No more Spidey

One day soon -- this weekend probably -- I will read my final Spider-Man comic book ... at least for a while.

One of the first comics I remember owning is Amazing Spider-Man 185 from October 1978. In it, Peter Parker does not graduate from college because of an incomplete in phys-ed.

I wish I could say I have all the issues since -- that would be so awesome -- but no. I do have a lot of Spidey comics, but nowhere near that many.

I love Spidey, especially his willingness to shoulder responsibility -- with great power comes great responsibility and all that.

Because of this love, I overlooked a lot. I went along when Marvel unmasked him,, survived the Iron Spider outfit and even kept reading after he made a deal with the devil, trading away his love with MJ so everyone would forget his identity and Aunt May would survive a gunshot wound.

I stuck with Spidey when Marvel accelerated his publishing schedule, so instead of $3 a month, it costs more like $9.

Marvel and the writers apparently get responsibility when it comes to Spidey, just not when it comes to the real world. In the issue that came out last week, Peter manipulates a photo for the newspaper.

It is a cheap shot at an industry that is hurting ... and it is my industry. Mostly, it is so stupid. Peter has been a journalist since high school. No journalist would consider photo manipulation. It is no different from writing a lie.

And I will put up with no more.