Title: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 22
Release Date: September 1988
Highlights
- Mark Bagley's first work on Spider-Man
- First appearance of Speedball, AKA Robbie Baldwin
- Also first appearance of Spitface Flanagan, Madeline Naylor, and Marty O'Donnell
- First appearance and death of Dylan Thomas
- First appearance of Earl's Bar
- Spider-Man breaks up a drug shipment delivery at pier7
- After he alters the police, Splitface Flanagan shows up to claim the contraband without resistance
- Peter returns home to a concerned Mary Jane, and a news report stating that Spider-Man is wanted in connection with the murders at pier 7
- Young Robbie Baldwin is visiting New York with his mother, but something is awry with him
- Matt Murdock learns of the accusations against Spider-Man and decides that either he or Daredevil needs to help
- Meanwhile, at the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson congratulates Peter for finally proving Spider-Man the criminal he always knew he was, and gives him a private stash cigar as a bonus
- Reference is made to The Punisher Annual 1
- Kingpin meets with his men, and discusses the recent events of mysterious armored warriors destroying drug shipments in South America
- Spider-Man returns to the scene of the crime, where he's greeted by Daredevil
- Daredevil uses his powers to hear Spidey's heartbeat, and knows he isn't lying when he says he didn't do it
- Kate Cushing tells J. Jonah Jameson that the city is backing Spider-Man because they're tired of crime, and are glad someone is doing something about it
- Jameson says he can't have Spider-Man labeled a hero, and tells her to put every reporter on proving his innocence
- As Robbie walks down the street alone, he's grabbed by some thugs who are intent on robbing him
- Pushing him down activates his hidden powers, and he's transformed into Speedball
- As Speedball bounces all over the walls, he manages to make his way to the roof, and grab hold of the wall to stop his uncontrolled powers
- Meanwhile, back on the ground, the mysterious armored warriors see the thugs, and attack
- Speedball can't tell if they've been killed, or knocked out
- One of the armored men is captured by Kingpin's men, and taken to him for questioning
- However, when he doesn't cooperate, Kingpin breaks his ribs, rendering him unconscious
- Speedball follows the other to their hideout, and overhears the mission from the High Evolutionary
- Everyone in the city will be rendered unconscious the next day, and the sterilization process will begin with all people with unfit DNA patterns will be eradicated
- Speedball decides he needs to get involved to stop them, but at that moment, his power leaves him, returning him to his high school youth state
- He instead calls the cops, but when they don't believe his story, he heads to the Empire State building
- Kingpin learns of the High Evolutionary from his prisoner, and informs the Arranger to get a message to Spider-Man and Daredevil
- Spider-Man and Daredevil go from dive bar to dive bar seeking information, and finally get it from someone at Earl's
- They bust through the top floor windows of the Empire State building, and the battle against the armored men immediately commences
- Robbie climbs the building, and when he see's a satellite dish high above an observation deck, slams himself to the ground to activate his Speedball powers
- Back inside, Daredevil and Spider-Man occupy themselves destroying every piece of equipment they can, but nothing is stopping the clock counting down
- Outside, Speedball destroys the satellite by bouncing into it, but then realizes he's gone over the edge of the building
- Spider-Man nabs him with a web line
- Speedball introduces himself to the heroes
- At the order of Kingpin, the Arranger takes some men, and aggressively make their way into Splitface Flanagan's hideout
- Flanagan is given a choice - Go to the precinct and confess to the murders being pinned on Spider-Man, or stay there, and become the next victim
- The Arranger returns to Kingpin and informs him they can continue their drug operations, but Kingpin tells him that for the first time, he's beginning to worry
- This story continues in Fantastic Four Annual 21
- There are some nice extras in this Annual, which include a layout of Peter and Mary Jane's new home, as well as a couple unpublished Spider-Man covers
- This is actually a major crossover event
- The full story began four Annuals ago, and encompass an additional seven after this one
- X-Factor Annual 3
- The Punisher Annual (vol. 2) 1
- Silver Surfer Annual 1
- New Mutants Annual 4
- The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 22
- Fantastic Four Annual 21
- The Uncanny X-Men Annual 12
- Web Of Spider-Man Annual 4
- West Coast Avengers Annual 3
- The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 8
- The Avengers Annual 17
- Alf Annual 1
- There is a "B" story which encompasses a solo adventure of Speedball
- There is also a "C" story with features a tale about the High Evolutionary
- It remains to be seen if only reading the issues related to Spider-Man have any impact on the overall story arc, or if they can be read as a standalone story
Oddities
- None
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
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