When I started this, I thought including Untold Tales in these blocks would be fun. After all, it’s technically where they go, and it makes more sense than running them separately, even though that’s how they were published. But I gotta say, actually reading the comics, Untold feels like a distraction. No slight to anyone involved. Not that they’re bad in any way, you just kinda want to keep reading the 60s books. But, the die is cast, and we’re doing it this way. So, then, we got Kurt Busiek, we got Pat Olliffe, we got Al Vey & Pam Eklund, and we got Steve Mattson. I wonder why this book routinely had 2 inkers. We begin with Spider-Man thinking he’s really getting the hang of superheroing as he happens upon an obvious break-in at a penthouse apartment. He sets up his camera and leaps in, already delivering quips before he even sees who’s in there, but he’s caught off guard.
This is a design that isn’t toooo out of place for comics wedged into the 60s, but not quite a natural fit, either. Spidey quickly learns her drones can connect to become larger objects and they form a wall for him to crash into, so he decides to ignore them and go after her. A punch the the face just glances off a force field. He flips a table and sends a decoration flying at her just to make sure, and note how a gem on her headpiece is clearly controlling the field. She wraps him up in her drones, but…
The next day, the radio tells Peter & Aunt May that a famous gem is only on display for one more night at The Hotel Imperial. Peter’s pretty sure he knows someone who’ll be after it. He checks his photos of last night, and finds Commanda’s face covered by a drone in every shot, like they knew he was taking pictures. Later, he talks his way into selling them to JJJ, anyway, telling him to play up the mystery of who she really is. And while he’s doing that, a mysterious woman shows up wanting to know who takes all the photos of Spider-Man.
The secret is out! On the subway, Sally asks what’s up, and Peter asks her to keep it to herself, saying he just doesn’t want people to know. She seems suspicious of him, but he’s too busy worrying about Betty to think about that. He recaps ASM 11 and thinks Betty must have some reason to be mad at him in addition to Spider-Man. They arrive at school, and Sally keeps his secret for now. The gang is talking about how no one’s seen Tiny for days. We find out Liz’s dad owns the hotel the big ruby is being displayed at as Sally maneuvers her into getting the kids a private tour. Peter asks to go, too, and Liza says sure. On said tour, he slips away to check out the skylight, thinking that’ll be Commanda’s entry point, then gets back to the gang talking about how he needed some air. Flash says he’s just that much of a wimp, but Sally says Flash wouldn’t say that if he knew what she knows. Not good. Later that night Commanda does break in to steal the ruby, but…
Spider-Man asserts that she’ll be caught no matter what she looks like, so she tells him she’s misjudged him, says maybe they can come to an agreement, and shifts her costume into something even more revealing than last time.
A twist ending, but a tidy one. Will Commanda return? I honestly don’t remember.