Amazing Spider-Man #79. The Prowler

(It's Christmas, and Peter Parker's having a smashing time. Cover from December 1969.)

"To Prowl No More!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

Now the Prowler's got problems. All he meant to do was steal some money, return it in his civilian disguise and look like a hero. Now he's suddenly found himself as a murderer, having flung Bugle photographer Peter Parker through a skyscraper window.

In fact, he did nothing of the sort. In order to get away without arousing J Jonah Jameson's suspicion, out hero has flung himself from the window, acting like it was the gentle push from the Prowler that did it. There is one fairly obvious flaw in the Parker plan, which is that, in order to survive the fall, he has to use his spider powers, while out of disguise, and in full view of half of New York.

Happily for him, it turns out there's no one around at all to see him do this, not even when he lands in the middle of the street in one of the world' busiest Metropoli. Who said Peter Parker never has any luck? Well, Peter Parker said it, in every issue, ever. He was wrong.

Now he changes into Spider-Man and sets off to deal with the miscreant.

The miscreant, meanwhile, flees the Bugle offices in a panic. How did a simple window cleaner get himself into this mess?

His mess just got a whole lot bigger because, on the roof, Spider-Man intercepts him. The Prowler's armed to the teeth and has claws but simply can't lay a glove on our hero and, after an action-packed but ultimately futile fight, flees.

Back home, the memory of what he thinks he's done goes round and round in Hobie Brown's head. He needs to do something to redeem himself.

Spider-Man! He reasons that if he captures Spider-Man and brings him to justice, it'll prove to the world - and to himself - that he's not a bad guy.

He goes about trying to prove to the world that he's not a bad guy in a very strange manner, by committing a string of crimes in order to get Spider-Man's attention. He gets his attention all right and, after checking potential targets in the area, Spidey finds him in double-quick time.

This is where all logic flies out the window. As he robs a jeweller's store, Hobie's delighted that he's discovered (presumably from the Bugle) that Peter Parker's still alive, which does pose the question as to why he's still robbing places to attract Spider-Man to capture him to redeem himself for the murder of Peter Parker. Oh well, no one ever said that comics or costumed cavorters had to make complete and total sense.

The last time the pair met, the Prowler got away by firing gas at our hero. He tries it again. The only problem is Spidey's wearing a gas mask under his spider mask. With that discovery, the plan to capture Spider-Man goes right out the window and the Prowler flees.

He doesn't get very far. Spidey zaps him with his webbing and it's game over, the super-villain career of Hobie Brown comes to an end. Spider-Man unmasks him and Hobie tells him the whole sorry tale of how he became the Prowler.

And now Spidey shows that being a hero is about more than just nabbing bad guys. Sometimes, it's about letting them go. Seeing something of himself in the youth and recognising that what he needs most if he's to go straight is a second chance, he tells him to go back to his girlfriend and sort things out. If this were the 1970s' cop show The Sweeney, this would be one of those episodes where they finished the show with the sad version of the theme tune. As it happens, this is a comic book and so it has to settle for Spidey swinging off, silhouetted by the moon. It's an odd tale with a villain who doesn't really want to be a villain and who clearly never has the power to challenge Spidey but that's what makes it one of the more appealing tales of this era as it shows the strip's main strength by concentrating on the character of Hobie Brown to give us a tale of how, when we make a single wrong turning in life, things can quickly escalate beyond our control.

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months without Mary Jane now: 14

Amazing Spider-Man #78. The Prowler

(Cover from November 1969.)

"The Night Of The Prowler!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

It's 1969 and John Romita Jr makes his first ever contribution to the strip by coming up with the idea of the Prowler but, in the world of fiction, Peter Parker's got problems.

Yes, he's still worried about his relationship with Gwen.

Not as worried as she is. She's so worried in fact that she's called in Flash Thompson for advice on how to deal with Pete. Asking Flash Thompson how to deal with Pete might seem like asking Dr Doom how to live in peace and harmony with those around you but, fair play to him. he's known Peter as long as anyone and she figures that if anyone can shed light on the boy's psyche, Flash can. That does bring to mind something that had never struck me before. That, seventy eight issues, and seven years, into the strip's run we still don't know Flash Thompson's first name. I mean, it seems unlikely that his parents (assuming that, unlike many in the Spiderverse, he actually has them) decided to christen him "Flash".

But Peter Parker has better things to worry about than Flash's name. Having seen Gwen and Thompson together in a coffee shop, he's more concerned about his motives. He walks the streets alone, pausing only to knock out a couple of would-be muggers and, along the line, looks up to envy a late-night window cleaner and the no-doubt carefree existence he must have.

