I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 25: Roommate Arrangements (Patreon)

Peter looked up when Gwen entered and gave a weary sigh. “Perfect timing, Gwen. We're having trouble figuring out what else to put in the newspaper.”

“What about the issues the older girls made?” Gwen walked over and examined a sample. “Couldn't we use them for ideas?”

“I think... you'd better see for yourself.” Peter reached into a cabinet and pulled out an old school newspaper.

It was only a few pages thick, yet its cover featured a gorgeous blonde woman posing in a revealing bikini. Gwen's eyebrows twitched.

“Where on earth did they find someone to pose for that?!”

“Who knows? The point is, we can't exactly take pictures like these. What am I supposed to do, put on a bikini myself?” Peter turned and looked straight at you. “You don't actually want to see me wearing one, do you?”

“Okay, let me think... Could I have a section where I write about what I think of different songs?” Gwen suggested.

“Sure, Gwen. You should probably use a pen name, though.” Peter considered it, then added, “Pick something that sounds good.”

“Hmm... How about Ghost?”

“Sounds good,” Harley said. “Write as much as you can. We've still got plenty of empty space to fill.”

If they filled the whole booklet with Peter's comic, even its few pages wouldn't be enough. But this was a school newspaper. If the school board wasn't satisfied with what it contained, they'd be in trouble.

The money for printing had to be approved by the school administration, after all. They needed at least some proper articles to justify the expense.

...

“Oh? Is the new school newspaper finally out?”

Every day, Thompson glanced at the rack beside the entrance as he walked past. Normally he couldn't have cared less about the school paper.

But Peter had promised to print a story about how Thompson had led their football team to victory over Phillips High, complete with an awesome photograph of him front and center!

So whenever he passed the rack, he'd casually look over as if by accident, checking whether any new issues had appeared. He was too embarrassed to ask Peter and the others why they hadn't published the glorious account of his victory yet.

Most previous issues had featured pretty blonde girls on the covers. Those pictures certainly appealed to teenage boys. Whenever a new issue appeared, the copies tended to vanish quickly.

Of course, the boys always waited until nobody was looking before sneaking one away. Taking that kind of magazine in front of everyone was embarrassing.

This time, though, Thompson had no reason to be shy.

The new cover showed him striking a heroic pose with a football in his hand. Above his picture, the word FLASH was printed in enormous letters.

Thompson snatched up a copy and admired his magnificent appearance. Even after class started, he ignored the teacher and leafed through the new issue.

“Peter really knows how to take a picture.”

He studied the shots of the football team, delighted with their sharp composition and flattering angles. Maybe he should bring this copy home, cut out the photographs, and pin them to his wall.

At the very least, he had to show them to his little sister, Jessie.

Ordinarily, he'd have stopped reading as soon as he finished the section about himself. But class was boring, so he kept turning pages.

“What's this Ghost person rambling on about?”

The page was full of song reviews written by someone calling themselves Ghost. Thompson wasn't exactly a sophisticated music critic, and he couldn't make sense of any of it.

He turned another page and found the comics section. A black bat emblem caught his eye.

“The New... Batman?”

As Thompson read, the bleak, cold misery of Gotham City unfolded before him. Criminals roamed its streets, but they too were afraid.

A gang dressed like clowns was preparing to commit a crime when a strangely costumed figure emerged from the shadows and caught their attention.

“Hey, isn't that the guy from the urban legend?” one of them said.

They soon learned that the legend was real.

Fists flew through the pouring rain. Violence and pain seemed to burst right off the page, leaving Thompson stunned by what he was seeing.

“That is so cool,” he whispered.

He flipped to the next page, but there was nothing more. He went back and read the comic again. Even after three readings, he still wanted more.

By then class was over. Thompson shoved the newspaper into his backpack and went to find Peter.

The three members of the newspaper club were having sandwiches for lunch when he arrived.

“Ugh... The meat in this sandwich tastes weird.” Harley took another bite, grimacing. It was nothing like the sandwiches she was used to. In fact, it tasted awful.

“Canned meat, luncheon meat, something like that,” Peter said. “Whatever it is, it's definitely not fresh bacon.”

“Oh, well...” Harley took another bite. “Next time I'll take you somewhere with decent sandwiches. The ones at school are terrible.”

“I have a feeling your idea of a decent sandwich won't come cheap...”

“Hey, Peter!” Thompson strode up and slapped Peter hard on the shoulder. Harley immediately ducked behind him.

“Aw, shit! Thompson, can't you say hello like a normal person? You're going to knock me apart!” Peter protested.

“Oh, right, right. Listen, Peter, those pictures you took were great. The football photos, I mean.”

“Thanks. Glad you liked them.”

Thompson scratched his head. “Oh, and there was something else... That Batman comic?”

“Yeah? What did you think?” Peter put down his sandwich and pulled out a small notebook. “Anything I should improve? Any suggestions?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that! It's awesome! Batman, Batman... I just wanted to ask when the next part comes out.”

“Next week, maybe. Or next month.”

“Did you guys make the whole thing yourselves?”

“Peter drew it, to be precise,” Gwen interjected. “And believe me, it's a lot of work.”

“Then you'd better hurry! I can't wait.”

“You'll have to. I don't have that much spare time,” Peter told him.

“Hey, is there anything I can do to help?”

“I could finish faster with more help, sure. But we're managing for now, and the school paper can't fit all that many pages of a comic in one issue anyway.” It wasn't a dedicated comic magazine, after all, just a short school publication.

“But if you really like it and want to help, there's a feedback section and a rating form at the back. Fill it in, tear it off, and drop it in the mailbox outside the newspaper club. You know where our clubroom is, right?”

“No problem! Leave it to me!” Thompson declared, then hurried off with the same boundless energy he'd arrived with.

“Uh... What exactly did he take that to mean?” Peter scratched his head.

“I've got a bad feeling about this,” Gwen said.

“Let's hope he doesn't cause any trouble,” Harley added. Then she perked up. “Oh, Peter! Everything's been arranged on my end. There's a place right near here. Want to go see it with me after school?”

“That fast?”

They'd only made the call this morning, and the whole thing was settled by the afternoon?

Must be nice being rich.

“Wait, what's this about?” Gwen asked.

“Harley wants to rent a place near school and share it with me,” Peter explained. “You know how far away my house is from here.”