Amazing Spider-Man #91. Bullit

(Cover from December 1970)

"TO SMASH THE SPIDER!"

Written by Stan Lee
Drawn by Gil Kane
Inks by John Romita
Lettering by Sam Rosen

What happens:
Blaming Spider-Man for the death of her father, Gwen pledges her support for would-be district attorney Sam Bullit. Bullit's campaigning on a tough-on-crime ticket and she reasons that only someone like him can bring Spider-Man to justice.

Unknown to her, he's as big a crook as the people he's campaigning against and is just using her to get publicity. To get votes, Bullit starts a witch hunt against Spider-Man and has his men try to lean on Peter Parker. In his Spider-Man guise, Peter deals with the thugs but when he swings into his apartment afterwards, he's careless. Bullitt and Gwen are there - and now they have proof that there's a connection between Spidey and Peter Parker.

The Verdict:
Another of those issues that I have surprisingly little to say about. Odd, given the importance of it as it deals with the aftermath of George Stacy's death, and that it continues the recent trend of dipping its toes into the issues of the day; this time how best to deal with a tide of rising crime. It's probably because there's never a genuine debate here. Bullit isn't just a hard-line campaigner, he's a thug and a crook and so we're left in no doubt as to who's in the right in the debate that runs throughout the issue. Maybe it would've been dramatically stronger if Bullit was sincere in his beliefs but used dubious methods and was ultimately forced to confront the wrongness of what he was doing; that, by using underhand methods, he's no different from the people he's opposed to.

The cliff-hanger's a little odd. As it's been established repeatedly and publicly over the years that there's a connection between Spider-Man and Peter Parker, the "discovery" could hardly be called alarming or incriminating.

Amazing Spider-Man #90. The death of George Stacy

(Cover from November 1970.)

"AND DEATH SHALL COME!"

Written by Stan Lee
Drawn by Gil Kane
Inks by John Romita
Lettering by Sam Rosen


What happens:

Dr Octopus flings Spider-Man off the roof of a building but Spider-man saves himself by grabbing two of the villain's tentacles and then hiding in an air vent until he's gone.

On his way home, back in his civvies, Peter bumps into Captain Stacy but, thanks to the punishment he took in the fight, passes out. When he recovers, he once more sets off in search of Octopus. But this time he's prepared. He squirts a special formula of his webbing on two of the villain's arms and they go out of control, attacking their master. In the battle between Octopus's arms, a chimney's dislodged, sending it falling to the street below. It looks like it's going to land on a child but Captain Stacy's at hand and flings himself at the boy to save him. Stacy bears the full brunt of the impact. Spider-Man rushes down and pulls him from the rubble.

But it's too late, the man is dying and, in his dying breath, he reveals that he knows Spider-Man is Peter Parker.


The Verdict:
If ever an issue proved Spider-Man wasn't like other comic books this one's it. First we have the sight of its hero cowering in an air vent, desperately hoping the villain won't find him and then we have the ending. Traditionally in super-hero comics, regular cast members simply didn't die. They could always rely on the hero to save them at the last possible moment but here we not only have one dying but doing so directly as a result of the hero's actions. The days of comic book cosiness are over. From now on it's clear that anything can happen, that there are always consequences and there can be no guarantee that any of the characters we've grown to know and love won't die at any time.

Amazing Spider-Man #89. Dr Octopus

(Cover from October 1970.)

"DOC OCK LIVES!"

Written by Stan Lee
Pencils by Gil Kane
Inks by John Romita
Lettering by Sam Rosen

What Happens:

The world believes Dr Octopus dead, killed in a plane explosion but, when he reads that no sign of the villain's remains have been found, not even his metal arms, Peter Parker's sure he's still alive.

He's right. Octopus attacks a power station, to black out the city, so it'll be helpless before him. Spider-Man tries to stop him but fails and, at the tale's climax, Octopus flings the defeated hero, seemingly to his death, from atop a building.


