Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #114
Cover Date: May 86
Title: "The key"
Credits:
Len Kaminski - Writer
J.J. Birch - Penciler
Keith Williams & Dell Barras - Inker
Adam Blaustein - Assistant Editor
Christopher Priest - Editor

Review/plot:
This fill-in during Peter David's run has the first work by Len Kaminski and a rare early work at Marvel by J.J. Birch (credited as Joe Brozowski, as was his prior work on Marvel Fanfare #9).

The story, like a lot of fill-ins, introduces a few characters that this story is really about, and that we'll never see again. The first is the son of a repairman who is having trouble making ends meet. The son has decided to use his locksmithing skills to perform burglaries...

...and he winds up in Peter Parker's apartment and steals a box that contains the red and blue suit and some equipment, including the web spinners and spider-tracers.

The other character is a cop who has become too bitter and unforgiving, as seen here as he takes his aggressions out on these young (well, mostly young?) punks.

The kid gets the idea to use the Spider-suit and accessories to aid in his robberies...

...but he winds up falling off a webline and getting taken to the police, where the mean cop forces "Spider-Man" to go take out those young punks.

Knowing that he's in trouble, the kid amplifies a spider-tracer to attract the attention of the real Spider-Man, who shows up and saves the day (i think that bearded guy is the same as the "old" one in the previous images but the colorist didn't realize it. Which is too bad; i like the old gang guy and think he deserves his own series)...

...and explains to this character about his special relationship with Peter Parker.

When the cop realizes he had forced a fake Spider-Man into trouble, he realizes he needs to ease back on the attitude.

Having a random character in a fill-in learn Spider-Man's secret ID is a strange move for an editor to allow (although it's not the first time), but this is otherwise a competent story considering it's done by two newcomers.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A