Issue 1

"oh no," David said to himself in a quiet voice, for the first time thinking of the ramification of his mutation, 'If I don't become Spider-man...' images of villains rampaging through NYC went through his mind, yet at the same time images of all the crap that Peter want through entered his mind, "would it be selfish of me to want to just live a normal life?" he asked his reflection in the mirror with a panicked look in his eyes

-David's house, morning before school-

" 'Everything is so bright!' " was all David could think as all his senses were heightened. Everything became incredibly vivid around him. He could discern details he had never been able to see before, and some part of him was convinced that he was perceiving colors he had never encountered before.

He felt the rough wood under his naked feet, scraping against his skin – coarse and painful. When he put his clothes back on, he experienced an incessant itch all over his body, as if every tiny thread of his attire was prickling against his skin.

When he attempted to take in a deep breath through his nose, he nearly gagged on the overpowering stench. Desperate, he shut his eyes and began counting to ten, trying to steady himself. Inhaling the muskiness of his room, he found, to his horror, that it triggered his nausea further.

"Make it stop," he murmured miserably, the taste of stomach acid lingering as he vomited into a bucket his mother had placed beside his bed the day before, during the worst bout of cold he had ever experienced.

and worse of all he heard moaning and giggles constantly, making him instantly know what happens when he heard his sweet mother's voice say, "TAKE ME STUD, FUCK ANOTHER BABY IN ME!!!" he almost started to puke again here and there as he could only scream silently with his mouth open as he heard his parents making a little brother or sister from the other side of the house.

"God, the one above all, Marvel editors, fucking anyone just kill me now, how the fuck did Peter stay sane like that," David thought to himself, as with a traumatized face he went to the shower to clean himself, under the falling water staring unblinkingly at the shower's wall as he could only let one tear fall from its eyes before getting washed down the drain.

"TAKE THAT YOU FUCKING WHORE, TAKE MY CUM!!!" was the last thing David heard before he started to sit in the fetal position in the shower and rock himself for half an hour.

-later at the family dining table-

As David sat with his parents at the living room table, having breakfast, they noticed several changes in their son. Firstly, he was dressed in baggy pants and a gray sweatshirt, sporting sunglasses indoors and wearing his Sony noise-canceling earphones. Secondly, he was already on his second plate of food, a significant difference from the day before when he barely touched his meal due to being sick. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, their son had experienced a noticeable growth in height, to the extent that his parents wondered if he was wearing baggy clothes to accommodate his increased stature.

"So, son, I can see you're feeling better today," Solomon began, but his son turned his head slowly and silently toward him. His eyes appeared red, as though he had cried for hours or hadn't woken up well. "Maybe another day in the house will do you some goo.." Solomon began, as David adjusted his sunglasses with a trembling hand and simply said,

"I think I'd rather go to school, Dad. I'm feeling better, honestly," David said in a robotic voice, nearly devoid of emotion, feeling drained of all feelings. 'Why me? I don't want to be Spiderman; his life sucks,' were the only thoughts running through his mind as he finished his third plate of eggs, beans, and toast.

"Why don't I drive you to school today?" said his father with a smile, and David simply nodded his head before heading upstairs to retrieve his school bag and phone.

"What's with him today?" asked Solomon, while his wife, Countrest, had a full-blown smile on her face, appearing as if she were on cloud nine as she finished her plate.

"It's just a phase, dear. All kids at that age are a little moody," Aster said as she stood up from her chair and began to hum to herself while she started cleaning the dishes and pans in the kitchen sink.

-at the family car on the way to school-

"bye Dad," David started saying, as he very slowly and gently started to open the car door, afraid to break the handle of the car with his new super strength.

"Before you go, let's have a little talk, buddy," David's father said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder and giving him a gentle smile. "It may have been years since I was your age, but this old man still remembers a few things," Solomon began, his son turning his head to look at him.

"Is this the responsibility talk?" David thought to himself in horror. "Better listen and not act like a little shit. I will not pull a Tobey Maguire on my folks!" With a new resolution, David gave his father his full attention.