Verdict:
I love this issue. The main reason being the strip has a new artist; ex-Green Lantern maestro Gil Kane. Not only is he one of my favourite artists but, at last, the strip has a permanent penciller, with John Romita on inks. Romita's said in interviews that every time he inked Kane's work, he learned something new about the art of drawing comic books and it's easy to see why, as Kane experiments with panel arrangements, viewpoint, perspective and finding ways to express mood visually. He even finds time, on page eight, to have fun throwing in a little homage to Steve Ditko. Not only is Kane's work startlingly sophisticated but, in his visual story-telling, he manages to make Dr Octopus seem all but unbeatable, with his tentacles creating a sense of inescapable claustrophobia as they appear to be permanently surrounding or entangling our hero while coming at him from all angles. The way it's drawn, Spider-Man isn't fighting to defeat Octopus, he's fighting just to stay alive.

The issue's only downside is we're never told how Ock survived the plane explosion.


Peter Parker's personal life:
Peter bumps into Randy Robertson who asks if he's going to a protest against air pollution. Peter says no and Randy accuses him of not caring about anything except himself. (Later in the same issue, Joe Robertson and JJ mention air pollution, and Dr Octopus attacks a power station - one of the causes of air pollution. With its anti-war protesters last month, Stan Lee seems to have settled on an issue-of-the-month format.)

Amazing Spider-Man #88. Dr Octopus

(Even when he seems to be 'armless, Dr Octopus is a handful. Cover from September 1970.)

"THE ARMS OF DR OCTOPUS!"

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

What happens:

Dr Octopus's tentacles are being kept on display in a museum when they suddenly burst into life. They're being controlled, long-distance, by Octopus, using his telepathic rapport with them. Spider-Man tries to stop them but fails and the tentacles bust Ock out of jail.

He heads for the nearest airport to stow away on a plane.

But he soon discovers it's no ordinary flight. On board is the Chinese representative General Su, on his way to address the United Nations. Octopus spots a chance to make money fast and takes the General, along with everyone else on board, hostage. If he doesn't get ten million dollars, it's curtains for the lot of them.

Spider-Man rushes to the airport and sneaks on to the now landed and stationary plane. The obligatory fight breaks out, the obligatory webbing of Octopus in the glasses breaks out. In the confusion, the hostages flee the plane, leaving the villain without a bargaining chip at the roulette wheel of life. With the police closing in fast, he needs to get away from there sharpish.

He tries to fly the plane out of there. But Octopus is no pilot and the plane crashes at the end of the runway. Nothing could survive that explosion. One thing's for certain. Dr Octopus is dead.

Or is he?


The Verdict:

I really don't have that many thoughts on this issue. It's a good solid tale that sees the return of one of Spider-Man's deadliest enemies. I am somewhat puzzled by the ability of Octopus's tentacles to function without him. OK, he has some sort of telepathic control over them but how do they see to do anything in his absence, including battling Spider-Man to a stand-still?

On top of that, it does seem like madness that the prison authorities take no action to increase security around Octopus, even though everyone knows his tentacles are on the loose and under his control. Did it really not occur to anyone that he might try to escape? I've commented on the lax state of prison management in the Spider-verse before (see The Shocker and The Vulture)and I get the feeling that I'll have to again in the future.

Elsewhere, it is impressive how J Jonah Jameson seems to be involved in everything that ever happens in New York - and even more remarkable that John Jameson, astronaut, seems to be put in charge of every matter that involves a military presence in the world of Spider-Man. It's even odder bearing in mind that every time he's put in charge of something, it always goes disastrously wrong.


Peter Parker's private life:

Not a lot of it this issue but he and Gwendy are getting along like beans on toast all of a sudden. They're all smiles and flirting. Romita's back on the pencils, big time and he's restoring a lot of her old zest. Suddenly, she doesn't seem like such a stiff after all.

On the downside, Professor Warren calls Peter in for a "chat". Thanks to his unexplained absences, our hero's grades are slipping disastrously and, if he doesn't get his act together, he's going to flunk college altogether.

Amazing Spider-Man #87. Spider-Man unmasked

(Cover from August 1970.)

