Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #50
Cover Date: Jul 67
Title: "Spider-Man no more!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Romita Sr. - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
This is one of those issues where Peter quits being Spider-Man due to all the pressures in his civilian life...

...and then remembers Uncle Ben and decides he has to keep being Spider-Man after all.

Actually, it is the first such issue, and it's pretty good even if it all happens a bit too neatly. Many people even consider it a classic. ;-)

While Spidey is out of commission, someone decides to unite all the mobs in New York City in order to create an empire of crime... the Kingpin.

The goon in this panel has been identified as "Flint" by people more meticulous than me, and he has a number of appearances as Kingpin's right hand:

Fredrick Foswell, AKA Patch, AKA the Big Man, thinking back to his days when tried to unite all the mobs, gets jealous and tries to muscle his way into the Kingpin's position, but it's a sad failure.

Poor Peter never has time for the ladies.

    

Here's a close-up on that crazy fuzzy sweater Peter is wearing.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 8 - first Kingpin

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• There's a recap of Spider-Man's origin from Amazing Fantasy #15.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #190

When the Kingpin appearances in the Spider-Man newspaper strip were printed in France, he was called "Bill Bulky".

There's no '1st Kingpin' listed for this page when you pull up the list of Spider-Man issues in the search.

Thanks Paul. In the earlier days of this project, i was hesitant to add the "1st" tags based on publication date when i had a continuity insert that took place earlier (in this case, the questionably canon Man Without Fear mini-series). But i've added it now.

Harry looks 58 years old in that last panel you posted

I thought the same thing. I mean, it's doubtful Harry would ever have needed a fake ID, but even for him, he looks a bit too mature.

Hey now! No shame in going back to school later in life than most people!

I wished Kingpin stayed a Spiderman villain instead of daredevils.
I know he is a thematic villain for both, I just don't like Daredevil.

Amazing Heroes #148(9/88) contains a line stating that one other source claims that Jack Kirby conceived of and designed the Kingpin, but no other info is provided.

I wonder if the Osborns are modeled (physically) on Nixon. Come to think of it, Norman could have been totally modeled on Nixon, though Nixon treated his kids better.

Actually, by the time the Osborns showed up, Nixon's career was considered to be over for good(but that did change).

In Comics Interview #89, John Romita stated that the Kingpin weighed 400 pounds and was based on actor Robert Middleton.

Its interesting from the get-go that we have the Kingpin wanting to unite the mobs together and actually act like a leader of a criminal empire; yet it really does take Frank Miller moving him to Daredevil before the true Kingpin is idealized. Prior to then, he's just "a big guy who fights Spider-Man to give him a mobster villain".

Following from Mark's comment, a similar quote on Romita's inspirations for the Kingpin: "Facially, I patterned him after two actors: Edward Arnold, an overweight guy with a big wide face and a hooked nose who was a huge star in the 30s and 40s, and another guy named Robert Middleton, who was bald. I took those two guys and put them together." Romita also states Fisk's wife Vanessa was based on the Dragon Lady from Romita's favourite strip Terry and the Pirates, and Captain Stacy was based on Charles Bickford, one of his favourite actors. (All of this comes from "Comics Creators On Spider-Man".)

I was just rereading Daredevil, Vol. 2, #15, and it explains why the Kingpin is bald. There was an outbreak of lice in his neighborhood, and after he shaved his head to keep away the cooties he decided it added to "the impact of his presence", so he's been doing it ever since. True story.

This was a classic, The whole bit from Spider quitting to Jameson putting his costume on display and claiming credit for getting rid of him to him coming back and saying that he had been out recruiting. I also like the Kingpin and consider the best of all the comic book gangsters. He was more than just some big guy who fought Spider-Man. He put a lot of thought into all his schemes and even humiliated Spider-Man by beating him in a fight and then walking away to retire to Japan with Vanessa. I admit that he was even better when Miller got hold of him but he was already a top notch villain.

First appearance of Professor Warren - the Jackal, etc.?

One thing I loved about the Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man book in its wonderful heyday was how people at the university would turn out to be superheroes or villains or connected somehow. Archie comics with webs. :)

@FlyingTigerComics: There was a whole discussion in ASM31; that was the first time Miles Warren showed up.

According to John Romita, via Brian Cronin: The only thing he used to do from 1966-72 was come in and leave a note on my drawing table saying “Next month, the Rhino.” That’s all; he wouldn’t tell me anything; how to handle it. Then he would say “The Kingpin.” I would then take it upon myself to put some kind of distinctive look to the guy. For instance, if it’s the kingpin of crime, I don’t want him to look like another guy in a suit who in silhouette looks like every other criminal. So I made him a 400-pound monster; that was my idea. I made him bald, I put the stickpin on him, I gave him that kind of tycoon look. Facially, I patterned him after two actors: Edward Arnold, an overweight guy with a big wide face and a hooked nose who was a huge star in the 30s and 40s, and another guy named Robert Middleton, who was bald. I took those two guys and put them together.

Kingpin eventually got so integrated with Daredevil’s story that I totally forgot he originated as a Spidey villain.

On another note, many thanks to fnord12 for all the work on this site! I’m really enjoying reading through the Marvel classics in order (via Marvel Unlimited) and this chronology project is helping with the timeline and adding to the fun big-time. Kudos and excelsior!

Can anyone think of another instance where such a reasonably regular villain has been taken over so thoroughly by a new foe? Kingpin wasn't real minor for Spidey, but has been DD's ARCH for a generation now...

Well, Killgrave started as a Daredevil villain, but these days he's pretty much Jessica Jones' main baddie.

I'D certainly trade the Purple Man for Kingpin...

Sabretooth first appeared as an Iron Fist villain, and he appeared a few times in Power Man & Iron Fist before he started appearing in the X-books.

Thanos was Captain Marvel's arch-enemy during Starlin's run, but the run was only ten issues.

Most of the other better fits I can think of only fought their first foe once or twice (Arnold Hugo [DC], the Rhino). Some migrated one way and then back the other way (the Sandman). Some were picked up from defunct features (Mystique, Crazy Quilt [DC]).

Miller's use of the Kingpin in Daredevil led to his being heavily used in the Spidey-titles too for a time.

Cobra did debut against and fight Thor three times before he became a long-time Cap villain.

Sabretooth firmly qualifies, I'd say; Iron Fist>Wolverine. Thanos, I dunno, hasn't stuck to just Adam Warlock enough since they both came back - and Marv not coming back yet muddies those waters. Cobra - was friends with Mr. Hyde and not a viable Thor villain once they fell out - and way down the ranks as a Cap foe.

Hi everyone! I am putting my virtual money where my virtual mouth is, and have created a thread in the forum for this discussion: https://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=135

Signing up is easy, and I got a kick out of the Confirmation of Registration question.