Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #127, Amazing Spider-Man #128
Cover Date: Dec 73 - Jan 74
Title: "The dark wings of death!" / "The Vulture hangs high!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Ross Andru - Penciler
Frank Giacoia & David Hunt - Inker

Review/plot:
Somehow a professor of genetics at Peter's school finds a way to use the Vulture's original costume to turn himself into a replica of the Vulture, except he's got claws and teeth.

Peter is failing out of school, a combination of his Spider-Man responsibilities and the fact that he's depressed about Gwen's death. Professor Warren keeps showing up to tell him that he'd better start attending class.

Peter saves Mary Jane when she is dropped by the "Vulture", and he accidentally calls her "Gwendy" out loud. Then he thinks to himself that Mary Jane could never be Gwen for him.

Meanwhile the Human Torch helps Spider-Man build his Spidey-Car...

...and Harry Osborn is craaaaaaaazy.

There's a subplot about the fact that Mary Jane witnessed the "Vulture's" first murder and doesn't want to testify about it, but it doesn't go anywhere.

At one point Peter and Flash get into a car accident while being attacked by the "Vulture" and Peter says it's a good thing that Flash was wearing his seatbelt "but now's not the time to do a Ralph Nader number on automobile safety."

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed back a bit to fit before Marvel Team-Up #16-17, which has dependencies for Captain Marvel and Mr. Fantastic. The Human Torch appears here before the FF break up, between FF #139-140.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #105 (issue #127 is an original)

When ASM#128 was previewed in Foom #3, the Vulture's cover word balloon read "And now I'm going to put you six feet under!"

FOOM#4 showed stills from an amateur Spider-Man film that was described as lasting about 30 minutes and adapting Amazing Spider-Man #15. This was later shown at the 1976 Marvelcon. I have no idea if it still exists.

Is the Vulture the most replaced of Spidey's gallery? Maybe Venom would get top spot what with all those relatives. I know there was a fourth Vulture with BND.

The Green Goblin probably wins at this point; there've been at least five (if you don't count brainwashed Peter Parker of or the Headman using the costume in the Dark Reign issues of Thunderbolts), plus the many, many spinoff Goblin villains. Heck, there've even been something like four Hobgoblins and four Jack O'Lanterns at this point.

Past that, it depends on how you count all the "new Kingpin" replacements over the years whenever Fisk falls from grace. But the Vulture identity does seem to be passed around a lot. We've had three or four Mysterios, too.

If memory serves correctly, when it came time to print letters concerning the second Green Goblin story from Spidey 136-137, one letter writer complained about the Green Goblin mantle being taken up by another, even if it was Harry. In their response, Marvel explicitly stated there would not be another Green Goblin going forward. They really shouldn't have made a promise they couldn't keep.