Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #154
Cover Date: Mar 76
Title: "The Sandman always strikes twice"
Credits:
Len Wein - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
The Sandman is broken out of jail and given his crappy Kirby designed costume by a mysterious benefactor (it's the Kingpin). He starts off the issue in his original clothes, which i think are far superior.

Ditko design:

Kirby design:

Spider-Man tracks down some of the goons that killed the ex-football player last issue to a research facility, where he encounters the Sandman. Spidey wins by turning an experimental freeze ray on the Sandman.

Meanwhile, a hobo (Dr. Octopus) rants and acts strangely in the alleys of NYC.

Sandman is referred to as Flint Marko in this issue, but he's also said to have an alias of William Baker.

William Baker will later turn out to be his real name.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: At the beginning of this issue Spider-Man is overreacting to the death of the football player from last issue...

...so this shouldn't take place too long after that issue.

References:

• The Sandman hasn't worn his Kirby-designed suit since Marvel Team-Up #2.
  
• Spider-Man just put the Sandman in prison in Marvel Team-Up #40.
  
• We first saw the derelict Doc Ock in Amazing Spider-Man #152.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #131

The title probably refers to the 1946 film "The Postman Always Rings Twice".

Thank goodness he didn't keep the Kirby costume. It was horrible.

Don't ask me to choose between Ditko and Kirby. Personally, I think Kirby's costume is "too much", while Ditko's is "not enough." And I'm still trying to figure out why that freeze ray would have any effect on Sandman. Sand's already a solid, right? So when you freeze it you just end up with... cold sand.

For some odd reason, the debate over which Sandman costume is superior got me to thinking of a similar thought with Wesley Dodds, a.k.a. DC's Golden Age Sandman. Best known for a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask, there was a period where creators dressed Dodds up in form-fitting yellow-and-purple spandex. Needless to say, the suit-and-gas mask look won out in the hearts and minds of fans, and it looks to be the same here for Marvel's Man-O'-Sand. Less is more, IMHO.

And in both cases, Kirby was the guy who redesigned the Sandman!

@Omar-I give you the metaphorical cigar, just ashamed I didn't remember that fasct.