Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #302
Cover Date: Jul 88
Title: "(Mid)American gothic!"
Credits:
David Michelinie - Writer
Todd McFarlane - Penciler
Todd McFarlane - Inker
Glenn Herdling - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Peter Parker goes to evaluate the job offer at On-Line Research, which is in Emporia, Kansas (nowadays you can do online research from anywhere). While getting a tour of the campus, he observes a fight between construction foreman Wes Cassady and Dr. Royce Nero.

Then there's an explosion and Peter goes into action as Spider-Man.

And he notices he's not the only super-person in town.

Spider-Man and Cassady spot each other during the fire, but neither is happy about being seen (Spider-Man because he doesn't want people knowing that Spider-Man is in Kansas at the same time as Peter Parker, but we'll deal with that below). But Spider-Man tracks him down later at home, and it turns out Cassady was bitten by a radioactive rabbit. And i'm not kidding.

Dr. Nero, meanwhile, is working on a power gauntlet. When he completes it, he raids On-Line Research's vault for their "secret project" plans. Spider-Man shows up to stop him.

Spidey gets in trouble during the fight, and asks Cassady to help him.

But Cassady doesn't, and Spider-Man has to take out Nero himself.

Later, Peter suggests that there may be an entire Spider Squad to end speculation about why Spider-Man may have been in Kansas.

Despite Dr. Nero's rampage, Peter decides that he likes On-Line Research. But, when he gets home, he finds out that Mary Jane doesn't want to leave New York (she might have raised that point before he left!).

Also in this issue, Silver Sable's come back from searching for Franz Klaus from last issue, but badly beaten, so Sable sends out for a "special operative". She means this guy. who is "special" in the sense that he can't remember to carry his keys with him.

The question of whether or not Marvel should bring back the Gwen Stacy clone came up in the lettercol a few issues back, and this issue's letters page is full of people saying "NO CLONES!". Hah! One letter writer accuses Jim Salicrup of only taking a reader poll after he's already made a decision which, in this case, it true, since as he admits, we'll be seeing the Gwen Stacy clone during Evolutionary War (but he promises that the responses to the poll affect how they'll handle the use of the clone.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Spider-Man Legends vol. 1: Todd McFarlane Book 1 TPB