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1970-06-01 00:03:10
Previous:
Fantastic Four #99
Up:
Main

1970 / Box 5 / Silver Age

Next:
Avengers #77

Amazing Spider-Man #85

Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #85
Cover Date: Jun 70
Title: "And now... The secret of the Schemer!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Romita Sr. - Breakdowns
John Buscema - Finishes
Jim Mooney - Inker

Review/plot:
Vanessa returns to the Kingpin but won't reveal what she saw in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Captain Stacy and Gwen drop in on Peter, who has been studying. Captain Stacy asks Peter how he always manages to take pictures of Spider-Man. Peter very smoothly runs out of the room in a panic, dresses up as Spidey, jumps out his bedroom window, and comes back in through the living room window making threats about Peter. The Stacys leave, convinced (?) that Peter and Spider-Man aren't the same person.

Spidey goes after the Schemer again, trying to qualify for a $5,000 reward that was put out for him. He catches the Schemer and brings him to the location specified in the reward ad, but it turns out to be a front for the Kingpin. At this point the Schemer reveals that he is in fact Wilson & Vanessa's son.

He became the Schemer because the fact that his father was a crimelord embarrassed him at the high society private school he was attending. The Kingpin freaks out...

...and goes comatose.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - the Schemer's identity revealed

Chronological Placement Considerations: Despite the fact that the Schemer is shown still racing around town in his souped-up car, this takes place at least a little while after the end of the last issue, as Peter has had time to return home, change into civilian clothes, and study for at least a little while. Spider-Man is retuning from his fight with the Kingpin at the beginning of ASM #86, so no Spidey appearances should appear between this issue and that one.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #66

Inbound References (3): show

  • Amazing Spider-Man #105-109
  • Captain America #145-148
  • Amazing Spider-Man #163-164

Characters Appearing: Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Kingpin, Richard Fisk, Spider-Man, Vanessa Fisk

Previous:
Fantastic Four #99
Up:
Main

1970 / Box 5 / Silver Age

Next:
Avengers #77

Comments

It's rather telling that Marvel's single-issue story mandate was not applied to Amazing Spider-Man, considering it was Stan's favorite title to write.

Posted by: Mark Drummond | August 12, 2011 9:56 PM

Fnord, you might want to fix the error in the chronological Placement considerations, it say Spidey fought Spidey instead of Kingpin, which makes things confusing.

Posted by: Silverbird | July 20, 2014 5:07 PM

This Young Fisk Schemer doesn't hold a candle to the Schemer that battled Space Ghost in the Hanna-Barbara TV series

Posted by: Rocknrollguitarplayer | April 7, 2017 12:50 AM

This arc becomes even more interesting if you read the Kingpin as if Vincent D'Onofrio is playing him the way he did on the Daredevil Netflix series; even before he goes catatonic, he comes off as rather emotionally disturbed throughout these issues.

Posted by: Omar Karindu | July 14, 2017 2:28 PM




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