Amazing Spider-Man #327
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciler: Erik Larsen
Inker: Al Gordon
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Father Figure: Jim Salicrup
Grandfather Figure: Tom DeFalco
So far in the Spider-Man portion of the crossover it's been easy to spot the hierarchy of the three titles, with Amazing Spider-Man inevitably the flagship and carrying such a major encounter, in contrast to Web of Spider-Man which can barely struggle to justify its existence. But the result is that here we get a very strong chapter as Spider-Man contemplates the effects of "with great power comes great responsibility" as he now faces even greater power and realises the consequences, most significantly when he whips up a super bat to knock a car out into the water, only to subsequently discover it's hit a cruise ship. Spider-Man's new powers continue to attract the attention of the media and in turn the leaders of the alliance, where I do wonder why the Kingpin is drawn at such an exaggerated size. Both Doctor Doom and Magneto have their own interests and plans and as a result the Master of Magnetism goes to investigate, leading to the first big fight between a hero and one of the leaders of the alliance.
"Acts of Vengeance" came out during a particularly protracted struggle within Marvel over the portrayal of Magneto. Over the course of nearly a decade Chris Claremont had steadily developed the character beyond a traditional villain into a more complex anti-hero. It was a development that wasn't popular with all Marvel creators and from time to time there were would be some quite pointed conflicts for control of the character. Magneto's role in the crossover is one of the most traditional, using him in a way that he could just as easily have been used back in the Silver Age along with all the other traditional big-name foes, but it does seem odd when considering his position as a fighter for mutants against humans to see him instead allying with humans. Here we get the first attempt to rationalise the situation when Magneto thinks of the arrangements as an alliance of convenience as part of his long-term preparations, and his interest in Spider-Man's powers comes through consideration of the coming war. It's somewhat stilted but it shows the problems of having a character written by conflicting sub-committees. Magneto is wondering if Spider-Man is a late developing mutant but soon concludes not, given the multitude of powers displayed which seems a little odd given the power set of some of the most powerful mutants around. Although Spider-Man and Magneto met in Secret Wars, I can't recall any particular fight between them there or find any other prior clash in the comics. (They had, however, clashed in both 1981 cartoons, the Spider-Man solo series and Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, but those aren't part of the canon.)The issue continues some good characterisation for Spidey as he discovers what he can about his powers and tries to gain an idea of how to control them, including through a meeting with his old friend Flash Thompson who has now become a professional boxer and faces the same dilemma of potentially hurting others. Meanwhile Mary Jane starts her job as a soap opera actress, playing a character who tries to commit adultery with a doctor and contemplates what impact the nature of her role will have on her marriage. This is effectively the start of Erik Larsen's run drawing the title, having done one chapter of an earlier saga, though as noted the switch-over from McFarlane is not a clear-cut changeover.
All in all this is a strong entry in both the cosmic powers saga and the wider crossover, showing how to use Spider-Man's powers to set up fights with foes on a level he's never been able to reach before.
Amazing Spider-Man #327 has been reprinted in:
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