Why You Should Read "The Daydreamers!"

Even superheroes daydream...

Everyone is talking about Spider-Man: Homecoming, so I thought this would be an opportune time to share some Spider-Man stories. After going through my Spider-Man collection, I found a few good stories, but I think that "The Daydreamers!" is a short and fun story for Spidey fans, both new and old.

The title gives it away, but this is a story about the daydreams of Spider-Man and a couple of his friends and colleagues, including Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, and the Black Cat. It's a fun story that doesn't make any profound changes in the lives of any of the characters but does explore who these characters are, what they want, and what they fear.

Acting as a kind of narrator, Uatu the Watcher introduces the reader to the story and explains what we will be seeing: the dreams of our favorite characters. 

Felicity Hardy, the vigilante and thief known as the Black Cat, is in the hospital after an injury fighting alongside her lover, Spider-Man. She dreams about being able to leap out of her hospital bed and roam the rooftops of New York City with Spider-Man by her side. But not the goody-two-shoes Spider-Man she knows, but one that is a risk taker and a law breaker, someone dangerous like her.

While the Black Cat is dreaming and recovering in the hospital, Peter Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, also daydreams. Mary Jane dreams about her career as an actress, becoming world famous and working with Hollywood's most renowned actors and directors. However, her dream is interrupted by the painful and complicated memories of her family.

Less dramatic, J. Jonah Jameson walks down the streets of New York City and is (like always) annoyed by Spider-Man. He dreams about defeating Spider-Man with his own fists and getting the masked vigilante to admit to being a menace. Jameson also receives adoration from the city and grows a full head of hair. 

Swinging around New York City, Spider-Man notices Jameson going on his walk and has his own daydream. He imagines Jameson being attacked by all of his worst enemies and then jumping down and defeating them all, finally proving to Jameson that he's not a menace. In the dream, Spider-Man is loved by all of New York City and even receives an invitation to join the Avengers. Though his dream ends when the Avengers discover that Spider-Man is really wimpy Peter Parker and they abandon him.

This is not a long story and is more like a compilation of stories. Writer Roger Stern shows his understanding of these characters and plays an interesting look at the lives and dreams of Spider-Man and his friends. I also didn't realize that John Romita Jr. did the art for this story and it is pretty cool to see his early work compared to some of his art today.

So, if you're just looking for a Spider-Man story without being pulled into a large storyline that is going to take days to find and hours to read, check out "The Daydreamers!".

ISSUE: The Amazing Spider-Man #246 (1983)

Writing	Art	Character Development	Overall Enjoyment
7	7	6	9