"UNMASKED AT LAST!"

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

What happens:

Fearing he's losing his spider-powers, Peter tries to check a sample of his blood under the microscope but his vision's so blurry that he can't see clearly enough to know what it should be telling him.

Across town, there's a party at the Stacy residence. The whole gang's there but Peter's not shown up.

Then he shows up.

He shows up, dazed, mask in hand, telling everyone that he's Spider-Man. Suddenly realising what he's done, the delirious youngster flees the building. He can't go on like this. He's losing the plot. He needs to see a doctor, so he goes to the hospital where, after passing out, he's told he's simply had a king-sized does of the flu. He's not losing his super-powers! He needs to put right what was said at the party.

He approaches Hobie Brown - the Prowler - and asks him to be at a certain place at a certain time, then returns to the Stacy residence, where the gang are still gathered. As he tells them to ignore his earlier outburst, that he was delirious and didn't know what he was saying, Spider-Man appears at the window. Unknown to everyone but him, it's actually the Prowler in disguise. After his brief appearance, the stand-in Spidey leaves and Peter's in the clear. Now no one will ever suspect him again of being Spider-Man.


The Verdict:

It's the first story since issue #50 where we don't get to see Spider-Man fighting anyone, Instead the story concentrates on Peter Parker's private life. As with that previous tale, it gives us the possibility that we'll never again see Spider-Man, although it doesn't do it as memorably because this time there's no dilemma for our hero. If he's lost his powers he'll simply have no choice but to hang up his mask.

On the art front, another issue credited to Romita and Mooney but, somehow the artwork doesn't look like it normally does. I can only assume Romita's influence on this issue was weaker than usual. Mooney also seems to be inking the strip differently, his inking seems lighter than normal. Is he using different brushes?


Peter's personal life:

Peter's act should have fooled everyone but he still gets the feeling Captain Stacy's suspicious. In one panel, we see the captain's thought balloons as the Prowler leaves, and those thoughts indicate the ex-cop's been fooled by the charade, which may mean Peter's simply being paranoid.

Amazing Spider-Man #86. The Black Widow

(Cover from July 1970.)

"BEWARE... THE BLACK WIDOW!"

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

What happens:

After a brief hiatus, the Black Widow's itching to get back into circulation. But first she decides she has to do two things. Because she can't run around naked, she has to make herself a new costume, plus she needs to learn the secrets of Spider-Man's powers and add them to her own. To do that, she decides she needs to fight him.

But Spider-Man has more problems than just her. He's feeling decidedly unwell and can barely put up a fight. The Widow snares him in her webbing and, with him helpless, he looks to be facing his most humbling defeat. He refuses to lose. Summoning the last of his strength, he snaps the Widow's line and then blocks the nozzles of her web-shooters. Deciding she's outmatched by the man, she flees, opting to leave his powers to him.

Back at his apartment, Spider-Man's feeling worse than ever. He takes a sample of his own blood and puts it under the microscope.

But dare he look at what it reveals?


The Verdict:

It's such an obvious idea for Spider-Man to fight the Black Widow that it's amazing no one thought of doing it before. And, at the risk of being sexist, the Widow looks fantastic here, dumping her terrible old costume and replacing it with a sleek, leather outfit presumably inspired by that of Emma Peel from the Avengers. In its design, John Romita demonstrates that simplicity really can be genius. As for the Widow herself, she's so lithe and wasp-waisted that you wonder she doesn't snap in half when she bends over .

As for Peter, he really is an idiot. Feeling terrible - and weak - he decides to swing around town in his Spidey gear to clear his head, totally ignoring the fact that appearing in public as Spider-Man's like roaming around with a target on him. The last thing he needs right now is to be inviting every passing super-villain to attack him. He's lucky it's only the relative benign and under-powered Widow who blunders across him.

