••

Another rather foolish retcon! Too many people started asking "how can he make a fist without spraying webbing, if the firing button is in his palm?"

There MUST have been a better answer than "He has to tap twice". In the heat and ferocious speed of battle, even the fraction of a second between taps could have meant the difference between life and death!

+++++++++

Of course, in the origin story, it's said that the web-shooters "will operate at the slightest pressure of any finger"! But there's gotta be some kind of clever way to avoid accidential firings.

Logically, Peter should not deliver the inventions that he uses as Spider-Man to the public. Think about how the Batmobile design in Dark Knight gave away the possible identity of The Batman.

That being said, genius and invention do not necessarily run in the same direction with most people. Part of what makes Peter so special is that he can channel his genius along inventive lines as a particular need arises. He needed a costume, he made one; he needed a special web, he made one; he needed a tracing device, he made one; he needed to reverse the effects of Connors Lizard potion, he did it; etc, etc, etc.

It is perhaps a blind spot of the mind of the Lee & Ditko Peter Parker that prevented him from seeing that his and Aunt May's poverty was a problem to be addressed in the same way as his Spider-Man problems. Odd, given that Spider-Man was created to capitalize financially on his newfound powers, or perhaps a lingering guilt over his Uncle's death.

It's odd how the "Great Power / Great Responsibility" mindset applied to perfect strangers but not as much to the woman that effectively raised him. Who is to say what would have occurred had Ditko stayed on board as long a Kirby did on FF. Seems like he was doing most of the plotting in his last 18 months on the book.

I'd be willing to bet that given Ditko's Randian tendencies, that Peter would have sooner or later started thinking of his own personal welfare and that of his aunt before very long.

Jesus Garcia wrote: It's odd how the "Great Power / Great Responsibility" mindset applied to perfect strangers but not as much to the woman that effectively raised him.

I don't think that's true at all.  Peter did everything in his power to protect Aunt May, to help her whenever she needed it.  He felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for her particularly in light of the events that led to his Uncle's death.  I don't think not selling the web shooter/web fluid invention is any indication that he felt less responsibility toward his Aunt.  That he didn't spend precious hours, days, weeks or months perfecting the fluid so that it was permanent to make it potentially more marketable, thus taking him away from fighting crime and helping others, isn't an indication that he put the needs of strangers ahead of immediate family.  To me, it's an entirely different character that would start "thinking of his own personal welfare and that of his aunt before very long".  That's the character that went into the ring for money, that was becoming a television star and who ultimately couldn't be bothered with stopping the villain who ended up murdering his uncle. 

••

The most simple and basic conceit of these gaudy little pamphlets, and yet the one which seems to elude so many, fans and pros alike!!

It is perhaps a blind spot of the mind of the Lee & Ditko Peter Parker that prevented him from seeing that his and Aunt May's poverty was a problem to be addressed in the same way as his Spider-Man problems.

It wasn't a blind spot at all. Peter was constantly struggling to protect and provide for Aunt May. And the selling of his web fluid was SOMETHING HE TRIED AND IT DIDN'T WORK. Stan and Steve showed this specifically. So to continue to harp on why him now doing this equated him ignoring his aunt's plight is ludicrous.

Joel Tesch

It is perhaps a blind spot of the mind of the Lee & Ditko Peter Parker that prevented him from seeing that his and Aunt May's poverty was a problem to be addressed in the same way as his Spider-Man problems.

It wasn't a blind spot at all. Peter was constantly struggling to protect and provide for Aunt May. And the selling of his web fluid was SOMETHING HE TRIED AND IT DIDN'T WORK. Stan and Steve showed this specifically. So to continue to harp on why him now doing this equated him ignoring his aunt's plight is ludicrous.

***

A shame you quote me in your response without actually reading what I wrote. As you say, ludicrous.

Besides, Peter tried the "use my powers to make money"
concept from the start. How did that work out for him? It
would be hard for him to sell it and or market it without
revealing his identity to at least a few corporate higher
ups. Another factor.

Let's not forget that in a world that has Reed Richards
and Tony Starks, that an invention by an unknown, no
matter how clever, isn't the golden ticket it might be in
in OUR world.