An Ending: Amazing Spider-Man 122

Amazing Spider-Man #122 (July 1973)
"The Goblin's Last Stand!"
Gerry Conway-Gil Kane/John Romita/Tony Mortellaro

Karen: I think that both of us here at BAB approached this story with a bit of trepidation; seeing as how it's the most significant story of the bronze age -the true initiator of said age? - we want to give it our best effort. Sometimes when we go back and read classics, they unfortunately don't hold up. But that's not the case at all with this story. In fact, last issue's ending was like a punch to the gut all over again. The impact was still there.

Doug: These two issues, Amazing Spider-Man #'s 121-122, are indeed classics, as you stated. You know, there are very few stories that "hold up" to the re-read as this does. I'd have to list Fantastic Four #'s 48-50 (and indeed you can stretch that five issues or more on either side, because the Surfer/Watcher/Galactus trilogy is in the midst of the best run of any comic book ever), Avengers #'s 57-58, and X-Men #'s 56-63 as ranking right up there with this 2-parter.
Karen: I have a confession to make: due to the spotty distribution of comics at the time, I got the first part of this story when it hit the stands, but not the second. I had to wait for a reprint to find out the end of the tale! But knowing Gwen had died was enough. It really changed the whole demeanor of the title for quite some time. It seemed like anything could happen; no one was safe, and while that was a little upsetting, it was also exciting.

Doug: I saw this issue first; had a friend who had a copy of it. I had no background at all for this, but remember being disturbed by the ending scene in the battle. Definitely rated R to my elementary-aged brain.

Karen: This issue picks up with Spidey cradling Gwen's body, then taking on the Goblin, filled with rage like we've never seen before. Unfortunately, it makes him reckless and the Goblin manages to get away. When Spidey then spots the police and a crowd gathering around Gwen's lifeless body, he flips out and comes between the cops and Gwen. He tells them to back off. One of the cops assumes he has killed Gwen, but another realizes that Spidey is grieving. Peter begins thinking about Gwen and Kane puts together a nice one page spread of Gwen and Peter together in happier moments.

Doug: As I said above, I saw this book first and didn't know much about Gwen. But the one panel in the lower right corner of Pete playfully chasing after Gwen, while Harry and MJ follow in the background spoke volumes for what Pete had lost. Even as a little kid, I'd seen enough Room 222 and Love: American Style to recognize a romance when I saw one.

Karen: But his memories of Gwen soon turn to guilt, as Peter blames himself for Gwen's death -and that of her father, Capt. Stacy. After the ambulance takes Gwen's body away, the police try to take Spidey in for questioning, but he tosses them aside like rag dolls.

Doug: Here's an everyday thought for you -- who would have made the arrangements for Gwen's funeral? We know from our reading of ASM #123 that there was a funeral, and attended by the entire cast of characters, but it's just sad to think that she had no siblings and no parents by this time. If you've ever had to do this, then you know there are a lot of arrangements to make in a short time. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to do in a city the size of New York.

Karen: After the ambulance has departed, a visibly enraged Peter goes to Osborn's townhouse to finish things, but Osborn isn't there. He thinks he may get some info out of Harry, but Harry is still tripped out on the acid he took the day before. The two pages showing Peter seeing Harry, and then abandoning him, are pretty disturbing. Harry clearly needs someone, but Peter is focused on revenge. This was really not the Peter we knew at all -then again, he'd never been in a situation like this one before.

Doug: One, Gil Kane draws such smoldering eyes on Peter throughout this scene. The intensity of his anger... the reader can almost feel Pete about to burst. And two, I thought it very sad, and almost sickening (mostly because I knew what was coming), when Harry remarked that if Peter left, he'd be all alone. Moreso than you can imagine, Harry. Stuck in the midst of a crisis of "I think, therefore I am", Harry didn't know which side was up.

Karen: Peter- as Spider-Man - gets some help tracing Osborn to a warehouse from Robbie Robertson. I've said it before but I always thought Robbie knew that Peter was Spider-Man. He always treated Spidey with a lot of understanding.

Doug: I like Spidey as much as the next guy, and I know comics have to be organic and change. While I don't favor any of the changes that took place from the mid-1990's onward, I understand that a book can't get stagnant. My point is, that in my Spider-verse, you're right, Karen -- Robbie does know, and he becomes that aide to our hero as Ben Urich did for Daredevil. And one could mine a whole lot of material from a relationship like that. Funny -- Peter would continue to try to hide his ID from Robbie and JJJ, but Robbie would also have to hide his relationship with Spider-Man from Jonah. Lots of triangle relationships in there, huh?