"These are the years that will shape you into the person you will become. Sometimes, it will seem as if the world is an uncaring, cold place, and at other times, it will be better. But remember, your mother, your friends, and I will always be there for you, okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, I... I understand what you're saying. I don't know what came over me today, but I'm fine, honestly," David said, feeling touched by his father's words. Yet, he still had one thing to ask his father, "Dad, if you had the power to change many lives for the better and save lives, but it would come at a cost, is it worth it?" David asked his father, his mouth going dry just thinking about his mutation and what it meant to him and New York City as a whole.

Solomon could only gaze at his son for a moment, absorbing David's question, and then said, "When I was your age, I wanted to be famous. I dreamed of being an actor. Everyone laughed at me for that, called me names and such. 'You, the son of an important rabbi who comes from a long lineage of wise men, want to be a clown?' they would ask me. I was angry and bitter. When my father heard about my dream, do you know what he said to me?" Solomon asked, ruffling his son's hair to capture his full attention.

"What, Dad? What did Grandpa say?" David asked, trying desperately to extract something from this conversation that might assist him with his dilemma.

With a serious expression, gazing deep into David's eyes, he said, "Everyone wants something in their life. Everyone holds those around them accountable to tradition, to family, and to the community. Many times, they and the person with aspirations would claim it's their responsibility. Yet, those same individuals often overlook that to dream is to truly live. Our dreams mirror our hopes and are a vital part of maintaining sanity, moving forward, and, most importantly, keeping the human soul alive.

Now, where I'm heading with this, son, is that our people have a saying: 'Whoever saves one soul will save a world.' " Solomon paused, still observing his son, who was fully engrossed in the conversation.

"Ever since that day, I took my father's words to heart. He wasn't angry or disappointed with my dreams. His words, along with our people's saying, have stayed with me since then. Of course, as I grew older, my desires and priorities changed. I eventually joined the force, and I managed to find something even more valuable than my old dream," Solomon said with a gentle smile. "You."

David was moved by his father's words, and he began to feel somewhat calmer than before. 'He's unchanged. He was just like this even in my first life,' David pondered to himself. He had an intense desire to embrace his father, yet he held back out of concern that his newfound super-strength might inadvertently harm him. 'My name is David Wolfe. I'm not Peter, Miles, or any other Spider-Man. I will master these powers and return to live my ordinary life, pursuing my dreams. Moreover, there are other street-level heroes who can safeguard NYC.' As they approached his school, David continued his inner musings, carefully considering his next steps.

-Midtown highschool-

As David navigated the school halls en route to his locker, he noticed that many people would stop and glance at him. Some regarded him with astonishment due to his evident physical and height changes, while others gazed at him without any hint of recognition.

"David?" David heard his friend's voice from behind. When he turned, he saw his three friends looking at him with amazement. "What happened?" Ned asked.

"Growth spurt," David said almost reflexively, as his friends cast doubtful looks at him for his response.

"David, I don't think it works like that," Peter said, removing his thick glasses to wipe off a smudge, while Gwen gazed up at her friend, feeling a touch of envy as she observed his increased height, considering she was the shortest girl in the class.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. I just woke up like this," David began to say, not realizing that two teenagers were sprinting down the hall toward them from behind. One had a blonde buzz cut, while the other was a tall, obese kid.

As David was about to continue, he suddenly felt the world come to a halt for a moment. It was as if billions of microscopic hairs stood on end all over his body, pointing toward something behind him. On pure instinct, he sidestepped, lifting one foot and causing the blonde teen to trip over his legs. Simultaneously, he caught the heavier boy by the back of his jacket, preventing him from running into his friends.

"Hi, Ken doll! What do you and your alternative life partner think? You could seriously hurt someone!!!" David was still feeling a mixture of stress and anger directed at the bullies Flesh Eugine Thompson and his partner in crime, Carl King. One of them had the potential to develop into a great hero, while the other could but would never become a villain, thanks to David flushing the spider that bit him down the drain. 'Like hell, I'll let Mister Body Snatcher here devour the spider.'

