Post by crazyoldhermit on Feb 18, 2015 11:35:16 GMT -5
The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964)
"The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin"
Script: Stan Lee (The poor man's Shakespeare)
Art: Steve Ditko (The poor man's Da Vinci)
Letters: Art Simek (The poor man's rich man)
Cover: Steve Ditko
Summary: In a basement laboratory a man puts the finishing touches on a mechanical flying broomstick. Donning a green and purple elf costume and calling himself the Green Goblin he meets with The Enforcers at a sleazy hotel. Intimidating them by shooting sparks from his fingers, he offers them a chance to get revenge against Spider-Man. In Hollywood B.J., a studio executive, is trying to figure out how to create a followup hit their horror picture "The Nameless Thing From The Black Lagoon In The Murky Swamp." The Green Goblin comes in his window and offers him a movie starring himself, The Enforcers and Spider-Man, starring the real Spidey. B.J. likes the idea but doubts the Goblin could get Spider-Man involved.
At school Liz is complimenting Peter on his perfect score on their exam. He credits his success to hard study but Flash says it won't do him any good and that he'd never want to be an egghead. Liz tells Flash that he never could be an egghead because he's so stupid and that it's the so-called eggheads who run the country. Peter and the other kids are impressed and Flash is humiliated. From one of the student's radios they hear a report of a man in green flying over Manhattan on a broomstick. Peter runs off to investigate. He spots the Goblin and slingshots himself onto the broom, encountering his most bitter enemy for the very first time. But Gobby doesn't want to fight, he has an offer for Spidey and tells him to meet B.J. Cosmos at the Ritz Plaza Hotel. Cosmos offers to pay Spidey $50,000 (almost $380,000 today). Spidey agrees on the condition that he does no interviews, does no publicity and is involved in no fake romances with starlets. Cosmos tells him to be at the studio in Hollywood by the end of the week.
The next morning Peter goes to the Bugle and Jameson orders him to go to Hollywood and photograph Spidey on set. This is exactly what he was hoping for as it gives him an excuse and airfare to head West. And once he gets paid by Cosmos he won't have to work for Jameson again. Betty misinterprets his smile as excitement to go rub elbows with Hollywood beauties, glamorous girls like Liz Allan. Peter detects her jealously.
Aunt May is reluctant to give Peter permission to go but Peter pleads with her, reminded her that he's almost ready for college. She agrees to let him go. Out West Spider-Man meets with Cosmos, the crew, The Goblin and The Enforcers, who he believes are actors. They drive out to their desert location in New Mexico and while the crew are setting up the equipment the actors agree to go out and rehearse their fight scene. Of course, it's no rehearsal and Spidey realizes he's been duped. The Enforcers are as challenging as they were last time, keeping Spidey on guard but unable to land the critical strikes. But the presence of the Goblin complicates things and he is able to bombard Spidey with stun bombs from above while easily dodging his web. Using his web to whip up a dust storm to cover his movements he flees into a cave, not knowing that the Goblin is watching.
Back home, Aunt May writes Peter a letter telling him to remember his vitamins. At a soda parlor Liz Allan asks if anyone has gotten mail from Peter. She and Flash argue over Peter, with Liz calling him a dreamboat and Flash calling him a coward. And at the Bugle Jonah is anxious to get pictures of Spider-Man and hopes Peter isn't wasting time dating glamor girls, which makes Betty even more insecure.
In the cave Spidey catches his breath while Goblin leads the Enforcers inside. They push a boulder to block the entrance and make sure Spidey can't escape. However, the setting gives Spidey the advantage and he is able to stealthily web up Montana and Fancy Dan before flooring Ox with an uppercut. Gobby lets loose with the stun bombs, one of which hits... THE HULK.
Interpreting this as another attempt to capture him, our favorite green misanthrope strikes out at Spidey. Gobby gleefully watches as Spidey tries to explain the situation but Hulk is too distrustful of humanity. Hulk starts tearing the cave apart trying to get Spidey. Webbing does nothing to him so Spidey decides to stand and fight. No good. The proportional strength of a spider is nothing compared to an A-bomb. Desperate, Spidey lets Hulk just graze him with a punch. Even such a light touch sends Spidey flying back into the boulder. Hulk runs in to kill him with a tackle and Spidey leaps out of the way, letting Hulk run right through the boulder. Spidey and Goblin both leave the cave and Spidey leaps onto the broomstick. He hangs on tight but Goblin tilts it so the jet exhaust blows on Spidey and forces him off and down into a pod. Spidey waits underwater as the Hulk searches for him before going back inside. Realizing that The Enforcers are still in the cave and will be killed if Hulk finds them he sneaks back in and retrieves them before heading out to meet Cosmos.
