Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: December 8, 1966
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
A Stan Lee John Romita Spideriffic spectacular!
Lettered by: Sam Rosen
20 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Daredevil #25 | Reading order | X-Men #29 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #45 | Amazing Spider-Man | Amazing Spider-Man #47 |
I almost made a king-sized jackass out of myself! How could I have thought a teen-aged nobody like Parker could actually be Spider-Man!
Can Romita fill Ditko’s shoes on this title? Ditko created a number of iconic villains. Romita will have to do the same if he wants to compare. He’s already created the Rhino.
Now we meet the most shocking villain yet… the Shocker.
Recall Spider-Man’s arm remains injured from the Lizard battle.
But Romita also has to leave his own mark and do his own thing. His major innovation will be that now Peter has friends. There’s been a group of college kids we’ve seen: Gwen, Harry, and Flash. But Peter’s not been friends with them. He’s run into them sometimes, taken classes with them, and frequently turned down invitations to hang out. But somehow over the course of that, they seem to be becoming friends.
To the point where Harry offers Peter a chance to be his roommate. In a flat fully paid for by Harry’s wealthy (and no longer evil) father.
But can Peter leave May living by herself? Meanwhile, we recall May has been considering an offer to move in with Anna Watson. But can May leave Peter living by himself?
The solution to this dilemma will come in the form of honest communication.
Perhaps a number of dilemmas can be thus solved.
How does Peter get so many pictures of Spider-Man? Foswell is going to find out.
Disguised as Patch, he sees Peter disappear and Spider-Man appear. And both have an injured arm!
Foswell deduces the secret.
I guess it’s death or amnesia for him. The only other option is the path seen in this month’s Daredevil. A clever ruse to throw Foswell off the scent. Can Peter invent a twin brother?
He doesn’t need to. Out of sight, he play-acts a conversation between Peter and Spider-Man. And Foswell thinks he hears two voices. One more muffled than the other. Either Spider-Man is raising and lowering his mask, or Peter and Spider-Man are in fact two different people!
A web dummy wearing Spider-Man’s costume seen swinging away will seal the ruse.
Foswell now thinks Peter and Spidey have an arrangement, where Spider-Man tips Parker off in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Ditko was also good at depicting Spider-Man in action. Romita gives us a good battle as well.
It ends when Spider-Man webs up Shocker’s thumbs, leaving him unable to use his vibrating gauntlet thingies.
Is Shocker a great villain? I say yes.
Why do I think Shocker is awesome when I thought Leap-Frog was lame? Let’s just say I have my own standards.
As Peter and May say their goodbyes, Peter reflects that he never knew his mother. I think this is the first time his biological parents have been mentioned. We’ve known his aunt and uncle raised him since he was little, but never why.
This is a happy ending for Spider-Man. The Shocker is defeated. He has a cool new flat and roommate. His arm is better. May is happy with Anna. Things are going well with MJ. He has no reason to be depressed.
But perhaps depression doesn’t always need a rational explanation.
Two different versions of the Shocker made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming played by Logan Marshall-Green and Bokeem Woodbine respectively.
The Spider’s Web.
Rating: ★★★½, 63/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
Does the introduction of the Shocker earn this 4 stars in significance? You betcha!
The cover up above comes from the GCD, as my own copy of this comic has seen better days.
Characters:
- Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Shocker
- Harry Osborn
- Frederick Foswell/Patch
- J. Jonah Jameson
- Aunt May
- Anna Watson
- Mary Jane Watson
- Flash Thompson
- Gwen Stacy
Story notes:
- Spider-Man sees a wall shaking, sets up his camera and investigates. Inside, he finds Shocker robbing a safe.
- Shocker’s gauntlet has a Vibro-Shock unit that fires violent vibrations.
- Shocker wins round 1.
- Harry offers Peter a ride to the Bugle so they can discuss an offer.
- Harry lives in Westchester, but since the commute is so long, his dad got Norman him an apartment a couple blocks from campus.
- The place has two rooms and Harry offers one to Peter. Harry’s dad will foot the bill. Peter wants to accept, but needs to figure out how Aunt May feels.
- Harry has been seeing a lot of Gwen, and suggests a double date with Pete and MJ.
- Foswell decides to tail Peter as Patch to learn his connection to Spider-Man.
- Betty is on her coffee break, so Jameson gets Peter a check for Shocker photos.
- Peter on way to meet May at train station.
- Shocker had been a two-bit safecracker, bumbling, frightened. He was arrested and put in the prison workshop since he was good at tools. He built a prototype vibrator in prison to bust loose, but was almost injured by the feedback.
- Shocker designs a suit with foam-lined fabric and heavy boots to absorb shocks. The belt contains the battery. Vibra-shock units loaded in metal knuckle plates, thumb-activated.
- May tells Peter she wants to stay with Mrs. Watson, but fears leaving him alone. But Peter will room with Harry.
- This will let May sell the house and live comfortably.
- MJ and Pete head to the Silver Spoon, where they find Flash and Harry.
- Gwen is dancing.
- Flash’s farewell party will be at the Silver Spoon.
- Flash doesn’t believe the headlines, “Shocker Smashes Spider-Man!”
- Peter accepts Harry’s offer.
- MJ goes off to dance. Harry dances with Gwen. Peter leaves to pack, but really to look for the Shocker.
- Peter torn between MJ and Gwen.
- Patch sees Parker disappear and Spider-Man appear, both with an injured arm. He guesses Spider-Man’s secret!
- Nope. Foswell decides he was wrong when he hears Peter and Spider-Man talking, even though he only sees one person…
- Peter claims Spider-Man gets 50% of the cash for his pictures. Peter then hangs a web dummy of Spider-Man and walks away.
- Spider-Man loses the sling.
- Police reports tremors near the federal reserve bank.
- Spider-Man webs Shocker’s thumbs, so he can’t control the gizmos.
- May and Peter say their goodbyes. She still worries about him.
- Peter never knew his mother.
| Previous | #648 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Daredevil #25 | Reading order | X-Men #29 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #45 | Amazing Spider-Man | Amazing Spider-Man #47 |
