Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 314

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 314
Release Date: April 1989

Highlights

• First appearance of Howell Thurston III, department store Santa, Clark, Marty, Sid, and Kermit
• First appearance of J.C. Herdling Department Store
• The story opens with Peter and Mary Jane being evicted from the Bedford Towers on December 24th
• They learn that Jonathan Caesar is behind the eviction order, despite him being in jail for the kidnapping of Mary Jane 
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 304 - 309
• Aunt May tells the two to put their stuff in her attic, and move into Peter's old bedroom
• They take her up on the storage, but Peter tells her they already have somewhere else to stay
• In the office of Howell Thurston III, manager of J.C. Herdling Department Store, he scoffs at Christmas Eve being on a Saturday, with all the banks closed
• He says this to Clark, who is working at a small desk behind him
• Howell asks if this is his 19th Christmas to work, to which Clark informs him it's his 23rd, but will be his best, as the man uncovers a gun in his briefcase
• As Aunty May heads home, Mary Jane asks Peter where they're staying, to which he responds that he doesn't know
• He explains that he simply can't move back home, and have to start explaining his comings and goings to his aunt
• As the two walk through the park, they see a woman getting mugged
• Though wanting to wallow in his sorrows, Mary Jane convinces Spider-Man to intervene
• At a security firm, a truck speeds away from the place, and in the back are the three guards intended to be in it tied up and gagged, their uniforms removed
• Peter and Mary Jane head to the Bugle for their annual Christmas party, and while there, Peter considers asking a few co-workers if they can crash at their place
• He considers the Robertson's, Joy Mercado, and even briefly, J. Jonah Jameson
• Thurston and Clark head outside to meet the security truck, only for Clark to pull a gun on him
• Peter heads to the cemetery to talk to Uncle Ben
• Back at the store, another guard sees Clark holding the gun and springs into action
• The three fake guards in the truck spring into action, and open fire, but Clark calms everyone down by taking a department store Santa hostage, dragging him to the truck which takes off with Thurston's money
• Peter hears the gunfire, and springs into action
• A short battle later, and Clark and all the guards are subdued
• Peter returns to Uncle Ben's grave to find Aunt May there
• Peter realizes he and Mary Jane that staying with Aunt May is what she wants, and decides to do it
• The Parker's enjoy Christmas Eve together
• While there's no spiders on the cover, Felix the Cat makes two appearances
• The first is on the splash page where the Parker's are being evicted

• The second is on the wrapping paper of a gift being given to Spider-Man by a woman he saves from being mugged

Low Points

• Another issue with no major villain

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 313

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 313
Release Date: March 1989

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid two spiders on the cover, can you find them?
• Peter and Mary Jane are in a cab headed out of town to go check on Aunt May
• As the cab drives through a tunnel, a flying shark comes at them, taking its roof off
• Mary Jane pushes the cab driver's head down, while Peter webs the creature, and gives it a solid debilitating punch
• In the ESU lab of Dr. Curt Connors, though he's resisting, the Lizard is taking control, and he changes into the villain
• Reference is made to "current issues" of X-Men, New Mutants, and X-Factor
• The two make it to Aunt May's, and find out that May left ten minutes ago to maker her way to their place
• Spider-Man heads out to find her
• While he's out looking, May returns, turned back to her home by a police officer who informed her all public transportation had been shut down
• Despite separating initially, Martha Connors has started talking to her estranged husband since he informed her he can now control the Lizard, and she's on her way to see him with their son, Billy
• After talking to the doorman at their apartment, Spider-Man learns that May has not been there, and decides that his next place to search should be his school, ESU
• The school security guard, Officer Murphy has been possessed, and leads Martha and Billy into a demon trap
• Lizard intervenes, telling the demons that the two are his, but is that a good or bad thing?
• Meanwhile, two kids sneak into a warehouse where the floats for an upcoming parade are stored, and come across a giant Spider-Man balloon
• Possessed, it comes to life and chases after them, but Spider-Man breaks the spike off of the Chrysler Building, and runs it through the balloon, popping it
• It turns out to be a bad thing, and Lizard wants to kill his wife and kid
• Spider-Man incapacitates him with a kick, and tells them he can cure him, but they need to get to his lab
• Conveniently, this happens in seconds, and Spidey manages to easily get the formula down Lizard's throat, but it doesn't work
• Spider-Man deduces that the chemicals need to be jump started with an electrical current, and when he attempts to juice Lizard with an electrical line is stopped by Billy
• The Lizard takes the opportunity to knock Spider-Man away, and tell Billy he'll give him a quick death for the assistance, but being part human, Lizard's left hand begins to reist, and instead reaches for the electrical line
• Lizard decides he will gnaw his own arm off, since he can simply grow it back later, but Spider-Man springs back into action, giving him a singe with a bunsen burner
• The distraction is all his left arm needed to grab the electrical line, and give himself a solid shock, turning Curt Connors human again
• Billy tries to go to his father, but his dad tells him to stay away
• Connors tells his wife and kid to go somewhere he doesn't know, and that he'll send money through his wife's lawyer, but that he can't be with them
• Mary Jane arrives at the school, and informs Peter that Aunt May is safely at home
• In a cliffhanger ending, Jonathan Caesar is meeting with his lawyer, and vows to himself that since Mary Jane rejected to allow him to make her life heaven on Earth that he'll make it a nightmare that she'll never wake from
• Did you find the hidden spiders?
• Number one is on Lizard's right arm, just above Spider-Man's fingerless glove
• Number two is on the ring finger of Lizard's right hand
• Felix the Cat is hidden on the paper cup of the cab driver on the first page of the issue