Despite Pete's stupidity, this is another of my favourites from this era. Beautifully drawn and beautifully told. Sandwiched between two and three part stories, these one-shots can seem insubstantial and throwaway - his battle with Medusa being an obvious example but this one's more intriguing, probably because it's actually more about the Widow and her rebirth as a character than it is about Spider-Man but also because, unlike the Medusa tale, it has potentially grave consequences for our hero as it confronts us with the all-too real possibility that Spider-Man is losing his powers.


Peter's personal life:

After what happened last issue, Gwen's now convinced that Spider-Man's in the habit of roughing Peter Parker up, mostly because Pete returns from his latest mini-disappearance with a bruised face. Captain Stacy still comes across as knowing more than he should and it's all starting to rattle our hero.

Amazing Spider-Man #85. The Kingpin & the Schemer

(Cover from June 1970.)

"THE SECRET OF THE SCHEMER!"

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

What happens:

Following the Schemer's escape from the Kingpin's mansion, Spider-Man catches up with him and captures him. He takes him to the address of the mystery person offering the reward for his capture - only to discover it's the Kingpin. While Spider-Man's trapped in a net of the Kingpin's devising, the two crime lords square up to each other. That's when the Schemer reveals his true identity,

He's the Kingpin's son Richard who was so horrified when he found out his father was a criminal that he set out to destroy him. The shock of this revelation sends the Kingpin into a catatonic state from which he may never recover.

Verdict:

You do have to wonder about Spider-Man's intelligence. Right from the moment he arrives at the address where the offerer of the reward's to be found, he realises there's something wrong but doesn't for one moment suspect that the person offering the reward might be the Kingpin. Well, really, who else would be most likely candidate?

You also have to wonder about the intelligence of the Schemer who recognises the building at once - and clearly doesn't want to be there - but doesn't point out to Spidey who it belongs to.

You also have to question the intelligence of the Kingpin's wife Vanessa who recognised her son in the last issue but doesn't bother telling the her husband. In her case, she has an excuse - that she's trying to protect her son - but you can't help feeling that an awful lot of hassle could've been avoided if she'd just told him the truth.

On the other hand, you can't blame the Kingpin for not guessing who the Schemer really is. He has every reason to think his son's dead and it has to be said that the Schemer with his mask on bears no resemblance whatsoever to Richard.

While some might be disappointed that it's an issue where matters aren't resolved by Spider-Man himself, with the hero a helpless bystander as events unfold before him, it serves to highlight the strength of the strip - that it's ultimately more about human drama than straight super-heroics and it's this trait that makes the title special.

On the art front, we're back to having three artists working on the strip. You wouldn't have thought it'd be that difficult to find one permanent artist for what was supposed to be Marvel's flagship title but, for several years now, it seems to have been beyond them to manage it for more than a few issues at a time. In the past, Jim Mooney's inks have helped blur the distinction between the various artists' styles but, here, the frequent gear shifts between Romita's style and Buscema's hit you in the face. It doesn't mar the enjoyment massively - after all, they can both draw comics - but it is somewhat distracting.

Peter's personal life.

Gwen and her dad come round to Peter's flat, with Captain Stacy wanting to know how Pete gets his photos of Spider-Man. The captain clearly seems to be onto him and it appears, from the conversation Gwen and her dad have when Peter's in his dark room, that her dad's suggested to her that Peter might be Spider-Man. Gwen tells the ex-cop that he's, "way off-base."

Amazing Spider-Man #84. The Kingpin & the Schemer

("Look, Spider-Man, I can do that trick where you pull away the carpet, and all the furniture stays put. Oops; that's my career in magic over before it began." Cover from May 1970.)

"The Kingpin Strikes Back!"

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

Money, and how to make it fast, that's what's on Spider-Man's mind because there's a five thousand dollar reward up for the Schemer's capture. And how our hero could do with that kind of cash injection. Of course, to get the reward, he first has to find the Schemer. It's a safe bet he won't be hanging out at his old HQ, the one Spidey trashed last issue, therefore our hero's going to have to start asking questions. Swinging over New York, he spots a likely candidate, a cheap crook if ever he saw one and swings down to lean on him a bit.

