Yo, cops beating protestors on the cover of ASM is pretty wild. Anyway, we’re back as Peter Parker fails to stop the ceiling from collapsing in the convention hall!
This is a big break from the original, where he totally did stop the ceiling from collapsing. 1968 Peter beats 1972 Peter! Page 1 and the top of page 2 are all-new art, while the bottom of page 2 comes from the original book, this is really interesting. Everyone knows Spider-Man was up on the roof, so guess who’s to blame for this sabotage? Peter makes a web shield to hide his identity as the crowd gets flashlights up on him and bolts for it. Outside the convention hall in some new art, a reporter asks Richard Raleigh if these attacks on him are a threat to his campaign, but he says they’re the opposite, making it clear how much his brand of justice is needed. As he keeps talking, Peter Parker slips back into the crowd, wondering why a kind of middle-of-the-road politician seems to be drawing such dire attacks. I dunno, Pete, he seems awfully fiery to me. Peter finds Gwen & MJ in the mess outside and walks them home.
Man, MJ’s really gone off the deep end. Meanwhile, a brand new villain is really upset that he didn’t manage to kill anyone with that collapsing ceiling.
Thaxton is a disgraced biochemist shunned for his crazy ideas who’s done something-or-other in The Disruptor’s basement to turn a common thug into The Smasher from last issue. This whole sequence was in the original, but there was no Disruptor, Thaxton had a different boss, and I’m really curious what will happen with this new guy. Thaxton has made a remote control that’s supposed to let his boss guide The Smasher’s movements, but he says it’s not ready. The Disruptor’s not into that, though, and forces Thaxton to juice him up. The Smasher immediately starts, well, smashing the lab. The Disruptor manages to get him shut down…
This guy’s very impressed with himself. Now for the first of several scenes that featured poor, dead George Stacy back in 1968, as JJJ is stumping for Raleigh. A meeting that originally happened in the rich dude club JJJ belongs to now takes place in his home, and Joe Robertson and Norman Osborn have been added to the scene to give JJJ people to talk at instead of Stacy, but 98% of the discussion is exactly the same.
The original “My years on the police force” fit the space a little better. As Jonah storms off to meet Raleigh, Spider-Man is out looking for The Smasher. But instead, he finds some goons robbing a Raleigh fundraiser.
You can really see the difference between 1968 Spider-Man and 1972 Spider-Man in this. No problem for Spider-Man. And as he swings off, he wants to check in on Aunt May, and we enter completely new material. In the original, he went to visit her and Anna Watson and had a conversation about Raleigh, but here, he has to call and see how she’s doing maintaining Doc Ock’s house. She’s fine, and worried about him because of all the crazy anti-Raleigh stuff. Harry Osborn overhears Pete being worried for her living in Doc Ock’s house, and suggests he lighten up and head out to… the Raleigh youth rally, of course, because every waking moment of every New Yorker’s life is now about this dude, apparently. They meet Gwen & MJ at the rally, but their fun only lasts 2 panels as a giant car barrels into the place spraying tear gas. Peter ducks out to do his thing as…
Spidey launches himself at The Disruptor as he orders his men to burn the voter registration stands. They trade a couple blows and The Disruptor flees in his weird car.
Strangely, we don’t see what happens with the registrations, as we’re told we move ahead several hours to JJJ’s appointed meeting with Raleigh. Which he left for, like, a long time ago, at this point. The extra material here sort of threw this off. Raleigh is being threatened by the same dude from last issue as JJJ appears.
Thus, a short time later, we find The Disruptor checking back in with Thaxton, who thinks he’s got The Smasher all set up.
Will Richard Raleigh’s campaign survive? Is Joe Robertson safe? Is The Disruptor somebody we know, or is he just a new villain? At this point, I may not know, and that’s weird, but we’ll find out together next time.