This issue is a turning point in Marvel’s publishing line, which is odd, ‘cuz I would expect it to happen at the beginning of a month. This issue has the gatefold cover they’ve been doing, but the recap and background info is condense to the exterior gatefold so ads can take up the interior 2 pages. Gotta make that money! If memory serves, the recaps will vanish entirely before the gatefolds do, leaving room for 3 ads where there used to be only 1. I guess Ringo tried to copy Jr’s wanted poster because he drew it on every other cover. Why didn’t Romita just do all 4 covers? Ah, well, let’s wrap this up. Tom DeFalco plots, “John Marc DeMatteis” scripts (fancy this month!), Luke Ross pencils, Dan Green & Al Milgrom ink, 3 people color. Spidey’s at a very low point here, DeMatteis must’ve been champing at the bit to write this misery! Our man’s trapped under debris in the fire that used to be that warehouse, but he rallies and bursts free as gunmen flee all around him.
Feel like Ross went off book having Punisher menace our here and DeMatteis had to try to justify it, but that’s pure conjecture.
When Spidey emerges, he’s carrying Frank and a bigger web bundle containing 4 more dumbies caught in the blast. The cops try to arrest him immediately, of course, but he leaps away. As Punisher inexplicably hobbles away from the scene unnoticed by the cops, he swears revenge on Norman Osborn. I don’t know if he actually tries to get it, but about 10 years hence, Osborn’s sure gonna get his own revenge on Frank. But, getting ahead, blah blah blah. Spidey is slinking away himself when The Green Goblin zooms by. Hey, why not? Our man’s in no shape for that fight, so he tries to throw a tracer at him, but Shotgun shoots it out of the sky, because he’s just a world class jerk.
Poor Flash. Never quite has it figured out. Norman swears to Liz all he cares about is getting Normie back. Normie, meanwhile, is in that junkyard, alone, and hears a noise outside. There’s a cubic ton of narration over this page that doesn’t require any to tell its story, and I am not reading it. Cut to that Overdrive dork weeping over his critically wounded but surprisingly not (yet) dead wife in a hospital (Hoooooooow is he not in jail??), then decides he has to go get that reward to pay for her treatment. Then we cut yet again, this time to MJ & Aunt Anna, pondering the situation when a loud thud makes it clear someone’s upstairs. MJ runs up spoiling for a fight, for some reason, seemingly not considering the most obvious explanation…
Lunch? It’s the middle of the night! Meanwhile, at our 5th scene change in 6 pages, that guy Clarence from last issue is dropped off by Jimmy 6, who advises him to leave this Spider-Man business alone. But Clarence thinks Spidey needs help. Then, same page, we jump to The Daily Bugle, where Ben Urich and Jacob Conover discuss Robbie quitting and Norman assigning Ben to find out about this new Goblin, and THEN we go see the Stacys in Jill’s hospital room. I was wondering why this issue had to be oversized, but it was just to fit all 4 series’ subplots in, jeez.
Oh no, to lose the respect of hate group member Paul Stacy, what a tragedy that would be. Back at the Parker home, Peter has told MJ he just came home for a shower and a spare suit. She says he can’t be serious, but he says if anything happens to Normie, he’ll never forgive himself. She says she knows better than to argue with the Parker Guilt, but says once this is over, Spider-Man has to retire. But Peter doesn’t hear her, because he’s passed out from exhaustion.
Five million for Spider-Man and only half a mil for his grandson??? How could anyone believe he’s not behind this!?
Well, that’s sure suspicious. Yet another mystery Goblin running around, and once again, Flash is a suspect. We get a page of a mob of dumbies, Override, Jimmy 6, Punisher & Shotgun gearing up for their various objectives (Getting Spider-Man or The Green Goblin, depending) and of Clarence shuffling down the street wishing he could help. Then MJ, against her better judgment and beneath a wall of narration, wakes Peter to go help Normie. I mean, shouldn’t he just put on some clothes and web his face again? Isn’t she right that the suit is doing more harm than good, here? He could even try the black suit just to throw people off. Well, anyway, Osborn is at the bridge with “as much of the money as he could raise” and some cops.
Spider-Man swings up from a hiding spot under the bridge, following The Goblin at a safe distance, even him starting to wonder if Norman’s really innocent in this. Shotgun’s ready to shoot him from a nearby roof, but Punisher appears behind him and says they need to chat. And Clarence sees the fracas at the bridge on TV, hears they’re headed for Brooklyn, and resolves to go there. Override watches the supers go, but is unsure of himself since he almost killed his wife. Goblin smashes through the windows of a warehouse, and Spidey is right behind, as Luke Ross really turns up the McFarlane impression higher than he has in awhile.
Override shows up, holding Osborn’s bag of cash, and Clarence sees the Goblin flying overhead and follows, and so does Spider-Man, who has finally made it to the junkyard Normie is in.
This page could really use some Buscema punchin’.
Wrappin’ it up! While Spidey battles The Goblin, Clarence arrives on the scene, and of all people, it’s him who rescues Normie, running him out of the building. Normie is yelling that he wants to stay with his daddy, and the idea that this is Harry stops Spidey cold for a second. But then he decides, whoever it is, the best thing he can do is keep him busy while Clarence gets Normie clear of the scene, so the battle continues for 2 more pages, until The Goblin is racing toward Spider-Man, who is standing in front of a big pile of junk cars, and jumps clear.
I don’t recall that doofus being referred to as “Dr. Angst” previously, but… hahaha. So who’s in the Goblin suit? I don’t actually remember. As for MJ’s ideas, we’ll start picking up with those in the next month’s worth of books.