Meanwhile, the window cleaner's looking down at Pete, thinking what a care-free life he must have. The window cleaner's Hobie Brown who, thankfully for us is another character in the habit of talking to himself. He feels like a loser. He has an idea for these great devices that could make window cleaning so much easier but he can't even get his boss to listen.

It turns out the window he's cleaning is that of Daily Bugle publisher J Jonah Jameson, out of hospital and back to working all hours that God sends him. He yanks open the window and chews Hobie out over how long it's taking him to do the window.

But it seems that, for once, we've misjudged Jonah. In his own charmless way he's trying to warn Hobie that his boss is on the war path about his sloth-like window cleaning. Now his boss storms in. Jameson covers for Hobie, saying it was he who held the youth up by complaining to him about the prices his boss charges. Then the boss says something vaguely racist and JJ threatens to deck him. It's scenes like this that make you love Spider-Man, where even a panto villain like Jonah can have a moral streak within him.

Hobie returns home. He's had it with window cleaning. If he can't use the devices he's invented to make money honestly, he'll do it dishonestly. He'll become a super-villain and commit a robbery. Then, as Hobie Brown, he'll "find" the abandoned loot and hand it in for the reward. He gets busy. He whips himself up a costume and now he's Hobie Brown no longer. He's the Prowler and he's ready for action.

Elsewhere, Peter's dropped in to the Bugle offices. He needs an advance from Jameson. He doesn't get it. He just gets the customary rant. Seemingly, it's only other people's employees he stands up for. As for The Prowler. He's decided that the best way to get publicity is to steal from a newspaper. There's only one problem. Just as he's stealing the Bugle's payroll, who walks in but Peter Parker.

Pete's about to tangle with him.

But now J Jonah Jameson walks in.

So, now what does our hero do? He can't let the Prowler get away but, with Jonah watching, how can he be seen holding his own against a super-villain?

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months without Mary Jane now: 13

Amazing Spider-Man #77. The Human Torch & the Lizard

(Cover from October 1969.)

"In The Blaze Of Battle!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

I've never been a big fan of this issue. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly entertaining and beautifully drawn and I've also always liked the somewhat fractious nature of Spider-Man and the Human Torch's relationship. They're sort of friends but seem to always end up fighting. It's just that it makes the Lizard look a bit rubbish. Normally, when he fights Spidey, he seems like one of Marvel's deadliest menaces. In this issue, he spends the whole story running away from the Torch, trying to avoid getting toasted as Spidey tries to save him. But who wants twenty pages of the Lizard running away? Not us. We want twenty pages of him threatening to destroy humanity, while bashing Spidey about.

The Torch, of course, doesn't know what's going on and why it's vital not to harm the Lizard. Spider-Man's no good at explaining things and the Torch is no good at listening to things. No wonder they're always at each other's throats. The Lizard's made it to the waterfront, declaring that, now he's here, nothing can stop him.

Spidey and the Torch are both going to make a damn good try at it.

Being able to fly, Torchy gets there first. He finds the Lizard on the deck of a ship, trying to hit the panic-stricken crew with a mast he's broken off. Why he's doing this is never explained. Presumably, he was just in the mood to let off steam. Well, the Torch is ready to let off steam too but in a whole different way. He flings a fire blast at the villain, who leaps into the water to escape it. Now the Torch lets of his steam. He boils the water. The Lizard'll be killed. Spidey jumps in to save the villain. The Torch stops boiling, in order not to kill Spidey.

Seemingly, the water stops being boiling hot instantly because Spider-Man's totally unharmed by the experience of leaping into it. It won't be the last bout of unlikely physics in this tale.

Happily, the villain didn't need saving. He was just playing possum. Not so happily, he grabs Spider-man and tries to drown him.

But Spidey breaks free and strangulates the fiend with his own collar. When he's passed out, Spider-Man returns to the surface with him. There then follows a short argument between the Torch and Spider-Man, which is ended by Spidey claiming his non-existent spider-sonic hearing's detected a distress call from the rest of the Fantastic Four.

With the Torch out of the way, Spidey can get on with the task of turning the Lizard back to Curt Connors. He takes him to a warehouse and secures him in a webbing net while he goes in search of the chemicals he needs.

Oh dear, things start to go wrong again. Curt Connors' son Tommy's spotted our hero entering the warehouse. Concerned about his father, the boy's gone inside. The Lizard wakes, spots the boy, breaks loose from the webbing and leaps at him.

Spider-Man hears his scream and rushes to the scene...

...to see the reptile stood over the fainted boy. It seems that, somewhere in the deep recesses of his brain, he remembers who the lad is. The Lizard spots Spidey and, putting the boy aside, says he's going to kill the hero.

Oh no he's not because Spider-Man throws a king-size barrel of talcum powder at him. The fool! How can mere talcum powder stop the mighty Lizard?

