Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #71
Cover Date: Oct 82
Title: "With this gun ... I thee kill!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo & Tom DeFalco - Script
Bill Mantlo - Plot
Rick Leonardi - Penciler
Jim Mooney - Inker
Linda Grant - Assistant Editor
Tom DeFalco - Editor

Review/plot:
The credits call Bill Mantlo the 'scripter' with "additional dialogue by Tom DeFalco". It doesn't list anyone as a plotter; my assumption is that Mantlo plotted it.

This issue is a very heavy handed "message" issue about gun control.

It features Spider-Man dealing with a number of gun related crimes...

...and the support cast at the Daily Bugle sitting around debating gun control . It very heavily runs pro-gun control (which, just so you don't think i'm down on this issue because i disagree with the politics, is closer to my position).

If the dialogue wasn't written like it was a Public Service Announcement, it might have been a little better.

Putting my cranky old man hat on for a second, i do want to say this: Rick Leonardi and Jim Mooney weren't exactly the top artists of 1982. They were decent, and they're conforming to the Marvel house style here. And there's nothing particularly special about the panel below. But my god, what i wouldn't give for an artist today to be able to pull off a basic action sequence like this.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP has a discrepancy with this issue. For Spider-Man and JJ, it's pushed back in publishing time to be between ASM #219-220. For all of the other supporting characters, it's placed closer to its actual publication date, between ASM #236-238. I don't see any reason for the push back. I thought it might have something to with one of the supporting characters, but since they all have the unadjusted placement, that seems unlikely. So i'm leaving it at its publication date.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Could that be the Wayne murders bottom left panel of page 10?