Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man annual #13
Cover Date: 1979
Title: "The arms of Doctor Octopus: Spider-Man! I know who you really are! / Tentacled encounters of the Octopus kind! / Squid pro qou! (or: You beat me up, and I'll beat you!)"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
John Byrne - Penciler
Terry Austin - Inker

Review/plot:
Now that there are two ongoing Spider-Man titles (not counting Marvel Team-Up), it only makes sense to do a cross-over, so this annual ties in with the first Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man annual.

Actually, this is a primitive crossover, because each issue delivers a complete story, instead of forcing readers to get them all.

This issue is really a ghost story, with Spider-Man taking directions from (what he and we don't find out until the end is) a spirit of a secret service agent, Kent Blake...

...who was killed investigating a plot by Doctor Octopus in order to prove that his death really was a murder and not the suicide it was framed up to be.

As Midnighter notes in the comments, Kent Blake was an Atlas-era character that had his own book.

Spidey's strength is a little out of control in this issue. He picks up a fork-lift with no effort...

...and later he bends an I-Beam like it was made out of aluminum.

I know Spider-Man is strong, but usually feats of strength like that require special effort from him. He does those things very casually.

Those excesses aside, it's nice art by Byrne and Austin.

Peter tries to disguise himself as a goon for hire in order to join Doc Ock's gang, but Octavius recognizes him.

Luckily, he assumes that Peter is there on assignment for the Daily Globe. He also tries to claim that he didn't really love Aunt May when he tried to marry her, but we all know he still carries a torch.

Decent!

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Amazing Spider-Man #200-201. Continues directly in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man annual #1.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Around this time, Marvel Preview #20 was announced to run a fumetti-style story based on the Japanese Spider-Man TV show, but it didn't happen and Dominic Fortune reprints were run instead.

Kent Blake: Agent Of Secret Service was a 14 issues Atlas title from 1951 to 1953

Seeing how this was Doc Ock's next appearance since his "death" in the novel "Mayhem in Manhattan" referenced in ASM 186, did it explain how he survived? I'm guessing not.

No, Spider-Man just says he hasn't seen Ock in years. Then again, this story already features one ghost... ;-)

If Spider-Man bending that massive I-beam seems preposterous, then Doctor Octopus using his skinny mechanical arms to twist the beam around Spidey seems even moreso. Especially when we later see Spidey so easily snap one of those mechanical arms just by cracking Doc Ock like a whip. Ock's octopus arm assembly isn't big enough and can't possibly be engineered strong enough to bend that I-beam without breaking under the stress. Basic physics.

In a panel you can see a newspaper called Daily Planet. The last page says "No sports!", while the front one has two articles: "Lex Luthor escapes!" and "Dr Ock too!"

Obviously a reference to the Superman/Spider-Man oversized special.

Awesome, more evidence for my "universes coming into sync" theory regarding "We've always lived in the same world" crossovers.

cullen, I have just spotted another one: http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/spider-woman_22.shtml