Issue(s): Spectacular Spider-Man #173
Cover Date: Feb 91
Title: "Creatures stirring"
Credits:
Gerry Conway & David Michelinie - Script
Gerry Conway - Plot
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Sal Buscema - Inker
Dan Cuddy - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Gerry Conway seems to have gotten 5 pages into scripting this issue before getting the call that he was being promoted to being the full time show runner for Father Dowling Mysteries, so David Michelinie scripts the rest of the issue.

This is mostly a downtime Christmas issue. That doesn't stop Dr. Octopus from showing up and straight up murdering some crack addict thugs that randomly attack his bathysphere.

But despite his murder spree, Doc Ock is really just looking to spend Christmas with his one time love, Aunt May. Sadly for him, May has picked up a different, equally implausible lover, Willie Lumpkin.

Spider-Man, meanwhile, is also fighting violent street thugs who are attacking a Sidewalk Santa. 1991 was apparently goddamn war zone in New York city. And these thugs are not impressed with Spidey's image.

But when Spidey webs them up, Nick Katzenberg snaps pictures of it, gloating that he'll use them to ruin Spidey's image.

I guess that Santa is some kind of cameo, but i don't recognize him.

Before going home to the party at Aunt May's place, Peter stops off at the Daily Bugle's office party. I've mentioned "arrows of shame" before, when the artist has to put in arrows to show which way you're supposed to read the panels. In a few cases in this issue, there are cases where the arrows are needed, but aren't used.

My instincts are always wrong with this sort of thing, so i always wind up reading the two panels on the left before moving to the right.

Peter actually gets pretty violent with Katzenberg at the party, slamming him through a table.

No one really seems to mind too much but Peter is upset with himself for losing control and he leaves. It's in that context that he comes home to find Doctor Octopus lurking around his aunt's house. They get into a fight...

...but break it up when Aunt May comes outside.

Peter is, of course, wrong. The guy that snapped the necks of a bunch of low level criminals that he could have easily subdued nonlethally is definitely a villain.

At the end of this issue we see Katzenberg snapping pictures of someone holding a rose. The significance of the scene isn't apparent yet, and it's actually Web of Spider-Man that will follow up on the return of Richard Fisk.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 215,441. Single issue closest to filing date = 217,100.

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

Maybe Santa was a miscommunication with the artist, because "don't get no respect" is Rodney Dangerfield's catchphrase. I associate "ain't it the truth" with e Cowardly Lion, but I don't think they were going for that.

Later on, we find out that the other person that was in the picture was Sgt. Blume, the second Rose, so he should be listed as a character appearing.
Fnord, I think that it's Alfredo-posing-as-Richard at this point, not Richard, so Gauntlet and not Richard Fisk should be listed as a character appearing. (That plot makes your head hurt, right, fnord? Join the club.)

Peter letting Ock just walk away is a pretty reprehensible act. The next two issues of Spectacular will only reinforce that point.

Thanks Michael. That's going to be fun to keep track of (and FYI the MCP only lists Fisk).

Oh c'mon, TCP, you're clearly being to hard on Spidey! I mean, when has Peter letting a crook go instead of trying to stop him ever resulted in something bad happening?