mad?” 
 “Shut up…” She pouts, doing her best not to look into his greenish, blue eyes. 
 “Oh, come on.“ He leans down, closer to her. “I was joking.” 
 “I thought you were really hurt.” 
 “Hurt? Betts, you hit me with a pillow.” 
 “So what?” Her cheeks were puffed, and right now, as he says it out loud, Betty has to admit that the whole thing does sound a bit silly. “Something could’ve happened. You could’ve hit your head, passed out or even cut your forehead.” 
 “Yeah, right… If something like that happened, Alice Cooper would probably kill me for staining the carpet.” A chuckle escapes her lips, as she imagines the scene in her head. Her mother would certainly explode if there was a blood stain on her carpet, and she wouldn’t even need to think twice before blaming the boy. 
 “Yeah… Maybe.” 
 “Is that a chuckle I hear, Betty?” He smirks, and she can tell it even without looking at him. 
 “Oh, shut up…” She smirks, finally looking at him. His dark locks are falling forward, and she can smell the inebriating scent of his shampoo. His eyes are as soft and as beautiful as ever, and his body hovering over hers is just too distracting. Apparently, the Cooper girl just can’t stay mad at him for longer than five minutes, even if he just scared her to death. 
 And for that, Jughead is more than thankful. 
 “You know… You’re terrible at being mad.” He leans in even closer, their lips almost brushing. 
 “I know… But…” She smiles, lifting her head up a little. When she finally feels his lips against hers, the Cooper girl grips her pillow and softly hits his head, barely making him move from his spot. 
 “What the—“ 
 His eyes widen a bit, but before Jughead can even think about planning a counter attack, her hands cup his cheeks and she pulls him closer into a soft, sweet kiss. They breath in, their lips still touching and softly, she whispers. “I guess I’m the winner, after all.” 
 Her voice sends shivers down his spine, and suddenly, it’s like there’s a knot in his gut. His throat goes dry, his heart is beating faster, and as she looks at him with those gorgeous, lustful eyes, Jughead knows that, no matter what he does, he already lost everything to her. 
 He lost the fight, he lost his mind and he certainly lost his heart to the perfectly imperfect girl beneath him. 
 “Should I give you a prize, then?” He says, kissing her neck as his hand slowly starts to slip under her shirt. 
 “I’ve been waiting the whole night, Forsythe Jones.” 
 Oh, Elizabeth Cooper… You really are the winner.