Hey folks, welcome to another one of my omnibus reviews. This time for the Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3. Some of my past reviews I have found go maybe a bit too in depth issue by issue and can be a lot to take in. No promises but I am going into this one with the mindset of a shorter review with less overall about what exactly happened or more broader strokes. So without further ado, lets jump right in!
This omnibus includes Amazing Spider-Man #68-104. Things kick off with an ancient tablet thats on display at ESU which the Kingpin ends up stealing causing Spider-Man to jump into action. While they fight Spidey web blasts Kingpins cane which had a secret pistol, causes it to backfire and the Kingpin gets arrested. Kingpin cleverly plays it off as Spider-Man was his accomplice and that he will be working to break him out of prison soon, further making Spidey look like a villain to the public. When Kingpin does break out he goes after Spider-Man to get the tablet back.
While fending off the Kingpin and his goons, Ned Leeds and J. Jonah Jameson happen to drive by and heckle Spider-Man, frustrating him to frighten JJ enabling the Kingpin to escape and causing JJ to have a heart attack. With JJ in the hospital Joe Robertson starts running the paper and believes in Spider-Mans innocence so he prints some pictures of Spider-Man fighting the Kingpin as you’d expect this made JJ furious. Quicksilver also makes a guest appearance in an attempt to prove he is a good guy to the Avengers he tries to capture Spider-Man, however Spidey is able to outmaneuver him on several occasions and convinces him he is a good guy. Finally, Spider-Man is able to rid himself of the ancient tablet and entrusts it to Captain Stacy, Gwens father. The Shocker makes a return and steals the ancient tablet from Cpt. Stacy while Peter is getting jealous that Flash Thompson is back in town and flirting with Gwen, causing a rift between the two of them. Aunt May leaves for a Florida vacation and Spidey finds the Shocker and gets him arrested however the ancient tablet is not with him.
Spidey goes to Cpt. Stacy for clues and discovers Shocker had a girlfriend and decides to look for her to find the tablet. Here he encounters Marko of the Maggia crime family, a big tough guy who acts as the muscle for the family and ends up stealing the tablet, while their leader a frail old man known as Silvermane sends for Dr. Kurt Connors (the lizard) to come study the tablet. There is also a man named Cesar Cicero who is trying to take over the family and Silvermane fears he will overthrow him. The Maggia’s keep Connors family hostage while forcing him to work for them. Spidey rescues the family while Connors discovers the power of the tablet and creates a serum containing the fountain of youth. Silvermane drinks it and reverts to a young man regaining his former strength. When Spidey arrives the serum continues to de-age Silvermane until he eventually de-ages to a point of non existence. Spidey fights Cicero who eventually escapes but in all the commotion Kurt Connors once again turns into the Lizard.
Spider-Man promises the Connors family he will capture the Lizard without harming him. Human Torch hears of the news as well and gets involved. Spider-Man has to distract the Torch from harming the Lizard as only Spidey knows his true identity and that he isn’t a villain. He outsmarts the torch and tricks him into thinking a FF distress signal, he then lures the Lizard into a factory which produces dehydration power which causes him to revert back to Kurt Connors.
Meanwhile Gwen is asking around why Peter disappears all the time, Peter see’s her in a coffee shop with Flash and assumes the worst. On his walk home he see’s a window washer and wishes he had a simple life like that. The story then follows the window washer and we find out that he is tired of having his ideas shot down and also just wants to get ahead in life so he becomes the Prowler. While Peter happens to be at the Daily Bugle asking JJ for an advance on his next set of photos, the Prowler decides to rob some cash from where else but the bugle itself.
Peter, knowing he can’t give himself a way, makes it look like he got tossed out the window. Presumed dead by those in the office, he climbs to the roof and quickly changes into Spider-Man. The Prowler flees the scene thinking he just murdered Peter Parker. Spider-Man attacks the Prowler as he is escaping but Prowler manages to fend him off with a gas bomb he created and gets away. Peter fights with Gwen over her seeing Flash and the Prowler attempts to rob a diamond store baiting Spider-Man out. Spidey defeats and unmasks him learning his true identity and the reason he became the Prowler to earn some extra cash to impress his girl. Peter realizes the two boys aren’t that different and lets him go, making him promise to give up the Prowler act.
