Ramrod! Remember this dingus from DD 103? This by Bob Wiacek cover looks so old school that when I would see it during my ebay rampage I always thought it must be Ditko era for a second. Man, page 1 is a John Romita swipe. That’s a weird way to get going.
I can’t immediately produce the original, but I have definitely seen it, and maybe you have, too. I feel like it’s been on products rather than in a comic book. Toys and stuff. Anyway, that’s Alan Kupperberg thinking he’s slick, inked by Jim Mooney. Denny O’Neil still writing. Kupperberg continues to do a Romita impression as we go, ably abetted by Jim Mooney, who is certainly known to do his own. Peter is on his way to meet with Dean Ulrich at ESU, and overhears an argument. One Dr. Kissick is very upset he’s not gotten a promotion, and the Dean says it’s because he associates with “undesirable elements.” Kissick runs out throwing a fit, and when he gets to his office, well…
Shouldn’t this guy be fired instead of denied promotion if people know he hangs out with supervillains? He’s getting off light. As soon as Peter leaves the Dean’s office, his Spider Sense goes off, and in seconds, Spider-Man is outside and facing down Ramrod:
Ramrod doesn’t have much luck against Spider-Man, and escapes by hiding in Kissick’s office. So Spidey just leaves, too, pretty sure Ramrod will find him eventually. So Peter heads back to his place, where he runs into his neighbor, Lonesome Pinky, the country singer, who gives him a ticket to his gig at Mickey’s Cafe in Brooklyn tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ramrod is receiving the poison he wanted Kissick to make, to be used on some guy named Mickey in Brooklyn. Well. These two things can’t possibly intersect, can they? Next we catch up with Peter Parker, on his way to see how the public reacts to his neighbor’s singing. Inside, who should he find but Deb Whitman and BIFF RIFKIN.
“Ethnic?” This doesn’t square up with what happened in last month’s Spectacular, but continuity is clearly an issue for the Spider-Office at this time, so whatever, I guess. Just as Peter is sensing something off with the drinks, his neighbor hits the stage.
A not-unexpected, but sad result. And, also, uh-oh! Dr. Kissick’s poison seems to be making people loopy. Pete ducks out to change clothes… in a phone booth, calling it cliche… and when Spider-Man swings back in, the people have gone from loopy to violent. Spidey swings around trying to keep the people from hurting each other, and notices he & the bartender seem to be the only ones not going nuts. Well, and one other guy: Lonesome Pinky. The bartender tells him to try to play music to calm the crowd…
Spidey’s going to see Dr. Kissick for an antidote. Kupperberg swipes from a John Romita, JR. Spidey at the bottom of the page. He’s got the whole family now. This JRJR one has been appearing in subscription ads recently. Tsk tsk. Spider-Man makes it to Kissick’s place, and he’s so wracked with guilt he confesses unprompted. He says the poison in fatal in 90 minutes, but he has an antidote. Back at the bar, Pinky is still singing, but it’s been almost an hour and he’s running out of juice. Spider-Man rushes to deliver the antidote, but he’s stopped outside by, well, who else?
Ramrod still looks like a He-Man toy. Great motive, too. They start fighting again, a fight that spills into a nearby junkyard. Spidey lays on the insults thick to get Ramrod into a blind rage…
And that’s the abrupt ending. I guess Kissick finally got what was coming to him off-panel. And Ramrod. What a silly villain.