Goodwill Presents... Spider-Man!

Goodwill

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Messages
12,818
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Spider-Man #0... Nothing Short of Invincible

Spideyissue.jpg


Peter Parker is a wreckless teenager. Typical, right? In the first issue of Goodwill's Spider-Man fan fiction Peter's life will be turned upside down. This is Spider-Man like you've never seen him before.

COMING SOON!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Spider-Man Prologue
Nothing Short of Invincible

Queens, New York… Three Years Ago

As a child, Peter Parker could not determine why his Uncle Ben looked so spent all of the time. Perhaps as he got older, Parker held Ben's habit of smoking on his frail appearance, however, he never would've imagined that it was actually him that brought his uncle to his knees. After his brother died without notice, Ben's life would soon change. Bearing his brother's child was a hard pill to swallow; his wife wasn't able to produce a child of their own, so since, Ben was never really eager to worry about offspring or raising a child. Here, he was forced to tend to Peter. The bold Ben had been decimated to a feeble man in his late forties forced to hand over what would be the money for his house in Florida come retirement for his nephew. It didn't matter to him, though. No matter the change, Ben came to terms that Peter was his responsibility.

It was likely Peter was still too young, but he would soon learn what it meant to be responsible.

The school day had concluded, which pitted Peter against the highway between his school and his aunt and uncle's house. Even on days like today where the sun beamed pleasantly, Peter couldn't resist thinking that, if he had a car, he'd be so much better off. Then he wouldn't have to risk his life after the afternoon bell rang five days a week and he would have the freedoms that he had longed for since he began to live with his dated aunt and uncle. This dream, Peter thought, would never come into fruition so, with his head hung and his feet drawing slowly, he traipsed across the highway, looking for cars as he proceeded.

Peter, the scrawny boy with an apparent edge from his unkempt hair and penchant to dress as a "punk" (As his clique and uncle would affectionately refer to him as), had suffered many losses in life. From his parents dying from a tragic death and seeing his aunt crumble to an alcohol habit, it was no wonder Peter's attitude was a step away from most of the people that surrounded him. He withdrew himself from people and only associated with those he deemed similar.

One such friend was Harry Osborn.

As Peter successfully reached the median, a car strode up next to him with Harry perched on the windowsill. He, like Peter, had been a victim. His oppressive father had uprooted him from his public school environment and put him in a private school and there had been a conflict between father and son ever since.

Peter smirked at his crony. "What's up, man? You wanna give me a ride?"

"You gonna pay for my next tank of gas?" Harry's voice reeked of sarcasm, however, Peter responded as anyone would when such a jarring comment was made. Before Peter could reply, Harry said with a laugh, "Just get in." Peter looked at him, his expression reading "that wasn't funny" as he got into the car. "You're just lucky your house is, like, right here," Harry said. "'Else I would've left you hanging back there."

"Yeah," Peter said. "Either that or it's the fact that I live in the same neighborhood as Mary Jane Watson."

The car gained momentum and had crossed lanes so that it could make an immediate right into Peter's suburban neighborhood. Not that Peter noticed, but it was a pretty pleasant development.

"Dude, there's no denying MJ is hot, but I would never go for her," explained Harry as he simultaneously passed the young ladies house.

Mary Jane was standing outside watering the flowers, but paid more attention to Harry's car, which now scooted along slowly to meet neighborhood regulations. She waved to get Harry's attention and, in response Harry extended his index finger and thumb in either direction and held it up to his ear as if to talk on a phone. MJ simply brushed back her fiery red hair and went back to her garden.

Harry looked at Peter. He didn't look at all impressed. "So sue me," he said, grinning.

Soon after Harry's antics had begun, he had reached the Parker residence. There, in the driveway sat a car with a temporary license plate on it; Peter's uncle was cleaning it.

Could this be the answer to Peter's dream? He didn't dare sit around and think about it, so, as soon as Harry put the car in park, he bolted out of the car and ran up to his uncle.

"Ben, what's this about?" Peter exclaimed, trying to catch up with his frenetic breath patterns.

Uncle Ben looked at his nephew with a modest smile and a pair of eyes that longed for an opportunity to rest. He walked over to Peter and cupped his hands around his shoulders and looked into his widened eyes. "It's yours," He replied. "Your aunt and I decided it was about time you got your own set of wheels."

