Friday, December 17, 2021

Spider-Man Meets The Watcher For Christmas

Peter Parker is your friendly neighborhood super-hero, going about his business before the holiday, while Uatu is a being living on the Blue Area of the moon, doing his usual business (watching). 


What Earthshaking cosmic events bring these two together (under a cover by Ed Hannigan and Al Milgrom)?



Small Miracles

In Marvel Team-Up #127 (March, 1983) by J. M. DeMatteis, Kerry Gammill and Mike Esposito, Peter is getting his gifts ready for Aunt May and the old folks that live with her at the home.  Everyone seems to be in the Christmas mood except for Arthur Chekov, who was waiting for his granddaughter, Bette to show up.  Peter is now concerned, but gets a big blast to his Spider-Sense, heading outside.  

There, a sudden snowstorm isolates him from the home, and he finds himself in his Spider-Man outfit, confronted by a large, bald, silent alien (Uatu), who hands him a gem, with an image of Bette.  Now, motivated to find Bette, Spider-Man begins a search for the young lady, while the Watcher watches from the Blue Area of the moon.  


Finding her address, Spider-Man arrives to a crime scene, which worries him.  This demoralizes Peter, who then meets with Captain America (who had many team-ups with Spidey before....and after), who inspires Peter to keep at it.  Peter does find Bette, who, thanks to a dishonest boyfriend, is in trouble with drug dealers, and she is shot.  Peter, thinking he will be unable to save her, yells his displeasure to the world, and is answered with a silent appearance of the Watcher.  

Still hearing nothing from him, Peter hurls the gem the Watcher gave him at the silent alien, which breaks, healing the girl enough for Peter to get Bette to a hospital.  There, she reunites with her grandfather, and Peter can say a silent thanks to the alien who helped save her.  

On the moon, Uatu reflects on this event, hoping it is insignificant enough not to be noticed by his brethren, who have a strict policy of non-interference....and how sad that they couldn't even be bothered to help someone on Christmas.


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