By Rhea Saran
Peter Parker is finally getting used to balancing his superhero life with his love for Mary Jane. But, as he discovers in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3”, the life of an arachnid superhero is destined for complications. For one thing, there are now two new villains on the horizon – Sandman, an ex-con whose DNA molecules bond with sand particles when he gets caught in the middle of an experiment, and Venom, Parker’s Daily Bugle rival who transforms when he gets coated in a mysterious black substance. What’s more, Parker’s own suit turns black, bringing out a dark side of Spider-Man that merely bubbled under the surface before. And as if this wasn’t enough to contend with, Parker’s on-and-off best friend, Harry Osborn, decides to avenge his father’s death at the hands of Spider-Man. With his dark side alienating him from those he loves, the question is whether Spider-Man can untangle this web of complications and return to the good side again.
Spider-Man Week in NYC
This week is Spider-Man Week in New York City. A fitting welcome to the North American premiere of the third film since this is Peter Parker’s city. Parker was born and grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. He went to college at Empire State University and worked as a photographer at the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York City newspaper. His superhero duties involved rescuing New York City – repeatedly – from the bad guys. Moreover, many New York City landmarks made their way into the films, including the Flatiron Building, the Queensboro Bridge, Times Square, the New York Public Library, and Columbia University.
Here is a sampling of the events around the city. For the full schedule, visit spider-manweeknyc.com.
Tribeca Film Festival will screen Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 back-to-back on May 3 before the first midnight premiere of the third installment that night in Queens.
tribecafilmfestival.org
The Bronx Zoo will host Spider-Man-themed scavenger hunts through the week, with prizes for the winners.
bronxzoo.com
The American Museum of Natural History will have an exhibit of live spiders and spider-themed activities for children during the week. On May 1, Spider-Man will be there live at 11am.
amnh.org
Saturday May 5 is Free Comic Book Day. A free copy of a Spider-Man comic will be given to those who visit stores.
888-comicbook for retailers
The Museum of the Moving Image will have daily screenings of vintage film prints of the Spider-Man animated TV series, dating back to 1967.
movingimage.us
The New York Public Library will, for the first time, display original Spider-Man comic books at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.
nypl.org
The Apollo Theater will host a night of original Spider-Man rap on May 6 with urban poets from the five boroughs.
apollotheater.org