Low Points

• From the battle with Lizard to a sudden cure, everything just feels too convenient

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 312

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 312
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid one spider on the cover, can you find it?
• First appearance of Eddie
• Harry Osborn has once again become the Green Goblin, and he's out for vengeance against Hobgoblin for endangering his family
• This time, Harry doesn't want to be the Goblin, but he knows that it's the only way he can protect his family
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 47
• At their apartment, Mary Jane and Peter want to Aunt May's together, but neither swallows their pride enough to say it
• Mary Jane heads to her photo shoot, and Peter to the Bugle
• Norman (the Green Goblin) arrives at his Manhattan office to find the place covered in ice, but knowing Hobgoblin couldn't possible have done this
• Inside, an angry Hobgoblin shouts that Norman lied to him about the formula being there
• The entire city is in utter chaos, including the Daily Bugle where the presses are printing pornography, and override controls aren't responding
• This is all a result of the demons running amuck in the Inferno crossover story
• After getting shouted at by Jameson, Peter heads to ESU, only to be told only staff are being admitted
• Back at Osborn's office, the two Goblin's fight, but Harry admits to himself that he's frightened by what he's gotten himself into
• At Empire State University, though he thinks that he can control his transformation, the Lizard suddenly takes control of doctor Curt Connors
• Upon returning home, the door man gives Peter a note from Liz, informing him that Harry is missing, and worried he's gone after Hobgoblin
• Meanwhile, at her photo shoot, Mary Jane's serpent jewelry comes to life, causing a panic
• Spider-Man intervenes in the fight between the Goblins, but Harry yells at him to let him handle it, and protect his family
• Spider-Man suggests he go stay with his friend Peter, but Harry tells him no, leading Spidey to conclude that at least he doesn't remember his secret identity
• Spider-Man follows Hobgoblin and Green Goblin out into the city, but gets knocked into a water tower
• Green Goblin manages to get the drop on Hobgoblin, nailing him with his entire satchel full of pumpkin bombs, causing him to crash his glider
• Green Goblin tells Hobgoblin that the formula was destroyed, and if it hadn't been, he'd have used it himself to kill Hobgoblin
• He then gives him a final warning to never come near his family again
• Hobgoblin retreats after one final attack
• Spider-Man tells Green Goblin the city could use another hero, but he declines, stating he has a family to take care of
• The story ends with a cliffhanger of Lizard emerging from Curt Connor's office
• Did you find the hidden spider? It's hidden in the smoke below Spider-Man's raised left hand

• Felix the Cat is sitting in Norman Osborn's attic, seen on the very first splash page of the issue

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 311

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 311
Release Date: January 1989