But Spidey's luck turns again. Cosmos has heard that the Hulk is in the area and cancels the Spider-Man movie, seeing a Hulk movie as a better opportunity. He gives Spidey some expense money and sends him packing. Just so he has a little money to give to Aunt May Peter takes a bus home. The Goblin gets home ahead of him and changes into his civilian garb, lamenting the foiling of his plan. He wanted to get Spider-Man out of the way so he could form a global empire of crime. When he arrives in the city Peter can vaguely sense his presence but has no idea who he is.
Observations: As a foreword, I am extremely biased in favor of this issue. Even though I admit to Spider-Man's superiority over all superheroes speaking personally he doesn't rank above The Hulk, whose stories usually lack that punchy greatness of Spidey's but wins my heart for his personality. And as far as supervillains go I say Green Goblin is #1. So it's hard to remain objective when three of my favorite characters end up in the same issue.
The Goblin really makes this issue. Right away he shows more ambition than any prior villain. Not only does he start the story going directly after Spider-Man, he enlisted the help of previous villains to do so and was able to keep his hands from getting dirty. Spider-Man doesn't land a single hit on him and when Spidey finally gets his hands on him it's only for a moment. Gobby does what none of the other villains have been able to do: Escape Spider-Man in their first appearance. Gobby demonstrates exactly what the Vulture is missing: Offensive capabilities. He can fly, which is a huge advantage, but he can attack from a range and seriously use his power. Speaking of powers, there is no indication that the Goblin has any form of superpower. At this point he is just a guy in a costume with some weaponry.
Ditko's artwork this issue is great. He was my favorite inker of Kirby's on The Hulk and while his version isn't as mean looking it's still quite good. The scene in the cave is very moody with some amazing backgrounds. And the design of the Goblin is crazy but in a good way, with a very Count Orlok look to his face.
So what doesn't work? The Enforcers are total flunkies this time around and are little more than slightly higher grade cannon fodder for Spidey. The Goblin's Hollywood plan (two issues in a row where Stan and Steve have looked behind-the-scenes for inspiration) is ridiculous since Gobby makes four cross-continental trips just to ambush Spidey with a couple minions. And that rocket-powered broomstick just sucks.
Picking this up in 1964 I'd give it a 3/5. The Goblin's plan is just too hokey, not enough justification for the setup even though the desert make for a great backdrop. Knowing that this is the first encounter between Spider-Man and his archnemesis, my favorite villain, bumps it up to a 4/5, with hindsight overcoming the weak plot. And the inclusion of the Hulk, my favorite Marvel hero, bumps it up more to a full 5/5
Other notes:
- In #11 Peter began studying for his finals and now, three months later, he has aced them.
- Spider-Man meets B.J. Cosmos at the Ritz Plaza Hotel. I can't find any record of a Ritz Plaza Hotel in New York, only one in Miami. There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Manhattan but I believe both came after 1964, making this a flub on Stan's part (unless Spidey actually swung to Miami).
- Peter's objections to phony romances seem strange now but in 1964 the studio system still ruled Hollywood and they were prone to feeding the tabloids fake drama to get free publicity, including forcing actors and actresses to appear in public together. The idea was already sort of dated by 1964 and within a few years the studio system would completely implode and leave Hollywood in the hands of guys like Coppola, Scorsese, De Palma, Lucas, etc.
- Peter tells Aunt May that he's a senior. This clashes with him completing his finals the day before, unless he means he's about to be a senior.
- At this point the Hulk was in limbo. His own book had been cancelled the same month this one started and his stint in the Avengers lasted two issues. Since then he'd been making sporadic guest appearances. This was his final guest appearance before getting his own feature in October, co-headlining "Tales to Astonish." This was still a very rough, early days version of the character. At this point it had not yet been established that anger made Bruce transform and he still retained some intelligence.
- Peter really is selfless, since a bus trip from Los Angeles to New York City takes about a week. The difference between airfare and a bus ticket is probably less than what Peter would get with a week of Spider-Man pictures. And wouldn't JJJ pay his airfare anyway? If not thats a huge level of cheapness.
