Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #42
Cover Date: May 80
Title: "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Mike Zeck - Penciler
Jim Mooney - Inker

Review/plot:
Peter Parker is on a cruise with his fellow TAs when he sees a message, seemingly from the Human Torch, above the Statue of Liberty, which Peter already says is Spidey & the Torch's "traditional meeting place". Debbie Whitman is just confessing her insecurity to Peter and asking him to hold her as Peter runs off to respond to the message. Poor girl. She's in for a lot more abuse.

Spider-Man finds Electro in a fake Human Torch costume, and he quickly finds out that Electro is working with the Frightful Four, who proceed to trounce Spidey pretty badly.

Spidey's one consolation is that the villains aren't able to remove Spidey's mask due to Paste Pot Pete's glue.

There's obviously something wrong with me, because i always love it when the villains actually manage to beat the hero. I know this is continued in Fantastic Four #218, but for one brief moment, the Frightful Four actually managed to accomplish something.

Decent art by Mike Zeck and, the lovelorn Debra Whitman aside, a nice all-fight issue by Mantlo.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Continues directly in Fantastic Four #218.

References:

• Spidey and the Human Torch have been meeting at the Statue of Liberty since Strange Tales annual #2 (no footnote).
  
• Spider-Man notes that Electro hasn't worked with a group since the Sinister Six broke up after Amazing Spider-Man annual #1 (which isn't entirely true. Electro was part of the Emissaries of Evil birthday bash in Daredevil annual #1. Spider-Man must not know about that.). But when Spider-Man sees the Sandman right after running into Electro, his first assumption is that the Sinister Six has re-formed, which i thought was a clever bit on Mantlo's part.
  
• Spider-Man assumes Electro is a replacement for Madam Medusa, but in fact she's been long gone from the Frightful Four, and Electro is actually a replacement for the Brute, who left the Frightful Four in Fantastic Four #178 when he switched places with Reed Richards. Spidey not being up to date on the Frightful Four's membership was a nice realistic touch too, i thought.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Jim Mooney's distinctive inking style makes Peter and Debra look like they just walked out of one of the Supergirl backup stories that used to appear in Action Comics. It's especially noticeable in the faces.