Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #113
Cover Date: Apr 86
Title: "Mayhem!"
Credits:
Peter David - Writer
Bob McLeod - Penciler
Bob McLeod - Inker
Adam Blaustein - Assistant Editor
Christopher Priest - Editor

Review/plot:
We heard at the end of last issue that Ernie Popchik was released from prison after shooting the kids that accosted him. He had been staying with his son, but reporters found him so he tried, unsuccessfully, to return to Aunt May's boarding house to escape them. The kids that he shot also find out that he's now at May's house, and they launch a home invasion to get vengeance on Popchik. If there was any ambiguity about whether or not the kids that Popchik shot were actually criminals, it's quickly dispelled here; they're shown mugging a woman on the subway on the way over, and they enter May's house with guns. So they weren't just ("just") kids running an intimidation scam.

Peter gets pressured by Kate Cushing into using his access to get Joy Mercado an interview with Popchik, so he arrives soon after the thugs take over Aunt May's house. And after first telling Peter that this is too personal for him to get involved, Mary Jane tells him to go take care of it when she sees that she's not going to stop him.

Peter keeps the mood relatively light for a story about thugs with guns threatening old people...

...and Spider-Man is able to take out the thugs with little danger to Aunt May's boarders.

But when all the thugs are neutralized, May's fiance Nathan Lubenski opens the shades, knowing that the leader will get shot by the police.

Pretty dark. Vigilantism has been a repeat topic for Peter David on Spider-Man, and he doesn't seem to have a specific, obvious message on the subject. We're not told that what Popchik or Lubenski did is right or wrong; we're just left feeling uncomfortable about it.

Also in this issue, the Black Cat steals some jewels from criminals, with the intention of giving the proceeds to children. She also gets some information on someone called the Foreigner. This is the first mention of the Foreigner.

In last issue's re-debut of the Black Cat, someone mistakenly called her the Black Widow. This issue it's Silver Sable. Funny.

This issue continues the subplot where a teacher suspects that one of his students is being abused, but also shows that the kid, Alex, may have picked up super-powers after interfering with his abusive father's experiment.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: At the beginning of this issue, Spider-Man is beating up a random thug (who knows nothing) to get information about the Hobgoblin. That seems to indicate that it should take place before the "Hobgoblin" is demasked and revealed to be Flash Thompson, but it's possible that Spider-Man is trying to prove that Flash actually isn't the Hobgoblin; it's clear from the story here that Peter is just lashing out and doesn't really know why he's beating up random street thugs.

References:

• A footnote says the Hobgoblin is back in Amazing Spider-Man #275.
  
• When Spider-Man slips up and refers to Mr. Chekov by name, he says it's because he rescued his granddaughter, which happened in Marvel Team-Up #127 (no footnote).

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The teacher clearly sees the father raising a closed fist to the kid, and doesn't recognize it as a red flag? Weird...

Not that it changes your point, but just because my entry didn't say it: that was actually the guy's lawyer, not a teacher.

That Silver Sable gag got a chukle out of me :P

Peter David is being ahead of his time at this point. After pre-empting Se7en a decade early in The Death of Jean DeWolf, now he introduces Keyser Soze.