Comics : Amazing Spider-Man: You're Hired! (NYC)
Background...
This particular special projects comic came as a tabloid-sized issued as a 12-page comic that came free in the Daily News on November 17, 2010, and was co-sponsored by Work Force, the City's Job hunting offices.
In Detail...
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Amazing Spider-Man: You're Hired! (NYC)
Summary: Spider-Man appears |
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| Nov 2010 : SM Title : Spider-Man Promo (Newspaper) | |||||||||||||||
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Staff Only
Issue Review |
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Peter and May are riding the subway as peter scans the want ads looking for a new job. Peter is understandably dejected about his lack of work and dim prospects, but May is trying to encourage her favorite nephew, telling him that he is a Parker and they are a hearty breed. As Peter gets up to offer his seat to a pregnant woman she points out that his pen exploded all over his shirt. The subway stops short, causing peter to fall, as he gets up, he puts his ink-stained hand on Mayor Bloomberg’s tie, ruining it.
While the Parkers are surprised to find the mayor on the subway, he reminds them that he regularly rides the rails to get around the city. Once he learns of Peter’s plight, he informs him of the City’s new job program, Work Force, a job-placement program that is free to any resident of the City’s five boroughs. The Parkers join the Mayor’s entourage as they travel to the Mayor’s stop by City Hall. Upon exiting, Peter notices a dollar on the street, and another one floating down from the sky. Looking up he spots The Vulture making off with a bag from a bank heist, as it spills its contents. Making an excuse to duck out, Peter quickly changes to Spidey and chases after the high-flying thief, making short work of him and leaves him trussed up on a lamp post for the cops.
Peter returns to the Mayor and his Aunt just in time to get a text from Iron Man to all local Avengers to help with the takedown of a robot T-Rex that is rampaging through Midtown. Spidey arrives in time to help his fellow Avenger stop the monster, then makes a quick detour to a nearby Men’s warehouse to acquire a replacement tie for the Mayor, before returning to his Aunt’s side.
Handing the tie to the Mayor, Blumberg reminds Peter that Workforce is free to all New Yorkers and to wish him well on his job search.
In General...
As stated, since this takes place in the “real world” Bloomberg not Jameson is mayor, which is a major selling point of this special issue. The story’s point is to let New Yorkers know about the Work Force program that is free to all New Yorkers — which it does admirably — so it only to be expected that in a 12-page comic with a pro-social message, the action scenes would be on the light side. Therefore everyone can be forgiven for having Spidey wrap up both fights in just a couple of pages.
The message to New Yorkers is there. The Mayor knows that times are tough, and folks are out of work so he is putting helping the City get back to work his top priority. Spidey is there for star power, and to get the attention of the media and citizenry.
Overall Rating... 
I love these types of comics, as they not only extend the brand of Spidey, but promote the industry of comics themselves, proving that they are still a viable medium. The story’s message is clear and to the point, and even though the action is a tad light and just a bit rushed (hence the loss of a web). Still that matters little as the story is the thing and that comes off well.
Footnote...
The comic is also available as a download from Marvel’s digital comic database (www.marvel.com/marvelcomicsapp), plus additional story pages (not appearing in the Daily News Version) have appeared online, giving credence to the story that offices of Work Force are giving away a comicbook-sized version at its offices in the City.