Flash catches up with Peter to tell him the truth about why he was meeting with Gwen. Peter and her get back together and go to a paint exhibit where some paintings end up getting stolen by the Chameleon disguised as Gwens father Cpt. Stacy. Spider-Man reaches out to Joe Robertson to print a false headline about a big money transfer to bait the Chameleon out. While on location JJ is screaming at Peter Parker to get back to work however Spider-Man is also nearby, and able to spot the Chameleon quite easy as he knows that he himself is Peter Parker. Spider-Man attacks and reveals him, resulting in his arrest.
Aunt May returns home and while Peter is picking her up from the train station we see an Australian man escape from the police known as the Kangaroo, he studied and lived with Kangaroos and has abilities similar to a Kangaroo. Aunt May as usual suspects Peter is sick and needs bed rest. While at home the news talks about the Kangaroo and that he has stolen a deadly virus. Peter goes after him while leaving a web-based mannequin in his bed. Aunt May discovers the web mannequin and passes out. Peter defeats the Kangaroo and returns home, nurses Aunt May back to health and tells her that he never left, resulting in Aunt May beginning to question her own sanity.
Spider-Man agrees to be a guest on a late night show to earn some extra cash. Electro happens to be out on parole and working for the station. JJJ hears of this and offers him $5000 to unmask Spider-Man during the recording. He ends up short circuiting, trapping himself and harming Spider-Man in the process. We then learn of the Schemer. A villain who wants to replace the kingpin as the leader of crime in the city. We also learn that Kingpin is in hiding with his wife Vanessa and that he is eager to return to the streets because he is brooding over the recent death of his son. Peter and Gwen are saying goodbye to Flash as he is leaving for the army and as they walk back home some of the Schemers men attack some of Kingpins, resulting in a car accident, Peter is forced to push Gwen out of the way but she gets injured in the process. Peter tags one of the vehicles with his Spider-Tracer and accompanies Gwen to the hospital. Gwen is unconscious so Peter takes the opportunity to go after the Schemer, finding him but gets trapped and the Schemer gets away. When Peter returns to the hospital Gwen is awake but extremely upset that Peter has been away.
A $5000 bounty is offered in the paper for catching the Schemer, but it is unlisted who is paying the bounty. Spider-Man decides he is the man for the job. He finds one of the Schemers men on the streets and decides to try scare some information out of him but the thug is too loyal. He visits Gwen and almost tells her about his powers but decides against it. Elsewhere the Schemer and his men attack a property of the Kingpins, when word gets back to the Kingpin he decides he will deal with the Schemer himself. Spidey overhears some thugs talking about the scenario and follows them to the property. The Kingpin, the Schemer and Spider-Man end up in a three-way brawl. Kingpin ends up so focused on Spider-Man the Schemer escapes with Vanessa. When Kingpin realizes this he goes after them leaving Spidey alone. Peter returns home to tend to his injuries and wakes up the next morning to Gwen and her father coming over, questioning how he is able to always get such good photos of Spider-Man. He sneaks out of the house and returns as Spider-Man asking for his share of the money Peter makes from the photos, and making Spider-Man look like a thug to Gwen and her father. He then goes after the Schemer once more this time defeating him. When he goes to claim the $5000 bounty we find out it was actually put out by the Kingpin to help bring the Schemer to him. Kingpin overpowers the schemer. The Schemer reveals himself to be Kingpin and Vanessa son who was presumed dead. We find out he faked his death after learning the truth of his fathers crime empire, while the Kingpin is in shock to learn his son is still alive. Spidey flees the scene.