At that moment, most teens in the hall grew quiet, and all eyes were on David. "Dude," Ned exclaimed, his mouth agape, while Peter struggled to suppress his laughter. His mind raced with various quips he could have said, which only made it more challenging to hold back. Meanwhile, Gwen managed to maintain her composure for a second before a snort escaped her, and she began to giggle. As if a spell had been broken, laughter erupted from everyone in the vicinity, directed at the high school bullies.

"What did you say, you fucking Kite!!!" Carl said as his face flushed as he started to throw his fists and try to hit David in the face.

All the while this was happening, the nearly outward feeling returned. David found himself dodging and weaving through Carl's lunges as the boy started to slow down and tire. "What's wrong, Carl? Tired? I bet if I were a pop tart, your fat ass would have caught me by now," David taunted, sidestepping once again and lifting his leg to trip Carl to the floor.

"What is going on here!!!" a voice loudly asked as one of the teachers Hugh Del a dark-skinned chubby man, finally noticed the commotion.

"It was nothing, me and Carl just slipped, and David was about to help us right?" Flash explained as he gave David a desperate look, begging to play along.

'Fine I will play along, but just because I know how this world's narrative works, if I say no out of spite I will just follow Peter's footsteps before Uncle Ben's death, besides I already decided that even with this power I will live a normal life and follow my dreams, I don't need any comic book drama,' David thought to himself as he nodded towards mister Del.

"Well alright then, you boys just remember to stay out of trouble," was the only thing the teacher said as he started to walk towards the teacher's lounge.

"You better watch yourself jew-boy," was the only thing that want out of Carl's mouth as he with a still flushed face stumped angrily towards his locker.

'Gee, I wonder how long it took that guy to think of that slur?' David thought to himself as he shook his head.

"Wolfe... thanks for not snitching," was the only thing Flash said as he too started to walk away with a sad look on his face, David could only watch in pity reminding himself that while the guy is an ass, he can still have the potential to become a better person.

"David that was incredible!" Gwen said as she ran towards David with the rest of their friends behind, "And the quips it was just like it came out of your comic books!"

"Still hard to imagine that Gwen would ever act like this. While she does show her love for music, much like her Spider-Gwen counterpart, she can talk for hours about her favorite bands. She also exhibits many traits of her prime universe counterpart, with her affection for science and her aspiration to become a scientist. However, her personality is incredibly outgoing, and she's perpetually excited about even the smallest things. I think I've made her Spider-Man's true first fan, considering how she keeps pestering me to draw more comics of him," David thought. He could only smile at her boundless energy and positivity as she hopped around him, attempting to mimic what he was doing.

"It was cool David," Peter said as Ned could only look at him with an open mouth with star stroked look in his eyes.

"See I told you, you could do a good Spiderman imitation if you tried, now I just need to convince you to make your spider-sona like I did with Peter and Ned and we would have the best suits at Comic-Con this year!!!" Gwen said excitedly, almost not stopping for a moment as she Imagined them all going in a spider costume together.

"Gwen, first of all, no one knows of the Spiderman comic, second I already told you I don't do cosplay, " David tried to calm Gwen down, but it was all a wasted effort as she just kept speaking and jumping as they all went to their first class.

'Another reason for not being Spiderman,' David thought to himself as he looked at his friends, 'I don't want to lose any of you because the narrative of the world calls for it, for the rest of the world I will be a nobody, but for you guys I will be whatever I need to be to keep you all safe,' David thought to himself as memories of what ifs want through his head

Ned, getting large parts of his life erased because of his best friend's mistakes, gets brainwashed in the comics to become the hobgoblin.

Gwen never gets to grow up, never reaches her dreams, and never marries the man she loves, as it will all end with a broken neck, he only hope is that this time around she and Pete or whoever comes around will give her the happy ending she deserves.

Peter, his best friend, for most of his teenage life and all his adult life, lived on the edge of death, getting betrayed by his loved ones again and again, almost dying on a normal basis, living with guilt for the ones he failed, a part of him is happy that Pete gets to live his life in peace.

'spiderman is a curse, he is the universe's punching bag and nothing, and I mean nothing will make me become him, for my sanity, and loved ones, this city can be protected by others, never me.'