Karen: Cue to Osborn inside his warehouse, ranting and raving. He hears a noise and thinks Spider-Man is waiting to ambush him from the front door. Of course, Spidey's too clever, and is actually waiting at the back door. He whacks the Goblin and mangles his glider. The Goblin grows furious that Spider-Man damaged his glider. This just makes Peter even more angry -he's lost Gwen, and the Goblin is upset over a machine? To make it even worse, Osborn begins to put down Gwen: "A simpering, pointless girl who never did more than occupy space." This infuriates Peter and he lays into the Goblin. Even today, the panels showing Spider-Man just pounding the Goblin almost make me flinch. You can feel Peter's anger and pain; never have we seen him so brutal.

Doug: I mentioned above the changes that have taken place in "modern" Spidey comics. Bringing Norman Osborn back ranks as one of the top two egregious resurrections (Bucky would be the other) Marvel's perpetrated. And look how differently Osborn's portrayed today, as this super-villain/godfather. I look at Osborn in the scene you mention above, and I see some wingnut on the verge of bankruptcy with no coping mechanisms, no way out of it -- not even through crime, and no future at all. I know that the Goblin started out as a rival to the Big Man and the Crimemaster, but think of Wilson Fisk in the late Silver Age: Osborn just is not in his league. So to think that after 25 or so years that he'd re-emerge as some sort of mythic dark lord capable of manipulating the Marvel Universe... fish ain't bitin' here.
Karen: I agree completely. At some point Marvel decided they wanted their own Lex Luthor and somehow Osborn became it. But I've always thought of him as a deluded psychopath, who could at times barely figure out how to drive to the supermarket, let alone be a criminal mastermind.

Doug: We mentioned last issue that it was hard to believe how Spidey was cutting loose against the Goblin; it's moreso here. He is really hitting him hard. And Osborn deserved every bit of it. Let's face it -- there's legal justice, and then there's just justice. Could this story have ended any other way? It's sort of the type of resolution Jim Shooter would demand for Jean Grey a decade hence -- the punishment would have to fit the crime. There was simply no way Osborn could be allowed to live to menace again. That's harsh, and borders on anarchical, but I think the creators here were right on.
Karen: Of course, being a good person at heart, Peter stops himself before he goes too far. He doesn't want to be a murderer like Osborn. As he backs away from the reeling Goblin, we see the twisted glider raise up in the air. Osborn has it under remote control, and it's headed straight for Peter's back. His spider sense alerts him in the nick of time and he ducks. The glider instead impales the Goblin to a wall, killing him. Peter realizes that the Goblin's death has brought him nothing. He walks away, feeling empty.

Doug: What a powerful scene, and intensely violent. I guess it never occurred to me until this particular read, but if you look at the subtle sputter of the glider's engine after it's impact on Osborn's chest, you have to realize that the engine is still driving the machine forward. So not only has the sharp, bent "head" of the glider pierced Osborn's chest, but it becomes further imbedded in each of the subsequent panels. There are four of these drives, and then when the engine finally dies Osborn falls on top of it, again with it embedded in his chest. It's really quite a horrific death, and one I'd argue is more violent than the bloody end shown in the Spider-Man film, where the blood did all of the work. Here it's your mind, and like the soundtrack in Jaws, that's good writing. Let your mind tell you the story, not your eyes.

Karen: The final page of the book gives us a glimpse of the future. Peter returns to his apartment, where Mary Jane has been waiting for him. She tries to tell him how sorry she is about Gwen but Peter snaps at her, saying she doesn't really care, and tells her to leave. At first she heads towards the door, in tears -but then, she turns back, and stands by a sobbing Peter. A new direction had just begun for the book.

Doug: I didn't get that scene when I was little, but as I said I didn't have all of the backstory. What a watershed moment not only in the Bronze Age of comics, but in the life of Mary Jane Watson. Pete, although cruel, has her pegged perfectly. And then she goes and does exactly what she's not "supposed" to do. Gerry Conway made a nice save of a tragic situation with that last panel or two, although I know the fans certainly didn't see it that way at the time.
Karen: This was a devastating read. I can only imagine what it would have felt like to read it at the time. There's no happy ending, no real victory -just shock and emptiness. Even in this issue's letter column, there was a special bullpen note that said the events of the last two issues had cost Peter much, including his innocence. That's exactly how it feels. The real costs of being Spider-Man are made plain here. And yet... Peter continued to be Spider-Man. He struggled with Gwen's death but never gave up his role as a super-hero. Of course, Marvel had a title to put out, but I like to think it demonstrates Peter's ability (and by extension, all of our abilities) to overcome terrible losses.