Highlights

• McFarlane's hidden four spiders on this issue's cover, can you find them all?
• First appearance of "Peanuts" Mulroney
• Spider-Man swings over the New York library, and sees the lion statues outside have come to life
• He makes short order of them, but starts to feel nausea coming over him, and quickly sings away
• No sooner than he's on his way, Spider-Man comes across "Peanuts" Mulroney robbing a couple, and makes short work of him too
• As soon as that's done, the building he's attached to feels like it's moving, and a façade shaped giant bursts from it
• Though Spidey destroys it by chucking a car at it, it's not before the creature smashes and kills the man who Spider-Man just saved
• Peter returns home, and confides in his wife what just happened, stating he doesn't know how to deal with someone dying because of him (see oddities)
• The next day at school, Peter runs into Doctor Connors, and says the two should work together, but as he leaves, Connors admits to himself that he's been feeling strange as of late
• That evening, Peter and Mary Jane go to a sponsored party for a client who's hired her
• While there, a man enters, and causes a scene, but instinctively, Peter jumps in and stops him
• Seeing this Mary Jane gives him the pep talk he needs to keep going as Spider-Man
• Spider-Man returns to the alley and retrieves his camera, and while there, he starts to put things together
• There's no wreckage, no sign of a fight, and no fog like the other evening
• Spider-Man tracks down "Peanuts" Mulroney, and convinces him rather quickly to tell him where he can find the man who paid him
• Spider-Man gets led to Mysterio
• Spider-Man is quick to deduce that Mysterio is drawing power from the building to provide energy to his props and robots
• Spidey destroy the main source, causing Mysterio's suit to automatically compensate for the sudden drop in power, overloading it with energy
• In an epilogue ending, Harry Osborne wakes up from a nightmare about Green Goblin, and when he goes to check on his son, it cuts to the outside of his house where Hobgoblin is grinning ear to ear
• Did you find the hidden spiders?
• One is located on Mysterio's gauntlet on the left, and the other three on the gauntlet on the right

• There are two hidden Felix the Cats in this issue
• One is being held by a sleeping child, and the other hidden in the mist of Mysterio

Low Points

• The battle with Mysterio is short, and warps up with no real satisfactory ending beyond him being back in custody
• Though it's not hindered by it (yet), this is the first Spider-Man issue sandwiched in yet another Marvel crossover event called, Inferno, which spreads across thirty-nine issues of varying titles

Oddities

• Peter says he doesn't know how to go on with someone dying, and him being responsible for it, um...Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy, Ben Parker? Any of these names ring a bell with Spidey?

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 310

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 310
Release Date: December 1988

Highlights

• McFarlane hid one spider on this issue's cover - Can you spot it?
• First appearance of Dr. Evan Swann, Anne-Marie Baker, and Mr. Graff
• Spider-Man attempts to stop Killer Shrike from robbing an armored car, but the villain gets away
• Peter is registering to go back to college, and even has a $9,000/00 Research Assistant Grant to help pay for it
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 307
• Mary Jane has had the locks changed from her recent abduction by building owner, Jonathon Caesar
• After registering for school, Peter reports to Dr. Swann's lab, where he'll be serving as a research assistant alongside Anne-Marie Baker
• Dr. Swann receives a delivery for an integrated geradyne, and Anne-Marie questions where he's getting the funds if they're already over budget
• Peter's spidey sense goes off when Dr. Swann opens his office door
• After their evening date, Peter tells Mary Jane to go up, and that he'll go down the street for ice cream, but stops himself, and tells her it was a lie
• He really wants to go to ESU, and find out why his spidey sense tingled
• Spider-Man finds Dr. Swann working, and tells him to give him access to his lab to see what's up, or he'll break the door
• The door opens, and Spidey is greeted by the Tinkerer, who happily gloats about what he's up to - building a secret weapon for Killer Shrike, who just so happens to burst through the window at that moment
• Shrike demands the weapon from the Tinkerer, but tells him he doesn't have the money thanks to Spider-Man interfering earlier
• Tinkerer declines to give him the tech until he gets his money, to which Shrike convinces him with a threat
• The last laugh is the Tinkerer's who laughs when the equipment overloads on Shrike because he removed a circuit in just such the event that Shrike reneged on their deal
• From there, the fight with Spider-Man is short, and Shrike is easily detained
• Dr. Swann explains he did it because the Tinkerer discovered he didn't graduate high school, and his college degree was fake, leading to his job being earned as a lie
• Did you find the hidden spider on the cover? It's located on the right side of the largest building

