As a kid it bugged me that Oc didn't wear a costume because I thought super-heroes and -villains should always wear a costume! I actually liked the green and orange thing.

Here is the one I'm used to:



He is in pretty good shape in that picture.

I always liked Sandman's later costume better than his stripey shirt, too. And Chameleon's technicolor dream suit, when he was using holograms instead of conventional disguises.

The closest I could find was Untold Tales of Spider-Man 23, where Busiek suggests he should do that. But in the main title, it seems like they didn't think it was much of a deal. Considering that, in the first issues, the spider sense had been used to pick up transmissions, on a given wavelength or frequency, this was nothing by comparison.

In any case, the receiver was still being used in ASM #35, even though the last time we can see him carrying it while web-swinging, was in ASM #26, where it appears and disappears from panel to panel. Honestly, it's like playing "where's Waldo".

By ASM #51, he's clearly using his spider sense to receive the signal. I think they just skipped on the receiver for convenience and aesthetics, without offering an explanation, as to how he was now picking up the signal, all by himself.

It was stablished in ASM #267, though, that the receiver had better range.

I don't know.. the story a couple years down the road where he convinces Peter he's his sidekick is pretty impressive.

The Amazing Spider-Man #13 (June 1964)



"The Menace Of... Mysterio!"
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Steve Ditko

Summary: Spider-Man leaps out a window with a bag of ill-gotten cash. He climbs a building and webs up the watchmen on the roof before swinging away and making a web parachute to drift to safety. The watchmen are confused about Spider-Man's turn to crime.

The next day, people everywhere read the story of Spider-Man's crime and react in shock and disappointment while Jameson is ecstatic and wants his original Spider-Man editorials reprinted. Betty is in disbelief, as Spider-Man saved her life once (the other time he tried to rescue her she had already saved herself. Damsel in distress indeed). The kids at school are upset at being such fools, except for Flash who still believes Spidey could be innocent. And Peter Parker sits alone in a classroom wondering just what exactly happened, since the Spider-Man had his powers so it couldn't be an imposter. The only answer is that he is losing his mind, developing a split personality of evil.

At home he's visibly worried and Aunt May asks if it's because their savings account is almost empty and it's getting harder to pay the mortgage (Jesus May, you're not making things better). He goes to bed but finds himself afraid to fall asleep, lest his other personality take over. The next morning he wakes up to a news bulletin saying Spider-Man struck again. Seriously freaked out now, Spidey visits a psychiatrist but backs out when he realizes he could spill his identity in therapy.

When he gets to the Bugle Betty notices that Peter is bummed out and assumes it's because of financial troubles and says she wishes he could find another job. He snaps at her and tells her to butt out and goes to Jameson for a loan. Jameson tells him to butt out. He doesn't give loans, although he's willing to buy the secret of how Peter gets his pictures. Peter of course refuses and he heads out to work up some good pictures. As he swings around the city he's berated and chased by pedestrians who think he's a thief. Unable to get any photos taken he heads to school.

Once there Liz Allan immediately finds him and shows off her new hairdo (which looks suspiciously like a fancier version of Betty's), which catches Flash by surprise. Flash is floored by her hair and tells her that "She's beautiful now." Oof. Even Peter feels sorry for him.

Jameson is holding a meeting in his office when the door opens and smoke billows in. Standing before them is Mysterio, who gives Jameson a letter. He claims he will defeat Spider-Man and vanishes in a puff of smoke. The letter says Jameson should run a notice daring Spider-Man to meet Mysterio at the Brooklyn Bridge to learn the truth about himself. The letter dissolves into smoke and Jameson prints the message, seeing an opportunity for glory.

The next day Peter reads the note and heads to the bridge. Once on top Mysterio appears in a cloud of smoke and declares he will destroy Spidey and attacks him. Mysterio is able to spin through the air, stick to walls and dissolve webbing before it even hits him. Mysterio blankets the area in smoke and beats on Spidey, whose spider sense is not responding. With no other choice, Spidey dives off the bridge and uses a diving bell made of webbing to stealthily swim to shore and get home. He may have gotten beaten up but he did get the answer to one of his worries.

The public grants Mysterio a parade celebrating his heroism in defeating the menace. Flash thinks he's a phony and Peter agrees in the most passive-aggressive way possible. Flash tries to argue but Liz but Peter tells him he can have her. He heads over to the Bugle and finds Jonah presenting Mysterio to the staff. Once Spider-Man is defeated for good Mysterio will sell his secret identity to Jameson for an exclusive. Jameson introduces Mysterio to Peter and Peter takes the opportunity to slip a tracer on him. Eager to track down Mysterio Peter brushes off Betty, who begins to worry that he's interested in Liz Allan.