Peter refrained from breathing for little over a minute. Freedom was in his midst.

As if reading Peter's thoughts, Ben was quick to put his foot down. "Now, Peter," He said, still with the reserved smile, but with a more serious tone. "You know this is a responsibility--and, with great power, there must come a great responsibility. Do not abuse this privilege or your aunt and I will take it right back to the dealership, understood?"

It may have been the fact that, at this point, Harry had joined his friend that Peter failed to hear his uncle. Peter and Harry delved into a conversation about what kind of improvements they could make to the car, all the while Ben retreated back and merely listened to the two of them talking. Or, perhaps Ben was at fault. Instead of reiterating and strengthening his advise to his nephew, he simply watched as Peter grew increasingly more satisfied with the car. Either way, Peter missed a vital lesson that probably could have saved a life.

* * *

It was that night that Peter actually got to use his car. Although Ben had accompanied him, Peter was allowed to drive to a local bar to see Harry's band play. It was a place Peter spent most Saturday nights because it was a place where he could work out his aggressions physically and listen to music, which he found soothing. It was a surreal moment and Peter thought it would be cool to share it with Uncle Ben who he genuinely admired, through even the thickness of the relationship.

Peter, indeed, drew further from his uncle as time went on, but still thought highly of him regardless. Through all of the hardships that the two of them had to endure, it would appear that Ben handled them most calmly and most courageously, which Peter only wished he could've done. There were few ruts along the road, of course, Ben wasn't perfect, but Peter had always seen him as his hero.

As the music in the room became more aggressive and the voices more throaty, Peter couldn't help but laugh at his uncle's undefined expression. "What do you think?"

"Different" was the only word that Peter caught over the din.

"Yeah, we can leave any time you want," Peter, said to him coolly.

Ben refused to spoil the time spent with his nephew, so he endured what he could of the music. Meanwhile, Peter joined the handful of children brimming at the stage's front end to experience the music raw. He watched Harry cut up the bass with an arrogant movement about him that reminded Peter how cool it would be to be up there with him.

The music had continued for well over an hour and, it was then, that Peter felt that he had had enough and had put his uncle through far too much for one night. As Peter imagined, Ben was pretty overwhelmed with what he had just seen.

Peter walked out to find that his car was right where he left it. It was a white car, however, tonight, it seemed to have a brooding, almost threatening appearance to Peter. It may have been the way the streetlights had been beaming on it, he suspected, but he disregarded his sentiment because he was on a spiritual high. He had gained a certain amount of freedom, however limited it was by Ben at his side, and he had just heard music that he found to be enlightening. So much of tonight reminded Peter what he wanted out of life, a good relationship, freedom, and a sound spiritual opinion. As Peter ignited the engine and it began to drone, he wrapped his hands around the steering wheel. A sensation of power ran through to his head--an inescapable arrogance and pride that he almost didn't remember his uncle had been trying to get into the car.

"Hey, wait for me!" His uncle exclaimed, laughing, as Peter was trying to get away without him. He finally sat and buckled his seatbelt.

"Sorry," Peter muttered.

Peter put the car into drive and pulled the car out of the bar's parking lot with ease. When he got on the main drag, though, Peter seemed to be overly confident with his ability to drive. He had taken Driver's Ed and having Ben certainly indicated that Peter knew what was the responsible thing to do in the car, but the freedom was an all too tempting thing to have Peter pay attention. The speed of the car increased as he went, breaking when he needed to, but sharply.

"Peter," his uncle said wit authoritative tone. "Slow down, you're going to cause an accident."

Peter was insulted. It was as if he didn't hear the first part of Ben's sentence. All Peter could he was Ben's doubts in his ability. If it was one thing that struck a chord with Peter, it was someone's belief, or lack thereof, of what he was capable of. This had been something he held against even Harry for not letting him in the band because he didn't believe Peter could play the drums, and it would seem that Ben wasn't going to an exception. Peter didn't look at the road; instead, he gave his uncle a look that could've killed. So much aggression was in Peter's eyes that it could have matched the music that Harry's band had played. Peter was speechless; too, he knew the might of a glaring eye in his uncle's direction. It would certainly hurt him to have his nephew upset with him, regardless of whether or not his point was valid to begin with.