Well, pretty easily as it turns out. The powder dries Lizzie out and weakens him so much that he transforms back into Curt Connors. It has to be the most wonderfully illogical idea ever seen in the strip but who cares? As a solution, it has a certain charm - and it's a safe bet that, by the time of Spidey and the Lizard's next meeting, Spider-Man will have completely forgotten that he can be defeated by talcum powder and will spend several issues battling to work out a way to beat him.

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months without Mary Jane now: 12 (It's MJ's first vanish-a-versary).

Amazing Spider-Man #76. The Lizard & the Human Torch

(Cover from September 1969.)

"The Lizard Lives!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

When people talk about John Buscema's career, they tend to acclaim his work on Thor, The Fantastic Four and The Avengers - not to mention his immense stints on Conan, omitting to mention the work he did on Marvel's flagship character. Equally, when they talk about great Spider-Man artists, they tend not to mention Buscema. Maybe it's because he drew relatively few issues of Spider-Man (although he drew more than people seem to realise) though I suspect it's just that his artwork may not have been quite quirky enough for him to have been viewed as a true Spider-Man artist.

Either way, you know, no matter what he's drawing, he's never going to let you down. And he doesn't here. Even under Jim Mooney's inks, you can spot the essential Buscema-ness of the art, even on the pages where he clearly contributed nothing more than the layouts.

As for this issue's other returning favourite, happily the Lizard's not changed his attitude one jot since his last appearance. He's still obsessed with destroying the whole human race. Maybe this is what makes the Lizard my favourite Spidey foe. Antagonists like Doc Ock, the Kingpin and Mysterio just want to line their pockets, shove people around or prove they're tougher than Spider-Man but the Lizard's ambitions are on a whole different level, even if he never does get within a million miles of achieving them.

Now all he has to do is find Spider-Man so he can be the first up against the wall come the reptile revolution.

If only he knew that he doesn't have to go looking for the hero because Spidey's already looking for him.

But first, the titular teen has to phone his Aunt May, who's still in Florida and then have a quick chat with Harry Osborn who mentions Mary Jane's love of his new moustache, despite the fact she hasn't been seen in the comic for months. It's like all those years in Coronation Street where Tracy Barlow disappeared into her bedroom for about ten years, only to reappear with a brand new head.

After the Spidey-heavy tales of the last few issues, we're getting a whole bucketload of Mr P this time round, coz now he's at Gwen Stacy's house and she's still mithering about his sudden disappearances. All trace of the live-wire that Gwen once was have gone by this stage on the strip, which is a shame. It might be a more realistic portrayal of how a super-hero's girlfriend would be in real life but it's a lot less interesting. It turns out they're not alone in the house because, elsewhere within its realms Captain Stacy and Joe Robertson are discussing Spider-Man and who he might be. They start asking Pete what he knows about Spidey. He gets all hot under the collar and the next thing you know it's tomorrow morning as he leaps out of bed upon hearing a radio bulletin of a scaly madman on the loose. Either Norman Osborn has scabies or it's the Lizard.

Yup, there he is, in the street, causing no end of chaos. As with these things, the police are nowhere in sight. It'd be great if, one of these stories, Spidey would hurry to the scene of a fracas, to deal with a villain, only to find that the police had got there first and already shot him.

In the total absence of a competent gendarmerie, Spidey enters the fray and they spend the next few pages flinging each other around, the Lizard yet again looking too tough for his opponent. Not only is he at least as strong as Spidey but, thanks to his thick hide, he can't even feel Spider-Man's strongest punches. After yet more trading of blows - from which our hero comes off worst - Lizzie smacks him in the mouth with his tail and then drops him off the roof.

Is this it?

Is our hero doomed?

Of course he's not. After 76 issues, we should have learned by now that no fall's ever likely to kill a man with webbing. What it is, however, is the ending of this issue and the start of a whole new raft of problems for its star as, halfway down, he finds himself being caught by someone.

It's the Human Torch.

And, when it comes to fighting the Lizard, he wants a piece of the action.

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months now without Mary Jane: 11

Amazing Spider-Man #75. Death of Silvermane

(Cover from August 1969. )

"Death Without Warning!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Romita and Jim Mooney
Inks by Jim Mooney
Lettering by Artie Simek

Spidey's on the hunt for Curt Connors, so he leans on a couple of crooks and they tell him where to find the Maggia's HQ. In that HQ, Marko's having a hard time getting his head round Silvermane's sudden rejuvenation routine.

That time gets even harder when Maggia lawyer Caesar Cicero walks in and, determined to get rid of Silvermane, tells him it must all be a trick, that this man must be an impostor. An impostor, thinks Marko, yeah, that must be it and Marko and Silvermane quickly come to blows.

