Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #244, Amazing Spider-Man #245
Cover Date: Sep-Oct 83
Title: "Ordeals!" / "Sacrifice play!"
Credits:
Roger Stern - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Klaus Janson / Dave Simons - Inker
Eliot Brown - Assistant Editor
Tom DeFalco - Editor

Review/plot:
Here's a little disappointment for me. The reprint of issue #244 in my Origin of the Hobgoblin trade has very clearly cut out the beginning of the issue. Since i also have the PDFs, i can check out what's missing. Gee, it's more like half the issue. What was cut includes a scene with Spidey visiting the Black Cat at the hospital...

...a great long and funny scene with Peter formally quitting Grad school and dealing with all the bureaucracy of the Dean's office...

...and a scene with Mary Jane catching up with Harry and Liz.

A tiny panel of Harry discovering that an Oscorp building has been broken into is blown up into a 3/4 page spread for the intro to this issue of the trade, and it looks awful.

Compare to:

Anyway, here's what happens in the trade...

There are more robberies of Oscorp buildings, and chemicals are stolen. Spidey encounters someone using the Hobgoblin's weapons, but we never actually see him.

It turns out the Hobgoblin is still injured.

The chemicals are the ones that gave the Green Goblin his superhuman abilities. Experimenting with the chemicals ends in an explosion that badly injures one of the men, although it's deliberately kept vague as to which one it is.

A period of "three weeks" takes place in this comic while Spider-Man fruitlessly searches for the Hobgoblin while he recovers in a hospital bed.

When the mystery man wakes up, he fights his way out of the hospital and heads to one of the Hobgoblin's hideouts.

He suits up and goes on a rampage.

At the time, Spidey is chasing a lead at the police department, gaining information in a comical scene with Detective Lou Snider regarding a low level crook named Lefty Donovan. He's informed about the Hobgoblin and goes after him. After a brief battle where the Hobgoblin is stronger than expected...

...but Spidey still prevails, the Hobgoblin is unmasked, revealing Donovan.

The goblin's glider suddenly goes out of control - clearly being controlled remotely - and crashes the Hobgoblin into a building, killing him.

The real Hobgoblin listens to the events on the news.

Intrigue! Good stuff.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - furthering the mystery of the Hobgoblin. Peter formally quits Grad school.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place after Avengers #235 (due to the salary reference) and before Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #83 (since the apparent death of the Hobgoblin is referenced there).

References:

• Spider-Man is still kicking himself over having not joined the Avengers, since he learned in Avengers #235 that they make $1,000 a week.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Amazing Spider-Man: The Origin of the Hobgoblin TPB

FNORD - I have the trade as well. But, my Origin of the Hobgoblin trade has all the scenes you put in. I guess it's a later version. It says second edition.

Another way-too-subtle hint to the Hobgoblin's identity: Donovan's strange thought as he's placing on the Hobgoblin outfit: "Everything is specially tailored to fit."

I'm not sure many people noticed, but Harry mentions he has a new place on Long Island, and that's where the Hobgoblin's place is. Nice little red herring. Not that there was a chance it was Harry. I don't think he could have been the Hobgoblin without getting his memory back, so Hobby would have known who Spidey really was.

There's one other Hobgoblin identity hint here: he's rich enough to not only rent a mansion on Long Island, but also to outfit it with all that computer gear.