Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #83
Cover Date: Apr 70
Title: "The Schemer!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Romita Sr. - Breakdowns
Mike Esposito - Finishes

Review/plot:
The art credits are a best guess again, but Buscema and Mooney are definitely not here (see the comments for more; thanks guys!). I had Tony Mortellaro listed as an inker here but that doesn't seem to be accurate; not sure where i got it from.

This issue introduces a new, kind of cheesy crimelord called the Schemer who is muscling in on the Kingpin's turf.

The cheesy element will be mitigated by a plot twist in an upcoming issue. The twist is easy enough to guess in this issue, especially if you started reading comics in the 80s where they basically did the same thing with the same character.

Peter has some major stress about not being able to pay his Aunt's medical bills until the doctor points out that she is covered by Medicaid.

The gang gives Flash a nice send-off back to Viet Nam.

While Pete and Gwen are on a date, one of the Schemer's trucks crashes and almost kills both of them. Peter stops the truck with his super-strength.

Gwen is hospitalized. Peter goes after the Schemer...

...and breaks up his base of operations but the Schemer himself escapes. When Peter returns to the hospital Gwen is mad because he wasn't there.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first Richard Fisk

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #64

Tony Mortellaro did plenty of stories for Atlas/Marvel and lesser companies like Standard in the 1950s, but I have no idea what he was doing just before coming back to comics. He was infamous for "BACKG MORT" which started a little while after this.

I imagine Mortellaro's contribution was only backgrounds in this issue, as in later ones where he cleverly hid his name in the background lettering. Demeo/Esposito had inked Romita many times before near the beginning of his run.

Given Stan's past tendency to write what readers termed "patriotic" stories in the past, Peter's thoughts on Vietnam here are interesting: "Which is worse..? Staying behind while other guys are doing the fighting..? ...Or fighting in a war that nobody wants...against an enemy you don't even hate?"

Granted that this can be read as Stan trying to appeal to the college crowd, it's a surprisingly anti-Establishment sentiment to put in the lead character's thoughts, much more daring than the way previous "topical" bits, like student protests, were handled.