The Amazing Spider-Man #271: Whatever Happened To Crusher Hogan?

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Ron Frenz
Sometimes, author Tom DeFalco seems to have it in for Spider-Man.

In this issue, on the same night, poor Peter Parker has to be in three different places at once.

First, he's supposed to be at work so that he can pay his landlady. However, he then has to pull-out of that to go and protect his Aunt May's fiancé - the wheelchair-bound Nathan Lubensky - from some thugs. But then he has to abandon his prospective uncle to go and break-up a shooting. Well, the next day he has no rent money, while his aunt has to visit her bruised beloved in the hospital.

Even a little thing like getting through the skylight into his apartment becomes a challenge to be overcome in DeFalco's unforgiving world. I read Power Pack #18 recently, which was set at thanksgiving. Today, Spider-Man's neighbours are all sunbathing on the roof. Clearly, even the weather has set itself against him.

Further acknowledging the flaws in Marvel's shared universe, this month the Spidey-titles all featured a cut-out-and-keep box detailing the order in which the next few Spider-issues would take place, so that those of us who cared about such things could enjoy them chronologically.

Well, that order didn't quite work out either...

Between that box and the Marvel Chronology Project, for the next wee while I'm treading carefully.