We get a cameo issue featuring the Black Widow, unsure of what she wants to do with her life she decides she would be more suitable in the role of Spider-Man. She decides to go after him and finds he is really pathetic, his powers are fading but he is still able to fend her off. This issue is kind of an advertiesment for her getting her own run in “Amazing Tales” we then see Peter take a blood sample of himself to test if his blood is still affected by the Spider which bit him in the first place. He ends up being late for Gwen’s birthday, convinced he has lost his powers he tells everyone at the party that he was Spider-Man and he runs off frantically. After visting a doctor he finds out he just has a bad case of the flu, he gets some antibiotics and tracks down the Prowler. He gives him a Spider-Man outfit and tells him to show up at Gwens house to harass Peter for some money, confirming he isn’t Spider-Man. Prowler agrees to help and convince Peters friends that he isn’t actually Spider-Man and was delusional because of his flu.
Doctor Otto Octavious, AKA Doc Ock, is still rotting in jail while his arms are on display at a nearby museum, he successfully makes a telepathic link with them and uses them to break himself out of jail. He then hi-jacks a plane which has a Chinese emissary known as General Su. I think he might be a real person but I don’t know I wasn’t alive back then! Doc Ock holds a ransom of 10 million dollars for the General to live. Peter is assigned to take pictures and decides he has to rescue the passengers. Once Doc Ock realizes Spider-Man is helping people off he crashes the plane resulting in an explosion. There is no signs of anybody amongst the wreckage not even Doc Ock himself. Spidey ends up finding him near the power plant and Doc Ock topples a water tower over threatening the people below. Spidey manages to steer it the other way so nobody gets hurt but gets captured in doing so. He wakes up next issue falling to his death as Doc dropped him off the building. He saves himself but has to out run and hide from Doc Ock in order to survive. While back as Peter Parker he crosses paths with Cpt. Stacy and then passes out from fatigue.
Peter, fully expecting another encounter with the Doc, coats his webbing with a special fluid which will block the docs brain signals which control his robotic arms. While the two are having a rooftop showdown the arms go ballistic. Cpt. Stacy is passing by and see’s a crowd watching the roof top battle. Realizing the potential dangers he ushers the crowd away to safety. A portion of the rooftop gets destroyed and ends up falling headed straight for a young boy. Cpt. Stacy dives to push him out of the way sacrificing his own life in the process. Doc Ock escapes and Spider-Man tries to get Cpt. Stacy to the hospital. He dies in Spider-Mans arms along the way, telling him he knows under the mask its Peter Parker and that his dying wish is for Peter to take care of Gwen.
Spidey, now accused for the death of Cpt Stacy is the most wanted man in town. Sam Bullit a lawyer decides to run for the new District Attorney position (shout out to Foggy Nelson from Daredevil!) and earns Gwens support as his top goal is to convict Spider-Man for the death of her father. Some of Bullits thugs rough of Peter Parker to get some info on Spidey, he then returns the favour as Spider-Man and tells them to tell there boss he is coming for him. When he returns to his home still dressed as Spider-Man he finds Sam and Gwen inside looking for evidence to tie the two together. He kidnaps Gwen but is spotted by Bobby Drake “Iceman” from the X-Men. Iceman is able to free Gwen from Spidey whom everybody thinks is evil. Spidey escapes and goes to JJJ as Peter Parker to let them know Bullits men roughed him up. JJJ had been supporting Bullits campaign for DA but decides to withdraw his support because of this. Bullits thugs come to the bugle where Robertson brings to light more evidence of Bullits past and that he should not be the DA. He is taken hostage by them and Peter goes after them as Spider-Man, Iceman also see’s Spider-Man and follows him to Bullits lair, realizing Spidey is a good guy and helps him save Robertson.
The Prowler, reading the paper about the death of Cpt. Stacy and remembering how he helped Spider-Man recently is worried he will get caught up in the mix and decides he wants to be the guy to turn Spidey in. Gwen is invited and accepts to go live with some relatives in London. Peter decides he is ready to come clean to Gwen and has little time to make it to the airport before she departs so he goes as Spider-Man. Along the way the Prowler attacks him. Spidey is able to defeat him but is stalled enough that Gwen leaves for London.