• This issue's Felix the cat is hidden on Peter Parker's new key ring, which is handed to him by Mary Jane

Low Points

• Great art, but boring story

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Despite establishing him as Dr. Swann, and even having it in the panel above, the panel at the bottom of the page refers to him as Dr. Swan

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 309

     

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 309
Release Date: Late November 1988

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid one spider on this cover
• First appearance of Styx, AKA Jacob Eichorn, and Stone, AKA Gerald Stone
• First appearance of the Turbo-Hoper vehicle
• Spider-Man is working on Manslaughter Marsdale, thinking he has information on Mary Jane's location
• He doesn't
• Jonathon Caesar still holds her captive, and is intent on them being married
• Caesar learns from his goons that Spider-Man is looking for Mary Jane, and resolves to hire some special bodyguards
• Peter goes to the Bugle looking for work, and Jameson tells him to go find news worth photographing
• As he's leaving, Jameson tells Glory Grant to inform all reports of the Bugle that information on Parker's wife is their top priority
• Reference is made to The Spectacular Spider-Man 139
• Styx and Stone arrive at Caesar's home, and Mary Jane sees first hand the awful powers of Styx as he touches a plant with his bare hand, and it dies
• Returning home, Spider-Man is seen through the window by Caesar - He panics, sending Styx and Stone to attack
• Mary Jane disables Caesar with a lamp to the face, then electrocutes his two goons who are standing in a puddle of water with the wires
• Spider-Man is in peril against Styx and Stone, but is saved by Mary Jane who's grabbed one of the guard's guns, and opens fire on them
• Caesar is arrested, and Peter and Mary Jane both return home safely
• Did you find the hidden spider?
• It's part of Styx's hair on the bottom right corner

• Felix the Cat is hidden as part of the grass, to the right of the tree's long trunk

Low Points

• Either the continuity is off, or something's been retconned
• Robbie Robertson is still in the hospital talking about his broken back, but it was revealed it was just a sprain, and he's already walked

Oddities

• In his anger, Spider-Man smashes a gargoyle, and then regrets doing so
• He webs it up, and says he'll contact the management of the building to fix it - Except his webbing only holds for an hour before dissolving, and it's the middle of the night

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 308

    

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 308
Release Date: Early November 1988

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid one spider on this cover
• First appearance of Chili Bono
• Peter returns home from Chicago to find his wife missing
• She's closer than he thinks, being held a few floors down by Jonathon Caesar
• Mary Jane slaps Caesar across the face when he touches her, only to get smacked right back
• Caesar tells her that he always gets what he wants, and even his parents learned to never tell him no
• He then talks about the disappearance of his brother for not letting him have his train set
• Peter has a signing at a bookstore in Queens, but can't fathom going with his wife missing, until Aunt May calls and says she and several friends will be attending the event
• Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat, shows up at the Bedford building looking for Peter, but is told she'll have to come back when he's there
• After getting a tip from Chili Bono, Spider-Man heads to a cemetery in the Bronx, following a rumor that someone hiding there wants revenge on him
• After beating up his goons, Taskmaster appears
• Reference is made to Marvel Team-Up 103, and Captain America 334
• Taskmaster tries to explain to Spider-Man that he doesn't know Mary Jane Watson, and that Spider-Man has gone crazy
• Fighting of course ensues
• Did you find the hidden spider?
• It's part of the grass, climbing at the base of the tombstone on the far right

• Felix the Cat is hidden in the silhouettes of the grave stones, atop the furthest on the left of the four clustered on the right

Low Points

• Cool to see McFarlane's rendition of Taskmaster, but overall, a pretty dull issue that draws out the story arc for no real reason

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 307

    

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 307
Release Date: Late October 1988

