THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #176

"He Who Laughs Last...!"

• Writer: Len Wein
• Artist: Ross Andru
• Inker: Tony DeZuniga
• Print Date: Jan, 1978

Featuring:

Plot Summary:

This issue opens with an unlikely duo swinging through the New York nighttime sky. Spider-Man swings through New York with one J. Jonah Jameson on his back apparently taking him home after the events of last issue. True to form, Jameson grumbles and gripes about the wind, and the heights, and his fear of falling, but Spider-Man returns him to his office safely. Despite his seeming change of heart last issue, as soon as he is back safe and sound in his office, Jonah speculates that Spider-Man arrange the whole kidnapping and rescue in order to make himself look good. The pair swap heated words and insults which finally ends with Spider-man spinning Jonah wildly in his office chair and web-swinging out the window.

I find it odd that Spider-Man would be giving J. Jonah Jameson a ride back to the office. For starters, Jonah was kidnapped and held captive in a terrorist plot to destroy the Statue of Liberty which resulted in the capture of several domestic terrorists and at least two dead bodies. I have to believe that the police would want to talk to him for awhile. Plus, it is, by now, the wee hours of the morning. What is Jonah going to do at the office at 4 AM after being held hostage and terrorized all evening? Thirdly, wouldn't Jonah feel safer catching a cab or the subway rather than clinging precariously to the back of his hated rival? Well, regardless, Jonah is safe back in the office, and naturally, his change of heart towards Spider-Man didn't even last for half an issue.

We rejoin Peter in his shabby Chelsea apartment in bed the next morning. Amazingly, Peter's arm is completely healed with no soreness or scars from the bullet wound he suffered to it. He greets Mrs. Muggins on his way out of the apartment, and heads to Forest Hills to visit Aunt May. Instead of finding Aunt May, he finds a note on her door (address to Anna Watson) telling Anna that Aunt May is attending a demonstration at City Hall. Peter hopes the "E" Train back to into Manhattan and finds a demonstration in full swing. He arrives just in time to see Aunt May arguing and assaulting an officer with placard. During the confrontation, Aunt May clutches her chest and collapses. Peter makes a bad situation worse by tossing aside the officer on the scene (and nearly gets arrested for his efforts). When the ambulance arrives, Peter rides off to the hospital with Aunt May.

Indicating the era this comic was written in - the radio station discusses president Jimmy Carter and his vice-president Walter Mondale.

I've never seen Peter heal that quickly - and from a bullet wound even. Are there any other cases of Peter miraculously healing overnight like that? No scar, no soreness, just good as new first thing in the morning after only a few hours of sleep.

Back at city hall, how do you think it will look in the press if/when someone publishes pictures of a cop getting into a scuffle with Aunt May? Admittedly, the cop didn't do much but bar her from storming city hall and taking her placard away after she beat him with it. I'm sure it wouldn't look good on the news to see that some senior citizen collapsed after a scuffle with police on city hall steps though. I don't particularly care for this characterization of Aunt May. I have troubles reconciling the "fragile Aunt May always on the verge of collapse from heart failure" with "militant 'Grey Panther' Aunt May". Next thing you know, she's going to be building pipe bombs in her apartment or something.

Peter throws a cop about 15 feet using only one arm, and he doesn't get arrested? The thrown cop recognizes that Peter has some sort of super-human powers but his partner convinces him that it was just adrenaline or something? I can see the cops giving Peter a break (IE not arresting him) after witnessing his aunt's collapse, but you would think that a suspicious cop might follow up on his hunches.

At the Newhope Memorial Hospital some time later, Mary Jane joins Peter in the waiting room. A doctor soon joins them to say that Aunt May's attack was a mild one, but that they'd like to hold her for observation for a few days. May seems almost chipper when Peter comes into her room and complains about not being able to return home.

It's nice to see Mary Jane make a brief appearance sitting with Peter in the hospital waiting room. It is also nice to see that the 'party girl' finds hospitals somber and depressing. Naturally Aunt May pulls through quickly and is raring to go home already, but she'll spend the next few issues in the hospital recuperating no doubt.

Finally, after Aunt May dozes off, Peter puts MJ in a cab home and heads over to Dr. Bart Hamilton's office to check on Harry. When he emerges from the subway, the first thing he spots is a broken window in Dr. Hamilton's office and a police car parked out front. The police confirm that Dr. Hamilton's secretary found the place a shambles when she arrived in the morning, and best as they can figure, one of Dr. Hamilton's patients snapped and did something to the doctor. Peter dashes out in a hurry to get to Far Rockaway - and fast!

So, should I write this up pretending I don't know what happened at Dr Hamilton's office or not? I haven't specifically read these issues before, but I am familiar with the identity of this Green Goblin. Naturally, everyone assumes that this Green Goblin is Harry. The destruction in the office and disappearance of Harry immediately after. The Green Goblin's appearance in Flash & Harry's apartment. Everything points at Harry having a breakdown (over Liz's breakup with him) and resuming his Green Goblin identity.

We jumped ahead to Far Rockaway just in time to see Flash Thompson return home to a destroyed apartment. The window is smashed, pictures have been torn down, and furniture is scattered everywhere, and in the middle of the floor sits the distinctive bat-glider of the Green Goblin! The Green Goblin steps out from behind the open door, and tells Flash that Harry has been removed from the picture. Flash, thinking the Goblin is Harry again, charges the Goblin, but gets a knocked-out by a sparkleblast. Spider-Man shows up at this point and confronts 'Harry'. The two tangle in the apartment as Spider-Man tries to prevent the Green Goblin from flying off. Despite being shocked by an electro-bat, Spider-Man has the upper hand up until the Green Goblin grabs the unconscious Flash and throws him out the apartment window!

I'm not sure what the Green Goblin's purpose for destroying Harry's and Flash's apartment is. I assume he is looking for something, but I'm not sure what it would be. Either that or he just wanted to make an appearance there in order to throw people off as to his real identity.

This Green Goblin shows that he is not physical match for Spider-Man but he is devious. He's on the losing end of the fight the entire battle until he distracts Spider-Man by throwing Flash out the window.

The whole "Green Goblin tries to drop another one of Spider-Man's friends to their death" cliche makes an appearance here as well. How many times have we seen this scene played out?