"The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin"
Script: Stan Lee (The poor man's Shakespeare)
Art: Steve Ditko (The poor man's Da Vinci)
Letters: Art Simek (The poor man's rich man)
Cover: Steve Ditko
Summary: In a basement laboratory a man puts the finishing touches on a mechanical flying broomstick. Donning a green and purple elf costume and calling himself the Green Goblin he meets with The Enforcers at a sleazy hotel. Intimidating them by shooting sparks from his fingers, he offers them a chance to get revenge against Spider-Man. In Hollywood B.J., a studio executive, is trying to figure out how to create a followup hit their horror picture "The Nameless Thing From The Black Lagoon In The Murky Swamp." The Green Goblin comes in his window and offers him a movie starring himself, The Enforcers and Spider-Man, starring the real Spidey. B.J. likes the idea but doubts the Goblin could get Spider-Man involved.
At school Liz is complimenting Peter on his perfect score on their exam. He credits his success to hard study but Flash says it won't do him any good and that he'd never want to be an egghead. Liz tells Flash that he never could be an egghead because he's so stupid and that it's the so-called eggheads who run the country. Peter and the other kids are impressed and Flash is humiliated. From one of the student's radios they hear a report of a man in green flying over Manhattan on a broomstick. Peter runs off to investigate. He spots the Goblin and slingshots himself onto the broom, encountering his most bitter enemy for the very first time. But Gobby doesn't want to fight, he has an offer for Spidey and tells him to meet B.J. Cosmos at the Ritz Plaza Hotel. Cosmos offers to pay Spidey $50,000 (almost $380,000 today). Spidey agrees on the condition that he does no interviews, does no publicity and is involved in no fake romances with starlets. Cosmos tells him to be at the studio in Hollywood by the end of the week.
The next morning Peter goes to the Bugle and Jameson orders him to go to Hollywood and photograph Spidey on set. This is exactly what he was hoping for as it gives him an excuse and airfare to head West. And once he gets paid by Cosmos he won't have to work for Jameson again. Betty misinterprets his smile as excitement to go rub elbows with Hollywood beauties, glamorous girls like Liz Allan. Peter detects her jealously.
Aunt May is reluctant to give Peter permission to go but Peter pleads with her, reminded her that he's almost ready for college. She agrees to let him go. Out West Spider-Man meets with Cosmos, the crew, The Goblin and The Enforcers, who he believes are actors. They drive out to their desert location in New Mexico and while the crew are setting up the equipment the actors agree to go out and rehearse their fight scene. Of course, it's no rehearsal and Spidey realizes he's been duped. The Enforcers are as challenging as they were last time, keeping Spidey on guard but unable to land the critical strikes. But the presence of the Goblin complicates things and he is able to bombard Spidey with stun bombs from above while easily dodging his web. Using his web to whip up a dust storm to cover his movements he flees into a cave, not knowing that the Goblin is watching.
Back home, Aunt May writes Peter a letter telling him to remember his vitamins. At a soda parlor Liz Allan asks if anyone has gotten mail from Peter. She and Flash argue over Peter, with Liz calling him a dreamboat and Flash calling him a coward. And at the Bugle Jonah is anxious to get pictures of Spider-Man and hopes Peter isn't wasting time dating glamor girls, which makes Betty even more insecure.
In the cave Spidey catches his breath while Goblin leads the Enforcers inside. They push a boulder to block the entrance and make sure Spidey can't escape. However, the setting gives Spidey the advantage and he is able to stealthily web up Montana and Fancy Dan before flooring Ox with an uppercut. Gobby lets loose with the stun bombs, one of which hits... THE HULK.
Interpreting this as another attempt to capture him, our favorite green misanthrope strikes out at Spidey. Gobby gleefully watches as Spidey tries to explain the situation but Hulk is too distrustful of humanity. Hulk starts tearing the cave apart trying to get Spidey. Webbing does nothing to him so Spidey decides to stand and fight. No good. The proportional strength of a spider is nothing compared to an A-bomb. Desperate, Spidey lets Hulk just graze him with a punch. Even such a light touch sends Spidey flying back into the boulder. Hulk runs in to kill him with a tackle and Spidey leaps out of the way, letting Hulk run right through the boulder. Spidey and Goblin both leave the cave and Spidey leaps onto the broomstick. He hangs on tight but Goblin tilts it so the jet exhaust blows on Spidey and forces him off and down into a pod. Spidey waits underwater as the Hulk searches for him before going back inside. Realizing that The Enforcers are still in the cave and will be killed if Hulk finds them he sneaks back in and retrieves them before heading out to meet Cosmos.
