Spider-Man Finally Gets a (Heartbreaking) Sidekick

Warning: SPOILERS for Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6

Spider-Bite, Spider-Bite, does whatever Spider-Man can! Swinging into action in Marvel’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the superhero sidekick Spider-Bite saves the day. And at just 9 years old, Spider-Man’s new sidekick is guaranteed to bring a tear to every fan’s eye.

The issue jumps directly into the action, as all seems lost with Spider-Man pinned down by Doc Ock, seemingly unable to keep the valuable box out of the villain’s hands. That is, until the young Spider-Bite swings in to save his partner, Spider-Man. Spider-bite makes quick work of Doc Ock, playing a classic game of ‘stop hitting yourself’ with his six robotic arms. And if fans think that a youthful, playful kid is exactly the kind of sidekick needed to bring out the best in Spider-Man… you don’t know the half of it.

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Just as the tides seem to change, the Vulture flies in to save Doc Ock, escaping with the all important box. The duo of Spider-Man and his miniature sidekick go on to fight the Sinister Sixty, collecting an entire army of Spidey’s villains all working together to keep the box from Spider-Man and his courageous young partner. The Spiders ultimately win after an epic battle, and successfully retrieve the box. And as the two heroes take a seat atop a New York skyscraper and discover the box contains a Spider-Man action figure, the truth of this Spider-Bite adventure finally becomes clear.

The truth of the story is that Spider-Man has been playing make-believe with a boy named Nathan, a patient of a children’s cancer ward (seeming to have been arranged through a Make-a-Wish-esque program). And through this lens, previous moments of the story take on a more pained, but far more beautiful meaning. Spider-man’s first speech about how Spider-Bite is stronger than he thinks, because “we all are.” The moments in which Peter periodically checks on Spider-Bite to make sure he doesn’t need to rest before going into their next battle. And as the backdrop depicting New York City begins to appear more and more like crayons on cardboard, the hospital staff and Nathan’s family are revealed as the supervillains they’ve been battling the whole time.

When Spider-Bite notes that he is short compared to Spider-Man, and brushes off his words of encouragement by saying that he hopes he will grow, and his coughing causes Peter to take off his mask, it all comes together. Play time is over, but Nathan doesn’t want to stop the team-up of Spider-Bite and Spider-Man. Sure, no fan of the wall-crawler would. But Nathan doesn’t want to go to sleep either, because he’s scared he might not wake up. That’s information passed from Nathan’s parents to Spidey in private… which instantly spurs Peter to ask for permission to do more than just pretend their son knows what it’s like to be a superhero.

In classic Spidey fashion, he takes Nathan on one last adventure in their day together, swinging through the New York skyline for real. the box? That is a gift for Nathan: a classic Spider-man action figure, one that articulates in more areas than the real Spider-man himself. Spider-man also reveals that he collects his own memorabilia, but never takes it out of the box. It is a warming story that reminds us that heroes don’t need to be out saving the world from giant threats… donating your time to help others can have a huge impact on their lives.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6 is available now from Marvel Comics.

About The Author

Kirk Smith
(103 Articles Published)

Kirk Smith: Accountant from 9 – 5 and full out comic book nerd on evening and weekends.

By gifting him an issue of the Amazing Spider-Man #408, Kirk’s grandfather introduced him to the world of comics at the tender age of eight. The striking cover of Spider-Man laying in pure white snow is still a fond memory today. Perhaps living in the frozen tundra, better known as the Canadian prairies, has something to do with the lasting impression the issue made on him. Kirk’s wife even let him frame this issue and hang it up in their basement.

From that point on, Kirk fell deep into the world of Marvel comics and became completely obsessed with anything and everything related to comics. So much so that he even had aspirations to become an illustrator and artist like his grandfather, and the analytical side of his brain eventually lead him to the thrilling world of accounting.

As self professed Marvel fanboy who continues to try and break into the wonderful world of DC, Kirk is fascinated by the art and storytelling of any and all comics. He is simply fascinated with the world of comics and everything that has subsequently been developed from it, from television series to blockbuster movies, he loves it all, even all the action figures that come along with it. He cannot believe his boyhood obsession has broken into mainstream media, and he can finally share his love of Spider-Man instead of his respect for bookkeeping.

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