THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 68
“Crisis on the Campus!”
Credits (as they appear in the comic):
Script Stan (The Man) Lee
Storyboards Johnny (Ring-a-Ding) Romita
Illustration Jim (Madman) Mooney
Lettering Sammy (Swinger) Rosen
Plot Synopsis:
The Saga of the Petrified Tablet begins, part 1-2
Comments:
Empire State University is host to a newly-discovered Petrified Clay Tablet. Its mysterious glyphs hold a secret worth dying for, and the Kingpin wants it at any cost. This is the start of a long running storyline which goes on for about 8 issues, in which the Tablet will play an important role.
Though the Tablet’s true purpose is a mystery the Kingpin is determined to acquire it, and no one, not even Spider-man will get in his way. Previous stories already established just how dangerous the Kingpin can be, but just in case anyone has forgotten, this issue provides yet another reminder that he’s not just some fat guy! The Kingpin’s training sessions where he demonstrates his power and beats the heck out of his sparring partners is something that will be repeated many times throughout the years. It’s a simple yet effective way to bring new readers up-to-speed on showing how tough an opponent the Kingpin really is.
After selling his bike a couple issues back, Peter makes his way to school, moping about in his usual fashion. Randy Robertson was introduced last issue, and here he and Peter meet for the first time. Randy is already familiar with Peter, having heard impressive things about him from his father Joe Robertson. Randy will become a regular supporting character, and a good friend to Peter in the years to come. Another character Josh Kittling is also introduced here. Josh will make a few appearances, but will not really become much of a regular cast member, usually appearing as just a friend of Randy’s. Randy informs Peter about an upcoming protest involving affordable dormitories on campus for low-income students. An earlier Ditko-era story dealt with the issue of student protests, but not really in any sort of serious manner. Gwen sneaks up and surprises Peter, resulting in an unfortunate awkward moment of embarrassment when he mistakes her for MJ. Harry and Mary Jane are conspicuously absent for this story, but I guess that’s okay with so many other characters around.
Some scenes at the Daily Bugle between J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson bring us up-to-date on what’s happening at the office, and also provides the first reference to Robbie’s wife. In the short time that Robbie has been a part of this book, there’s been a real effort to develop his character beyond the Daily Bugle and incorporate him into the stories.
Peter and Gwen pay a visit to Aunt May and Anna Watson. Things have been developing seriously between Peter and Gwen for some months, and although May seems happy about it, something else is bothering her
On his way to class the next morning, Peter passes the student protest outside ESU’s exhibition hall. Though Peter is sympathetic to their cause, his reluctance to get involved without hearing both sides of the story causes tension between him and Josh. The characters involved in this all have different perspectives on the situation which helps push this plot in the direction it needs to go. It seems like Peter is the most neutral, not having a strong opinion of his own, and willing to listen to what all parties have to say. Josh is the most vocal, with his distrust of “the establishment” and “the man”. Randy shares Josh’s passion, but seems to be a little bit more level headed about things, voicing doubts when it seems things will cross the line. Nevertheless, the protest turns riotous as Josh leads the students and contemplates using some extreme tactics to draw attention to his cause. Peter does what he can to help quell the situation, but eventually things erupt.
Kingpin takes advantage of the commotion using it as a diversion to cover his theft of the Tablet. On his way into the Exhibition Hall, Kingpin shoves Peter aside. Somehow Kingpin can sense Peter’s strength, but quickly dismisses it, believing that someone so unassuming could never be a match for his own power. It’s just a small scene, but I think it’s a nice touch. It’s an intriguing talent that Kingpin has where he can assess someone’s strength just by the way they don’t immediately crumple when nudged by those powerful hands.
Peter makes a quick change to Spider-man and catches up with the Kingpin in the Exhibition Hall where the Tablet is on display. After failing to stand up to the Kingpin a few panels earlier, Randy makes a futile attempt to stop the villain. It looks like Spider-man has learned a thing or two from his past encounters with the Kingpin. This time when they fight, Spider-man is relentless. It’s still not enough though. Kingpin’s cane blaster collapses a section of the wall, allowing him to escape with the Tablet in hand.
When the authorities arrive, Randy, Josh and the other protesters are implicated in the theft as accomplices of the Kingpin. There’s not much Spider-man can do to help his friends, but the Kingpin’s getaway car is still in sight.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 69
“Mission: Crush The Kingpin!”
