Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #9, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #10
Cover Date: Aug-Sep 77
Title: "...Like a tiger in the night!" / "Tiger in a web!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito / Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia - Inker

Review/plot:
Bill Mantlo takes over Spectacular Spider-Man and immediately brings in his co-creation, the White Tiger, who appears here for the first time in a color comic. Which is good; the White Tiger deserved to not languish in the obscurity of the black & white magazines. I don't know if, as the cover states, he was really "Marvel's most controversial creation", though. Surely that was the Kangaroo.

It's also cool to see Mantlo picking up on a thread from the debut issues of this series, which is ESU's budget problems. Since the Lightmaster's scheme didn't work, the school is resorting to shutting down night school, and the point is made that this disproportionately affects minority students.

An alternative proposal, to sell off the university's Erskine Manuscripts (Erskine, of course, was the scientist that developed the super-soldier serum that created Captain America), is rejected by the school's president Dwyer. Personally, i think a one time sale of assets is no solution to a budget problem (and i expected the idea to turn out to be a plot by someone wanting access to Erskine's notes, which isn't the case), but it's an interesting debate. Unfortunately, Dwyer is presented as a reactionary ass, making any kind of nuanced discussion impossible.

Peter is not in favor of selling the manuscript, for what it is worth.

Here's the White Tiger in his civilian identity, Hector Ayala, telling Peter that he couldn't possibly relate to him. I wonder if it was deliberate that Sal Buscema dressed Peter as square and retro as possible, as opposed to some of the wild outfits Peter wore in the late 60s and early 70s.

This story hinges on the fact that a Professor Vasquez (shown in a scan above) disguises himself as the White Tiger in a misguided attempt to help his students by stealing the Erskine manuscripts.

Another group is also attempting to steal the documents as well, and the real White Tiger tries to stop them...

...and then of course Spider-Man gets involved and winds up in a fight with the real White Tiger.

And that's after getting the lowdown on the White Tiger from Blackbyrd, the detective from the Tiger's Deadly Hands of Kung Fu series.

The fight with the White Tiger eventually takes Spider-Man to Hector's neighborhood, where he finds that the Tiger is considered a hero, just like him.

Well, not quite like you, Spider-Man. The public actually hates you. But sure, like you.

While the two heroes are busy fighting each other, poor old man Blackbyrd winds up taking on the other gang all by himself (and you have to love how the dialogue covers for Sal drawing a scene where a 70 year old man with a revolver decides to take on a gang of armored goons all by himself.

And then suddenly, everything is wrapped up all too quickly, with even President Dwyer being all happy-pappy.

There are a number of complaints about the use of Spanish in future lettercols, including nitpicky concerns about Spider-Man saying he took French in high school even though a previous issue said he took Spanish, complaints about poor grammar (like verb tenses not lining up), and the ridiculous device of the White Tiger saying something in Spanish and then repeating it verbatim in English.

That aside, it's a decent introduction to the White Tiger, a return to "relevance", and a nice start for Bill Mantlo.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first color appearance of White Tiger

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place "a few days" after Hulk #214.

References:

• These issues serve as an annotated introduction to the White Tiger, referencing nearly every Deadly Hands of Kung Fu appearance (and how i wish those would be reprinted in an Essentials), including the following (in the order they are presented in these comics):
  • The White Tiger is known to the world at large thanks to reports from the Daily Globe, as seen in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22.
    
  • He fought the Prowler in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #21.
    
  • The White Tiger fought the Jack of Hearts, who subsequently fought the Hulk in Hulk #214.
    
  • The Sons of the Tiger first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1. Spider-Man met them in Marvel Team-Up #40.
    
  • The White Tiger found the Sons' amulets after they broke up in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19.
    
  • And then there's a montage that covers all the events from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #20 through Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #31-32.
    
  • The other group that tries to steal the Erskine Manuscript is "Snakeye's old gang", from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #18.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Seeing the original speechs from Hector Ayala is kinda funny. The Brazilian Portuguese translations did not include the dirty words.

No word on how the "Black Hand" an all-black organization, kind of a black kung-fu version of the black panthers, suddenly became an all-white gang.

"Well, not quite like you, Spider-Man. The public actually hates you. But sure, like you."

I assumed he was thinking that they love an outlaw even though that is not a good thing to be which is what he is perceived as. In other words - Why do they love him when he's an outlaw and hate Spider-Man who's also an outlaw? That's just my opinion.

Who in the world looks at the White Tiger's costume and sees a "tiger suit?"

You wanna see a tiger suit? Do a Google image search for Lance Ikegawa Ralkor (no quotes), now THAT'S a tiger suit -- albeit rather impractical as a superhero costume.