We return to the fledgling Spectacular Spider-Man, rounding out its first year on the stands. It hasn’t exactly been essential reading so far, and this cover sure doesn’t have me excited. No slight to Milgrom and Austin, but big slight to “Brother Power and Sister Sun.” I could be wrong, tho! It’s the people you call when everyone’s booked, Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema & Mike Esposito on deck inside, with colors by Phil Rache, a name I’m not familiar with. Typical for the period, we begin with a bunch of references to events in ASM 173, part of that long string of issues that left no room for this comic to take place, like Peter’s hurt arm and Harry’s trouble with Liz. Peter & Flash are playing tennis, and Flash is being way too aggressive because he’s mad he found out Sha Shan is married. Boy, seeing their story in particular way out of sequence is jarring.
Oh boy. Flash suggests they follow the weirdos to see what’s up, and Peter has the unusually good excuse to go load up his camera in case something newsworthy happens for ditching him. Flash follows the mob to a stage where Brother Power is babbling about light and love while obviously looking like a supervillain. Also, a woman in the crowd looks like Mary Jane, but I doubt it is.
Spidey & Flash get shot down by Brother & Sister, who then zap Flash in the back immediately. Spidey webs up a shield for Flash as he, too, is zapped, but takes far less damage. He wonders about Sha Shan, but isn’t just gonna stand there getting shot, so he grabs “Brother Power” by the wrist and yanks them apart, severing their connection and stopping the light show, then belting him in the face, knocking his mask off and revealing him to be the guy Flash ID’d as Sha Shan’s husband back in TAC 8.
One of the cops turns out to be an Irish stereotype, no surprise, as the cult heads out. Elsewhere, Peter wakes up Flash, telling him he saw Spider-Man swing him to this spot. Not bad. Flash is pretty messed up, so Peter offers to let him sleep on his couch, but he himself is headed back out to “take photos.”
Oh this is so awkward. CANNOT get over this Vietnamese guy named Achmed, and now a laser alien knows The Tao. At least that part might just be in-story propaganda…
Peter heads home with his surprisingly thorough new-found knowledge of the cult, but finds Flash has left, and a note tells Peter he’s gone to try to reason with Sha-Shan. So, soon, Spider-Man’s on the prowl, headed to the cult restaurant, where Flash is confronting Sha-Shan. “Achmed” busts in, of course, and is about to demolish Flash over her objections.
We’ve seen Spider-Man just hop back up after a similar tumble plenty of times, but I guess that’s showbiz. And if you think this issue was silly, well… wait’ll you see the next one.