Credits (as they appear in the comic):
Stan (The Man) Lee Script
Johnny (Ring-a-Ding) Romita Storyboards
Jim (Madman) Mooney Illustration
Sammy (Swinger) Rosen Letterer
Comments:
Spider-man tracks Kingpin and his men to their headquarters, unaware that the bad guys are actually expecting him.
An inappropriate comment from one of Kingpin’s men provides readers with an intriguing bit of information about the mysterious crime-lord. Up until now, we haven’t really gotten any background information on who the Kingpin is. Though she does not yet appear, the Kingpin’s wife will play an important role in future stories. Once again, to demonstrate just how strong the Kingpin is, he has a secret vault to hide the Tablet. This vault requires no lock to open, only sheer strength, such as that which only the Kingpin possesses.
Randy, Josh and the other protestors have been brought to the police precinct for question. J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson are there too, as is Captain Stacy. Gwen arrives shortly after, and some comments from one of the other students has her questioning Peter’s courage when, once again, he’s nowhere to be found when there’s trouble. This actually goes back to something that occurred way back during the later Ditko stories where Peter’s disappearance during an attack from the Looter had Gwen thinking he was a coward.
Having followed the Kingpin and his men back to their lair, Spider-man prepares to confront them. Learning from past encounters with the Kingpin, Spider-man is prepared for a trap and devises a ruse of his own. Drawing their fire with a webbed-up dummy wearing his spider-shirt, Spider-man catches the villains by surprise. By now I’m sure everyone knows that the Kingpin is not an enemy to be trifled with, but these scenes with Spider-man fighting shirtless help remind us that the web-head is no pushover either. Though of course, Spidey probably would have appeared more intimidating if he didn’t manage to get tangled-up in his own webbing like that. Once he’s free though, there’s a good few pages of Spider-man fighting it out with the Kingpin. This is just a good old fashioned brawl between two super-strong fighters. Spider-man’s powers should make him more than a match for a non-powered foe, but whatever the Kingpin’s got, it’s always been enough to hold his own against our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. This sort of thing happens all the time in action movies where non-powered characters perform superhuman feats, so I don’t have any real issues with the way Kingpin has always been portrayed.
Spider-man only manages to knock out the Kingpin by webbing-up his blaster-cane and causing it to backfire. The police show up and take Kingpin in to custody, but a few clever words implicate Spidey as his accomplice. Considering all the times similar allegations have been made, the police are quick to think the worst. Chasing down Kingpin’s aide Louis Wilson, Spider-man manages to locate the Tablet and remove it from its hiding place. Contrary to what the Kingpin believed, a heavy vault door doesn’t provide much security when you’ve got an enemy as strong as Spider-man.
With the police suspecting Spider-man of being in league with the Kingpin, the hero is forced to go on the run. The story ends with Spidey frustrated and ready to become the menace Jameson has always accused him of being!
Notes about the Reprints:
These two stories were reprinted in Marvel Tales 51-52. The reprints use the original covers, however there are some minor background changes on MT 51 and MT 52 gives Kingpin some threatening dialogue to entice prospective readers.
Both stories are also included in Spider-man Comics Magazine 6, (along with ASM 70). The front cover re-uses the cover from ASM 69. The cover for ASM 68 is included as a bonus near the end of the issue.
Adaptations in other media:
The Petrified Tablet is sometimes referred to as the “Lifeline Tablet” or the “Tablet of Life and Time” in later comic stories. The Tablet appeared in Spider-man The Animated Series (1994) and was introduced towards the end of the second season in an episode titled “The Tablet of Time” (which was what it was called in this series).
At this point in the series, Kingpin was still a behind-the-scenes villain who hadn’t yet had a direct encounter with Spider-man, or any actual fight scenes, though he did have some opportunities to demonstrate his strength. Similar to the sequence in ASM 68, this episode features a scene with the Kingpin beating up his trainers during a workout as he plots to steal the Tablet.
Personal anecdotes:
This is one of those stories I heard a lot about, but other than a reprint of one of the middle issues, I hadn’t read any of it. I watched the episodes of Spider-man The Animated Series that adapted the storyline, but wouldn’t get to read it until it was reprinted in black-and-white for the Essential Spider-man collection in the early 2000s.