This is like the cover to a children’s book. This issue of MTU is brought to us by writer Steven Grant, inker Pablo Marcos, and to my surprise, legendary penciler Carmine Infantino. Carmine’s last appearance on this blog was as the Executive Editor of DC Comics in the Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man special. But he’s an artist, too, and one of the OGs, working in comics since 1942, and having drawn for Marvel since before it was even called Marvel. He drew the issue of Showcase at DC that introduced the new Flash, largely considered the beginning of comics’ Silver Age. His retooling of Batman saved the then-unpopular character from cancellation and accidentally led to the 60s TV show. He designed a ton of famous DC characters, and was once put strictly on covers for years by mgmt because his stuff sold so much better than his contemporaries. He came to Marvel less than a year after Superman/Spider-Man, unceremoniously fired after about 10 years running the company in an incident that kind of broke him, according to a biography I read. I first encountered his work drawing the Star Wars issues that were among my first-ever comics as a child, so I have a built-in fondness for his work. And here he is drawing the other character from my oldest comics. Let’s have a look! As we get started, Spidey has followed a loud boom to an overturned armored car, and sees someone fleeing the scene.
Spider-Man gives chase and eventually knocks Hawkeye out “for his own good.” Not entirely sure that’s the best approach here, but you do you, Spidey. As the cops show up, Spidey leaps away with Hawkeye’s unconscious body to avoid any further issues. When Clint wakes up on a nearby rooftop, he’s back to normal, and fills Spidey in on how we got here.
Clint figures there was a drug in the smoke around the truck, and Spidey thinks this all sounds like Mr. Fear, the old Daredevil villain, and since we’ve seen the cover, we know he’s right. Hawkeye realizes he doesn’t have his bow anymore. Spidey didn’t think to scoop it up when they fled the scene earlier. So they stop by Hawkeye’s apartment to get a new one. Hawkeye gets an angry phone call from his boss, and I think there’s a mistake in the dialogue here…
“I’m too sure of yourself?” Ok, Clint.
Is this the first appearance of this version of Mr. Fear? I have no idea. 2 issues in a row of a villain really trying to up their game with stolen goods. It’s of note to me that this is the first page in this issue that looks at all like Carmine’s work on Star Wars. Being honest, Carmine 1980 is not the man at the height of his powers. This issue is looking very solid, but the difference between a page of pictures of a “normal” person and various superheroics is interesting. It could make you wonder if the super stuff is being done by rote, something he’s done a million times (Maybe literally). Anyway, despite the lose of the bug, our heroes managed to get close enough to at least guess which building he’s in. Hawkeye suggests they split up, Spidey working down from the top of the building while Hawkeye goes up to find their guy, but Hawkeye really wants to get there first, so he can prove he doesn’t need help. Sadly for him, Mr. Fear is in the penthouse, so Spidey gets right to him, seeing him without his mask on, which makes the villain pretty mad, and it’s fightin’ time. Spidey quickly gets rid of the goons, and then this happens…
That’s pretty funny, but things take a turn, because Mr. Fear has a little pin on a ring that can inject his fear toxin into people, so Spider-Man becomes overwhelmed with terror due to that punch. Mr. Fear’s decided he’s going to see how many injections Spidey can take before it kills him, but…
As Hawkeye re-beats all the goons Spidey beat earlier, Mr. Fear gets away, locks down the room, and then starts filling it with his fear gas.
Hawkeye does his best to fight through his mounting fear, but he’s not faring too well, and Mr. Fear makes it a physical fight. He may not be strong enough to hurt Spider-Man, but against a defenseless Hawkeye, he can do alright. In the course of the fight, Mr. Fear manages to punch Hawkeye off the balcony, seemingly to his death, which sense Spider-Man into a rage that overrides his artificial fear, and he gets back up.
Well, ok then. All in a day’s work, I guess. The letter col says that reactions to MTU 87, the recent team-up with Black Panther, were very polarized, with people either really loving it or really hating it, and they run some example messages. One guy says Gene Colan’s art is “Even worse than Carmine Infantino’s,” which is one hilarious coincidence. There is also this one by some naive corporate bootlicker, which I am putting on blast more than 40 years later because it deserves it.