But it's no contest. In his current state of vigour, the Maggia boss is too much for even Marko and gazing into his eyes makes the Man-Mountain realise this is indeed the man he's been working for all this time.

And now they have company because Spider-Man smashes in through the window. He sorts out Marko in double-quick time - it's easy when you're not distracted by having to worry about the Shocker's girlfriend's safety - but, in even the few moments it took for him to do that, Silvermane's changed again. He's grown even younger still. Now he looks remarkably like Peter Parker, although Spidey never seems to notice the resemblance. It's worth mentioning here that it looks like John Romita's back to doing the strip's full pencilling, with Mooney just doing the inks. Silvermane, meanwhile, is so confident in his new-found regeneration that he's ready to take our hero on, hand-to-hand.

Curt Connors takes advantage of all this to make his escape. He has to find his wife and son.

But, maybe they'd be better off if he didn't find them - because it finally happens, the thing he's been trying to hold off for the last three issues. Suddenly, he's got two hands - and they're both covered in scales. The Lizard is back.

Spidey and Silvermane are scrapping. In truth, it's not that much of a scrap, with Silvermane only managing to land one blow on Spider-Man, a knee to the head, which doesn't hurt the human arachnid in any way, shape or form. The villain, meanwhile, is getting younger by the second.

Cicero returns, with reinforcements. While Spidey's busy dealing with them, Cicero's out to deal with Silvermane. If he kills him, he can claim the Maggia crown for himself. But, when he sees the young boy that Silvermane has now become, the Lilliputian lawyer runs off in horror.

He's not the only one horrified, because it's finally dawned on Silvermane what'll happen if he carries on regressing.

Spider-Man finishes off the minor hoods but then sees a small boy run past in Silvermane's clothing. And then, before his eyes, in a striking set of panels that once seen are never forgotten, the crime-lord dies, regressing to a baby and then into nothingness.

On his way out, Spider-Man runs into a pair of familiar faces. It's Curt's wife and son. But where's Curt?

Well, we all know where "Curt" is. He's in what appears to be a warehouse and he's boarding himself in to try and prevent himself from hurting anyone.

But it's no use, as the story ends, the last vestiges of his human intellect vanish and Curt Connors is no more.

Now there's just The Lizard.

Amazing Spider-Man # 74. Silvermane

(July 1969. America lands a man on the moon, and Spider-Man lands a man on his backside.)

"If This Be Bedlam!"

Written by Stan Lee
Layouts by John Romita
Pencils by Jim Mooney
Inks by Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

There are two men in the Marvel universe who it's not wise to get angry. Actually, there are plenty. The Marvel universe is full of angry young men. No one would ever have a fight if there weren't and then where would we all be? But there are two men who it's notoriously unwise to anger. One's Bruce Banner. And the other?

That's Curt Connors, one-armed bio-chemist and occasional megalomaniac super-reptile. Therefore it's probably not a good idea for Man-Mountain Marko to be threatening him at the start of this issue. Of course, the Maggia's muscle doesn't know about Connors' somewhat unusual nature and it's only the intervention of Silvermane that halts the confrontation. At Silvermane's insistence, Connors is taken to a lab where he's to work with Wilson on deciphering the tablet.

And if he doesn't?

Then his wife and kid get it.

And what of our hero?

He's still on the trail of the tablet. He learns from The Bugle that Caesar Cicero's bailed Wilson. Bearing in mind Wilson's previous links with the tablet and the fact that both Cicero and Marko work for the Maggia, this is all too big a coincidence. So, Spidey decides to drop in on Cicero. Wouldn't you know it? Just as he's threatening the man, a secret panel opens and gang of hoods emerge, aiming to fill Spidey with more holes than Blackburn, Lancashire. Of course, they fail miserably, but they divert Spidey long enough for Cicero to make his getaway.

And he's not alone. He's got Connors' wife and son tied up in the back of his car.

Back at the lab, Connors has cracked it. Silvermane was right. The symbols on the tablet are a chemical formula and not a language. That's why no one's ever been able to translate it before.

Silvermane's not interested in exposition. He wants that formula and he wants it now. He's an old man, on his last legs, and patience is a guest that only the young can afford to entertain. Given no choice, Connors whips up the potion in question and hands it to Silvermane. Connors warns him that it's not been tested. Silvermane doesn't care. Caring is for wimps. Marko warns him not to drink it. Connors could have poisoned it. Silvermane doesn't care. Caring is for wimps. The crime lord knocks it back in one swig, like he's a gunfighter in some spaghetti western.

But then, it all goes Pete Tong.

The crime lord's in agony.

The crime lord collapses.

