Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #99
Cover Date: Aug 71
Title: "A day in the life of-- Featuring: Panic in the prison!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Gil Kane - Penciler
Frank Giacoia & Tony Mortellaro - Inker

Review/plot:
In preparation for being able to marry and support Gwen, Peter pressures JJ into giving him a staff position as a photographer for the Daily Bugle.

He then goes to cover a prison riot at the city penitentiary. The prisoners are demanding better treatment, but their leaders are actually manipulating them for personal gain. As Spider-Man, Peter takes out the leaders and gets the warden to agree to look at the regular prisoner's demands, which the warden doesn't seem to have a problem with.

Then, still as Spidey, Peter gets himself an appearance on what i think is a young Johnny Carson's show.

He uses the venue to talk about prisoner's rights, but has to flee before getting paid for the appearance when the cops show up. He also finds out that now that he's on staff he has to wait until payday to get any money.

Peter decides to level with Gwen about the fact that he's broke and can't take her out, but she was planning to cook a meal for him anyway.

If you wanted to let Peter have a happy ending in his life, this would be the issue to end with. He's got a steady job and is happily together with the girl that he loves.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #80

The prison story may have been inspired by the Attica protests. When this story was written, they would have still been peaceful, but they turned into a violent riot in November of that year.

I really love what you said about "if you want Peter to have a happy life, here's your ending," essentially. How fascinating, for one, to think of Spider-Man as a phenomenon of the 1960's, perhaps revived in years to come. For another, how nice to imagine an alternative story line where Peter's allowed to grow up to be a normal man. Nonetheless, even a retired Spider-Man would choose a life of knowledge, and Peter Parker would've had a compelling life, if not exactly one suited for artifices of serial adventure! Thanks for telling the story and sharing the insight---today I write my very last old comics blog, but I had a ball consuming your entries whenever I couldn't otherwise sleep!

Yep, thaaaaaaaat's Johnny! The Tonight Show was based in New York until 1972, IIRC. I'm pretty sure that The Jester's talk show appearance (In DareDevil 47) was also on Johnny's show, so if you want to track Johnny as a recurring, this would go into that listing.

Nice to see Gwen doesn't have any postpartum depression (okay, I'll stop) and her and Peter get to be happy together. Gee, maybe this would be a good time to tell her about your secret ID? Nah, why treat her like an equal partner in the relationship? That's crazy talk!

And Johnny also makes West Coast appearances, as well. For example, in WCA 4, Wonder Man admits to his past embezzlement (which he'd previously let his brother take the rap for) on The Tonight Show, live from Beautiful Downtown Burbank.