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid one spider on this cover
• First appearance of Glora, Ms. Keller, Albert, and Edmund Debevic
• First appearance of State Street, and Biograph Theater
• An old lady spots Mary Jane in the grocery store, and asks her to autograph a magazine she's on the cover of
• Jonathon Caesar stops by Peter and Mary Jane's apartment, and tells Mary Jane that if she needs anything while Peter is in Chicago to let him know
• At home, Jonathon has a wall full of photographs of Mary Jane, and what appears to be her undergarments
• Marvel has a laugh at "fans" by having a young kid come for an autograph, but doesn't even know Peter's name
• The fan has his own gold pen which he takes to all autograph signings
• Back at Mr. Dukane's home, Chameleon has him bound to a chair, and intravenously being fed glucose through an IV
• He promises to let the man go once he no longer needs his identity, which is why he's keeping him alive and healthy
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 1, 80, and 186
• Origin of Chameleon, and his new powers through a serum that allow him to manipulate his actual flesh to change appearances
• He even wears a special costume that he can control mentally to take whatever shape, style, and color he needs
• His plan is simple, the complete political, and economical destruction of the USA
• Peter and his tour manager go to the Midtown Convention Center in Chicago, where Peter has been tied into the current event at the center with their guest speaker, Dr. Edward Debevic
• Chameleon is also there for the doctor, disguised as Captain Turner
• He's hired some men to cause a distraction, and they do so by shooting guns and claiming it's a robbery
• Chameleon grabs Debevic, and says he'll get him to safety
• Spidey makes short order of the thugs, and overhears the remaining officers talking about their confusion over Captain Turner who is in the building, but whom another just spoke to on the phone
• Chameleon cuffs Debevic to a pipe, and assumes his identity, but Spider-Man crashes into the room seeing the two identical men
• He immediately realizes it's Chameleon, who escapes by throwing an explosive, but not before Spider-Man tags him with a tracer
• Despite quick changing as he runs through the streets, Spider-Man continues his pursuit
• After getting his hands on a cop's gun, Chameleon takes hostages, and heads into a theater where he also finds the tracer on his body
• He ditches it, and after another change of appearance, escapes with all the hostages running from the building
• After a long day at a photo shoot, Mary Jane returns home, greeted by cigarette smell, and two men she's never seen before
• Jonathon Caesar tells her they're his men, and that he's in her home to get what he's always wanted - her
• Did you find the hidden spider?
• It's on the collar of Chameleon's left arm

• Felix the Cat is on the shirt of a young man at Peter's book signing

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 306

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 306
Release Date: Early October 1988

Highlights

• Classic McFarlane Action Comics number 1 homage
• First appearance of William Dukane
• Spider-Man takes out his anger on a couple of reporters trying to get a comment from him on the Peter Parker published book, Webs
• Spider-Man can't understand why he's jealous of Peter Parker, and vice versa, when they're the same person
• Jonathon Caesar, the owner of their building, shows up at Peter and Mary Jane's home to give Mary Jane a giant bouquet of flowers, and invite them to a party towards the end of the week
• Black Cat, AKA Felicia Hardy, swings through the sky towards Peter's old apartment, thinking to herself how lucky he is that she's decided to give him another chance
• Entering in through the skylight, she's met by Hal, the new tenant, who's just finished a shower
• As she heads back out into the night, Black Cat deduces that Spider-Man moved because the old place held too many memories of them together, and that he still loves her
• Peter meets a kid backstage who asks for an autograph, but then drops his bag full of comics
• Peter recognizes an issue of Action Comics, and says he used to have it when he was a kid
• Mary Jane slips over to the convention the kid was headed to, and buys it for Peter
• Roland Carson strolls into the office of William Dukane, and tells him he's there to take over his company
• His face then shifts, and he transforms into Mr. Dukane
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 19
• Humbug heads to Empire State University to steal what he needs for his research, but picks the wrong door, and breaks into the women's locker room
• He's met by screams, and decides to wait until night to try again
• At home, Aunt May is visiting, and when she asks if Peter received any word on his Assistantship Grant at ESU, he remembers he not only forgot, but that the paperwork is due tonight by 9:00 PM
• Spider-Man swings by the school as Humbug over amplifies the door he's trying to break into, and shatters all the windows surround him
• Spider-Man ultimately defeats him by threating to destroy a jar of roaches
• Peter and Mary Jane attend the party at Caesar's place, and when Mary Jane tells him that Peter will be away Monday on another signing, he thinks to himself that she'll be his by Monday
• Dukane has been replaced by the Chameleon
• Felix the Cat is on the mat in the bathroom of the man living in Peter Parker's old apartment

