relationships, and financial independence. However, one thing that Peter has in spades is his string of bad luck, often dubbed "The Parker Luck," and that no matter how often he tries to do the right thing, it always backfires in some manner.
The Parker Luck spans both Peter's day-to-day activities both in and out of costume, and Peter often blames that luck when something, no matter how minute, goes wrong. One of the most "Parker Luck" scenarios that Peter has ever been apart of was during a snow day, which was an endless string of bad-luck.
The story begins in Peter Parker Spider-Man #37, where Spider-Man (clinging to the top of the Empire State Building and covered in snow) reflects on what brought him there, in the middle of a snow storm. We then flashback to Peter, waking up with a cold, receiving a call from Aunt May, asking if he would be willing to help her shovel snow. Despite the massive quantities of snow falling outside, leading Peter to question his Aunt's mental state, he dons his Spider-Man costume and proceeds to head over to May's home. On the way however, one of Spidey's web-lines catches onto a pole covered in clear ice, which causes the webbing, and Spidey, to slip off and fall. Spidey then encounters a group of school children playing in the snow, and when Spidey encourages them to "stay in school," they proceed to pelt him with snowballs until he runs off. Just when Spider-Man can't imagine the day getting any worse, he encounters one of his oldest foes, The Vulture!
The Vulture, who had been robbing a Jewelry store, taking advantage of the chaos of the snowstorm, had expected to get away scott free. However, Vulture had the unfortunate luck of running into Spider-Man, who the Vulture believed was actively tracking him down for his crime (unaware that Spidey was really trying his hardest to avoid any more conflict). A fight between the two breaks out, and Spider-Man ends up tearing the Vulture's bag of stolen goods, leaving the Jewelry to fall towards the streets. Vulture, having become sick and tired of Spider-Man's constant interference, challenges him to one last duel, a man-to-man fight at the very first location that the two battled one another, with no tricks or gimmicks, to settle their ongoing conflict once and for all. And thus, Spider-Man made his way to the Empire State Building, only for the Vulture to, forty five minutes after Spider-Man showed-up, arrived to berate the web-slinger for getting the location wrong. The Vulture, choosing to fight dirty, makes the unexpected move of pulling out a gun to kill Spider-Man.
Spider-Man is quick to point out the Vulture's hypocrisy, and how easily he backed out on having a fair fight. Before Vulture pulls the trigger, Spider-Man asks if he could have one last favor, with Vulture saying that their situation isn't "an doting old Aunt.
Though Spider-Man has had a long and interesting history, it can be easy to forget that he's more down to earth than most heroes. Rather than being a Billionaire like Thor, Spider-Man was just an ordinary young man who accidentally acquired super-powers. This story showcases the more human side of Peter Parker, in that he's willing to undergo and endure the more mundane tasks that other heroes wouldn't have to endure (Thor would almost certainly not get pelted with snowballs by school children) all to help the people he loves. It also showcases his terrible luck perfectly, as what would seemingly be a quick trip to Forrest Hills results in a series of inconveniences that accumulates in dealing with the Vulture. Though Spider-Man might not have been able to enjoy his snow day to the fullest, he did learn that the Vulture has an affinity for Austin Powers movies. Groovy Baby, indeed.