He tracks the villain to a TV studio, who unleashes the smoke and beats him up some more. Spidey admits defeat but asks for an explanation. After all, he's been impersonating Spidey. Mysterio tells him the story: He was a stunt man who moved into special effects work, working as a prop builder and costumer. Using his skills he was able to replicate Spidey's powers, which would fool anyone from a distance. Then he had another brilliant idea: Create a heroic identity to defeat Spider-Man and operate as both hero and villain. His helmet has two-way glass, he has acid spray in his wrist to dissolve webbing, his boots have ports to release smoke and springs for jumping and he has sonar that lets him navigate through smoke and jams the spider-sense. Spidey reveals that he just recorded the idiot's entire confession. They fight but this time Spidey can handle it. Staying outside of the smoke cloud he punches into it until he hits Mysterio and knocks him into the next soundstage, where a cheesy sci-fi B-movie is being filmed. Amongst the lights, planets and aliens the two fight, with Spidey being able to overcome Mysterio's tricks and Mysterio's stunt training allowing him to take more punishment than most. Mysterio tries for the smoke again but Spidey punches the sonar jammer, which is concealed in one of the eyepieces on Mysterio's chest, and finish the villain. Retrieving his camera and escaping through the smoke with Mysterio he heads to the police department. Jameson shows up and finds that he has been humiliated once more.

Back at his office he finds Peter's photos waiting for him. He writes Peter a generous check: Almost half of what the photos are actually worth. Spidey swings in and gets a taste of revenge, webbing Jonah to the ceiling. At school Flash's faith in Spider-Man is vindicated, although Peter says he still doesn't trust him. He swings away and enjoys his private joke.

Observations: Mysterio makes for a pretty interesting villain. Visually he's the most interesting yet. Steve had been working on Dr Strange for a year by now and that experimentation spills over here. A lot of jokes have been made about fishbowl head but he really does look like a Master of Mystery. A lot of people criticize these old villains for looking corny and there's a temptation to cool them up with black leather and whatnot but the first reaction to Mysterio's costume in story is "What a get-up! He's cornier looking than Spider-Man!" They aren't trying to pass these heroes off as looking like total badasses, they're just fun characters that normal people like the Bugle staff think look ridiculous. His "powers" hit that right balance between ridiculous and genius. Mysterio's special effects are way more effective than they should be but it's a neat idea regardless. And as a movie lover it kinda makes me sad that there will soon be a day where Mysterio's origin will be dated. Mysterio comes from a time of rear projection, stop motion and rocket ships on strings and theres a cool "old Hollywood" vibe to him. His dual schemes are kind of odd. It's not uncommon for supervillains to start one way and change dramatically by their next appearance but here Mysterio pulls that act in one story.

After an issue of real happiness Peter's personal life inches towards the precipice once more. His relationship with Betty has just started and it's already starting to hit the rocks as Betty proves to be prone to jealousy and insecurity, which does nothing to endear her to me. Liz starts making serious moves to win Peter over, show zero respect for his relationship (then again, Peter didn't exactly respect her and Flash's relationship) but Peter is smart enough to figure that it's just a crush and nothing more. Flash is cemented as Spidey's biggest fan as well as a bit of a schmuck rather than a bully, liking a girl who likes a guy who likes a different girl. Sucks for him.

Jameson suffers yet another major humiliation, horribly misjudging Electro, The Big Man and now Mysterio. At this rate it's a surprise the Bugle is still in business. His self-reflection in #10 hasn't really changed much. In fact he's even greedier than ever, paying Peter only half of what his photos are worth despite knowing about his financial problems. It's hard to have sympathies for a character who admits their problems and desire to change and does nothing to do so.

Overall it's a solid issue with a cool villain and a creative action set piece. 4/5

- Mysterio isn't the first villain to impersonate Spidey. Chameleon did so way back in #1
- Jameson is still credited as being publisher of NOW magazine but the publication hasn't made an appearance in five issues now.
- For the first time since ASM #2, the Parker family's money woes are brought up. In that issue Peter was able to pay the rent for an entire year with one assignment. Now their concern is paying the mortage and their savings are almost gone. It has been just over a year since that story so the money Peter set aside for it would be gone but Peter has been selling photos all year, including a batch of Spidey/Ock pics last month (even though Betty says he hadn't managed to sell photos lately). Of course, it's highly possible and likely that after the initial excitement of getting pictures of the Vulture wore off Jameson dropped Peter's rates.
- While Spidey doesn't have a split personality this time, in twenty years the alien costume will take sleeping Peter out for nocturnal rides the exact same way he fears here.
- Another major New York landmark is featured: The Brooklyn Bridge. As everybody in this thread knows, the Brooklyn Bridge factors into a very significant storyline down the road (yes, it's the Brooklyn Bridge and not the George Washington Bridge).
- This is the second time Peter meets a supervillain as Peter Parker but only the first time he's aware of it when they meet, as he didn't know Foswell was The Big Man.
- We find out how Spidey can see out of his mask: Two-way lenses!
- Once again a villain finds out about spider-sense, even though the only villain he actually told about it is Electro. At least this time we see Mysterio actually figuring it out.
- It's pretty funny when Spider-Man holds up a "miniature tape recorder" thats the size of a brick. A lot has changed in 50 years.

I will second that notion. He rocked the green and purple before Green Goblin and I have always liked him as a villain. Like Scorpion (another fav of mine), I also feel that he was used at just the right time. Correct me if I am wrong but in the first 300 issues of ASM, is he not only seen in a handful of issues? Like this one, then around #66 and 67, then around #140-142 and that is pretty much it until Macfarlane/Larsen use him in the late 80's/early 90's. I am sure he had some appearance in Spec. Spider-Man or MTU but I cannot think of any.

Funny how when you look at some "classic" villains, you realize they were not use as much as you would think. Which may be why they are characters people like; had they been overused we would be sick of them.

There was a story in Roger Stern's run on Spectacular where he was revealed to be