Well here’s the most unorthodox thing I’ve ever done on the blog. We’re seeing this issue before TAC 128 & 129. Because for some reason, this issue takes place before Gang War despite being published 4 months after it ended. I don’t know, man. I’ve rearranged this block so many times. Why not. Here we are. This one’s not in great shape, and also in a tapeless, boardless bag that suggests I’ve had it awhile. I don’t recall that. I wonder if it just came loose. Some of the eBay books weren’t bagged. Anyway. It’s a lot of familiar names by now, in the form of Bob Layton, Jim Fern, Vince Colletta, and Bob Sharen on deck for this one, which opens on Spider-Man smashing into a warehouse at night looking for Hobgoblin.
Well, that’s a surprise. Harry called “that wimp Peter Parker,” as Hobby puts it, desperate to contact Spider-Man, and then Spidey was off. Hobby further explains that “a certain European mobster acquaintance” paid him to steal Kingpin’s ledger, which recorded dealings with this person who is obviously Foreigner. Hobby got the ledger, but triggered a warning, and soon goons burst into the room guns blazing. As he went out the window, one of them shot his glider, and it was a lucky shot.
In short order, Hobby tells Spidey there’s a homing device in the book, gives him a tracker for it, and then tells him touching said tracker has also poisoned him. Stakes is high! So, Spider-Man’s off. He goes to see Curt Connors, which is an unusually reasonable choice in a situation like this. They analyze the poison in his blood, but determine it would take them 36 hours to synthesize an antidote. Curt’s gonna keep working on it while Spider-Man plays along. Spidey wastes time calling Harry to tell him he’ll be fine. Harry goes to look in on the sleeping Normie and hopes he lives long enough to make certain his child will “be untouched by this goblin madness.” Not even close, buddy. Maybe better for the kid if you hadn’t, in the long run. Anyway.
Wait, so it wasn’t Foreigner? That’s weird. That first panel sure seems like something went wrong. A lot of wasted space. Did they expect more text? Did Colletta just refuse to ink a fancy ceiling? Anything’s possible. Spidey starts trashing goons, bullets are flying and people are fleeing as he works his way to the book. Spider-Man manages to knock out something like 15 guys in a matter of a couple pages as he retrieves the book and heads out of there. But as he escapes, he’s watched by an unseen figure in a car.
Spidey clobbers all those guys with ease, but in a rather unlikely turn of events…
Kingpin showing up to Curt’s house is pretty crazy. Rather more of a pre-Frank Miller Kingpin move. But I guess he seems pretty invested. Spidey takes the deal, and 2 hours later, he’s delivering the antidote to Harry, as promised. With their lives saved, now he’s got a score to settle with Hobgoblin…
Another solid one from Bob Layton! Too bad he didn’t do more Spider-Man, he’s got a knack for doing unusual stuff. Kinda funny how Hobgoblin, almost exclusively shown in ASM for his prestige, is now starring in a fill-in issue of Spectacular after the mystery was finally solved. His star really fell for awhile. And now, finally, it’s time to start winding things down for 1987…