THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #135

"Shoot-Out In Central Park"

• Writer: Gerry Conway
• Artist: Ross Andru
• Inker: F. Giacoia & D. Hunt
• Print Date: Aug., 1974

Featuring:

Plot Summary:

"That's right Spider-Man.. It's the Punisher." And so begins the 2nd part of our story picking up exactly where the last left off. With Spider-Man left as weak as the proverbial kitten laying on the deck of a cruise ship on the Hudson River, he's at the mercy of the Punisher who think Spider-Man has been hijacking the ship with the help of the Tarantula!

Who can blame the Punisher either? The Tarantula plays along with the Punisher's misconception making it look like Spider-Man is part of his hired help. However, the Punisher has made a mistake in letting Spider-Man get his 2nd wind, and with a quick kick and a flip through the air, Spider-Man disarms and gets behind the Punisher. The two trade some quick blows, but while they sort out their difference, the Tarantula and his crew escape via a waiting helicopter with the passengers' valuables! At this point, the Punisher figures out the real score, and with a quick apology to Spider-Man, the two agree to meet at midnight to go after the Tarantula together. With that, the Punisher dives into the Hudson River and swims for shore.

But, before Spider-Man can make his exit, the crowd presses in on him, accusing him of being in on the hijacking, and corners him against the ship's railing. Still dizzy from the Tarantula's drugs, Spider-Man falls/dives over the railing and into the river swimming for shore.

Yet, as Spidey slips away from view in the muddy East River (Yes, the book says the East River this issue when it was clearly stated they were on the Hudson River last issue), MJ and Flash realize that Peter is no where to be found. Cue a recap, and after Flash's explanation of last issue, there's a cry from nearby: "Man Overboard!" Sure enough, it's Peter bobbing in the river. Peter exclaims that he was shoved overboard during the assault, but it's clear from Flash's looks that he doesn't buy Peter's outlandish story.

We'll take our leave of our harried hero now, and look in on another hassled gentlemen, one of the other continuing characters in our series: The stalwart, and distressed, publisher of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, boy magnate! Jonah paces around his office as Robbie Robertson questions how the mayor can expect Jonah to pay an entire ransom as a loan to the city. However, Jonah gets some great news as Peter calls in to explain that the hijackers were run off by the Punisher and Spider-Man. Ecstatic, Jonah celebrates telling Betty to get the governor on the phone. After Betty has made the necessary calls, and put Jonah through to Albany, Robbie stops by to explain that Spider-Man just saved J.J.J. a million dollars but will probably regret it when he reads tomorrow's edition.

For Peter Parker, returned to the apartment he shares with Harry Osborn, thoughts of Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle are the furthest things from his mind. No, our harried hero is interested only in a shower to remove the sludge he picked up from his dunk in the East River. And, unfortunately, this has caused him to a bit careless about where he's placed his dirty clothes. For, you see, Harry Osborn has long had his suspicions about Peter Parker, suspicions born when Spider-Man was found with the dead body of Norman Osborn, the man Spidey knew to be the Green Goblin, arch-criminal and murderer of Peter's girl-friend Gwen Stacy, the man Harry knew only as his father. And, having found the damning costume in Peter's possession, Harry sneaks off.

And so, unaware of the events we've just witnessed, Peter changes once more into the familiar red-and-blue costume and sets out for his meeting with his sometime ally, the mystery-man we call The Punisher. Spider-Man arrives at the museum in Fort Tryon to find the Punisher waiting for him. The Punisher leads him through the museum to an abandoned room he's used as a base for the past month. The Punisher has been collecting information, tracking down leads, and has come up with the origin of the man calling himself Tarantula:

Six years ago, Anton Miguel Rodriquez was a member of a South American revolutionary band. As an enthusiastic member of his small 'army', Rodriquez was a master of terror. Blowing up supply trains, kidnapping politicians, robbery, and assassination were just a few methods he used to terrorize the ruling class. However, Rodriquez was a bit too enthusiastic at times, and after the callous murder of a bank guard during a robbery, the revolution expelled him. However, the army of the dictatorship was more than pleased to make him an addition to their cause. He was given the identity of the Tarantula and became a force for fear and terror against his countrymen. However, his love of killing would get him trouble once again, and he finished himself with the government army when he killed a guard who disapproved of his 'interrogation' of a captured revolutionary. Fleeing the country, he arrived in New York six months later. Shortly, he was haunted the shiftier bars and pool rooms in the city, organized his crime team, and moved his move on the tour ship...

Of course, the Punisher is well-aware of the Tarantula's current headquarters, the two move in on a tenement in the West One-Hundreds facing Central Park. A bit of stealth and splash of webbing immobilizes and mutes the single guard, and the Punisher moves in to start the assault. Crashing through a window, he catches the Tarantula and his two henchmen off-guard. A quick judo toss takes out Hidalgo and Juan, and a few shots from his sub-machine gun sends the Tarantula fleeing outside..

