Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: August 9, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Smilin’ Stan Lee, writer
Jazzy Johnny Romita, artist
Slammin’ Sammy Rosen, letterer
20 pages
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| Amazing Spider-Man #41 | Reading order | Amazing Spider-Man #43 |
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Oh well… I guess I better meet her and get it over with! She may not be as bad as I expect! She’ll probably be worse!
For the first few issues of his tenure, Romita has been inked by Mike Esposito. This issue we get to see Romita on his own to compare.
I claim this is a good comic. Even a very good comic. Lots of good things about it.
But it’s mostly remembered for a single panel that ends the issue. We’ll get there. Let’s see what else is going on first.
The ending is famous, the opening less so. It begins with Spider-Man robbing a bank.
I see no reason to read any further. This proves beyond a doubt that J. Jonah Jameson was right all along.
Heck, even the narrator is assuring us this is not an impostor and not a dream. Sounds like Spider-Man is finally showing his true colors.
Betty has returned to her job at the Daily Bugle and is talking to Ned when Foswell runs in with news about Spider-Man’s bank robbery.
Last issue, Rhino tried to capture John Jameson because of the space spores he’d been exposed to. I expected those space spores to have no effect whatsoever on John. I was wrong. They turn him into a superhero.
I was also wrong about the effects of radioactive spider bites, cosmic rays, and being caught in a gamma bomb explosion. The last one I was sure would kill you. But no. Super powers every time.
John’s suit is made in record time by the labs at Stark Industries. Thinking about continuity, we don’t see Tony Stark, so he could be off doing whatever. But we do note his lab is up and running, and not shut down by Senator Byrd. See how careful we need to be trying to fit this all together. The last Iron Man issue we read ended with his plants shutting down, so this must be before that. Since Stark himself doesn’t seem to be around, he may be in China fighting Ultimo concurrently to this story.
Jameson finds himself in a bit of a pickle. He’s ranted and ranted against superheroes. But now his son is a superhero. Surely he’d never resort to hypocrisy.
Asked for comment, Jonah responded, “Don’t call me Surely”.
John agrees to use his powers to hunt down Spider-Man. Like father, like son. Not the first time Jonah has sicced someone against Spider-Man. Recall the Scorpion and the Spider Slayer. This time will surely go better.
Checking on the Rhino, who we met last issue, we see the doctors can’t get his suit off. They’d wanted Matt Murdock for defense council, but he couldn’t be found. The editor points us toward Daredevil #21, where Daredevil is a prisoner on Owl’s island. See how careful we need to be trying to fit this all together.
With Matt out of town, Foggy will have to do.
Romita is very into the dynamic of the friends. The dynamic is only gradually changed from how Ditko was writing these characters, but Romita shows more interest in the relationships. And makes all the characters seem better-looking.
Gwen, Harry, and Flash are always hanging out. They’re off to a place called the Silver Spoon. Peter is welcome to join them, but never does. Gwen and Peter have some growing interest in each other. She invites him out Sunday, but he promised to have dinner with May at Anna Watson’s, and to meet her niece, Mary Jane.
“I’m as anxious to meet Mary Jane Watson on Sunday as I am to meet the Hulk! And she’ll probably look like him!”
Of course we recall the aforementioned Amazing Spider-Man #25, where Betty and Liz met Mary Jane and thought she looked like a movie star. The audience didn’t see her face, so couldn’t judge for themselves.
Come to think of it, the comic has been talking about Mary Jane since issue issue 15, and yet we’ve never seen her face. I wonder if we ever will.
John battles Spider-Man. Spider-Man claims to be innocent. Just what a bank robber would say. Even Jonah can tell John is growing increasingly erratic. In the end, Spider-Man shocks him and restores him to normal.
Jonah blames Spider-Man for the whole affair.
Hopefully this will be the last time John Jameson’s adventures in space give him super powers.
Peter actually keeps his promise and makes it to dinner at Anna’s. Mary Jane is the one running late. Peter answers the door when she arrives.
“Face it, Tiger… you just hit the jackpot!”
Rating: ★★★★½, 83/100
Significance: ★★★★★
I mean, it’s a really good panel.
This takes its place amongst the best we’ve read displacing the Tales of Asgard backup feature from Thor #133. Which is also really good.
I read this story in Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection vol. 3: Spider-Man No More.
Characters:
- Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Frederick Foswell
- Betty Brant
- Ned Leeds
- J. Jonah Jameson
- Col. John Jameson
- Rhino
- Foggy Nelson
- Flash Thompson
- Gwen Stacy
- Harry Osborn
- Aunt May
- Ann Watson
- Mary Jane Watson
Story notes:
- Spider-Man robs a bank; the bank manager realizes Jameson was right; the narrator assures us this is not an impostor or a dream.
- Jameson at Kennedy Airport seeing his son John off.
- John grows bigger and stronger due to spores.
- Scientists reason spores come from a planet like Jupiter with a greater gravitational pull and are making John strong enough to overcome it.
- Scientists concerned John will strain his heart and nervous system; they reach out to Stark’s lab to help design a suit.
- Stark’s technicians created and delivered suit in hours. Suit restrains John’s power in order to protect him.
- Jameson a little uneasy when his son is called a superhero, given all his anti-superhero rants.
- Jameson convinces son to go after Spider-Man. John agrees though he’d been ordered to stay put.
- Doctors cannot remove Rhino suit and wonder if it’s more like a hide that’s part of him.
- Foggy notes Matt Murdock is out of town, with reference to Daredevil #21.
- Foggy assigned to take Rhino case despite busy schedule.
- Judge notes Rhino currently unconscious in Cell Block B.
- Rhino almost escapes but he’s vulnerable to gas and a spray tranquilizer takes him down.
- Gwen invites Peter to a party on Sunday, but he had already promised to have dinner at Anna Watson’s. Gwen is annoyed, but also has no patience for Flash teasing Peter.
- Harry and Gwen head off to the Silver Spoon.
- Peter not eager to meet MJ, who he expects to look like Hulk. He’s over Betty and increasingly interested in Gwen.
- John and Spider-Man fight while Spider-Man tries to explain there’s been a misunderstanding.
- Peter was at the bank when his spider sense warned him about a payroll bag. He heard a faint ticking and deduced there was a bomb.
- Jameson orders Foswell to cover the Rhino so he can cover the Spider-Man story himself.
- Spider-Man stops by Jameson to have him ask the bank if any money is missing.
- John doesn’t care about the bank; he has a score to settle; Jonah can tell the spores are affecting his mind.
- John removes weighted boots to better leap to Spider-Man.
- Spider-Man lures him to power station and takes him out with generator; the shock seems to have removed the spores and returned him to normal.
- Peter almost forgot he was going to Anna Watson’s for dinner to meet Mary Jane.
- Peter would like his own place, but he thinks May needs him. May would like to move in with Anna, but she thinks Peter needs her.
- Peter meets Mary Jane.
| Previous | #556 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Spider-Man #41 | Reading order | Amazing Spider-Man #43 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #41 | Amazing Spider-Man | Amazing Spider-Man #43 |
