Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #211, Amazing Spider-Man #212
Cover Date: Dec 80 - Jan 81
Title: "The spider and the sea-scourge!" / "The coming of Hydroman!"
Credits:
Denny O'Neil - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Jim Mooney - Inker

Review/plot:
Despite earlier protestations, Peter heads to the docks to see if he can help Debra Whitman's uncle. It turns out he's been having problems with the Sub-Mariner while testing his experimental devices at sea, and now his crew has abandoned him. When Spider-Man agrees to help the uncle, the crew gets back on board (out of a sense of "we can't let him show us up", not "Spidey's our hero and now we'll be safe!").

The Sub-Mariner does show up again...

...and Spider-Man does a better job holding his own than you would think...

...but luckily it turns out it's all a misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, after the Sub-Mariner leaves, one of the ship's crew gets knocked overboard and his body is affected by the experimental equipment.

He becomes Hydroman, able to transform his body into water similar to the way the Sandman's powers work.

Meanwhile, Peter is hired back by the Daily Bugle as a freelancer.

Hydroman terrorizes the city, appearing out of drains looking for Spider-Man.

Spidey eventually makes a request to the Daily Bugle to put a challenge to Hydroman to meet him on top of a building.

It's the hottest day of the year, and as they fight, Hydroman starts to evaporate. Spider-Man helps the process along by leading Hydroman through clothing lines full of towls, hitting him with bundles of old newspapers, etc.

Eventually Hydroman dries up and disappears.

A good introduction to a cool character.

Issue #211 has a funny scene with Spider-Man getting ready to swing out of his apartment while still wearing his pajama bottoms.

Spidey also gets his costume covered in brine in issue #211, causing it to be get itchy.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 7 - first Hydroman. Peter Parker is working at the Daily Bugle again, after about a year and a half of working for the Daily Globe.

Chronological Placement Considerations: "Exactly 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 9 seconds have passed" between the beginning of #211 and the start of #212. Peter is back at the Daily Bugle as of this arc. I have this concurrent with Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #49-52 because over the course of those issues he goes from worrying about not having a job since the Globe was closed down to working at the Bugle again.

References:

• Debra told Peter that her uncle was having problems in Amazing Spider-Man #209 but he got caught up in a fight with Kraven the Hunter instead.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Hydroman gets the award for dumbest plot ever. He's gonna check out everyone in NY by going through their shower drains until he finds Spider-man. yeah that won't take long.

And does he expect spidey to be wearing his costume while he showers?

I know Morrie Bench is supposed to be dumb but this takes the cake.

Y'know Hydroman appearing before a naked vulnerable woman out of the blue is suddenly a lot scarier now that Im older.

Marvel reprinted the stories from the early issues of SUB-MARINER (1968 series) in TALES TO ASTONISH (1979 series) in 1979-80. The last issue, #14, has a gallery at the end which includes a page showing Namor and Spider-Man by Alan Weiss. Spider-Man has webbed Namor. They might be talking. My recollection is they're on a roof. I think the page said the image was from an upcoming new Sub-Mariner series.

That issue and this one came out the same month. The panels above make me wonder if the plan was dropped quickly and the intended Namor/Spider-Man fight appeared here instead. My recollection is the page said Jim Shooter was going to write the series, but my memory might be playing tricks on that point.

This is quoted directly from the page you're talking about:
And now--the Sub-Mariner to come! Namor and Spidey settle down for a tender little Tete-A-Tete in the upcoming (as soon as gigantic Jim Shooter gets his act in gear and writes the blamed mag!) all-new Sub-Mariner comic."
It did take place on a roof and was penciled by alan Weiss.

Thanks, Clyde.

I made an error. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #211, with the Namor/Spider-Man fight, came out the previous month.

The similarities I see are Spidey's webbing Namor and the fight ending with the two talking. It could be Denny O'Neil was the editor assigned to the SUB-MARINER project, which would explain how the elements turned up here.