But Spidey's luck turns again. Cosmos has heard that the Hulk is in the area and cancels the Spider-Man movie, seeing a Hulk movie as a better opportunity. He gives Spidey some expense money and sends him packing. Just so he has a little money to give to Aunt May Peter takes a bus home. The Goblin gets home ahead of him and changes into his civilian garb, lamenting the foiling of his plan. He wanted to get Spider-Man out of the way so he could form a global empire of crime. When he arrives in the city Peter can vaguely sense his presence but has no idea who he is.
Observations: As a foreword, I am extremely biased in favor of this issue. Even though I admit to Spider-Man's superiority over all superheroes speaking personally he doesn't rank above The Hulk, whose stories usually lack that punchy greatness of Spidey's but wins my heart for his personality. And as far as supervillains go I say Green Goblin is #1. So it's hard to remain objective when three of my favorite characters end up in the same issue.
The Goblin really makes this issue. Right away he shows more ambition than any prior villain. Not only does he start the story going directly after Spider-Man, he enlisted the help of previous villains to do so and was able to keep his hands from getting dirty. Spider-Man doesn't land a single hit on him and when Spidey finally gets his hands on him it's only for a moment. Gobby does what none of the other villains have been able to do: Escape Spider-Man in their first appearance. Gobby demonstrates exactly what the Vulture is missing: Offensive capabilities. He can fly, which is a huge advantage, but he can attack from a range and seriously use his power. Speaking of powers, there is no indication that the Goblin has any form of superpower. At this point he is just a guy in a costume with some weaponry.
Ditko's artwork this issue is great. He was my favorite inker of Kirby's on The Hulk and while his version isn't as mean looking it's still quite good. The scene in the cave is very moody with some amazing backgrounds. And the design of the Goblin is crazy but in a good way, with a very Count Orlok look to his face.
So what doesn't work? The Enforcers are total flunkies this time around and are little more than slightly higher grade cannon fodder for Spidey. The Goblin's Hollywood plan (two issues in a row where Stan and Steve have looked behind-the-scenes for inspiration) is ridiculous since Gobby makes four cross-continental trips just to ambush Spidey with a couple minions. And that rocket-powered broomstick just sucks.
Picking this up in 1964 I'd give it a 3/5. The Goblin's plan is just too hokey, not enough justification for the setup even though the desert make for a great backdrop. Knowing that this is the first encounter between Spider-Man and his archnemesis, my favorite villain, bumps it up to a 4/5, with hindsight overcoming the weak plot. And the inclusion of the Hulk, my favorite Marvel hero, bumps it up more to a full 5/5
Other notes:
- In #11 Peter began studying for his finals and now, three months later, he has aced them.
- Spider-Man meets B.J. Cosmos at the Ritz Plaza Hotel. I can't find any record of a Ritz Plaza Hotel in New York, only one in Miami. There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Manhattan but I believe both came after 1964, making this a flub on Stan's part (unless Spidey actually swung to Miami).
- Peter's objections to phony romances seem strange now but in 1964 the studio system still ruled Hollywood and they were prone to feeding the tabloids fake drama to get free publicity, including forcing actors and actresses to appear in public together. The idea was already sort of dated by 1964 and within a few years the studio system would completely implode and leave Hollywood in the hands of guys like Coppola, Scorsese, De Palma, Lucas, etc.
- Peter tells Aunt May that he's a senior. This clashes with him completing his finals the day before, unless he means he's about to be a senior.
- At this point the Hulk was in limbo. His own book had been cancelled the same month this one started and his stint in the Avengers lasted two issues. Since then he'd been making sporadic guest appearances. This was his final guest appearance before getting his own feature in October, co-headlining "Tales to Astonish." This was still a very rough, early days version of the character. At this point it had not yet been established that anger made Bruce transform and he still retained some intelligence.
- Peter really is selfless, since a bus trip from Los Angeles to New York City takes about a week. The difference between airfare and a bus ticket is probably less than what Peter would get with a week of Spider-Man pictures. And wouldn't JJJ pay his airfare anyway? If not thats a huge level of cheapness.
