$12??? Outrageous! I sure hope I didn’t pay that for it, especially in the 90s. And suddenly, the dream team is gone. This issue features a plot by Roger Stern, but a script by Tom DeFalco. Ron Frenz steps into the penciler role. Klaus Janson hangs around for a month on inks, and Christie Scheele on colors. The fact that 4 whole issues after he left still credit Stern with the plot sure shows that he left in a hurry. But, why? I don’t really know. The dispute over Hobgoblin’s identity seems like a possibility, but if that’s it, I’ve seen neither him nor DeFalco say so. No idea. At any rate, we pick up where we left off last time, with firefighters arriving to the blaze caused by last issue’s explosion. In his lair, Hobgoblin is furious that Osborn’s journals have been turned to ash, and decides to take out his frustration on Spider-Man.
And I feel like it’s obvious Hobby is different even from just this page. His battle van comes crashing out the side of the building, scattering firefighters. The cops chase him, but he thinks they’ll never catch him, and also notes Norman built the van, just for the record. What he doesn’t know is Spider-Man has hitched a ride on the undercarriage.
Hobby drives the van right through a nearby bar, thinking he’s smashes Spidey to bits, but our hero has once again moved to safety, this time on top of the van. He’s still out of it from the explosion, but finds the strength to rip the hatch off the roof and drop in. Hobby puts the van on autopilot and proceeds to really start beating the crap out of our weakened hero. So far this issue, Frenz hasn’t really done his Ditko homage thing, but that all changes with this page.
That top row of panels is shameless, and yet the 5th panel might as well be Buscema. Why not try to be original, I ask?
While they’re fighting it out inside, the van drives right off a pier into The Hudson River. Pretty smart autopilot! As it begins taking on water, Spider-Man says they have to get out of there, but Hobgoblin’s so intent on killing him he doesn’t even care that they’re going to drown. Spidey finally gets the better of his foe, but then the controls begin to short circuit, and the van’s self-destruct arms, ready to explode before they can drown.
Cops see the explosion from a police boat on the surface. Soon, Spider-Man emerges to climb into it. Once he gets his breath, he dives back in in search of his foe, but only finds a shredded mask.
Quite a big development! It’s funny, JJJ owning up to The Scorpion, but not a half dozen Spider-Slayers, The Fly, and so on. He’s caused a lot of chaos in this city. Anyway, hours later, Peter Parker meets Harry Osborn for dinner, choosing an outdoor venue and wearing sunglasses to hide injuries to his face. He tells Har that his father’s journals were destroyed, so if The Hobgoblin is alive, he no longer has a hold on him. But Harry is still reeling from re-learning his father was a brutal killer.
This time, he knows where the big Spider Sense zap is coming from, and so do we, because this is the 3rd time this scene has appeared on the blog. But this time, it’s a 2-page spread.
And that’s that for that. Roger Stern has said he wanted The Hobgoblin mystery to run about as long as the original Green Goblin one did. That’s 36 issues, for those counting at home. And this issue, comically called ENDINGS, is only 12 issues since Hobby’s debut. Stern was introducing all manner of potential suspects, with George Vandergill only really introduced last month. He clearly had a lot more story to tell. There’s no telling where all this would’ve gone if he’d been able to stay on and see it through. But, he’s gone. And before the dust settles, Tom DeFalco won’t get to see it through, either. It’s funny how history repeats. Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman and now Roger Stern all abandoned the book abruptly. The Hobgoblin mystery starting out as an exciting new story only to devolve into a mess is not unlike what happened with the 90s Clone Saga. Cycles repeat. Editor Danny Fingroth gives a weird non-explanation for Stern & Romita’s sudden departure before welcoming DeFalco & Frenz onboard in the letter page. Also in the letter page, Hobgoblin guesses of JJJ, Ben Urich, “Black Cat’s ex-boyfriend,” “Harry Osborn or a brand-new character,” and one vote for Danny himself. All incorrect. I’ve really looked forward to revisiting these issues as these blocks have come up, and I’m going to miss them. I guess this is my 3rd or 4th time reading through these issues of ASM, but the first with all the TACs and MTUs to go with them. It’s really interesting to get that fuller picture of what was going on at the time. Next post, we’ll check in with the latter days of the DeFalco/Frenz era, near the end of 1986. Only 2 blocks left of their run. I’m running out of eras!