Doug: Don't shoot me, because I know you can't believe what I'm going to say... This storyline could have been greatly enhanced by some decompressed writing in the next few issues. Instead we got Luke Cage wanting to beat our hero's brains in, and then the Man-Wolf 2-parter. Both are good stories, but how about some Spidey angst? As characters we've loved, why not take the opportunity to delve into the way each member of the cast dealt with this loss? How about the Torch or DD coming to Spider-Man for succor? Again, can't believe I'm saying this, but I could have used a 6-issue trade paperback that would have been very emotional and psychological. Maybe if you had to have the hero angle, Johnny and DD could have pinch-hit against some of Spidey's rogues. But perhaps this is an "untold tale" yet to be written. Anyway, it was just back to "Biff! Pow!" in 30 days, and I'd have liked to have seen more of the funeral, Pete's grieving process, maybe to have read Gwen's obituary, etc.

Karen: I'll put these two issues up there with anything before or since as one of the most powerful and moving stories in comics history.

Doug: Here, here and Amen.

You Say It's Your Birthday / It's My Birthday Too

Doug: Yessiree, Happy Birthday to me! Forty-five years ago (1966, if ya ran out of fingers and toes) I made my debut, around 5:30 am Central Time (or so I'm told). Today you will honor me by taking a trip down memory lane, having a look-see at some comics that would have been on the stands in the hospital gift shop, had my parents chosen to get me something really useful to commemorate the day! By the way, I'm approximating, as you'll notice that all of the books I've chosen have an August cover date -- I could be off a few weeks here or there, but let's not dwell on the details -- only the coolness!

 

Happy Father's Day! Now Let's Go Ape!!

DC Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas #1
Winter 1976
Writers/artists: various

Karen: You might be asking yourself, How does a review about a one-off DC gorilla comic have anything to do with Father's Day? A reasonable question. You see, for me, there's a connection between this old, ridiculous comic, and a strong memory of an experience I had with my father, which gave me new insight into my Dad.

Karen: Thanks to the wonder that is eBay, I've been able to get my hands on this book, to replace the one I either got rid of or lost. I'm a big fan of apes and gorillas in comics, movies, you name it, so this goofy book had a strong appeal to me. But it's one of the few comics where I can remember exactly when and how I got it.

Karen: One night after dinner when I was about 12, my Dad was going to go to the drugstore to pick up a prescription for my mom. He told me I could come along. As we were driving, I realized we weren't headed for the drugstore. Instead, we went to the machine shop where Dad worked. He got out and went to the chain link fence and whistled. Two gorgeous German shepherds came running up, barking. It turned out that the shop had been burglarized recently and the owners decided to get some guard dogs to roam the grounds. Dad had discovered that the guy who owned the two dogs kept them half-starved all the time, to keep them 'mean'. My Dad may have looked rough and tough, but at heart, he was -and is - a softy, and a big-time dog lover. Dad pulled out a grocery bag from the back of the truck and emptied the contents over the fence. It was dog chow. Those dogs just devoured it, and after, were wagging their tails and friendly. It's a memory of my Dad that has always stuck with me, as I got to see a different, and wonderful side of him, that night. His act of kindness has always stuck with me.

Karen: So where does the comic come in? Well, when we did go to the drugstore he let me pick out a comic to take home. When I saw that cover, I knew which one I wanted immediately! So that's my tale, and this sentimentality is the main reason I went out and got this book again, after 35 years!

Karen: So what's in the book? Reprints from the Silver Age, of course -that's when 'DC' and 'apes' were practically synonymous. There are three stories, one each featuring Superman (1958), Batman (1952), and the Flash (1967). I guess that Batman one is really more Golden Age. I've gotta say, they're all pretty silly.

Karen: The Superman tale features one of the fattest giant gorillas ever seen -and he's orange, which makes him look more like a giant fat orangutan! Jimmy Olsen discovers the ape while in Africa. This primate has all of Superman's powers -which makes sense, since he's also from Krypton! Superman theorizes that Kryptonian scientists, just like Earth scientists, sent apes into space first before launching any human beings. That Superman is one smart cookie. Anyway, there's a lot of baloney with Superman chasing 'King Krypton' around Africa. For no apparent reason, a group of Roman descendants who just happen to have a bunch of Kryptonite are added to the mix and they force the super man and ape to go at it. Now here's the really strange part: turns out that ape wasn't an ape at all, but a Kryptonian scientist who was accidentally turned into an ape! His scientist buddy thought space radiation would turn him back into a man so he shot him off into space. What a pal! In the end, the Kryptonite causes him to revert to his true form, and he sacrifices himself to save Superman. I have to say, the panel with the ape with the human head on it was pretty weird; when I did this review I remembered seeing that image before! Ugh.

