Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #137
Cover Date: Oct 74
Title: "Prologue: The Green Goblin strikes! / Death trap times three!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Ross Andru - Penciler
Frank Giacoia & David Hunt - Inker

Review/plot:
The Green Goblin (Harry) attacks a cargo truck for Atomic Industries and steals a Campbell's soup-sized nuclear bomb. He then kidnaps Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Flash Thompson, puts them in separate locations, and rigs a bomb over each of their heads, one real and two fake. He then tells Spider-Man that if he doesn't choose correctly, the person most dear to him will die.

Well he can rule Flash Thompson out easily enough.

Spider-man knocks the Goblin out with one punch and then rescues Aunt May (sorry MJ!). He was right (as we'll learn again years later during One More Day). He goes back and beats the crap out of the Goblin some more. Then he gets both himself and Harry back in their civvies and waits for the cops to arrive and take away an obviously mentally ill boy.

Peter is holding firm on his decision to quit the Bugle and he even gives JJ some attitude about it.

Harry's mental illness is a worthy topic, although it is dealt with in an over-the-top manner. But this deathtrap stuff is cheee-sey.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Peter is still not working at the Daily Bugle. Mary Jane is still in the hospital after the explosion last issue.

References:

• Solidifying its position as the most referenced storyline of 1974, once again we refer back to the death of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #114

This issue received quite a bit of criticism for the incredibly bad science in the deathtraps.

Dave Hunt around this time starts giving us "BACKG HUNT" for a while.

I meant to ask when you referred to BACKG MORT for Amazing Spider-Man #83... what does it mean?? Google won't tell me.

It refers to Backgrounds by Mortellaro.

As cliche as it is, Harry's death trap strategy makes sense given that he can't stand up to Peter physically. In fact, he would still use primarily psychological tactics against Peter down the road, even after gaining strength through the Goblin Formula.

Though Part I has Harry fighting Peter to a standstill and only failing to kill him because his glove blasters run out of power. There seems to have been some kind of a plot change between parts, too; the end of Part I promised "Spider-Man: Renegade" and suggested that Peter was about to go berserk. It also plays Harry as "as fast as the original Goblin" and a serious physical threat.

But here, Peter is only POed at Jonah, Spider-Man is his usual self-deprecating self, and after the prologue with the atomic bomb theft sequence, Harry is quickly dismissed as a guy in the middle of a mental breakdown who's in over his head playing villain.

Part I (#136) is the first comic book I ever bought off the rack. After reading it several times over the years, I still regard it as one of the best ASM comic books of all time. However, Part II (#137) takes a significant nosedive. It is the classic "not living up to expectations" sample. Totally agree with Omar's observation - there seems to be some type of last minute plot change. The promised "Spider-Man Renegade" is not presented and Harry's suggested speed and strength is clearly walked back to the point of rendering him a joke. It's a shame. The two part story could have been one of the all-time greats. But Part I still delivers enough quality to preserve it as a single issue classic. In fact, it is my go-to comic when trying to entice a new reader. My son, nephews, and niece have all been WOWed by it. I delay providing Part II. I try to delay it indefinitely.