Issue(s): Spectacular Spider-Man #155
Cover Date: Oct 89
Title: "Crash out!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker
Glenn Herdling - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Mike Esposito inks Sal Buscema for this and the next four issues before Buscema returns to full art credits. The reason for this is given in the lettercol to issue #157: Sal was starring in a regional production of the musical The King and I. It's pointed out that with Esposito on inks, the credits are back to what they were for the first two issues of this series.

Randy Robertson has contacted Peter Parker, telling him that his father needs Spider-Man to visit him in prison.

So Spider-Man breaks into prison to find that it's a trap set by Tombstone. Joe Robertson went along with it because he's just that scared of Tombstone. He even helps by injecting Spider-Man with a virus.

Spider-Man passes out, and wakes up to find himself chained to a wall. Tombstone hasn't killed him because he plans to use him as a hostage during a jail breakout. But that doesn't mean he isn't going to beat him up a little first.

Spider-Man is faking, or at least exaggerating the degree to which the virus has made him sick. After finding out (vaguely) who is behind Tombstone's escape, he breaks out of his chains...

...but he actually is still weak (note that Spider-Man says that he's been exposed to this virus before).

Tombstone gets himself and Joe on one of the helicopters, and Spider-Man is unable to stop them. But Joe does wind up pushing himself and Tombstone off the chopper.

Spider-Man forces the helicopter pilot to do a search for them, but he can't locate them.

You'll notice from the first scan that Peter is under the impression that Aunt May has been told that she only has six months to live, and Mary Jane also believes that, and even learns an important life lesson from Aunt May's spunk in the face of imminent death.

We'll soon learn that Aunt May isn't actually dying, though, making this scene just a misunderstanding.

In another subplot scene, Harry Osborn offers Flash Thompson a job at his factory, while Flash ponders how life has gone so differently for him than he expected, and while the Black Cat seemingly stalks him.

Confusingly, Harry says that he needs Flash as a supervisor "until Liz and I find a place in Manhattan".

Harry has actually already decided to move into a building that he inherited from his father, and that decision was made before Aunt May's phone call with the doctor, so this seems to be a bit of jumbled coordination. But maybe Harry is just making up a reason to hire his friend Flash; hopefully the story doesn't come out when Flash is asked to help the Osborns move into their new home soon after this.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This has to take place the same day that Peter overheard Aunt May's phone call with the doctor in Amazing Spider-Man #320 (Peter says that the call happened "this afternoon" so i guess he and MJ were sleeping late, but he also says that it was only a "few hours ago" that he told Mary Jane about it). Since Peter and MJ are under the impression that the diagnosis was about May, this has to take place before Amazing Spider-Man #321, when they learn that the doctor's diagnosis was really about Nathen Lubenski.

References:

• While breaking into prison, Spider-Man thinks about the recent conclusion to the werewolf gang wars, from Web of Spider-Man #55.
  
• Peter overheard Aunt May's conversation with the doctor in Amazing Spider-Man #320.
  
• Tombstone has a score to settle with Spider-Man after Spider-Man defeated him in Atlanta in Spectacular Spider-Man #142.
  
• Harry Osborn's factory is being rebuilt after it went to pieces during Inferno in Spectacular Spider-Man #146.
  
• The death of Bruiser in Spectacular Spider-Man #153, instead of maybe inspiring Joe to stand up to Tombstone, has only reinforced Joe's fear.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Note that Flash says that he's SINGLE- we never do get a clear explanation of why he and Betty broke up. (I initially missed this issue as a kid, and thought I missed the big Flash-Betty breakup- only to find out years later that I only missed that one line.)

I've always thought Robbie and Tombstone falling from the helicopter to be one of Spidey's better cliffhangers.

Superhero suspension of disbelief rule #1: A captured hero isn't unmasked no matter how much of an opportunity the villain has to unmask them.

Superhero suspension of disbelief rule #2: A captured hero isn't killed no matter how much of an opportunity the villain has to kill them.

I'm going to give Conway a pass on #2- Peter could have been useful to Tombstone as a hostage in that situation.