Marko knew it all along. Connors put poison in the potion. Right; well Connors killed Silvermane - now Marko's going to kill Connors.

Oh no he's not. Why? Because he's interrupted by a voice. A voice from behind him, where Silvermane had been.

Marko looks round...

...and is stunned by what he sees.

It's Silvermane! He's still alive!

No. He's more than that. Something's happened to him. Where once the leader of the Maggia was an old and enfeebled man, closer to his maker than he'd ever been, now he's young, reborn. That's what the tablet's secret was, the resurgent crime lord tells his henchman. It was the secret of the Fountain of Youth.

Amazing Spider-Man #73. Man-Mountain Marko

(Cover from June 1969.)

"The Web Closes!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema, John Romita and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

The Shocker may have been disposed of but there's still the small matter of where he hid the priceless tablet that turned out to be worthless. Spider-Man has only one lead and that's to ask Captain Stacy if, during the Shocker's raid on his home, the villain said anything that might give away where he was planning to stash his gains. Stacy says the Shocker was too clever for that.

But then he remembers something. The Shocker used to have a girlfriend who was in the habit of paying his bail. Maybe she knows where it is.

Spider-Man's on the case. Using his spider-sense to narrow down the search, he finds her apartment - only to discover someone else has found it first. It's a character called Man-Mountain Marko and he too is after the tablet. He's not the only one because it turns out he's working for the Maggia, a criminal organisation that's in no way named after any real-life criminal organisation, good grief no.

The Shocker's girlfriend says she's never seen the tablet. Marko doesn't believe her, and, to prove it, he starts to tear the place apart.

That's when our hero intervenes, smashing in through the window and joining the thug in a bout of fisticuffs. Convinced he's knocked Marko out, Spidey talks to the girl.

There's only one problem. Marko's not unconscious and, taking advantage of Spider-Man being distracted by his conversation with the girl, hits him with an armchair.

Down at the police station, something's to do. The Kingpin's bailing out his stooge Wilson.

Except it turns out it's none of the Kingpin's work. The bail's been paid by a man called Caesar Cicero, a character who's got "sinister" written through him like some sticks of rock have the word "Blackpool" through them. Unlike that holiday resort, Cicero's not the type to kiss you quick. He's with the Maggia and, from now on, so's Wilson.

Back at the flat, Marko's found something. It's a safe. Before he can open it, Spider-Man resumes their punch-up. Marko needs a distraction.

He finds one. He drops the Shocker's girlfriend out the window. Spider-Man leaps after her and saves her but, when he gets back to the flat, Marko's gone, with the tablet.

Marko takes his find back to his boss Silvermane, head of the Maggia and Wilson's new employer. But Wilson's not the only new arrival because, now that he has the tablet, Silvermane wants it translated. So far, the thing's hieroglyphics have foiled the finest linguists the world can offer. Linguists? Pshaw! Silvermane doesn't need them. He needs a chemist and he reckons he's kidnapped just the right man for the job - Dr Curt Connors.

Why do I get the feeling things are about to get scaley round here?

Amazing Spider-Man #72, The Shocker's back

(Cover from May 1969.)

"Rocked By The Shocker!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema, John Romita and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

So, it's back to the many-chefs-make-light-work approach when it comes to the pictures, with Big John Buscema hopping on board to help out. Even at a glance, it's pretty obvious what his contribution is. Even though Buscema always claimed to have copied his layout style slavishly from Jack Kirby, his character poses are instantly recognisable as being his and no one else's.

Of course, that still leaves the question of just what Romita's and Mooney's contributions to the art are. I'm not even going to guess. I'm assuming the inking's by Mooney, which leaves the small matter of how much of the pencilling is Mooney and how much Romita. Like I say, I'm not even going there. Umpteen issues of various hands having a finger in the artistic pie have left me far too confused by it all to even speculate.

Anyway, it doesn't matter because, as you'd expect with that combination of talent, the thing looks great and, in the end, that's all that counts, as The Shocker announces his return by smashing into George Stacy's living room and zapping him with his vibro-blaster. The ex-cop out of the way, the villain turns his attention to what he came for, the priceless stone tablet. Apparently Captain Stacy has let it become common knowledge that he has the tablet, even letting the newspapers know. Frankly, you'd have expected an ex-police captain to have a bit more sense than that and you'd have expected the tablet's rightful owners - whoever they are- to have more sense than to let him keep it.

Drawn by the noise, Gwen bursts in to see the Shocker purloining the artifact. And then he's gone, leaving Stacy senior with no more than a sore head.

The captain isn't the only one with a headache because, when he tries to fence the supposedly priceless tablet, The Shocker can't get shut of it. It seems the entire criminal underworld's too scared to touch it in case Spider-Man comes for them. Oh yeah? Well The Shocker's not scared of Spider-Man.