Karen: Next up is the Flash tale. Honestly, I thought this was the least interesting story-wise, but Carmine Infantino did some nice work on the art as far as simulating Flash's speed effects. This time our guest ape is Gorilla Grodd, who is one strange, beady-eyed gorilla. Flash wakes up one morning to discover that everyone in Central City is moving at superspeed! Grodd telepathically contacts the speedster and convinces Flash he is responsible. He says he'll continue to keep them at superspeed, so that they'll grow old and die in a day, unless Flash releases him from his prison. Which Flash does, allowing Grood to toddle off. Later he speaks to a scientist buddy and discovers that the superspeed state was all just a fluke radiation event! Huh? Whatever. Once Flash figures out that Grodd is bluffing he jumps him. Grodd grabs him and squeezes the speedster so hard he disappears, leaving only his costume. "I squeezed Flash out of existence!" Really? This is the brilliant foe Flash has so much trouble with? Obviously, he just vibrated out of his costume. Grodd is slapped back in his jail cell lickety split.

Karen: Batman rounds out the book, with the story of Boss Dykes, a big time criminal who is executed but has his brain transplanted into the body of a giant gorilla. I really liked the way this ape looked -monstrous, mean, but obviously still an ape. He starts committing all sorts of high profile crimes. Batman and Robin are puzzled over the ape's behavior, such as avoiding an electrical trap.They soon start to put the pieces together. Boss Dykes decides to catch Batman and have their brains switched. He almost succeeds, but Batman escapes and the big ape pulls a Kong, climbing a building and then plunging to the streets below when Robin zaps him from the batplane.

Karen: Well friends, this is another case where the memory is sweeter than the reality! None of these stories are all that great, but I have a fondness for the book regardless, because of the way I got it originally, and the memories connected with it. To all of the fathers out there, Happy Father's day.

Among Us Walks…a Goliath! (Or, How I Came to Know Dr. Henry Pym), Part Five

 Doug: As we continue our look at the Hank Pym essay I wrote for the yet-to-be-published Assembled! Volume 3, Jim Shooter becomes the writer of Earth's Mightiest Heroes...

Jim Shooter took the reins from Gerry Conway with Avengers #158 and got started with a BANG! The battle between Wonder Man and the Vision in those pages remains one of my favorite halves of any Avengers comic – However, with #160 Shooter started a truly memorable run, to many somewhat of a modern golden age not seen since the Roy Thomas/John Buscema heydays of the late 1960’s. Hank and Jan are featured only on a couple of panels in this story, but in a most cryptic fashion. As they are departing Avengers Mansion, Hank says to Jan, “Head for the lab, Jan… That battle convinced me that Yellowjacket’s powers need improving (Avengers 160, page 2)!” And off they went.I say “halves” because the second part of the book and its conclusion in #159 are only so-so.

The splash page by George Perez to #161 showed Ant-Man lurking in a ventilation shaft while Cap, Iron Man, Vision, Wonder Man, and Wanda enter the room. Making himself known via the use of a magnifying glass, Ant-Man addressed the group. It didn’t take any time at all for the reader to know that Hank was not right. The potential seemed great for a mental breakdown along the lines of that suffered through Avengers #59-60 – and that is what came to pass. Hank was enraged that the Avengers were not present for their “first official meeting” – no Hulk, no Thor, and Iron Man not in his old, clunky yellow armor. Referring to Wanda as “the chick in the swimsuit” and Cap as a “two-bit imposter” (Avengers #161, page 2), Hank asked for answers and when receiving only stunned silence launched a one-man (and mega-ant) attack against his friends. As the Beast and the Black Panther entered the fray, Hank single-handedly dismantled the team. During the fracas, his speech was unlike anything we’d seen from him. In response to the Vision’s suggestion that Hank is somehow putting them on, Ant-Man snapped: “Back off, Red Puss! And you can drop the weird hollow voice bit! Special effects don’t impress me (ibid)!” It’s only when the Wasp suddenly appears, startling Hank and attacking him with her stings, that he is subdued. After containing him and restoring him to his normal height, Jan related the recent backstory of their personal lives, as she said, “It’s been…building for a long time…and I’m afraid his mind…has finally snapped (page 10).”

