One of the most touching stories of Marvel’s iconic webslinger, Spider-Man, involved one of the world’s most frightening monsters.
Spider-Man, like any other normal person, would prefer to stay indoors on cold winter days. However, his battle-hardened sense of responsibility often compels him to leave the comfort of his heated apartment in order to save the day. On one such occasion, Spidey braved an unprecedented blizzard to rescue a little girl held hostage in New York’s Central Park. The Web-Slinger nearly died when the snowstorm proved too much for him, but he was saved by an unexpected ally lurking among the whipping winds.
Amazing Spider-Man #277’s backup feature “Cry of the Wendigo” (by Charles Vess) is a beautifully crafted tale that strips away the excesses found in many other Spider-Man stories in order to distill the essence of what makes him a hero. Charles Vess, an acclaimed fantasy artist who specializes in bringing mythological creatures to life through his work, wrote and illustrated this one-of-a-kind short story. The sparse wintery panels, the hint of the mythical unknown, and Spidey’s quiet determination to rescue the girl at all costs combine to elevate the story from a standard backup into something special and memorable.
Spider-Man is a Hero For All Seasons
The plot begins with Spider-Man witnessing the kidnapping of an ambassador’s daughter. The abductors aren’t a legion of supervillains, but a street-level gang looking for a quick ransom. The kidnappers flee into Central Park believing no one will follow them there during the snowstorm. But a certain arachnid hero is undeterred and causes the gang’s van to crash into a snowy embankment. Disoriented by the accident and freezing snow, Spider-Man slowly trudges away with the girl. While resting against a frozen fountain, the girl desperately tries to rouse the Web-Slinger by warning him that the Wendigo will get him if he doesn’t get up and move.
Just as Spider-Man rises to his feet, he is viciously attacked by the criminal gang. When they attempt to pull the girl away from the hero, he lashes out and quickly brings them down. Spidey thinks he’s safe, but as he walks away, one of the kidnappers stirs and points a gun at him. The injured Web-Slinger struggles to move out of the way in time, his spider-sense numbed by the bitter cold. But just then a ghostly howl rings through the park as a wave of white snow and wind buries the thug.
Spider-Man was Actually Saved by the Wendigo
As the girl is reunited with her parents, an exhausted Peter drifts off to sleep in his apartment mumbling that the Wendigo didn’t get him this time. The question of whether the Wendigo was real or a fluke weather event remains unanswered. What is undeniable is Spider-Man’s heroism. Whether dealing with demonic threats like Mephisto or simply attempting to protect a lost girl, the Wall-Crawler never gives up.
Vess’s artistic vision grounds the story and its meaning beyond its small page count. The reader feels as cold and beaten down as Spider-Man does at certain points, with the barren white panels invoking a sense of desolation. The small character moments within this story reveal much about what Spider-Man represents as a hero. Challenged by the fiercest elements of nature, Spider-Man endures and saves the day, even if it means sacrificing himself. Perhaps it was because of this selflessness that the Wendigo chose to intervene and save him in his most precarious moment.