He gets an early chance to prove it as Spidey catches up with him on a rooftop. Cue the statutory fight. As it's only halfway through the story, cue the villain's escape. But not before Spider-Man plants a tracer on him. To The Shocker it might be goodbye but to Spider-man it's no more than au revoir.

Back to day-to-day reality as, an unspecified time later, Peter Parker sees off his Aunt May. She's off to Florida, for a holiday, which is the perfect excuse for the various creators to give us a flashback to Curt Connors and his tendency to become a human reptile.

Peter Parker, meanwhile decides to get all jealous when he sees Gwen and Flash talking. Flash, increasingly grown-up since his draft into the army, isn't impressed by Pete's behaviour, Gwen isn't impressed by his behaviour and, in the end Peter isn't impressed by his behaviour. There are times when he has to accept that he really is his own worst enemy.

But not right now. Right now, that title belongs to The Shocker. Spidey catches up with him. They have another punch-up - and then we get a masterclass in why, powerful as he might be, Shocky just isn't a top class criminal. The last time they met, Spider-Man beat him by firing webbing at his thumbs. This time he does it by firing webbing at his eyes. Unable to see, and with no way of removing the webbing, The Shocker falls easy prey to just one punch from our hero.

If only all of Spider-Man's problems were so easy to solve.

Amazing Spider-Man #71. Quicksilver

(Cover from April 1969.)

"The Speedster And The Spider!"

Written by Stan Lee

Layouts by John Romita

Pencils by Jim Mooney

Inks by Jim Mooney

Lettering by Sam Rosen

It's feeling-sorry-for-yourself time again, as Peter Parker sits alone in the pad he shares with Harry Osborn, bemoaning his lot in life. The police are after him. He's lumbered with a stolen priceless tablet he can't get rid of and he's inadvertently put J Jonah Jameson in hospital.

He's not the only one in a state of disgruntlement either because ex-Avenger Quicksilver's also lamenting his lot. Sadly for the mutant speedster, the whole world thinks he's a villain. This is mostly because of his, and his sister's, recent re-association with that menacing master of magnetism Magneto. Back in New York, he decides he has to see the Avengers to set the record straight. The only problem is, that when he reaches their HQ, he's told by their butler Jarvis that the super-group aren't there. They're all in Africa - presumably having problems with the Man-Ape.

So, that's that plan stymied.

Fortunately for him, the world of the super-powered is driven by coincidence and, when a pile of newspapers land at his feet, suddenly, he's presented with a plan. According to the front page, Spider-Man's a wanted man. Now, if he can only catch that wanted man, Quicksilver reasons, then the world will have no choice but to see him as a hero. His logic is somewhat flawed here. After all, if Dr Doom were to capture Spider-Man, it's hard to believe the world would feel it had no choice but to see him as a good guy.

Someone left with no choice but to see Spider-Man as a good guy is Joe Robertson. He's in charge of the Bugle now that JJ's in hospital. It's turned out the publisher didn't die at the end of last issue after all, he merely blacked out with fright. This, of course, doesn't explain how come he had no pulse but maybe Ned Leeds is just really bad at distinguishing between the living and the dead. Still, who can complain? He might be an idiot and a pain in the backside but a sequence at the hospital shows that the strip would be a whole lot less fun without the bad tempered publisher.

As for Joe, he's happy because Peter Parker's offering him pics that show Spider-Man fighting the Kingpin. Not only do they clear Spider-Man but, more importantly, from Robertson's viewpoint, they clear the student protesters - including his own son - of any involvement in the theft of the stone tablet. Needless to say Joe rewards Peter with a cheque the size of which, he's never before seen.

Things are looking up for our hero on the stone tablet front as well, as he finally figures out how to get rid of it. He takes it round to George Stacy (who, for once, isn't hanging around the police station) and leaves it with him for safe keeping. At last, all his problems are solved.

That's what he thinks - because that's when Quicksilver shows up. Catching Spidey unawares, he sends the arachnid adventurer plummeting from the side of a tall building.

But of course no mere fall's ever going to finish off our hero. He breaks his fall.

And now the fight can begin.

Not that it's much of a fight. It's all right having spider powers but, if you can't actually hit your foe, what use are they? It looks like it's going to be the shortest "fight" in history as Quickie literally runs rings around him.

But then...

...Spider-Man has it. He defeats his uncatchable foe with the simplest tactic ever devised in the history of super-herodom. As the mutant runs in circles around him, sucking the very air away from him, Spider-Man simply sticks his arm out. Quickie runs straight into it and is promptly knocked out.

