“Okay, a leeeetle upper class/lower class sort of message-y-ness that I could do without, but whatever, not a huge deal, it’s made up for by the sweetness of the stories.
Yeah, I guess it sounds a little cruel to be like, “I don’t care if Peter Parker is friends with homeless people.” Which…that’s not exactly true. It’s not Peter Parker caring about people that I get annoyed by, not at all. It just gets a little straw man, like every rich person hopes that every homeless person gets swept away by a street sweeper that was possessed by the ghost of an old industrialist. Like Haunted Tank, but modernized. Or maybe the street sweeper is powered by a technology that sees people as trash, and we all learn a lesson about the way these things are programmed and the robot is like, “I am not the monster. I am just doing as I was programmed.”
Straw Man would be a good villain. Wait, is that the same as Scarecrow?
Anyway, it’s just kinda funny to me how in comics a guy in a suit will be like, “Why do these urchins keep getting in my way? I’m a Wall Streetman! I have a case, and it’s full of briefs! I haven’t time to give this ragamuffin one of my many dollars!” It feels a little silly, like maybe…a little lazy. Or boring.
There was also a very sweet story which got me because I’m old now, so that kind of stuff ALWAYS works. It’s like these days I’ll tear up because I know someone’s about to try and make that happen, like I’ve got a pre-emptive, old man sense that’s like, “You’re a big softie now. Just start crying now.”
But…the cynical comics nerd in me said, “Eh…kind of a ripoff of Amazing Spider-Man 248 ‘The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man,”‘ which is pretty great. There was also Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1, which had a similar story, which hit a little harder for me. So maybe it’s a generational thing. Every generation needs their “Spidey Makes a Wish” sort of story, I guess. Every 10-15 years someone’s got to write a tear-jerker. Oh, and Spectacular Spider-Man 310, of course. Let’s not forget that one.”