The Shack w/ Nilak

First of all, I have to give credit where it’s due. The CRYPTIC CRITIC on Blogspot.com   published a review of this graphic novel back in 2010.

Link to his review

I had never heard of this masterpiece until having read his review. When I became aware of its being nearly 60 PAGES LONG, I immediately scoured the internet to find a digital copy. Man, what an incredible experience it was!!!

SUMMARY:

It’s not entirely clear at what point this issue takes place in the timeline of the Amazing Spider-Man. However, judging by Mary Jane’s haircut, it’s probably safe to assume that it’s somewhere around Amazing #64 (roughly 25 issues since the Goblin’s last appearance).

Tensions are on the rise from the very first splash page of the issue. Norman Osborn has invited Peter and Harry to his “Executive Club,” in which Capt. George Stacy is conducting an in-depth presentation on various arch-enemies of Spider-Man. When the Green Goblin’s segment is underway, Norman appears increasingly unstable. Peter’s awareness of this instability only intensifies with time. Eventually, Norman collapses, and is transported to a hospital.

Much of the early portion of this comic is spent providing exposition. The reader is taken through brief flashbacks of the events of Amazing #39 and #40 in which the Goblin discovered Peter’s true identity. Once the exposition is through, the drama of this tale kicks off.

From Norman’s hospital bed, the tortured businessman finally pinpoints the source of his distress: he is the Goblin. The transformation is complete. With the awareness of his villainous alter-ego, Osborn ventures to exit the hospital and retreat to one of his many hidden Goblin lairs. Donning the costume, he sets out to put an end to Spider-Man once and for all. However, there’s a slight twist in this plan as we later discover.

The next segment of this issue reminded me of why I love Peter Parker so. Having been told about Norman’s mysterious departure from the hospital, Peter’s mind races. His greatest fear isn’t of the Goblin showing up and killing him. Rather, what he fears most is the Goblin revealing his true identity to Aunt May (thus, causing her grave emotional distress). I love it.

Frantic, Peter throws on his costume and combs through the city. He neglects to find the Goblin, so in slight relief, he returns home. The following evening, he gets a phone call from Harry Osborn, who claims Norman returned home and is throwing a party celebrating his returned wellness that night. Peter is invited.

Thus, the central drama of this issue sets off. Peter attends the Osborns’ party, anticipating the ulterior motives of Norman (the Goblin).

To my understanding, this portion of the story was loosely adapted into Spider-Man (2002). Peter, Gwen, MJ, Harry and Norman all share dinner over the Osborns’ table, and Norman is playfully attempting to get Peter’s secret identity out in the open. I LOVED this part of the story. It’s so intense, and it highlights one of Peter Parker’s greatest dilemmas: being a super hero whose identity is hidden in order to protect his loved ones.

After dinner, Peter comes up with a brilliant plan to divert the attention of the partygoers (and Norman). He makes a web-ball, and tosses it into the fireplace. As the smoke fills the living room, Peter’s friends quickly evade the house. Meanwhile, Norman tears through the room in search of his nemesis.

I love the duality of this portion of the tale. Both Peter and Norman don their respective costumes as they prepare for the impending conflict. Finally, after nearly 40 pages, we’re getting to the action!!! And boy, does it deliver.

John Romita Sr. and Jim Mooney are in their elements with this masterpiece. Every page is filled with large action-filled panels, vibrant colors and captivating imagery. They leave nothing to be desired, and right when you think it can’t get any better, it does.

The Goblin reveals a brand new weapon, a smoking pumpkin bomb. Is it an explosive? Well, yes and no. Spidey braces for the bomb to go off, but instead, a mysterious gas is emitted. It isn’t long before our hero discovers it to be a hallucinogenic.

The following page reveals an extraordinary splash page of Spider-Man struggling against the hallucinations of this gas. It’s such an amazing moment, and extremely unexpected. Initially, he sees the Goblin in a trippy LSD-esque caricature. The apparitions transition into various creatures, then the people closest to the hero, and eventually some of Spidey’s most notorious enemies (The Kingpin, Rhino, Doc Ock, etc.) Again, this comic is amazing!!!

The turning point of the conflict occurs at this point. Again, this epic story points out some of the greatest qualities of Spider-Man as a character. Instead of cowering in defeat over these drug-induced specters, our hero turns to his intellect. How can Spidey outsmart the Goblin with his own medicine (quite literally)?

Spider-Man returns to hand-to-hand combat with the Goblin, and eventually succeeds in taking him down and removing his mask. He then begins to execute his ingenious plan. Snatching another of the Goblin’s hallucinogenic bombs, Spidey traps the Goblin in a psychedelic nightmare of his own making. During the episode, our hero masterfully manages to convince Norman of the Goblin’s insanity, and conditions Osborn to fear the Goblin and Spider-Man. The plan works!

The issue ends much like many of the other Goblin stories do. Norman forgets everything, Peter brings him to the hospital, and everything seemingly goes back to normal. I love how the last panel of the comic shows Peter taking MJ and Gwen out. The most reluctant ladies’ man in history!

THOUGHTS:

Man, this comic is so well-written!! Seriously, there were so many points in which I verbally said, “Wow, that’s amazing!!!” Stan Lee just understood Peter Parker on such a deep level, and it really shows here.

Most of my other thoughts are all throughout my summary of this gem. John Romita Sr. is on his A-Game. Jim Mooney brings such vibrancy and life. Lee isn’t pulling his punches. It’s just a great testament to Marvel comics, and the overarching silver age of comics in general. What a moment!

If you haven’t read this issue before, it’s available on Kindle through Amazon for like $2 (yes, literally 2 dollars). It’s definitely worth the read. One of these days, I’m going to get a physical copy.

Reading this collection of speeches and writings, I've finally come to see why Martin Luther King Jr. has been deemed one of the most profound and influential civil rights, Evangelical and sociopolitical leaders of our time.

I can't even begin to point out each of the elements that I most appreciated about King's writings (You could write dozens of essays on the Letter from a Birmingham Jail alone). What I will say is that King found a way to contextualize the Gospel message of Jesus of Nazareth within the era of the 1950s-1960s segregated south. And he was unrelenting and all-encompassing.

He not only challenged the white supremacist political (and corporate) power structure of the south, but he challenged the entire nation's foreign policy and involvement in Vietnam. He challenged the Christian moderate. He rallied Blacks and Whites together in a fight for unification and strategic empowerment. He advocated equal access to first class education. He spoke up for labor unions and the unemployed. He encouraged Blacks to strive for political and economic influence. He spoke truth to power, and all of it was couched in the language of love. Agape love.

My favorite piece of this book is "The Drum Major Instinct." It's King's second to last speech, and it really feels like his attempt to pull all of his spiritual, sociopolitical and socioeconomic ideas together into a single sermon.

I have to be honest.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The first chapter pulled me in, but the following chapters nearly scared me away. So much history. So much storytelling. I wasn't ready. But that therein lies the brilliance of Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk.