Spectacular Spider-Man #161Issue(s): Spectacular Spider-Man #161 Review/plot: But this is a kind of karma for the fact that Joe befriended Bruiser, the brother of the guy that got him the pardon. And this issue shows that this isn't entirely the end of it, since Hammerhead is hiring Hobgoblin to kill Joe. Meanwhile, Spider-Man brings a sample of the material that turned one of his graduate student peers into a new Carrion to Mr. Fantastic. Did we know that Mr. Fantastic had a photographic memory, or is this more super-intelligence creep for the character? Spider-Man says that Carrion has been a prisoner of the Vault "ever since" Spidey beat him. Does that mean he stayed in his cell during the breakout in Acts of Vengeance? Later, at a party celebrating Robbie's pardoning... ...J. Jonah Jameson tries to recruit Robbie into his new business venture, but before he can do it, Thomas Fireheart (aka the Puma), the current owner of the Daily Bugle, shows up to give Robbie a promotion. JJ likens the event to Custer's Last Stand. Racist. Then Hobgoblin attacks. Peter Parker is late to the party, so Mary Jane tells Puma that he better do something about Hobgoblin. But before Puma can get there, the Hobgoblin pulls out a bat razor to kill Robbie. He's stopped by a mysterious guy with a distinct silhouette. Ptoom indeed. Puma then attacks, and finds out he's not dealing with a regular Hobgoblin. Spider-Man shows up soon enough. During the fight, Spider-Man drops his notes on Carrion, and Hobgoblin grabs them. A second shot from Ptoombstone distracts Hobgoblin... ...and then his own finger blast hits a mirror on a nearby billboard, generating a bright light that causes Hobgoblin to flee. Tombstone's is acting here because he doesn't want anyone but himself to kill Robbie. Gerry Conway's Spider-Man books - especially this one with Sal Buscema's art - continue to be a surprisingly fun place for old school Spider-Man stories. Quality Rating: C+ Chronological Placement Considerations: Spider-Man no longer has the Uni-Power, placing this after Amazing Spider-Man #329. It's "three days" between the celebration of Robbie's release and the scene with Spider-Man visiting Mr. Fantastic. Mr. Fantastic's appearance is context free. References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (2): showCharacters Appearing: Amanda Robertson, Ben Urich, Cynthia Bernhammer, Demogoblin, Hammerhead, J. Jonah Jameson, Jason Macendale, Joe 'Robbie' Robertson, Joy Mercado, Kate Cushing, Lance Bannon, Martha Robertson, Mary Jane Watson, Mr. Fantastic, Nick Katzenberg, Puma, Randy Robertson, Spider-Man, Stuart McPhee, Tombstone CommentsDid reviewing those Liefeld NEW MUTANTS issues drive you to drink? Apparently in that last scan Spidey is fighting Ptombstone and Hoggoblin. ;) (although, I must admit, the idea of a Hog-Goblin sounds like it could be a good Spider-Ham foe...) Posted by: Dermie | April 21, 2015 6:14 PM Ptombstone was deliberate, just a dumb joke based on the sound effect his gun was making. Hoggoblin was actually me trying to correct my original typo, which was an equally funny Hogboblin or something. You really can't go wrong with those syllables, and i really could use a drink. Posted by: fnord12 | April 21, 2015 6:30 PM Is there any reference to Tombstone kicking Hobgoblin's ass back before Macendale became demonic? Posted by: MikeCheyne | April 21, 2015 7:50 PM No, it's not mentioned. I'm not sure if Tombstone even knows it's the same guy, and i guess Macendale didn't want to bring it up. Posted by: fnord12 | April 21, 2015 9:19 PM Fnord, I think you're being too literal- what Peter probably means is Carrion was one of the prisoners that was recaptured near the Vault, like Piledriver and Bulldozer. Posted by: Michael | April 21, 2015 10:12 PM Ah, I didn't notice the "ptoom" sound effect; that makes more sense now. And yes, Hobgoblin is just an awkward name--either to type or to say out loud. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. lol Posted by: Dermie | April 21, 2015 10:42 PM Hobgoblin is still under Dr. Strange's spell from Acts of Vengeance that makes him think he's got his human appearance back, though that does raise the question of why he doesn't wear a mask. Given that the next two issues have him living in a sewer, it may be that Strange's spell and the demonic influence were really messing with his mind. Either shooting himself in the face with his own goblin-blast or being blown up a couple of issues from now seems to break the illusion completely, as Strange's spell isn't mentioned again after this arc. Posted by: Omar Karindu | April 13, 2018 5:29 PM Comments are now closed. |
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