It Would Be One More Piece Of The Gauntlet, Certainly

If the Spider-Man writers really want to run with this bit about Peter being unemployed, why not go the extra mile and have him kicked out on the street?

His roomie already hates his guts, and probably tolerates him only because he can cover half the bills, so if Michelle finds out he can't pay his way, I can't see her having any qualms about giving him the boot. I haven't heard anything about Aunt May no longer being evil, and even if Mr. Negative's effect has been reversed, Pete said in the back-up story in #628 he didn't want to turn to her for money*. And he's basically tapped out his friends. Whether he means monetarily, or in terms of their good will, who knows? The latter probably, since I'd think people would get sick of loaning Peter money long before they ran out of money to loan. Maybe he's getting some unemployment checks, although I wonder how long the paperwork takes to process on those, would that even be enough when you factor in the cost of web fluid, and how long would that source of money last?

Spidey's jobless and broke, and unless he plans to take up burglary with Felicia**, he's going to stay that way. So put him on the street, and let's see how that goes. Would he take the Harry Osborn approach and try to crash with a lady friend (say, Carlie Cooper)? Assuming Aunt May's living with Jameson Sr., would he try and sneak into the house back in Queens and stay there, maybe make some repairs when he can (though I think May hired some people and she was going to charge Harry)? Or he could roam the city, staying in currently empty apartments or abandoned/condemned housing, basically, whatever place looks workable after his most recent night of being pummeled by some retooled old foe, or a hip, new version of an old foe. The Chameleon (when he was pretending to be Peter) commented that Parker didn't have much in the way of possessions, so hauling his stuff around ought to be a snap.

I figure if the writers are going to the trouble of telling us Spider-Man's being worn down physically and emotionally by this Gauntlet, combined with all his other problems, really sell us on it. Telling me he's struggling for money whole still living in a decent-looking apartment doesn't really convince me, even if he does have the turmoil of an unpleasant co-habitator. Show Spider-Man trying to find any dry, quiet place he can crash for the night, and how the less-than-optimal living conditions are wearing him down, shortening his temper, dulling his reflexes, whatever, that might be more convincing.

Or they could have more than one thing go right at a time for Spider-Man for awhile, just to see what that's like. Maybe after "The Grim Hunt" is over***.

* Which I figure is the result of the tongue-lashing she gave him about always mooching off people during the Mysterio arc. Last thing he wants to do is prove her right.

** I do wonder what the Black Cat's reaction to that would be? Happy that he's coming around to her way of thinking, or disappointed because she thought he was a better guy than that?

*** If they didn't do that during 2009, which is possible. I wasn't reading much Amazing Spider-Man last year, so perhaps that was his once-in-a Plutonian-solar-revolution "good" year.