Trouble is, what looks like a cheap crook is in fact a cop - and he's looking for the Schemer too. So much for that idea.

But then, Spidey has an outrageous stroke of luck. As he's passing a building, his spider-sense starts to tingle. He looks in through the window...

...and wouldn't you know it, he sees one of the Schemer's hoods. He recognises him from the fight yesterday. There are ten million stories in the naked city, and Spider-Man has a remarkable knack for bumping into just the ones he needs.

But not in this case. When he leans on the crook, the crook says he doesn't have a clue where the Schemer is. Spidey believes him, so it's back to the drawing board.

Well, as this is getting him nowhere, he changes back into his street threads and pays a visit to Gwen who's still moping about his seeming reluctance to visit her in hospital. She's also giving him the third degree about exactly what happened last issue with the truck. She's been trying to work out how he came out of it without a scratch. Now he's worried. She's getting too close to the truth. Fortunately, our hero has a brilliant plan to fall back on. He drops his cocoa, declares that he's not feeling well and leaves. Hmn, yes, that'll stop the lovely Gwendolyne from ever making any further enquiries again.

As it turns out, the Schemer's hiding in his car which is buried under a handy snow drift. Personally, I have my suspicions about a master of a criminal empire who lives in his car. Regardless, he's fed up of waiting. He hits the heater. Instantly all the snow on the vehicle melts and he drives off. As the police are after him and the Kingpin's after him and Spider-Man's after him and there's a reward for his capture, you might think he'd want to keep a low profile but his car looks like something from Thunderbirds. He finds some of the Kingpin's men, smacks them around a bit and tells them to tell their boss that his day's as the city's number one crime czar are over. From now on, the Schemer's in charge.

Spider-Man's turned up at one of the Kingpin's warehouses. He's hoping he'll be able to learn something there. He overhears the men inside talking about the Schemer's car and how it can be spotted from half a mile away.

So, Spidey goes in search of that car.

He finds it. He has a fight with it. The Schemer drives it straight into the river - with Spider-Man clinging to it. The Schemer's OK. As it turns out, his car doubles up as a submarine. And then it doubles up as a plane as it shoots up out of the water and drives off.

As for the Schemer, he's through messing about. He's arrived at the Kingpin's house and, there, confronts the overlard of crime. Kingie's wife Vanessa intervenes. She tries to get the two of them to see sense and stop this idiotic feud.

But then she looks into the Schemer's eyes and she starts to act all funny. Before her husband can find out why, Spider-Man bursts in. He's had no trouble following the tracks left by the Schemer. Kingie and Spidey start fighting.

But then the villain spots something.

Vanessa's gone.

Losing interest in his fight with the arachnid avenger, he presses a button and steps into a glass elevator hidden in a cupboard. He departs, out to destroy the Schemer for taking his wife.

All of which leaves Spider-Man no better off than he was at the start of the story. He's still not got any money, he's still not got his man - and all he has to show for his endeavours are the usual lumps, bumps and bruises.

Amazing Spider-Man #83. The Kingpin & the Schemer

(Cover from April 1970.)

"The Schemer!"

Written by Stan Lee
Drawn by John Romita
Inks by Mickey Demeo
Lettering by Sam Rosen

There's trouble in town. A new crime lord's arisen and he's out to take on the Kingpin. Almost instantly, Spider-Man's onto him. This isn't down to any great awareness on the webbed wonder's part. He just happens to be around when a bunch of the Schemer's men attack a truck belonging to the Kingpin. The truck says "ACME" on the front, in big letters. So, at last we know who was supplying all those gizmos to Wile E Coyote for all those years. At last we know how Kingie made his millions.

Needless to say, Spidey makes quick work of the hoods but realises he's got a much bigger headache on his hands. He didn't think anyone would have the nerve to take on the Kingpin. This can only mean trouble.

The Kingpin's got troubles alright. However, it's not the attacks on his "business" that he's bothered about. He's more concerned about the disappearance of his son Richard in a ski-ing accident.

But was it an accident?