Joe Robertson can see Peter is distressed about Gwen and assigns him to an overseas job. On the plane to London there is two american emissaries who get kidnapped and taken hostage. Spidey ends up going after the terrorists and rescuing the emissaries getting plastered all over british papers as a hero. He realizes he can’t show up as Peter Parker and visit Gwen now as she would likely make the connection between the two. We also see Gwen is missing Peter just as much as he misses her. Peter returns home and Harry sets him up with a job at Oscorp as well as invites him to Mary Janes first broadway show. At the show MJ seems far more interested in Peter than Harry, and Norman is clearly in distress. Spider-sense kicks in and Peter realizes there is a locked room nearby which is triggering it. After the show has ended Peter returns and enters the locked room to find Norman has turned back into the Green Goblin. The two battle but the Green goblin escapes thinking he has defeated Spidey. Harry is also giving Peter attitude over the way MJ was acting at the show and begins popping pills to help with his anxiety. Peter comes home later to find that Harry is passed out from the pills he took and Green Goblin shows up outside the apartment window. Peter forces the Goblin to look on at Harry’s lifeless body which causes him to become disoriented and flee. Later when Spidey is out and about he gets attacked by the Goblin. The goblin’s latest device countered Spideys ability to stick to things and he ends up riding on the Goblins back. He steers the glider towards the hospital room where Harry is staying and forces his gaze upon his unconsious son until the goblin passes out. Peter burns the costume and delivers Norman home, hoping that he wont remember any of this. On his walk back home he bumps into non-other than Gwen Stacy!
Peter gets assigned to take photos of a prison riot, he decides to enter the prison itself as Spider-Man and finds the leader of the prison gang orchestrated the riot as a distraction for his own personal escape. Spider-Man makes a deal with the Warden and the other prisoners to stop riotting and he will voice their concerns on a talk show. He tries doing so but the police show up thinking him still guilty for the death of Cpt. Stacy he is forced to flee. He eventually comes to the conclusion that most of his problems in life stem from the fact that he is Spider-Man. He develops a serum which he believes will remove his powers and falls into a deep sleep. While dreaming he encounters some of his deadliest foes in the Kingpin, the vulture and the Green Goblin. He ultimately finds Cpt. Stacy in the dream who tells him the power of being Spider-Man is both a blessing and a curse, but one that Peter must live with forever. Throughout the dream Peter is having pains in his sides, and when he finally awakens he discovers he now has six arms. Once again not knowing where to turn, he reaches out to the Lizard – Dr. Connors for help.
Peter blows off an assignment from the bugle and has to decline a date with Gwen due to his four extra arms. Doc Connors agrees to let him use his lake home in New York to try solve his dilemma. We get some back story for Morbius, a new vampire like villain that encounters Spider-Man at the lake home. The two battle and Morbius appears to have defeated Spider-Man when Kurt Connors arrives and because of what he see’s ends up turning into the Lizard once again. Spidey awakens to find the two fighting and plays possum waiting for an opportunity where he can defeat them both. As Morbius look to be defeating the Lizard and drains some of his blood. Spider-Man attacks and Morbius flees, due to the bite from Morbius the Lizard turns halfway back into a human. We find out Morbius used to be Michael Morbius a nobel prize winner and was trying to create blood cells to save his own life as he had an undiscovered disease. Through an experimental cure he became a vampire like creature. Spidey and the Half-Lizard Half-Kurt Connors hybrid think that Morbius blood is the solution to turn the Lizard back into a human and remove Spidey’s extra arms. Eventually they are able to catch him and extract some blood from him before he drowns to his death. As expected the sample of his blood works to return the two men back to normal.
The omnibus closes out with a trip to the savage lands, JJ takes Peter and Gwen there to get the full story about a beast that had been reported on TV. The crew gets attacked by a giant beast and Peter attacks it getting swatted out of sight enabling him to become Spider-Man. We then learn the giant beast was discovered by Kraven who came to the Savage Lands to defeat Kazar and claim himself lord of the jungle. Spider-Man finds Kazar first and the two work together, Spidey makes a distraction while Kazar defeats Kraven. Spidey baits the giant over some quick sand resulting in it drowning and allowing the crew to return back to New York.
Once again, I can’t recommend it enough. The silver age comics are quite dated but if you can overlook that fact they are a lot of fun.
Thanks again for reading!
Until next time!