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 305

    

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 305
Release Date: Late September 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Troy Fishburne of Transcorp
• First appearance of the Algonquin Hotel in Los Angeles, and Sea Prince Hotel in Laguna Beach
• The story picks up where the last left off, with the Prowler standing over Black Fox, there too for the Valencia chalice which the cat burglar just stole
• Meanwhile, Spider-Man is in the main room of the gala signing autographs 
• After signing, Spider-Man goes after Black Fox again, only to come across him and the Prowler
• With Spider-Man distracting the Prowler, Black Fox uses the opportunity to bail with the chalice, while guards can also be heard approaching
  
• The Prowler quickly tells Spider-Man that he needs the chalice, that it's the only thing that will keep his wife out of prison
• He tells Spider-Man he's at the Algonquin Hotel, and to meet him there in the morning, where he'll explain everything
• Spider-Man heads there the next day, and finds that Hobie Brown, AKA the Prowler, checked out the night before
• Black Fox makes alternate plans to sell the chalice, and get out of town
• At the beach, Mary Jane cheers Peter up by telling him he can't solve every problem, and to let this one go
• Later at his book signing, Peter learns he's going to be on Johnny Carson, and that evening, he is
• Even later, Spider-Man tracks the Prowler to the Transcorp building, and confronts him on being lied to
• Hobie explains that his wife took a job at Transcorp, but unknown to her, they did dirty business, and when the feds caught on, came up with phony records, and set her up for the fall
• The real records are hidden in a microchip on the chalice
• Eavesdropping on a meeting, the two learn that Transcorp has tracked Black Fox's movements, and that he's getting on a freighter soon
• They intend on killing him and taking the chalice back
• Spider-Man and Prowler get to the docks just as the gunfire starts
• As Hobie deals with the gunmen, Spider-Man captures the Black Fox, but decides to just take the chalice, and let him go, feeling he's too old to survive in prison
• Hobie gets the chip, and the news later announces she's been set free based on the new evidence presented, and reports on the deeper corruptions of Transcorp
  
• Felix the Cat is on the poster attached to the table Peter is signing books at

Low Points

• Todd McFarlane did not hide any spiders on the cover of this issue

Oddities

• None
  

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 304

    

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 304
Release Date: Early September 1988

Highlights

• The Amazing Spider-Man becomes bi-monthly
  
• First appearance of Ginny Edwards, and Jonathan Caesar
• First appearance of the Jonathan Duncan Civic Center
• Peter stands in the office of J. Jonah Jameson with Mr. Wilton of Wilton Books, and his assistant, Mrs. Greely
• Peter holds in his hand a book called, "Webs", which features page after page of his photographs of Spider-Man
• Peter protests the company doing a book on his photographs without his permission, to which he's told that the Bugle owns the rights to them all
• They still offer Peter an opportunity to do signings, saying they'll pay $25,000.00, and all expenses
• Starting school again in the fall, he agrees, but when they ask him to convince Spider-Man to also attend the signings, he tells them no way
• As Peter dawns his suit, and swings away from the Bugle, he admits that it will be a blast to see the name of Peter Parker on a book when he walking into a book store, and actually looks forward to getting some of the attention that is often sidelined from him by his alter ego
• Peter tells Mary Jane about his opportunity, and informs her that his first gig in in Los Angeles, which she tells him she'll attend too
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 14, and 15
• Black Fox is on the West Coast, making himself at home in the mansion of the wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Osgood Hempstead, who while away on vacation are about to be a few possessions short
• He basks at the thought of not having to deal with Spider-Man
• As Mary Jane and Peter are headed out for their trip, they run into Jonathan Caesar, the owner of the building, who takes an interest in Mary Jane
• Arriving in Los Angeles, Peter and Mary Jane are whisked away in a limo with Ginny Edwards, who is going through his itinerary with him
• She mentions that while his evening is booked, his afternoon is free
• Peter and Mary Jane go to Disneyland
• In the evening, the two are taken to a charity gala, where the Valencia Chalice will be on display for the evening before being returned to Europe
• Black Fox pickpockets an invitation to the gala off of a passing man, who he "accidentally" bumps into
• Peter sees Black Fox across the room, and tells Mary Jane he's going to go look for a soda machine
• Black Fox infiltrates the Gala, and gets his hand on the Chalice, but he's immediately interrupted by Spider-Man
• Using smoke bombs, the cat burglar gives Spider-Man the slip
• Meanwhile, thinking the thief ducked through a door, Spider-Man flings it open only to be met by gasps of people attending the gala
• Mary Jane plays it off by introducing him, and telling everyone he's there as a surprise guest
• In a different surprise appearance Black Fox is stopped in his tracks by "bullets" that fly over his head, only to discover they came from the Prowler, who says he too is there for the chalice
  
