In this episode, Dan is joined by writer Paul Jenkins for a special discussion of his classic story “Heroes Don’t Cry” from Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 1) #35, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary of publication on September 19th, 2026.

The story, featuring artwork by Mark Buckingham and Wayne Faucher, follows a child named LaFronce, his drug-addicted mother, and his imaginary encounters with Spider-Man. It tackled difficult but important themes regarding drug addiction, parenting, race, and the adoption system in America, amongst other things, and has since become an important comic not only in Spider-Man’s legacy, but across the medium, particularly for its inclusion of the first portrayal of Spider-Man as a black man.

If you haven’t read the story for yourself, it’s available digitally on Marvel Unlimited and for purchase and can be found for a reasonable price from back-issue retailers.

Rick Coste edited this episode. Alex Galucki edited the video version of this podcast. Our artwork is handcrafted by artists Ron Frenz, Nick Cagnetti, and the late Sal Buscema. Our theme songs were produced by Ryland Bojack, Tony Thaxton, and Spider-Maj. Our animated introduction to the show is by Josh Sutton of Panels to Pixels.

Watch the show on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOPCnjzQZNViyEnoOuckaVQ

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This week’s Patreon podcasts include a review of Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 7) #36 / Legacy #1000, a recording of our “Who is your Spider-Man?” panel from Baltimore Comic Con, our discussion of the two Spider-Man/Superman comics, and two episodes of the Whatever a Spider Can Diaries, which document Dan’s process of writing a book about Spider-Man. If you’d like to follow along with our reviews as they are released, please check out our Patreon page:
https://www.patreon.com/superiorspidertalk

Read our B-Title reviews, collecting memories, and more in the Amazing Spider-Talk Substack!
http://www.amazingspider.substack.com

You can email questions to our show at amazingspidertalk@gmail.com or by clicking here.

You can also BUY MARK’S BOOK, 100 Things Spider-Man Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.