This is it! The final part of this ridiculous 8-hit combo. This has been going on FOREVER. Let’s wrap it up. And look, a cover by Gil Kane, who drew Basilisk’s initial appearances, how fitting. Perhaps unsurprisingly, inside, Ron Wilson and Dan Adkins have tagged in on art. Sal and Mike probably needed a break and also already drew two parts of this last month. Kind of sucks they don’t get to finish it, tho. Anyway, Spider-Man vs. The Basilisk on top of a volcano. Basil starts recapping his origin for no obvious reason other than it’s been 30 months since the last time anyone thought to use him, recapping MTU 16 & 17 and then MTO 17 just for good measure across almost 4 pages. Whew. All caught up, he’s ready to kill Spider-Man now, but Spidey does this inexplicable lunging headbutt at him first, knocking him down. Why lead with your head?
Sure, ok. Ron Wilson’s Spidey is interesting. The eyes are too curved, but it’s very consistent. Thing wakes up, and Spidey has to explain to him he’s not in The Savage Land anymore, because what this issue needed was more exposition, and then Basilisk is back up and fightin’. But we cut away to a rare appearance of some members of the supporting cast in this book.
You mean to tell me MJ has been yelling Peter’s name into the phone for a solid hour? Come ON, Bill. The Thing attacks, and gets zapped off the mountain for his troubles. Spidey tries to web Basil’s eyes, but he burns through that, and then he… cuts some rock out of the volcano, stands on it and flies away on it? What…? How? Why…? I give up, man, I just want to not be reading this story anymore. Spidey and Ben head into Manhattan, where Basilisk is flying around on his piece of rock and zapping at people and telling them to cower and such. Real supervillain stuff. When they catch up to him, they hit him in at the same time in one of MTU’s classic space-filling 2-page spreads. And then…
Ssssssseriously? After all this, that’s the end? He randomly explodes? And Spider-Man, who’s been through a totally insane experience, doesn’t even get any closure, or learn anything, or even go tell MJ to stop yelling his name into the phone? What a rushed ending! But… it’s an ending. I am free of this 8-hit combo of a storyline. And I am pleased about that, at least. So come back next time for something totally different.
This issue features a letter by future Ultimate Spider-Man editor and not-the-Karate-Kid-guy Ralph Macchio, who was very much enjoying the Salem Witch Trials story.