• Felix the Cat is on one of the pieces of clothing being hung out to dry

Low Points

• Though Todd McFarlane started last issue with hiding spiders on the covers, there are none on this one

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 303

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 303
Release Date: August 1988

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane begins hiding spiders on the covers for readers to find
• There is one hidden on this cover
• First appearance of Arnie
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 301, and Captain America 344
• Spider-Man returns home from a night out, but behind the mask, Peter still struggles with Mary Jane telling him that she didn't want to leave New York, despite Peter having a dream job offer with On-Line Research in Emporia, Kansas
• Silver Sable is testing the abilities of Sandman, who she's hired to help her find and defeat Franz Kraus
• As Peter strolls through the Bugle, he hears an angry J. Jonah Jameson griping about Spider-Man, and finds out Silver Sable has placed an add in the paper advertising a job opportunity for the wall crawler
• At her photo shoot, Mary Jane isn't focused, and questions if she loves Peter enough to move to Kansas
• Silver Sable's team is in place, Spider-Man on stealth, Sandman on muscle, and they're at the headquarters of Kraus
• Inside, Spider-Man finds crates of drugs, he then overhears Kraus explaining that they're selling the drugs to Kingpin, and with the profits will buy enough land in Central America to create their own Nazi State
• At home, Mary Jane starts packing bags, and says to herself that she needs to make a decision, hope it's the right one, and live with the consequences
  
• Spider-Man provides Silver Sable with the intel, and she tells him that his work is done, but he decides to join them as they go in for the attack
• The battle is won, and Kraus, along with all his men, are taken into custody
• Peter comes home to find all the bags that Mary Jane packed
• She tells him she has a few days off to go with him to Kansas to house hunt
• Peter instead tells her that she is more important to him, which is why he's decided to go back to school, get his degree, and get the job he wants in New York
• In a cliffhanger ending, a group of shadowed men discuss a series of photographs taken of Spider-Man, all by Peter Parker
• They state they have his address, and will move in on him
  
• Did you find the hidden spider?
• It's to the left of Sandman's pinky finger on his right hand

• Felix the Cat is hidden on the back cover of the newspaper which Spider-Man is reading in the offices of Silver Sable

Low Points

• None
  

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 302

    

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 302
Release Date: July 1988

