Spider-Man Proves He’ll Always Be A Friendly Neighborhood Hero At Heart

Marvel Comics’ new Amazing Fantasy #1000 celebrates 60 years of Spider-Man while also confirming Peter Parker will always be a friendly neighborhood hero. While there are countless times when the world is at stake and the Avengers are all called upon to save the day, Spider-Man still shows up to take down the small-time crooks. While this may seem odd to the criminals Spider-Man stops (and to some readers), Peter actually has a great reason why he’ll always keep an eye on the neighborhood no matter what the greater stakes might be.

Coming from a team of all-star writers and artists, Amazing Fantasy #1000 is an oversized anthology issue featuring multiple stories about Marvel’s iconic Webslinger. Celebrating 60 years of Spider-Man, each adventure pays tribute to different aspects of the Wallcrawler and his storied legacy. To that end, “Just Some Guy” by Anthony Falcone and Michael Cho features Spider-Man continually taking down Frankie Fama, a small-time thief who can’t understand why the Webslinger would take the time to web him up and leave one of his classic notes, especially during a world-threatening event like Sentinel robots attacking or Skrull invasions.

Intentionally planning crimes during potentially world-ending events, Frankie’s idea was that heroes like the Avengers would all be too busy saving the world to bother with him. However, Spider-Man is always there to stop him every time, culminating in Fama’s desperate frustration where he outright demands to know why the Webslinger would ever bother with someone like him when he could be off saving the world or dealing with the bigger threat. As such, Spider-Man gives the perfect response, knowing all too well what “just some guy” is capable of.

Spider-Man’s responsibility to use his power for good isn’t limited by how small or how big the crime is. Even if the world is in danger, people can still be hurt by the smallest action. As Spider-Man says to Frankie in this issue: “Until you stop doing what you’re doing, I’m never going to stop finding you and putting you away“. Having had the experiences in his personal life combined with the words Spider-Man lives by from Uncle Ben, it’s very clear that Peter Parker will always be a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

While Spider-Man has been an Avenger and often answers the call when things are truly dire, it’s great to see that he’ll never become too big to handle the “small stuff” like robbers and carjackers. No crime is too minor for Spider-Man, a concept that truly makes a big difference in the Marvel Universe. Amazing Fantasy #1000 is on sale now.