rhino – Coke ⊕ Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #43

Rhino on the Rampage!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Stan (The Man) Lee, writer
John (Ring-a-ding) Romita, artist
Artie (stout-hearted) Simek, letterer
20 pages

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Amazing Spider-Man #42	Reading order	Thor #137
Amazing Spider-Man #42	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #44

Petey-O, you’re right from Groovesville!

Aunt May had been trying to set up Peter with Anna Watson’s niece since he was in high school. Her matchmaking finally paid off, and Peter met Mary Jane Watson at the end of last issue.

She was not quite as ugly as he’d feared.

Dinner is going well, but there are other things going on that will affect Peter’s life. For example, the Rhino is breaking out of prison. They took him out easily with some smoke gas last issue. But maybe they ran out of smoke gas?

Amazing Spider-Man #42

The Birth of a Super-Hero!

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
Amazing Spider-Man #41	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #43

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.

Amazing Spider-Man #41

The Horns of the Rhino!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer
John Romita, artist
M. Demeo, inker
Art Simek, letterer
20 pages

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Daredevil #21	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #42
Amazing Spider-Man #40	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #42

I realize now– we never had anything in common! It’s just that she was the first girl I ever thought i loved!

One of the great things Ditko did was come up with a seemingly endless stream of memorable and enduring villains for Spider-Man to fight. A good many were animal-themed: the Chameleon, the Vulture, Dr. Octopus, the Lizard, the Scorpion, and the lion-themed Kraven the Hunter.

Romita needs to score with a bold new villain in that vein. The Rhino suffices.

For much of the Ditko run, Aunt May had been trying to set Peter up with Aunt Anna’s niece, Mary Jane Watson. Peter never made time for that date, and we’ve still never even seen Mary Jane’s face. Now we learn Mary Jane is moving out of Aunt Anna’s to get her own place.

A lot of teenagers in that neighborhood living with elderly aunts. I wonder how long she’d lived across the street from Peter without him ever even glimpsing her.