Has it really been a year?

It’s hard to believe I’ve been writing up some of the lengthiest articles on comic books that exist on the internet for an entire year. Okay, so maybe, at least for this column, not an entire year, but it is pretty close!

I was, and still am, grateful to the guys here for allowing me to enter this studio of theirs and write columns about comics I love. It has been a learning experience and that’s always a good thing.

The guys here are extremely receptive to new material and that’s allowed me to release (serialize) a work of fiction that I haven’t really talked about much in the DBNO, which might not have seen publication anywhere else. Tomorrow’s Light is something that’s near and dear to my heart and, just like the DBNO, is a bit lengthy, but hopefully will satisfy the few readers that have stuck with it. Yeah, I know it’s a bit slow moving (my fault due to a rather hectic school schedule at the moment), but it’s at a point now where things are getting really interesting. So, if you haven’t had a chance to check out Tomorrow’s Light, drop by and do so—you may like it.

Other avenues of creativity have opened up for me—or have been created, that probably would not if not for the support of Stumblebum Studios and its founders. There’s a really awesome sense of support here between each of the individuals that contribute to the site and that has created something of a breeding ground for creativity. I can’t explain how much I appreciate that.

From that breeding ground has spawned something new! Tomorrow’s Light co-conceptualist, Bryan Hester and I have a project on the horizon that will be debuting VERY soon, so keep your eyes open for updates here and at my livejournal.

I’m looking forward, schedule allowing, to doing more for Stumblebum in the future and will strive to do my best for the second year of Stumblebum Studios 2.0!

Oh yeah, this wouldn’t be much of a Down, But Not Out without a look at a comic, now would it?
Being that it is one year later, let’s take a look back at the comic that started it all for the DBNO:
Amazing Spider-Man #7!

The Amazing Spider-Man #7 – “Return of the Vulture”
Original Release Date: December 1963
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Letterer: Art Simek

In prison, a man can move ahead of the crowd with good behavior. That’s just what Mr. Adrian Toomes has done. Some months ago, Adrian was imprisoned, thanks to Spider-Man, for his crimes as the super-villain The Vulture. Since then, though, he’s been nothing less than the model prisoner. The staff has been so impressed with the man that they’ve allowed him to become a trustee of the machine shop.

Sometimes, though, sinister motives are disguised with good behavior. That’s the case with Mr. Toomes, for he has been using the prison machine shop to create another flying harness. On this day, he’s completed it and even tested it in the confined quarters of his cell. It works.

The next day, as the prisoners shuffle about the courtyard, Adrian Toomes leaves them all behind as he easily flies over the perimeter wall to freedom. The Vulture has escaped!

Sometimes good behavior is not rewarded. That’s the case for Midtown High student Peter Parker, who sticks to being a good student no matter what and gets punished for his by his fellow students. Fortunately for today, it’s only verbal abuse and even that means very little when he overhears the radio broadcast that informs him that the Vulture has escaped from prison.

It’s not too much later that Peter Parker has ditched his street duds for those of the colorful super hero, Spider-Man! He put the Vulture behind bars once and intends to do it all over again.

It’s not long before our two central figures cross paths. Both are a bit sure of themselves; Spidey figures he can use the same device as last time—one that disrupts the power flow to the Vulture’s flying harness; the Vulture is sure of himself because he’s come prepared.

Spidey, as the Vulture gets close, taps the button on his genius device and the Vulture falls into an out-of-control spiral, just as he did last time. Spider-Man starts to follow, but as he gets to the ledge of the building he is on gets a shock! The Vulture was feigning defeat! He’s swooped back around and taken him by surprise with a sure fist to the face.

After a short, one-side tussle, Spidey finds himself on a rooftop, after a long fall, cradling his arm. The Vulture has left, figuring the wall-crawler to be finished. Fortunately for Spidey, it’s just a sprain. Unfortunately, it hurts like the devil!

The next day, Peter shows up at the offices of the Daily Bugle with a sling around his busted arm. Betty Brant, secretary to the hot-headed Bugle publisher, J. Jonah Jameson, tells Pete that no one could sprain their arm in playing volleyball! She wants to know what really happened. Peter smiles and tells her that she’s right; he was actually in the air fighting the vulture! Betty shrugs it off and smiles.

Inside J. Jonah Jameson’s office, Peter submits a picture of the Vulture he managed to get yesterday, unbeknownst to Jonah, as Spider-Man. Jonah tells Peter that the picture isn’t worth much since the Vulture’s been seen all over town and, consequently, dozens of other photographers have snapped his picture; he needs something different.

Ask and you shall receive! The Vulture, hungry for the Bugle’s staff payroll, swoops into the office of Jolly Jonah. The villain demands that Jameson opens his safe and gives him the contents, but the publisher resists. While the short-tempered Vulture and the even more short-tempered publisher toss pleasantries back and forth, Peter slips out and changes to Spider-Man.

He slips back in and gets Jonah thrown in his face as the Vulture flees through the offices of the Daily Bugle. Employees scatter as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings in after him. Right behind our hero, J.J.J. tails, shouting for someone to call the police.

As the Vulture tries to find a window to escape through, Spider-Man makes sure to cut him off at every exit, causing the Vulture to feel even deeper into the building. The two end up in the production room where the presses are and have a short battle there before the Vulture finds a window and makes his way out.

Spider-Man follows, but is ambushed just as he exits the window! The villain takes Spidey high into the air and threatens to drop him, but the hero, using his webbing, pins the wings of the Vulture together. As the villain panics, Spidey quickly constructs a web parachute and the two drift to the world below.

Once they reach a certain area, Spidey leaps off and begins to swing away when he hears a familiar shout. It’s Jonah and he’s hot about all the damage that’s been done to his building! Who cares about Spider-Man saving him from the Vulture? Spidey does something he’s wanted to do for a long time: he shuts the loud-mouthed publisher up with a shot of webbing to the face.

A few minutes later, Peter Parker returns to the offices and finds Betty Brant hiding beside her desk. Pete joins her and she asks where he was while Spidey was battling the Vulture in the office. He explains that he’s just not the heroic type, so he was hiding in a closet. Betty smiles and tells the nerdy Parker that it’s nice that he doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not.

Jonah comes running by the desk, shouting something incomprehensible thanks to the webbing. Betty wonders what’s wrong with J.J.J., but Pete assures her that it’s an improvement! Miss Brant then suggests that he is hiding something and Peter tells her if she keeps wearing that perfume, he might let her in on it.

Betty comments that that was probably the closest thing to romantic he’d ever come. Peter tells her to rest her head on his shoulder and enjoy the silence. Betty asks what Jameson will say and Pete smiles, “Nothing, baby… for at least an hour!”

*****

Wow, a walk down memory lane, huh? Okay, maybe not if you didn’t happen to read the first column. My comments are still the same about this issue: it’s one of the best Spidey stories to come from the Lee/Ditko era. It’s funny, full of adventure, and even a little heart-warming there at the end.

In a word, it’s perfect.

My praise for Steve Ditko’s art will never end. It’s fantastic. The same can be said for Stan Lee’s writing. These two were at the top of their game here.