Kingie's wife's convinced that their son killed himself because he couldn't bear the shame of having discovered his father's a criminal. The Kingpin refuses to hear of it and, angered by his wife's words, decides that it's time to get back into action.

Again, the war between the two criminals impinges on Peter Parker's life. This time in a manner far more serous than before. After seeing Flash off at the airport, Pete and Gwen are minding their own business when a passing truck's forced off the road by a car. Swerving wildly, the truck topples over and the only thing that stops it from squishing Gwen flatter than the economy is Pete shielding her with his body. Not wanting anyone to see him supporting the weight of a truck, he grabs a snapped-off parking meter and jams it under the truck, to hold it in place while he and Gwen get out of there. Pete's fine but Gwen's not. She's been unconscious since he flung her to the ground to protect her.

That's it. This war between the Kingpin and the Schemer was a problem before but now it's got personal and he's going to end it whatever it takes.

What it takes is for him to follow the tracer he planted on the car as it sped off, and he soon locates the Schemer's HQ. He smashes in through the window and quickly disposes of the Schemer's goons. Now for their boss.

But the would-be crime lord has a trick up his sleeve. His desk is a death trap. When Spidey jumps onto it, what appears to be a light suddenly drops down and starts to crush the web-spinner. He has only once chance, if he can brace his arms, the "light" might just give way.

It does, and Spider-Man's free. Unfortunately, the effort caused an explosion and, in the resulting confusion, the Schemer got away.

Back in his civvies, Pete heads for the hospital where Gwen's being kept. Needless to say she's complaining about him not having bothered to visit her till now and, for once, it's hard not to sympathise. Clearly, in going after the Schemer, Pete was more interested in getting revenge than looking after the well-being of his girlfriend. Sadly, and worryingly, he doesn't seem to get it.

Capt Stacy seems to get it. He seems remarkably understanding towards Peter, bearing in mind that the boy didn't turn up to see his injured daughter, and, after letting slip a bit more than he should, Pete starts to worry that the captain might guess his secret. As the story ends, our hero can't help feeling that, somehow, his life's reached a turning point...

...and that, whatever it is, he won't like its outcome.

Amazing Spider-Man #82. Electro

(Cover from March 1970.)

"And Then Came Electro!"

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

Argh! It's happened! At last, after seventeen consecutive months of absence, Mary Jane Watson reappears. It seems she's just got back from Florida with her Aunt Anna. What she was doing in Florida is anyone's guess, as this trip has never been mentioned before and all indication, for all this time, is that she's been in New York, dating Harry. Still, she's back and already that old rivalry between her and Gwen's starting to raise its playful head once more. Mary Jane's return isn't only good news from the point of view of the strip having a lively character back in the fold but it instantly helps steer Gwen away from the dull-as-ditchwater drip she's been in recent months.

Of course, that still doesn't cheer Peter Parker up. He's too busy worrying about all the things he's always worrying about. Chief among them being how to make money.

And then he has it.

TV!

He'll do a chat show. They'll pay good money for an exclusive interview with Spider-Man. So, he drops in on some TV executives and sets up the deal.

But Peter Parker's most notable accompanist in life is a thing called Coincidence and it's dogging his every step again. It turns out that one of the electricians at the TV network is Max Dillon. That name may not mean much to everyone but his pseudonym will.

He's Electro.

What's he doing there? He's on payroll and he's keeping his nose clean until he's ready to strike again.

He's ready to strike again. Getting wind of Spider-Man's planned chat show appearance, he reasons that J Jonah Jameson'll pay him a fortune to unmask the arachnid adventurer on live TV.

Jonah's in 7th Heaven. He's just struck the deal with Electro and is determined to be there. He won't be alone. He's also taking Joe Robertson and Captain Stacy. Oddly, it doesn't seem to occur to him to take Peter Parker, even though you'd've thought a photographer'd come in handy under the circumstances.