Here was the moment that Peter would've killed to pay attention to. In the slow-paced second that Peter swung his head back in front of him, a myriad of events that would scar Peter forever would occur.

A pair of headlights emerged from Peter's right. The second car came off a hill and didn't show any sign of relenting, even though he was still proceeding through the intersection. It seemed to elapse the distance between where it stood and Peter's car in the same amount of time he could have clicked his fingers.

Then, as Peter's car, accompanied by Peter and Ben, stranded in hopelessness was struck. Fast-paced grit abruptly shook Peter from his moment of suspense, sending his head into the steering wheel and his mind expelled from his head.

He couldn't tell where the car that had hit him came from. He couldn't tell how the gash on his head, trickling blood and throbbing, got there. Peter's squinted eyes could make out the car that hit him and the damage as seen from the interior. Shattered glass and torn seats. He finally focused on the part of the car blurriest to his handicapped vision.

A heap of denim and plaid shirt lay motionless and mangled in a bloody pool underneath a pail hand. Peter couldn't tell what it was. Who it was. His consciousness was leaving him…

Then, black.
 
...wow. It's different, that's for sure.

Did anybody else get a "Life As A House" feel from Peter and Ben's relationship? Even more so with Peter being a part of the punk scene. It's an update for sure, with turning Peter into a punk instead of a nerd. It makes him a modern outcast, as we nerds nowadays are largely ignored. Hell, on pretty much all 'clique' lists (emo, goth, punk, jock, etc.), "nerd" isn't even on there. So I do like how you updated it.
 
Thank you for your response, Doc!

Since this issue didn't delve too much into the fantasy bit, the next issue will be prepared for posting soon. I expect to put up the solicitation for it on Monday and release the issue on Wednesday. I'd to follow a loose monthly schedule with this comic, however, expect a bi-weekly schedule from time to time.
 
Wow. I like how you've drastically changed the characters we've seen so far, mainly Peter and Harry. This issue was very entertaining, and I suppose Ben will die in the crash and Peter will blame himself?

I was hoping they would run over Aunt May or something. :D

You described the car crash well. I presume that's from your own experience months ago?
 
Admittedly, I based a lot of Peter on myself. It was easier that way, I guess. His attitude, his experiences... I've seen what he's seeing, put it that way.
 
Different, that's for sure. And still entertaining, while not changing it so much that it isn't Spider-Man. Still having him as the outcasted one, but with a different view.
 
Goodwill said:
I'm beginning to think different is a bad thing... Is that so?
No. Your different is very good. A REALLY new spin on things, yet still feels the same. Different is not a bad thing here.
 
I like it... I just hope Uncle Ben doesn't die. I've always wanted to see him live in a spider-man story. It would be cool if the other car had been Aunt May driving drunk perhaps.
 
Jesus. Here I thought it was a straightforward ending and we've got Ultimate Gambit coming up with better plots than I've got... Damnit.
 
:lol: Don't apologize. I'm glad my story actually leaves you with something to talk about afterwards. I don't think I've ever really accomplished that with my writing. So, really--thank you.
 
Spider-Man
Along Came a Spider-Man

Peter's life consists of tragedy. Once he's given the ability of a spider, will things change? In the first story arc, Peter acquires the power of a spider and what he decides to do with his abilities will change his life forever...
 
The only problem I had was that it seems Ben dies prior to Spidey getting his powers. The idea that his powers are his responsibility, a symbol of responsibility, and also a curse, is in that his pride in and refusal to use them is what got his uncle killed. By having him be killed in a car crash takes away the powers being a responsibility element, making the powers 'tacked on' rather than part of the learning curve.

That said, I didn't think it was bad at all. I saw it coming, but I honestly thought you were gonna have Peter run over May, since Ben would've resented Peter more as a result.

But as it is, I don't think it's bad at all, and a lot of my 'critiques' are based on assumptions of future issues that may or may not be true.

I liked the down-trodden nature of the Parker household, something quite interesting indeed.
 
On the contrary, it still makes perfect sence. I do admit that it was difficult doing it this way, with Ben dying before Peter acquired his powers, but if you can draw parallels with the car and his spider abilities being the abused power, you get the same result. I think that's a more powerful way to introduce the responsibility bit... It's a lot more believable, which, for some reason, I wanted.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top