Jan took the team back to shortly after she and Hank were married. She mentioned the accident that led to Hank taking the Yellowjacket identity and that subsequent to that his lab work began to go awry. Hank had begun to respond with rage and violence, often destroying machinery and other resources. Jan said that in days past it was always she who went to Hank for strength and support, but during this period their roles reversed. Knowing this, the reader had to ask if the exchange on the quinjet mere issues before was a smart conversation to have had in mixed company. Jan mentioned that she had suggested therapy but that Hank would never have agreed to it; she went instead and was told to try to bring Hank back to life as it had existed before he had become YJ. She stated that things had been going well, and that she was excited when he agreed (seen in #151) to join her back on the team. But, as they flew back to the lab mere days before this, Hank sped away from her (see quote from #160, above). And then the attack in the guise of Ant-Man…

Actually chapter one of a four-part story spread over almost a year, #162 was a first “conclusion”. Ultron was revealed as the true villain, having somehow mind wiped Hank and placed his memories well before he and Jan were married, and before the time when Hank had created Ultron. Ultron’s goal was to sap the life essence from Jan and instill it into his cybernetic bride (later to be known as Jocasta). Another battle royal ensues, Ultron is ultimately defeated, but at a cost of Hank’s permanent sanity. As the story winds down, and Hank is in custody, he screams out, “Ultron will be back to free me – and then we’ll crush you! That includes you, Janet! Now that they’ve somehow managed to make you whole again, your loyalties are apparently with them! How could I have ever thought I loved you (Avengers #162, page 31)?” In comfort, Iron Man says, “It…seems he’s gone totally mad, now – but don’t worry, Jan. After we study Ultron’s equipment, we may be able to restore his mind!” “Aye, ‘tis possible,” agreed Thor (ibid).

A pretty depressing way to leave a reader hanging, don’t you think? I was frankly crushed at this new development in the Pyms’ lives. How could Hank have let himself get to the point where he could speak to Jan that way? It was warming to see the other Avengers embrace and care for Jan in her time of need; that same picture, however, made me think of Hank as all alone and somewhat hopeless. Yes, the team had said they’d try to help him, but it seemed to me lines had been drawn; whilst one may forgive, can they ever truly forget? What Hank said – even if they could restore his mind, he’d said those words. Nothing could change that.

I was eager to see how events would unfold over the next several stories. I assumed Hank and Jan would be missing for several issues, much as they had after the events of #’s 139-140. After a seeming fill-in in #163, where Iron Man did battle with the Champions and Typhon (years later, I’d see this for the marketing gimmick that it was – an attempt to build up sagging sales on a title Marvel would have liked to save), the team was back in action in #164 against a revised line-up of baddies calling themselves the Lethal Legion. The opening scene showed Simon Williams going through tests under the supervision of Tony Stark, the Black Panther, the Beast and… Yellowjacket?? After I had read the issue, I went back to look for clues to Hank’s sudden sanity. None. When the next issue came out, same thing. And again, and again – and no hint whatsoever as to how Hank had gotten back up and running. Nada. When #170 arrived and I saw that the "Bride of Ultron" story was apparently being continued, I thought surely Hank’s mental state would be addressed. Even when he was brought face-to-face with the robot for whom Jan’s life force was intended, he remained calm, almost as analytical as the Vision might have been. And that was that. The story, which was very good – I certainly don’t mean to diminish its wonderment and lasting greatness – ended and Hank was just status quo.

And he remained that way until Avengers #193 (March 1980), when I quit buying new comics. I was about to enter high school. I had big disco hair, acne, and no girlfriend. Solution = quit being a “comic geek”. So I quit cold turkey. It wasn’t until I was in the second semester of my freshman year in college that I found out there were friends of mine who were interested in comics – and at that time I had a decent haircut, my face had cleared up, and I was dating the girl who would become my wife. The first issue I bought off the spinner rack at the drug store closest to my campus was Avengers #257, drawn by one of my childhood idols, John Buscema. The line-up took a bit of getting used to, with the new Captain Marvel and Starfox seeming somewhat out-of-place. It took several issues, too, to get used to the Wasp being in the book without Hank in some incarnation. But I soon began to figure out why he wasn’t around. His betrayal of the team, physical abuse of Jan, and their divorce became apparent. As money was available (God bless student loans!), and as I found out that there were now comics shops run through a “direct market”, I attempted to fill in the gaps in my collection that had in reality become a chasm during my high school hiatus. I also decided I’d attempt to get a complete run of the Avengers.

The Day the Music Died: Amazing Spider-Man #121

Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973)
"The Night Gwen Stacy Died"
Gerry Conway-Gil Kane/John Romita/Tony Mortellaro

Doug: Today begins our third year of publication. You might have noticed that we've yet to review some pretty major Bronze Age stories, maybe the most key among them the two-part gem we're now undertaking. Karen will tell you that this story has come up several times in conversation and that I've always been a bit skittish about reviewing it. I don't know -- it just seems like the pinnacle, the crux of this entire epoch. Maybe I've been afraid that we won't do it justice. Maybe I'm also afraid that it won't live up to my memories, but knowing how important it is, I'll be hesitant to be truthfully critical. Whatever, we're here now. And I'm pretty excited about it.

