Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #36, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #37
Cover Date: Nov-Dec 79
Title: "Enter: Swarm!" / "Into the hive!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Jim Mooney - Penciler
Mike Esposito / Pablo Marcos - Inker

Review/plot:
This arc pits Spidey against the awesome might of Swarm, the skeleton of a Nazi scientist re-animated by bees!

It also introduces a new cast to PPSSM in the form of his teaching assistant peers. It includes the previously introduced Marcy Kane and Philip Chang as well as the new Steve Hopkins and Chip Martin.

Chip will soon become the Schizoid Man, a heavy handed attempt at dealing with mental illness via super villain metaphors. For now he sits quietly at his desk and rocks himself.

We're also reintroduced to Deb Whitman (who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #196, although not yet looking quite the way she would going forward).

Peter is supposed to be the assistant to Doc Connors, but all the TAs seem to also support Morris Sloan, an entomologist. Peter thinks, "My studies with him should help me to understand my spider-powers! To enhance them... or maybe even eliminate them should I ever decide I want to live a normal life." If Sloan's knowledge of spiders is anything like his knowledge of bees, though, i'd recommend that Peter stay away. Sloan claims that a queen killer bee can produce millions of bees in minutes.

Jim Mooney is a horror artist at heart, and his depiction of Swarm and the assault on ESU by killers bees is pretty graphical.

Spidey wins the day by soaking his costume and lacing his web fluid with Super-Raid.

Sweet, cancer causing chemicals. That'll do the trick.

I like that Swarm says "Bszzzz!" when he's annoyed.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - introduces Peter's TA cast

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Peter met Marcy Kane in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #32. We also saw Professor Sloan with the skeleton of the Swarm in that arc.
  
• He met Philip Chang in Amazing Spider-Man #184-185.
  
• The Swarm previously appeared in Champions #14-16

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

what is the comic worth?

Spidey's line "There was only one power strong enough to defeat you. Your own!" is a swipe from the classic MAD magazine parody "Superduperman vs Captain Marbles".

(I am NOT surprised that Peter read MAD, btw)

Maybe this is why Swarm was on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, because he had fought both Iceman and Spider-Man.

Ryoichi Ikegami used that panel of Peter taking his mask off (the one where he's thinking "Please Lord, don't let anyone come looking for Peter Parker--" as a base for an unmasking scene for the 70s Spider-Man manga (a colored version used as a cover for the US Marvel version can be found here: http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_small/1/15317/698440-sm_manga_11.gif ).