Comics used to say “So-and-so’s Back In Town!” a lot. “Heads up, Spidey, The Headsman’s fresh in from a trip to Florida, and he feels rested and rejuvenated!” Al Williamson is still here. Is he gonna ink the rest of the series? I feel like I’d remember that, but I am rapidly coming to terms with the fact that I don’t remember everything I think I should, reading these things. On page 1, The Headsman has already tried to sneak up on Spider-Man and chop him in half. Spidey dodges, flashes back to how he beat Headsman in UTS 8, notes that his axe no longer has a power cable to rip out, and asks his foe why he’s bothering him.
Solid gag. So now this title has 2 villains formerly employed by Osborn who blame Spider-Man for losing their gig. Not long after and not far away, Peter Parker emerges from where he stashed his regular clothes, feeling safe in the knowledge that Headsman won’t get up to too much trouble since he was specifically out to get Spider-Man, so he can go meet Betty for a date. Betty immediately starts her lame guilt trip about thinking Peter would rather see other girls, and then guess who they run into.
The Ol’ Parker Luck. We jump to Peter taking Betty home, and her being weirdly less aggressive about thinking he’s into Liz nowo than before, and then he becomes Spider-Man and goes looking for The Headsman. Instead, he finds dudes stealing furs, which is (to me) a weirdly common goon activity in old comics, and handily busts them up for his camera. Meanwhile, Huntsman has gone to see crime boss Lucky Lobo and inform him that Spider-Man is dead. Except Lobo has a goon come running in saying their fur heist was spoiled by guess who.
I know when I’m trying to get someone to hire me, I chop their desk in half and then smash out their window. I think they find it endearing. Who could the mystery voice be? The next day, as school lets out, Liz is once again on Peter, and Jason, not wanting to talk to Flash about something, points it out. Flash scoops up Liz and Jason to go see Spider-Man in action, claiming he can find him. Peter decides if Flash can actually impress Liz, that would be best for him, so he follows them for an hour as Spider-Man, and then bounces off the hood of Flash’s car, saying he’s on the trail of a dangerous criminal. Then a dangerous criminal actually shows up.
Flash leads the kids up into a random nearby building, trying to get to the roof, instead barging into an artist’s studio just in time for the superfight to come crashing through the window. Spidey tries to keep his foe from taking the kids hostage, but then part of the floor collapses, leaving Liz hanging, held by the hand of a very freaked out Jason.
Green Goblin is somewhat fair game now that he’s finally made his ASM debut. Spidey comes out to find Headsman all messed up, but then the kids are coming, and Spidey doesn’t want anything to do with them after feeling he put them at risk, so he runs off before they can see him.
It is kinda fun that we know Spider-Man’s already fought that enemy, but he doesn’t. In the letters, Assistant Editor Glenn Greenberg has something to say:
A main reason you wouldn’t see a retraction in UTS 36 is this title won’t go that far. But also, yeah, the end of the clone mess. And that’ll be the last reference to that, finally.