I mean, I would never say Andru drew the best Green Goblin, but there’s something pretty weird and creepy about him that you just don’t get from other artists. Gentleman Jim Mooney appears to ink this month’s installment of ASM. Not my favorite, him, but most people are a step up from Esposito, so I welcome him. He’s here in time for Spider-Man to fear The Goblin is about to reveal his identity to a roomful of mob bosses.
“You deliver what you promised and maybe I will let these other guys choose you over me” is a funny position from Silvermane. This looks like it may have been a rush job for Mooney. Look at Silvermane in panel 2, Mooney’s way more delicate than that if he’s not up against a bad deadline.
Spider-Man sucks so bad in the 70s. Oh, man. What a loser. He redeems himself a little by dismantling everyone in the room in a matter of seconds as Silvermane flees, leaving those he wanted to follow him to fend for themselves. Quality leadership! Spidey notices he left only after everyone else is unconscious, and decides there’s no reason for him to stick around, either. Then we hop over to the hospital to reiterate that Peter has to give the ok for the doc to save May’s life and no one can find him. I’m not a medical expert, but I feel like “this lady who wasn’t in a coma or on a ‘do not resuscitate’ list or anything is gonna die if we don’t help her, but I’m not willing to do it without written permission from her nephew” is pretty shaky. MJ decides to just go wander NYC looking for him. She should start with his apartment.
What an incredibly random scene! Why did this happen? We cut away to The Goblin returning to his hideout just as his masked captive knocks his chair over while trying to escape. Gobby says he’ll show Silvermane, and that “The Green Goblin never promises anything he cannot deliver!!”
Really making a mess of this, Len. Meanwhile, MJ’s come to The Daily Bugle, where JJJ is ranting and raving as usual, and is typically rude to her until she says May is in danger, and then he becomes sympathetic and tries to help. Once he knows the deal, he suggests she try Peter’s place again from his phone. And she catches him seconds away from going back out as Spider-Man. He wastes a weird page deciding he won’t answer the phone, swinging away, changing his mind in mid-swing, and picking up.
Look, I know this is an emergency, but Spider-Man is still a complete idiot.
Some stuff that could be pretty big clues if this thing wasn’t so blatantly telegraphed. And more of that weird, thrilling Ross Andru action.
These titles are insane. I know Stan named his comics things like “Oh Bring Back My Goblin To Me” and stuff, but it’s 1978, come on, Len. Seems almost impossible for this story to go 2 more issues, but it’s gonna!