Doug: I want to begin with the cover above. What a great cover! I think first off that the yellow background really makes it pop. And John Romita's rendering of the headshots of the Spider-Man cast are all just perfect. Not only are they great portraits, but each image conveys the personality of the character. JJJ's bluster, Aunt May's worry, Flash Thompson's smugness -- it's all there. For static images, there's a lot of dynamism. And the image of Spider-Man conveys speed, power, and urgency. The design of the entire cover is perfect.

Karen: Without a doubt, Romita is one of the best at composing a dramatic cover. This one has stuck in my head ever since I first saw it. Plus, the actual threat that someone on the cover was going to die was very alarming to me as a child. This was still in the days before death had become a revolving door, of course.
Doug: If you've not already seen them, we previously reviewed the Hulk 2-parter from Amazing Spider-Man #'s 119-120. As we open this issue, Peter's just returned from Canada, and has arrived at the Osborn condominium at the urging of Gwen Stacy. Eavesdropping, Peter picks up on a conversation between the Osborn family doctor, Gwen, and Mary Jane Watson. In the days before privileged information, the doctor tells it like it is: Harry's dropped LSD and has been given a counter-acting sedative. Pete rushes to the roof to change out of the Spidey suit,and hurries back down to ground level. Entering the building, he's abruptly halted by a firm hand on his arm -- the hand of an enraged Norman Osborn. Osborn is under heavy duress, sweating profusely, and tells Pete in no uncertain terms that he is not welcome in the Osborn home.

Karen: I've always thought that it was a fantastic idea to make Osborn the Goblin. It puts that extra weight on Peter in every fight with him, as he doesn't want to hurt his best friend's father, and he was always wondering when Osborn would snap and come after him again.
Doug: Isn't it interesting that Ditko felt so strongly about the Goblin being an unknown that he left the strip? Of course, a) the more I've read about Ditko the man, the less surprised I am and b) has there ever been a stronger debut than Romita's output in ASM #'s 39-40?

Doug: Memories of the battles fought recently between Spidey and the Green Goblin come flooding back to Peter (see our reviews of ASM #'s 96, 97, and 98, as well as our look at Spectacular Spider-Man #2), and his own fears sweep over him. He gathers Gwen and MJ and they quickly hurry out. Gwen feels sorry for Harry and wonders where it all went wrong. Mary Jane is just quiet. As they leave, Norman Osborn slips further into his mania. On the phone with a financial adviser, he's told that his portfolio has taken a 13% hit; suddenly Harry stumbles into the room in a stupor, eventually collapsing. Norman Osborn's world has crumbled around him in the space of mere hours.

Karen: I liked the kids' reactions. Gwen wonders how someone like Harry, who's always gotten whatever he wanted, could turn to drugs. Of course, the one thing he's never been able to get is the love and respect of his father. I thought Mary Jane's uncharacteristic silence was almost a foreshadowing of the more serious girl we'd soon see after Gwen's departure.
Doug: We next cut to the friendly skies of Manhattan, as we catch up to Spidey a few hours later, webbing his way across town to the Daily Bugle. It would have been a shame to waste those good pics of the Hulk brouhaha, and Pete is as usual strapped for cash. However, we're let in on a little secret -- Pete caught a bug while in Canada, and his head's beginning to feel full and his wind's cut down. An amiable conversation with Robbie Robertson and a minor dust-up with J. Jonah Jameson follow, and Pete hits the streets to head for a warm bed and some rest. We've remarked in earlier reviews that part of the allure of Spider-Man is the soap opera aspect of the magazine. While we've had brief glimpses of Spider-Man on a few panels so far, we've basically gone through the first 8 pages without any typical super-hero slugfests, etc. And I don't know about you, but I've been riveted to this book.

Karen: That was the beauty of ASM -it was more about Pete and the people in his life than fights. Once you actually cared about this guy, and spent time wondering how he would get enough money to pay the rent or get Aunt May's medicine, then you really rooted for him when he donned those red and blue tights and went to work. I have to say, the sick Spidey motif was one that Stan developed and Gerry used here again. It's pretty much perfect for the character - on top of all his other problems, he's got to jump into action feeling lousy! Who can't relate to that?
Doug: Well said! As Osborn gets Harry back into bed, his mind races with thoughts of trouble. Suddenly he has an hallucination of Spider-Man leaping to attack him! Osborn cries out, and realizes that he's dreaming. Scrambling out of the building, he stumbles into the city and, in what I guess you could call a "controlled wander", winds up at one of his properties... the properties that he's held throughout the city to contain his Goblin's lairs! The next we see, the Green Goblin is alight on a glider, and calling for the death of the one he hates most: Spider-Man!

