6:53 PM
Brad
Cover Date: July 1963
Plot Overview: Spider-Man captures some thugs as the issue opens. He wishes that for once he'd face a real challenge. The scene shifts to a Dr. Octavius who has developed a special rig with four arms to aid in his nuclear research. There's an explosion and he's gravely injured. The doctors explain that he has suffered some form of brain damage and that the arm rig is fused to his body in some fashion. Dr. Octopus awakes and has been warped by the explosion. He proceeds to take over the hospital.
We shift scenes and J.J.J. has hired Peter Parker to get pictures of Dr. Octopus for the Daily Bugle. Peter changes into Spider-Man and stumbles upon the situation at the hospital. Spider-Man swings into action but Dr. Octopus proves to be very formidable and defeats Spider-Man easily.
Peter Parker thinks it might be the end of his superhero career while at the same time Dr. Octopus takes over a local nuclear power plant. Peter spends the next day sulking over his defeat when he hears that the Human Torch is speaking at a school assembly. The Torch talks about how the Fantastic Four never give up, even when they suffer defeat. His speech changes Peter's attitude and he realizes that he has to go back and fight Dr. Octopus again.
Spider-Man sneaks into the plant and avoids several traps left by Dr. Octopus. He sneaks into a lab and creates a chemical that he ties to cables. He confronts Dr. Octopus and the battle is on. He uses the chemicals to fuse two of Doc's arms together. Doc gets Spider-Man tangled up pretty good and Spider-Man webs his face. Spider-Man out of desperation punches Dr. Octopus as hard as possible and knocks him out. Spider-Man notes that a punch to the jaw was what brought down the most dangerous foe he's ever faced.
Spider-Man pays a brief visit to the Torch and thanks him for all his help with capturing Dr. Octopus. Spider-Man swings away as a confused Human Torch wonders what he did.
My Take: I have to admit a personal bias right away with this issue. This is perhaps one of my favorite Spider-Man stories ever. Doctor Octopus is one of my favorite villains and this issue really establishes the never say die attitude of Spider-Man. When you look at the character today, this issue is a key part of developing who he is.
For the time, this issue was just a different animal. The good guy had to dig deep and fight against the odds and somehow managed to come out on top. Spider-Man didn't outsmart the bad guy, he wasn't better. He lashed out in desperation and luckily it was enough to win. You leave this issue wondering if Spider-Man could beat Doctor Octopus in a rematch and honestly, you want to see him come back.
It's really amazing to see just how quickly the Spider-Man mythos was established. We're only 4 issues into Spider-Man comics and most of his supporting cast are in place, his character is well developed and two of his long term villains have been introduced. This title has consistently been the best book put out by Marvel to this point. It's just well written with great art in it. This early, it's easy to see why Spider-Man becomes the unofficial mascot for Marvel as a company.
I give this **** out of *****.
Notes: This issue is the first appearance for Doctor Octopus. I think it goes without saying that Doctor Octopus goes on to be one of the most iconic Spider-Man villains of all time. He is the antagonist to some of the classic Spider-Man stories. He starred in Spider-Man 2 and he's been in just about every Spider-Man game that you can think of.
Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #94
Posted in: Amazing Spider-Man,Aunt May,Doctor Octopus,Flash Thompson,Human Torch,J. Jonah Jameson,Liz Allan,Spider-Man
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