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane begins inking his own pencils, and with no disrespect to Bob McLeod, previous inker of The Amazing Spider-Man, it noticeably makes his artwork look better
• First appearance of Wes Cassady, Royce Nero, Ruth Cassady, and Billy Cassady
• First appearance of Emporia
• Peter is brought to On-Line Research in Emporia, Kansas, where he's been offered a job as chief assistant of their experimental division
• Martin Jacoby tells him that he's been recommended for the job by Doctor Curt Connors, and takes Peter on a tour of the building
• During the tour, he witnesses a hostile interaction between scientist Royce Nero, and construction boss, Wes Cassady
• A torch explodes, causing a fire at the building
• Spider-Man springs into action
• Not wanting to be seen, Spider-Man assesses the fire from a rooftop, he sees Wes Cassady running through the chaos at super speed, and using his super strength to kick insulation bundles on the fire to put it out
• The two see each other and panic that they've been spotted, taking off in opposite directions
• In his lab, Royce is working on a mechanical exoskeleton with enough firepower to destroy large rocks
• Back in New York, Silver Sable's men return, but only one, who's beaten to a pulp is able to walk
• He gives the report that they've found Franz Kraus, but that he's got a bigger organization than originally expected
• At the home of Wes Cassady, as he sends his children inside he notices Spider-Man on his roof watching him
• Spider-Man asks how he keeps knowing he's there
• Wes explains his origin story
• He was bit by a scientifically altered jack rabbit, giving him super speed, strength, jumping, and sensing abilities
• Except unlike Spider-Man, he just wants a normal life, and hasn't told anyone until now, not even his own family
• Back in New York, Silver Sable pays a visit to William Baker, AKA Sylvester Mann, AKA Sandman, and offers him a job
• Peter calls Mary Jane and tells her how great the job prospect is, but when they hang up she somberly thinks to herself that she was worried about this
• Dawning his power suit, Royce crashes into Jacoby's office, and tells him he's there to take all the plans for the secret projects in his safe
• Spider-Man battles Royce, who for the most part is using harmless weaponry, that is until he hits Spider-Man with a sonic blast
• Spidey begs Wes to help, but the man is afraid that everyone will think he's a freak, including his family
• Spider-Man is able to get close enough to Royce, and deliver a knockout punch to his face
• Cassady apologizes, but Spider-Man tells him that everyone has to live with their own decisions
• Peter returns to New York, and tells Mary Jane he wants to take the job, but she tells him that her life, career, and friends are in New York, and she doesn't know if she can leave all of that behind for his dream
• The response goes unanswered in a cliffhanger ending
• Felix the Cat is hidden on the papers that get disheveled

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 301

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 301
Release Date: July 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Martin Jacobi, and Franz Kraus, AKA Frank Kruz
• First appearance of the Pruett Building
• A team of Wild Pack soldiers run through a training course at the Pruett Building, but fail
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 265, 281, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 128, and Web Of Spider-Man 39
• Mr. Cruz, head of security for the Pruett Building offers Silver Sable $100,000.00 to run the training course
• Peter is in process of moving furniture around their new home for Mary Jane when her watch alarm alerts her to a photo shoot she needs to get to
• Spider-Man heads out, and drops by Silver Sable's condo, demanding to know why she sent her men after him a few weeks back, she informs him it was just a job, and nothing personal
• Jason Pruett and Franklin Cruz arrive, sending Spider-Man's spidey sense into high alert
• Peter heads to ESU to inquire about an advanced photography course, but finds out it's all filled up
• As he's leaving, Dr. Sloan spots him, and asks him to step in on a class to explain ohmic resistance
• An unknown gentleman is looking for Peter, first stopping at his new home, only to get a lead from the doorman that he's headed to the college, but he misses him there too
• Mary Jane and another model, Topaz, mince not so nice words with each other over hairstyles
• As night falls, Silver Sable arrives at the Pruett Building to run the course
• Spider-Man investigates Pruett and Cruz, and while he finds nothing on the first, grows suspicious about the limited information on the latter
• Spider-Man searches Cruz's apartment, and discovers he's a Nazi, and not only that, but the son of a Nazi that Silver Sable put away years ago
• Silver Sable continues to run the course, but doesn't realize that the booby traps aren't harmless trip lasers and knock out gas, but rather deadly burning lasers, and poisonous gas
• Spider-Man infiltrates the Pruett building, and stops Silver Sable at the last second from pushing a button to end the test, which is also bobby trapped to end her life
• She doesn't believe him, and determines it's a ruse, with Cruz having hired him to stop her from completing the test
• After a brief fight, Spider-Man finally gets her to understand, and ripping off the panel to the button shows her the explosives beneath which would have killed her
• Cruz escapes, but Pruett tells Silver Sable she'll not only be paid, but that he wants to hire her to bring him to justice
• The mysterious man finally catches up with Peter by being at his home with Mary Jane
• He's Martin Jacoby, and he represents On-Line Research in Emporia, Kansas
• At the recommendation of Curt Connors, he's there to offer Peter a job as their new chief assistant of their experimental division
• Felix the Cat is hidden in the audience of students during Peter's class

Low Points

• For Todd McFarlane, the artwork is kind of hit or miss - Some panels are amazing, others seem rushed, and sloppy

Oddities

• None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.