Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #26, Amazing Spider-Man #27
Published Date: Jul-Aug 65
Title: "The mystery of the man in the Crime-Master's mask!" / "Bring back my Goblin to me!"
Credits:
Steve Ditko - Plot
Stan Lee - Script
Steve Ditko - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker

Review/plot:
Spidey gets in the middle of the Green Goblin and the Crime Master's war for control of NYC's crime gangs.

The Crime Master eventually loses and is revealed as Lucky Lewis (Dear god, there's a Lucky Lewis and a Lucky Lobo?). He dies before he can give away the identity of the Green Goblin. Peter had been in Foswell's apartment earlier, and found a hidden panel, leading him to believe that Foswell was either the Crime Master or the Goblin, but he's actually Patch. The identity of the Green Goblin is still unrevealed.

Peter sells his photographs to Barney Bushkin at the Daily Globe for a change, but decides to stick with JJ in the long run because Barney asks too many questions about how he gets his shots.

Peter actually gets mad enough to attack Flash and some of his friends during their usual taunting session. He's having fights with Betty, too.

Peter's costume has been missing since he used it to distract the Spidey-Slayer, so he buys a Spider-Man costume at a costume store, but it doesn't fit very well. He uses his webbing to hold it in place.

This becomes an important plot point when Spidey is captured and his unmasking is prevented because the webbing is holding the mask in place.

Odd: starting this issue every once in a while a black person is depicted. They're usually just a character with a non-speaking part. The first one i noticed is in JJ's "most exclusive men's club". It's nice to see Marvel recognizing that not everyone is white, but i think adding diversity to a club for elite wealthy men probably wasn't the place to start. (Maybe it's Joe Robertson?)

Stan Lee makes one of his bizarre "sloppy seconds" references: Spider-Man is helping the police fight the crime gang, and he doesn't want their sloppy seconds.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 3

Chronological Placement Considerations: I've had to push a number of Spider-Man issues back in publication time so that Gwen Stacy's first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #31 takes place between Fantastic Four #40 and #44 (see the Considerations section in Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1 for more).

References: N/A

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Marvel Tales #164, Marvel Tales #165

its probably more significant that one of the cops helping spidey was black

The original meaning of sloppy seconds was just leftover food.

Walter, that really puts my mind at ease considering Stan's almost obsessive use of the phrase.

Steve Gerber has a letter in #26.