The police show up. Spidey isn't hanging around to let them shoot him and he isn't going to leave the fugitive Quicksilver to their mercy either. He grabs his unconscious foe and carries him to a nearby rooftop.

Recovered, Quicksilver declares that, as Spider-Man saved him, he can't in all honour continue to fight him. That suits Spidey just down to the ground and, with a quick thwip of his web shooter, our hero swings off, pondering if maybe his luck has changed at last.

Well, really, what are the chances of that?

Amazing Spider-Man #70. The Kingpin

(A spider at bay. Cover from March 1969.)

"Spider-Man Wanted!"

Written by Stan Lee

Layouts by John Romita

Pencils by Jim Mooney

Inks by Jim Mooney

Lettering by Sam Rosen

A wise man - or maybe one completely ignorant about prisons - once said that stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage. It shows how much he knew because, at the start of this tale, the Kingpin's in a police cell, trapped behind bars.

Not for long he isn't.

After a quick bout of judicious bar twisting, he's free, stomping along the corridor, like a rhino and knocking out a couple of guards before setting off to get his tablet back from Spider-Man.

Right now, Spider-Man has problems of his own to worry about, as the police are still on his tail and he still has a priceless stone tablet to get rid of. Not only that but Gwen's in full-on nag mode and, once he's back in civvies, wants to know where he keeps disappearing to in times of trouble. He does his usual thing of completely failing to communicate with her (all he has to do is tell her he's off risking his life to get photos of Spider-Man) then she bursts into tears.

Back in costume, he decides to put the heat on the Kingpin by roughing up a few of his men.

Then he decides to rough up a few more.

Then he comes across a hold-up. Being the fine, upstanding citizen he is, he soon sorts that out.

But it turns out it never was a hold-up. It was all a set-up by the Kingpin to lure our hero out into the open. Of course they promptly have a fight. With a two-footed kick to the head, Spidey drops the crime-lord.

But, before he can move in to finish the deal, a car screeches to a halt between them.

It's driven by Ned Leeds, with J Jonah Jameson in the passenger seat. Jameson's out to thwart Spidey's plan. He doesn't know what Spidey's plan is but, whatever it is, he's going to thwart it. That's all the web-slinger needs, that blockhead getting in the way. As Spidey argues with Jameson, another car screeches to a halt. A door flies open and a woman's voice calls from within for the Kingpin to climb inside. He does, and the car shoots off.

Meanwhile, Jameson's giving Spider-Man a heavy dose of ear ache. Our hero decides that's it. If Jameson wants to call him a menace, he'll act like one, and he grabs hold of the man to give him a scare.

But, sometimes, you can give a man too much of a scare and the publisher promptly blacks out. Leeds tells Spider-Man that he can't feel a pulse. The publisher's had a heart attack!

Could it be true? Could Spider-Man have proven Jameson right? Has he finally become what the publisher said he was all along?

Has Spider-man finally become...

...a killer?

Amazing Spider-Man #69. The Kingpin

(Cover from February 1969.)

"Mission: Crush The Kingpin!"

Written by Stan Lee

Layouts by John Romita

Pencilled by Jim Mooney

Inks by Jim Mooney

Lettering by Sam Rosen

So this is it. Spider-Man's tailed the Kingpin and his henchmen to their secret lair. Finding a metal-shuttered window, he's about to enter.

But then...

...he hesitates.

He senses a trap.

Inside the building, surrounded by flunkies, the Kingpin sits waiting, ready for those shutters to open and for Spidey to come leaping in.

And it seems he's got his wish because, moments later, those shutters fly open and Spider-Man leaps in. Instantly, he's sprayed with bullets by the Kingpin's henchmen.

Is this it? Can this truly be the end of our hero?

Of course it can't.

Why? Because the figure that came through the window wasn't Spider-Man. It was a web dummy wearing his shirt. They've been tricked.

Now the real Spider-Man swings in and give the hoods a good hiding. That's them dealt with. Now for the Kingpin.

But the Kingpin's fast. He grabs Spider-Man and flings him at the web dummy. Spider-Man gets tangled up in it.

It's not over yet. Our hero can still keep dodging the Kingpin's fist-first lunges at him while he gets his shirt back on and frees himself.

Now Spidey's free of the webbing and they can finally settle which of them's the stronger. Well, were we ever in any doubt? It's Spider-Man.

At last, after a bit of mutual possum-playing, Spidey defeats his foe and, spotting a chance to line his pockets, the Kingpin's henchman Wilson goes off to nab the tablet for himself. The tablet's in a chamber that, due to the sheer weight of its door, only the Kingpin can enter. Wilson reasons that he can't move it himself but maybe if he uses explosives...

