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50 |
Tablet of Time Saga |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #68-#75 | |||||
| Appearing in 1969, this was one of the first of the long Spider-Man arcs, clocking in at well over 150 pages. The story has the local gang bosses, Kingpin and Silvermane fighting over a mysterious clay tablet that is rumored to hold long lost secrets of a bygone age. There's a lot of memorable fights here, and with the numerous villains involved (as well as Curt Connors getting kidnapped at one stage) things get pretty tense and escalate fast. The story also has some good (for the time) scenes of student protests on Campus that capture the spirit of the times. This story was adapted in the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. | |||||
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49 |
Return of Venom |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #316-#317 | |||||
| Venom is back, here in his second ever appearance, with him escaping from prison in order to renew his unreasonable vendetta against the Wall-Crawler. In this story we get introduced to more of the villain's odd idiosyncrasies, such as his delusional sense of honour and justice, and are given a bunch of memorable scenes, like the tense moment that has Pete coming across the psycho helping Aunt May with her washing! | |||||
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48 |
Unmasked by Dr. Octopus |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #11-#12 | |||||
Doc Ock returns for a rematch in this, his second ever appearance. The plot concerns Betty Brant's troubles with her brother, an unreliable lawyer who's run up debt with the local mob. After a catastrophic first clash, Pete gears up for a second battle and goes after Ock even though he's fallen ill and is not up to strength. A great little two issue story from Lee and Ditko that has one of the most memorable fights the two ever put to page and a lot of big early moments and drama. |
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47 |
Severance Package |  |
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| -Tangled Web #4 | |||||
| A one-off tale that's focused on the last hours of one of the Kingpin's henchman after a failed gunrunning scheme. The story is a low-key tale with moody artwork and succinct plotting that tries to show what its like for the other side when Spider-Man gets in the way, and does a good job of highlighting how intimidating and ruthless the Kingpin can be. | |||||
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46 |
Whatever Happened to Crusher Hogan? |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #271 | |||||
| This issue from the underrated Tom Defalco brings us back to the wrestler who was beaten in a competition by Spider-Man back in his very first appearance. Crusher Hogan is down on his luck, he's working as a janitor in a Gym run by crooks and his only friend there isn't playing ball with their dangerous employers. A fun, unorthodox issue full of charm that gives a lessor known character from the Spidey mythos a chance to shine and has him stepping up to the challenge. | |||||
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45 |
And Death Shall Come |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #88-#90 | |||||
| I'm pretty sure I'm rating this story lower than most, but I've never been quite as enamoured with it as others seem to be. The plot has Doc Ock escaping from prison and holding a foreign General for ransom, Spidey foils him again leading to the two having another grudge match, a match that ends up having tragic consequences. The story has a memorable battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus' arms (sans the Doctor himself) and the ending does a good job at tugging at the heart strings and had some very far reaching consequences for Pete. | |||||
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44 |
But the Cat Came Back |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #226-#227 | |||||
| This classic story from Roger Stern is where the Black Cat and Spider-Man romance began in earnest. After the character had been unceremoniously written off as a loony by David Michelinie in an earlier issue, Roger Stern decided she was too good to waste and brought her back here, re-writing the earlier revelation as being nothing but a cunning ruse! The story concerns Felicia's growing disenchantment with her life of crime, and her and Pete's parallel feelings of loneliness. The two put their differences aside and spend some time together, but for how long can things run smoothly between a hero and a habitual criminal? Good story that provides a nice change of scenery. | |||||
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43 |
Endangeered Species |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #617, #625 | |||||
| Part of the Gauntlet series of stories which aimed to reinvent and move Spider-Man's classic rogues back on track. Here the Rhino has given up on his life of crime and has settled down happily in marriage with his new wife, unfortunately just when he thinks he's out, they pull him back in! A new Rhino has made it on the scene and he wants to fight the original to prove that he's worthy of the title, unfortunately he'll do anything to make sure he gets his opportunity. An engaging story that gives the Rhino his moment in the spotlight and a lot of development. | |||||
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42 |
The Owl-Octopus War |  |
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| -Spectacular Spider-Man #73-#79 | |||||
| After the aforementioned events of "But the Cat Came Back" Felicia has decided to make a serious effort at changing her ways for good, and decides to help Spidey out in his fight against Doctor Octopus and the Owl, who are at this stage embroiled in a turf war. Underrated high-stakes storyline with important development for the Black Cat and some great scenes with Spidey losing his cool with Doctor Octopus. | |||||
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41 |
Big Time |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #648-#651 | |||||
| Fun story that progresses Pete's career and gives him some new drive and purpose in his civilian life. During a visit to a scientific think-tank called Horizon Labs Pete manages to help the staff avert disaster when an error threatens to cause the destruction of the lab. Impressed by his quick-thinking and knowledge the owner gives Pete a job there. Whilst this is going on Phil Urich (one of the many Goblin's who took up the mantle during Norman's absence) returns here as a villain (off the back of his recent appearance in "The Loners" miniseries). Pete's job at Horizon Labs is smartly written and makes a lot of sense, he can leave any time he wants to fight crime, and can repurpose his inventions from crime-fighting into useful products for the public. Urich also makes for an interesting villain, a kind of anti-Peter Parker who uses his criminal activity to get scoops for the Bugle and find opportunities for villainy. | |||||
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