Karen: There were some great visuals. I especially liked the Spider-Man phantom; there was such a subtle coloring to the figure, it looked perfect. The large panel of Osborn flipping out was also effective.
Doug: The next cut is to Harry's and Peter's apartment, where Gwen waits for Peter to return from the Bugle. As she worries about Harry, in the background the Goblin speeds toward the window. I'll declare, no one depicted this scene better than did Alex Ross in Marvels #4... see for yourself -- I think it's just terrifying. As Peter arrives, in his Spidey duds (the sickness now pounding in his head), he finds only Gwen's handbag and a pumpkin bomb. Fear washes over him and he bursts back through the window on a hunt.

Karen: Gwen is just such a sweet-heart, which makes what is to come all the more painful. The panel where Spidey sees the handbag and goblin bomb is absolutely perfect in tone. You can see that panel and know that a cold chill just ran through him. Heck, it ran through me.

Doug: As Spidey swings frantically through the city, his Spider-sense eventually leads him toward the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge. There, atop one of the pylons, is the Goblin with an unconscious Gwendy. Did you get the sense right away that this fight was going to be different? I guess when I first read it, and I'm almost positive that I didn't know it was going to be Gwen who perished, I thought this would ultimately end in the demise of the Green Goblin.

Karen: I don't think I had any idea that she would die; that just didn't happen back then!

Doug: Our two combatants go at each other with no holds barred. How many times have we seen Spider-Man hold back from the full power of his Spider-strength? Not here. He connects a blow that sends the Goblin toppling off his glider and toward the river; it's only the remote control function of the glider that saves Osborn.

Karen: Another terrific page where you feel the sheer power of Spidey's punch as the Goblin goes flying.

Doug: Once righted, Osborn speeds toward the top of the pylon, where Spidey has reached Gwen. Readying to gather her and swing away, Spider-Man is stunned as the Goblin splits them and in the process bumps Gwen over the edge. Her limp body plummets like a missile as Spider-Man scrambles to the side and launches a webline after her. The line finally catches her, attaching itself to her right leg. At that same fateful instant, a "snap" is heard from the young beauty's neck. Spidey hauls Gwendy to him, and is shocked when he cradles her that there is no response. Not willing to admit it, he tries to revive her. As the Goblin flies near to taunt him, Spider-Man screams that the Goblin has killed the woman he loves, and for that -- he will die!

Karen: I found it odd that we don't really see Gwen's face until after Spidey hauls her up on his line. Spidey says something about her looking like she's in a state of shock and then boom! over the edge she goes. I almost wonder (now) if she was already dead? That doesn't seem to have been the plan but it just seems odd that she looks so lifeless to begin with. Also sad that there were no last words between Pete and Gwen.

Doug: So what did you think of the inclusion of the "snap" on Gwen's neck? I've always thought it odd that the sound effect was included in this scene. Why is it there? Are we to somehow blame Peter for Gwen's death? It's obvious that, despite what the Goblin said about the height of the fall killing her, she doesn't die until the minute the webline attaches to her leg. Would the scene have been as effective without it?
Karen: That little snap! has been the source of much controversy over the years. Did Spidey actually kill Gwen? That seems to be the implication. Of course, if she'd hit the water, she would have died too. I don't buy the Goblin's comment that a fall from that height would kill someone before they hit the water. I did a little research on this question about the snap, and in the letter column of issue 125, Roy Thomas has this to say about it:

"First, for the many of you who wrote and complained that the fall alone could not have killed Gwen if she were unconscious (and therefore unable to be scared to death, the usual explanation for a person dying before hitting the ground), it saddens us to have to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her. In short, it was impossible for Peter to save her. He couldn't have swung down in time; the action he did take resulted in her death; if he had done nothing she still would certainly have perished. There was no way out."
Karen: So it appears that yes, in trying to save Gwen, Spidey did in fact cause her death, but a death that was inevitable. I guess the bigger question is: Did Peter realize that his actions caused her neck to break? Was there some idea to play around with the guilt he'd feel in later issues? I don't think much came of it, but it's still an aspect of the story that disturbs to this day.

Happy Anniversary -- You're Entering the Third Year of the Bronze Age Babies!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!!

Doug: Wow -- what a long strange trip it's been! I can vividly recall sitting in my summer school classroom, having an email exchange with Karen about what to do next, given the demise of our former collaborative blog. We batted around the idea of going forward together as a duo, toyed with some ideas and monikers for a new blog and BAM! Here we are at the conclusion of our second year! As we did after our first year, we'd like to sit back, take a moment for reflection, but most of all offer up some thanks to you the reader. I consider the existence of this blog a gift to myself; without it, I'd be just too lazy to seek out/dig out older comics and relive that wonderful past of my youth. Doing the posts you see has been really fun for me, a true labor of love, and your participation in the Comments and Suggestion Box sections are a huge part of that.