Spidey arrives at the chat show but, no sooner has the interview started than Electro's flinging lightning bolts at him. Everyone flees in a panic, leaving the two to battle it out. Blimey it's a short-lived battle. There was a time, in the early days, when Spidey would take up the main part of an issue trying to even survive an encounter with Electro. Here, he polishes the villain off in just three pages, by webbing his hands and feet together to short-circuit him.

It has to be said, the tactic isn't an altogether out-and-out triumph. It beats Electro but it also defeats Spidey as he's hit by the electrical feedback travelling down his webbing and is knocked out.

Electro recovers first but, not realising that Spidey's out cold, staggers away from the scene, scared that the hero will easily defeat him in his current (no pun intended) state.

Spidey quickly recovers...

...but he's back to square one. The interview was wrecked, after what's just happened, no TV show'll touch him with a barge pole, and all he's got to show for it are a few burns and bruises. Just another normal day in the life of Spider-Man then.

Mary Jane vigil.

She's back!!!

Amazing Spider-Man #81. The Kangaroo makes his entrance

(Cover from February 1970.)

"The Coming Of The Kangaroo!"

Written by Stan Lee.
Art by John Buscema, John Romita and Jim Mooney.
Lettering by Artie Simek.

Spider-Man's all hot and bothered. He's got to get to the station to meet Aunt May who's on her way back from Florida.

As it turns out, she's not the only person of interest getting off the train. Among the departing passengers is an Australian. We know he's Australian because he's called the Kangaroo, and he's on his way to be deported.

That's what Immigration think but he bashes the officials who're accompanying him and then leaps off in the style of a kangaroo. It turns out he used to spend all his time in the outback, watching the bouncy-legged marsupials, eating what they ate, drinking what they drank, until he too could jump like them. As far as I'm aware, kangaroos drink water and eat grass; so there you have it, kids, the secret of gaining super-powers is to drink water and eat grass. It sort of makes you wonder why there aren't any super-powered cows out there.

Having gained his mighty powers, he decided to put this skill to good use by becoming a boxer. As boxing doesn't tend to involve a lot of leaping around, it seems a slightly odd career choice for a man of his talents and, as it transpired, it turned out to be a disastrous one, as he decided to win a fight by kicking an opponent in the head.

Needless to say, this went down like a cat in a dog pound and he found himself forced to flee the country. He ended up in America where he was promptly apprehended and lined up for deportation. Yeah? Well no one's deporting the Kangaroo.

Using his incredible powers of... ...jumping around a bit, the Kangaroo robs a security van but is disappointed to discover that his haul consists of just one item - a glass vial. He sticks it in his jacket pocket till he can figure out what to do with it.

What he should do with it is get rid of it sharpish, as Peter Parker discovers when he's round at Aunt May's. The teen's watching TV when an urgent announcement's broadcast. The Kangaroo's stolen a vial containing an experimental bacteria. If it's opened, a deadly plague could devastate the city. Spidey needs to find the Kangaroo - and find him now.

He finds him on a balcony, threatening people, and tries to warn him of the danger.

But the Kangaroo's not listening. He's eager for a scrap.

So now what does Spider-Man do? He's got to stop the crook but daren't lay into him in case he accidentally breaks the vial.

Back at chez Parker, Aunt May decides to give Peter his medicine. Yes, I know he's not there, he's fighting the Kangaroo but Aunt May doesn't know that. In order to get away, so he could fight the villain, Peter said he wasn't feeling well and was going to take to his sickbed. Showing his usual genius, he's left a web dummy of himself in his bed, so that if Aunt May pops her head round the door, she'll think it's him and that he's gone nowhere.

The only problem is, she's popped her whole self through the door, in order to administer the medicine and, when she pulls the sheets back, instead of seeing her nephew, she sees a man made of webbing. You can criticise Aunt May for never exactly being slow to have one of her turns but, in fairness, the sight of a loved one having been turned into a web creature would probably give most of us a turn and, needless to say that's all the excuse she needs to have one.

Spider-Man's still failing miserably to get the Kangaroo to listen, so, he grabs the villain with his legs and tips him upside down, shaking the vial loose. Then he catches it, with his webbing, as it falls. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Kangaroo leaps off but Spidey doesn't care about that. He's got the vial and that's all that matters. He hands it to the relevant individuals and then heads back home.