Maybe nothing. Spider-Man's followed him. After trapping Wilson in webbing, Spidey demonstrates that the Kingpin isn't the only one strong enough to open the door and helps himself to the tablet. Unlike Wilson and the Kingpin, he's got no intention of keeping it. The moment he spots a cop, he's going to hand it over.

That's the plan but, as John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." When Spidey tries to give the tablet to the police, they start shooting at him. Unknown to our hero, when the cops nabbed the defeated Kingpin, the would-be crime-lord told them that he and Spider-Man were in cahoots.

That's it. Spider-Man's fed up of being blamed by everyone for everything. As the issue closes, he vows that, if the world thinks he's a menace, then it had better brace itself because, from now on, a menace is exactly what he'll be.

Amazing Spider-Man #68. The Kingpin

(John Romita's fourth consecutive classic cover, from January 1969.)

"Crisis On The Campus!"

Written by Stan Lee

Layouts by John Romita

Pencils by Jim Mooney

Inks by Jim Mooney

Lettering by Sam Rosen

The Kingpin's back. Just seven issues since his last appearance, he's plotting another scheme. Lee and Romita really are in love with him as a villain. They don't seem able to resist the temptation to use him at every opportunity. It's hard to blame them. He's such a great villain.

But first, to prove to new readers how strong and fast he is, he has to polish off a bunch of trained fighters. At one point he says that people think he's just a jolly fat man, which suggests he's never looked in the mirror. "Jolly" is the one word even the maddest of lunatics would never use to describe the permanently scowling crime lord. He also tells us Spider-Man's only escaped his clutches in the past through sheer luck. That's odd because it's always looked to the rest of us like he escaped through the Kingpin's sheer stupidity.

Regardless, what's his plan?

Simple. He wants to steal a priceless stone tablet.

At least finding it won't be difficult, because it's on display at ESU where, as fate - and Stan Lee - would have it, there's a riot brewing. The students are angry because the dean wants to use some spare buildings as a place for visiting VIPs to stay, and the students want them used as halls of residence.

The Kingpin decides the student protest is just the distraction he needs to facilitate his theft of the tablet and arrives at the scene, in his big car, with a handful of henchmen. This is where his plan seems to make little sense. He wants to steal something, so he decides to do it in the middle of a riot. That'd be a riot guaranteed to attract huge numbers of cops, reporters and possibly the National Guard. Now, I'm no criminal mastermind but it seems to me that a site crawling with cops, reporters and soldiers might well be the worst possible place from which to try and steal anything.

And there's another odd thing. Wherever the Kinpin appears in this story, people recognise him. As far as I can recall, the general public have never seen the Kingpin before, so how they all know who he is is a total mystery.

Anyway, making more noise than a charging elephant, the overlord of crime smashes his way into the hall where the tablet's displayed and starts throwing his weight around. Spider-Man shows up and they have the usual fight but, in no mood to mess around, Spider-Man flattens him with a flurry of punches. Refusing to take his lying-down position lying down, the Kingpin fires his cane blaster at our hero but our hero leaps out of the way, meaning the blast hits the wall behind. The wall starts to collapse...

...and Randy Robertson's in the way!

Spider-Man swings to the rescue, grabbing him and shielding him from the falling debris. Thinking Spider-Man finished, the Kingpin grabs the tablet and departs.

But, of course, as always, he's underestimated his opponent. Spider-Man lives - and by the end of the tale, the masked webslinger's hot on his tale and determined to get that tablet back.

A landmark issue in more ways than one. It represents a genuine opening up of the Marvel mentality, with real world issues suddenly crowding in. One of them being the matter of race in America, with the presence of angry black characters, including Joe Robertson's recently introduced son Randy.

Despite Stan Lee's self-confessed prediliction for corniness, he actually handles this with surprising sophistication, resisting the urge to preach, or even to take sides, by showing us Joe Robertson's viewpoint, showing us his son conflicted over how to react to the scenario that's unfolding around him and showing us determined student activist Josh, who's got "Trouble" written all over him but seemingly more out of justified anger than genuine evil intent. That's not to say there's not a simplification of the issues involved - this is a comic book when all's said and done - but it's light years away from anything that could previously have been expected from a mere super-hero comic.

It also hands us the then-topical subject of student riots. For several years in the 1960s, the popularity of Marvel's comics had been growing among students, and, with this issue, Lee seems to have decided that a strip whose reader base was increasingly of university age could ignore their concerns no longer. It could be seen by cynics as nothing more than a token nod at the readership in order to boost sales but, nonetheless, it was a remarkable step for the comic to take. It could simply have done what comics had always done in the past and ignore real life, concentrating instead on pure escapism. This new approach was destined to continue in the future, ultimately leading to questions in Congress and a situation that would force a rethink on how the entire industry was regulated.