.. Right into the arms of the waiting Spider-Man. The Tarantula proves no match for Spider-Man has his kicking stings keep jabbing air, but he does manage to catch Spider-Man off-guard with a thrown concrete block. Taking advantage of the precious seconds Spider-Man spends recovering his breath, the Tarantula heads for central park. Spider-Man catches up with the Tarantula at the rowboat marina, and after tossing the Tarantula in the drink, the fight is quickly finished. Punisher shows up to drop off the two henchmen before walking off saying, "Til we meet again."

Epilogue: it takes place here, in a warehouse we've seen before, and it features this youth whose face is definitely familiar. Yes, it's the warehouse where Norman Osborn died. Yes, the youth is Harry Osborn. And yes, this is the former secret headquarters of the man who killed Gwen Stacy. As for the rest, we must wait for tomorrow.

Comments:

Ok, I'm wrapping up a HUGE 7-issue review and trying to think of ways to improve the site. Other than that, I thought I had a lot of the work done on these on my business trip (well, the reviews anyways), but it's been a lot of effort to get the screen shots done, updating the villain pages, etc. etc. etc. Yeah yeah.. I'm whining. Anyways, after this expect some changes to the site. I'm going to focus more on villains and guest-stars, and less on issue reviews. The reviews aren't going away entirely, but the length and detail is certainly going to get pared down some.

Plot Analysis:

Tonight's music is the science fiction soundtrack. A whole soundtrack of nothing more than the orchestral accompaniment to the best and worst science fiction films of our age.

Ok, the Punisher returns to Spider-Man which means we have an obligatory fight between the two. Spider-Man lies paralyzed and helpless after being stuck with the Tarantula's venom-coated shoes twice last issue. The Tarantula and his men are shaking off the pummeling they received at Spider-Man's hands, and the Punisher is covering Spider-Man with a large gun. Just when it looks like it's all over for the web-slinger, he miraculously shakes off the affects of the Tarantula's drugs and proceeds to use the Punisher as a punching bag for awhile. Of course, while the two 'good guys' are otherwise distracted, the Tarantula makes good his escape on a pre-arranged getaway helicopter. For some reason, Spider-Man concludes that teaming up with an admitted killer is a good idea, and he and the Punisher arrange to meet later to join forces against the Tarantula. Finally, the two exit the ship by diving over the side and swimming off in the murky depths.

Of course, Spider-Man just feigns swimming off while he really takes the opportunity to duck behind the liner, change into his civvies, and holler "Man overboard" in time to be rescued by the ship's crew. The second miracle of St. Spider-Man occurs when everyone on boards buys this explanation.

Peter checks in with work and tells Jonah that he managed to snap some photos. Jonah is, of course, happier about not having to pay the ransom than the opportunity to print more Spider-Man photos.

Before we get back to the Tarantula, Peter takes a quick break to swing by home and take a shower. While he's washing up, we see Harry sneak into his room and view his costume. The anger and insanity are evident in Harry's eyes as he stalks off.

And, before we can dispose of our new villain once and for all, the Punisher takes a moment to show a short film clip depicting the Tarantula's early days as a South American revolutionary. The clip goes on to take first place at the Toronto film festival.

And so, we get to the climatic battle. Conveniently, the Punisher knows just where the Tarantula is hiding out. What is it with villains and their 'public' secret hideouts? First, Doc Ock and now the Tarantula. Good grief, you'd think these guys were putting up billboards downtown. Anyways, at the lair, Spider-Man, being the stealthier of the pair, ties up the guards outside the hideout. The Punisher, being the more 'macho' of the pair, comes crashing in through the Tarantula's skylight. Apparently, working with Spider-Man has brought out the Punisher's soft, sensitive side. Normally, he'd go crashing in guns blazing, but today, he goes crashing in with fists flying. While the Punisher takes out the hired help, the Tarantula makes a break for it right into Spider-Man's waiting legs. The pair exchange blows and the Tarantula makes off across Central Park. Spider-Man catches up with, smacks him around like the little bitch he is, and leaves him tied up for the police.

Oooh.. I can hardly wait for next issue. The prospect of seeing Harry become the Green Goblin is just too good to miss.

Art Review:

What stands out the most for me in this issue is the facial expressions. I liked Harry's facial expressions a lot as he finds Peter's costume and descends into his father's secret hideout. The Punisher's features were drawn well, but he appears to be grinning in every scene. It was a little disconcerting. Oh yeah, the 70's style clothing on the day liner was a treat as well.

Action Factor:

Decent action this issue. The Punisher and Spider-Man face off like they do EVERY time they meet. You'd think these two would get a clue eventually. They have a decent skirmish. Again, Spider-Man has an easy time against the Tarantula and the deciding this time was the lack of distractions.

Spider-Villain lessons 101:

Tip #1:
Ok, the hero and anti-hero really don't coordinate well early on. The Tarantula picks up on this, and with a few well-chosen words, puts the Punisher and Spider-Man at each other's throats early on.