He gets home and finds Aunt May lying unconscious on the bed. Realising what's happened, he flings the dummy out the window and revives her. She's all right - this time - but how long, he asks, before the shadow of Spider-Man destroys them all?

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months now without Mary Jane appearing : sixteen.

Amazing Spider-Man #80. The Chameleon

(Cover from Jan 1970.)

"On The Trail Of... The Chameleon!"

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

Back at his pad, Peter Parker's still moaning about Gwen Stacy having dumped him for Flash Thompson. As every reader knows, she's not dumped him for anyone, but Peter's insistence on never actually talking to his girlfriend about anything that matters has led him to this conclusion. That's when Harry Osborn walks in.

And he's not alone.

No, he doesn't have Mary Jane with him. She's still missing in inaction. He's got Flash with him. Pete loses his rag with Flash and Flash tells him what a plonker he's being. There's nothing going on between him and the gorgeous blonde. She was just asking him for advice about Pete.

She was?

Yes.

Feeling a proper Charlie, Peter calls Gwen and, after a certain amount of frostiness, she confirms what Flash was saying.

So, now that everyone's friends again, Pete's off to the museum with his girlfriend. There, they spot her dad. Despite being retired, he's in charge of museum security. The odd thing is, that when he passes them, he doesn't seem to recognise them - and Peter's spider-sense is tingling like nobody's business.

Now there's a scream.

The museum's priceless paintings...

...they're gone!

And Captain Stacy was the only one who could have done it!

Ha ha ha ha, gloats the Chameleon, back at his apartment. It was simplicity itself for a villain of his genius to get into the museum, disguised as Captain Stacy and steal the paintings. Only a master of disguise such as himself could have pulled off the deed.

Back in his apartment, Peter Parker's suddenly thinking the same thing. He knows Captain Stacy can't be guilty, therefore it must have been an impostor. And there's no one better at being an impostor than the Chameleon. Actually, it's so long since they last met, it's a wonder Pete even remembers him.

Pete leaps into action, then swings into action, then squats into action, as he asks Bugle sub-editor Joe Robertson to plant a story in his newspaper. As it turns out, Robertson doesn't need to plant a story. He's got a real one up his sleeve that'll serve the function perfectly. It involves a meeting involving the transfer of millions of dollars. Robertson'll give it front page coverage. Peter reasons that if that doesn't attract the Chameleon's attention, nothing will.

Spider-Man sneaks into the building where the meeting's being held. Opening a panel in the ceiling, he's spotted by one of the attendees who calls out as Spidey drops down onto the table. In the confusion he's caused, he tries to work out which of those present is the Chameleon in disguise. He goes for the one who's acting most suspiciously.

He's gone for the wrong one.

And now the police burst in, accompanied by Jonah. Why he'd be there is anyone's guess but needless to say, he's more hindrance to the lawmen than asset as he inadvertently stands in the line of fire as he demands they shoot our hero.

Emerging onto the roof, Spidey needs to find the Chameleon.

He spots him, in the street below, out to make his escape. It has to be him. He's certain of it. He swings down and grabs the villain who's made the biggest mistake of his life by assuming the identity of the one person Spider-Man knows it can't be. Peter Parker.

Again the police try to shoot Spider-Man. Again Jameson gets in the way. You're starting to wonder if he does this on purpose. We've seen him do it in previous stories as well.

"Peter Parker" attempts to flee the scene by flinging a hand grenade at his potential captors. Spider-Man muffles the blast with webbing and then grabs the villain as he tries to flee in a stolen car.

Now for the big unmasking. Jameson is shocked. It's the Chameleon!

And so, as another tale comes to a happy conclusion, Spider-Man departs the scene, leaving everyone to wonder how he could possibly have known which of them was the villain of the piece. That'll just have to remain Spider-Man's secret.

Mary Jane vigil.

Number of consecutive months without Mary Jane now: fifteen.