Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #238, Amazing Spider-Man #239
Published Date: Mar-Apr 83
Title: "Shadow of evil past!" / "Now strikes the Hobgoblin!"
Credits:
Roger Stern - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
John Romita Jr. / Frank Giacoia - Inker
Lance Tooks - Assistant Editor
Tom DeFalco - Editor

Review/plot:
A common bankrobber takes to the sewers to escape from Spider-Man, and stumbles upon an old Green Goblin safehouse, full of his old equipment.

The hood brings his boss to the lair. The hood is of course killed for his trouble, and the boss modifies the equipment somewhat and takes on the identity of the Hobgoblin.

With Osborn's old notes, the Hobgoblin starts raiding other Green Goblin safehouses, acquiring more equipment and more notes.

Spider-Man takes notice of the types of places being raided (which were unknown to the current owners of the buildings), and figures out what's going on. Actually, it turns out that the trade paperback i have that reprints these issues is cheating me. When i went to get the screenshots for this entry using my PDF files, i found that in the original issue, Spidey visits Madame Web in the hospital. She's supposedly lost her powers and memories...

...but she just happens to turn on the radio while the news is reporting on the break-ins. Pretty annoying that this (and other subplots, like a scene focusing on problems between Lance Bannon and Amy Powell) were cut from the trade.

After stalking a few of the Green Goblin's old lairs, he eventually runs into the new Goblin.

The fight is inconclusive.

The Hobgoblin escapes, but it's clear that while the Hobgoblin has the equipment, he doesn't have the original Goblin's super-strength and endurance.

As always, fantastic work by Stern/JRJR. These issues just have somewhat more of a historical interest due to the introduction of a new villain that became quite popular in the 80s and 90s. With the Green Goblin having been dead for some time, and substitutes like Harry Osborn and Harry Osborn's psychiatrist not really doing the trick, it was a brilliant move to introduce a new Goblin character that built on the legacy of the original.

If you limit yourself exclusively to Roger Stern's work on Spider-Man, both Amazing and Spectacular, it's possible to pick up on a clue that the Hobgoblin is in fact Roderick Kingsely, the criminal fashion designer, due to the fact that the main modification that the new Goblin made to the original's equipment was that he personally modified and dyed the costume. Not something anyone would be expected to pick up on in real time. Unfortunately, Stern's way-too-subtle clues would cause a lot of confusion after he left the book and later writers tried to reveal the Hobgoblin's identity.

There's a scene in the beginning focusing on Aunt May's constant worrying about Peter, and in a thought bubble there's reference to her having lost a child.

Never referenced before (or after, as far as a i know), but it's kind of funny to think she might be referring to Linda Brown.

Quality Rating: A-

Historical Significance Rating: 6 - first Hobgoblin

Chronological Placement Considerations: The plots of Amazing and Spectacular seem to have been planned out very well during this period. This takes place while the Black Cat is in the hospital, between Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #76 & 77.

References:

• Aunt May has been running a boarding house for senior citizens since Marvel Team-Up #124.
  
• There's a brief, un-footnoted history of the Green Goblin's history, with a focus on Amazing Spider-Man #39-40 and Amazing Spider-Man #121-122.
  
• A newspaper headline reads "Black Cat In Guarded Condition", a reference to Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #76.
  
• The Green Goblin safehouse where Spider-Man finally meets the Hobgoblin was last seen in Amazing Spider-Man #96.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Amazing Spider-Man: The Origin of the Hobgoblin TPB

The Overstreet Price Guide, for a number of years, assigned the greatest price value to copies of this book which still had a "tattooz" insert. Since that insert was also in other, less expensive books that Marvel published that same month, collectors would pry apart the staples, remove the insert, and stick it inside copies that were missing the insert. The Price Guide responded to this by just dumping the difference in price, which is an excellent example of just how arbitrary comic pricing can be.

On page 2 of #238, a certificate on a wall is signed "A. Mushynsky". Andy Mushynsky was a Marvel artist about this time, but I don't know if he worked on this issue at all.

It was explained in Spider-Man Family 7 that May had a miscarriage.

Michael, don't give aid and comfort to the anti-mermaid conspiracy.

#239 was the subject of a practical joke that editor Tom DeFalco played on comics newszines in late 1982. He stated that a Spider-Man mirror was being merchandised and that this issue would be printed backwards to promote it. Amazingly, all the newszines printed it as honest truth except for the Comics Journal.