Karen: It's hard to believe it's been two years. What's even harder to believe is that Doug and I have never even met! Our blog partnership has all come about via the internet. But it seems to work. We agreed with this blog to give ourselves more leeway to cover anything of interest to us, and that has made it more fun to work on. But the best thing has been witnessing the development of a community of fans here who all have a fondness for all things 'Bronze'.

Doug: I guess the biggest goldmine we hit over the past 12 months has been the Open Forum posts. I'm not sure how they got started (although I know Andrew Wahl's "talking points" on his Comics Bronze Age blog were a huge inspiration) -- if I recall, I was anticipating the release of the TwoMorrows book about Vince Colletta, and thought I'd throw out the subject of inkers and their roles. You responded, and we were off and running. Those posts have been great conversation starters, and have usually been among our most-commented posts. When we have one of those in the queue, I really anticipate the day of release so I can see how you'll respond.

Karen: I'd have to say that the Open Forums have become my favorite posts, because I'm always excited to read what you all have to say! And that was all Doug -great idea, partner!

Doug: Another series, that we're actually in the process of finishing, has been our Side-by-Side series. That one started off just a bit slowly, but really gained momentum as we got into the mid-'70's. I get the sense that you're enjoying our look at Marvel and DC in the Silver Age, but not as much as you enjoyed the Bronze Age retrospective. For almost all of us, we're lacking the experiential element here. As I'd said earlier, we were unsure how a four-month long series would be received... Well, we're stretching it to six months, and I'd say it's been a success.

Karen: The Side by Sides was another series where I didn't know what to expect, as far as reader interest. We often joke between the two of us about how we have no ability to predict which posts will generate a great response. But these particular ones seem to strike a chord with everyone, precisely because they take us back in time, to something we experienced. I really enjoy hearing everyone's stories about their reactions to certain comics events. It's like hanging out chatting with friends.

Karen: Although they didn't seem to garner much interest from our readers, I really enjoyed working on the "Tales of Asgard" posts. Those were just wonderful, fun stories. I also liked some of our two part reviews, like the X-Men vs. the Imperial Guard, or Avengers vs. Zodiac. The Face-Off and Versus posts let us explore all sorts of ideas, both in and outside of comics. The music ones seem to draw a strong response.

Doug: And you ask: Did anything surprise you in the comics reviews you did? I don't want to speak for Karen, but I know the 4-part Green Lantern/Green Arrow and the 3-part Ra's al Ghul arcs disappointed me from the standpoint of Denny O'Neil's scripts. I could never denigrate the art of Neal Adams -- even though I decided after one issue not to buy any more of his Batman: Odyssey series, the pictures were still beautiful. But I really thought those seven books we reviewed fell short story-wise. There were plot points in the Batman series that were either silly or meaningless, and the over-the-top moralizing of the GL/GA series left me flat -- maybe I was just a man out of time in regard to the impact of those stories as they'd been originally intended.

Karen: We've had an unfortunately high number of duds this last year. I suppose my expectations may have been a bit too high, but I have to agree about both the cases you raise. It's really hard sometimes to get through a review of a book when you just aren't enjoying it at all. Luckily those GA/GL and Batman stories had some fantastic art, but even that couldn't save it for me.

Doug: Another series we ran ended up being quite a bit of fun. Almost all of us recall the summer Annuals as well as that period when Marvel published the oft-quarterly Giant-Size books. So it seemed logical to give a retrospective on this blog, and our Giant-Size June and George Perez July features accomplished that mission. I really wish Karen and I had more books in that vein to share -- we have something cooked up for July this year, but it won't be nearly of the scale we tackled last year. Of the issues we did cover, I'd have to say that the two X-Men books, Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men Annual #3 were my favorites.

Karen: Annuals and Giant-Size books conjure up memories of summers past, which is always a good thing.

Doug: So to wrap up from my perspective, we just again want to thank those of you who make this a now-daily habit. The Comic Blog Elite shows that we run around 340+ unique viewers per day, as well as over 1100 page views daily. That's a whole bunch of folks reminiscing with us, and we are grateful for your participation. Here's hoping we can stay interesting and relevant in 2011-12, and share more of our love of the 1970's and early 1980's as it relates to the pop culture of our youths. Be well.

Karen: I can't add much to that other than: Thank you! It wouldn't be anywhere near as fun without hearing from all of you.