"THE GROTESQUE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Art Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: The mysterious Green Goblin lures Spider-Man out to the desert under the pretence of starring in a Hollywood movie, but the web-head soon finds himself attacked by the Goblin, the returning Enforcers...and the rampaging Hulk...
Review: The original Green Goblin is *probably* my favourite Spider-Man villain. He's up against some stiff competition (namely Mysterio and Doctor Octopus), but if there's any Spidey enemy that really gets me excited to dive into an issue, it's the Green Goblin. To be honest, most of the Goblin characters rank amongst my favourites (the original Hobgoblin is another top contender for me); there's something so thrilling, intriguing, and genuinely menacing about the various Goblins; their weaponry, their costumes, the way they fight, and the original for me, rates highest of all. I must confess however, that his debut has not always been an issue that I have ranked particularly highly. In the past I've found its plot to be far too silly and convoluted, not to mention overstuffed with characters that overshadow the Goblin himself. That being said, however, my opinion of it has grown substantially on more recent readings, even if I still think that the plot is rather silly and convoluted; I guess I've just learned to roll with that now in a way that I was obviously incapable of when I was younger.
To say that the Goblin is overshadowed is also complete nonsense. The issue opens with a brilliant scene to introduce the character, his face hidden by view, as his ghoulish mask dominates the foreground. Yes, we all know who the first Goblin is now, but the mystery of his identity is the defining ongoing storyline in the Lee and Ditko era, and it's still a lot of fun to read today; I love these shadowy scenes with the Goblin working on new gadgets and weapons in his lair; it helps build up the sense of menace all the more. Of course, it's great to see him in action as well, flying high above Spider-Man and raining a hailstorm of bombs on him; classic Goblin stuff, and I adore it. He hasn't quite got all his paraphernalia yet: his 'flying broomstick' is nowhere near as cool as his iconic glider that makes its first appearance in a few issues' time, and his bombs here are nothing like pumpkin-shaped, but it's an impressive first show for the character, even if his combat with Spider-Man is relatively brief. The Enforcers make a nice return as well, proving once again how their combined abilities can put Spider-Man through the ringer, but they're still inevitably despatched in a very cool scene where Spidey picks them off one by one in a cave.
Speaking of that cave, it turns out to be the hiding place of none other than the Incredible Hulk, another of my favourite Marvel characters. This was around the time that his own short-lived title had come to an end, and he would be relegated to being a guest star in other comics until he finally got his own regular feature again in Tales to Astonish, where he was initially drawn by...Steve Ditko! Ditko does a marvellous job with the Hulk; not as brutish or monstrous as Jack Kirby's original design, but there's still a tremendous sense of power in the green-skinned goliath, and his short bout with Spider-Man is one of the highlights of the issue; all the web-head can do against an enemy like the Hulk is avoid him and run away, using his brain to try and escape the cave that the monster was using as a home. A small side note, but I love the fact that Spider-Man returns to the cave later to rescue the Enforcers from being torn apart by the Hulk; it's little touches like this that make Spidey the aspirational hero that he is. If only we could all be so merciful to those who oppose us.
Aside from anything else, ASM #14 has so many fun little moments that make me laugh. There isn't much personal drama for Peter in this issue, other than the continuing tension between him and Flash, but these few scenes, there are some great lines, the best of which actually comes from Liz: "Tell me Flash, how much rent do you pay in that dream world you live in?" Meanwhile, Betty sinks further into her paranoid delusions about Peter, accusing him of eagerly wanting to go to Hollywood to cover the Spider-Man movie story so that he can flirt with Hollywood actresses, a ridiculous claim that he immediately refutes, but she's not having any of it. Some of the most amusing scenes of all, however, come from the flamboyant studio executive, B.J. Cosmos, with his bevy of 'yes men' who think every idea he has is brilliant. He's a really fun huckster/con man character, and one of the best pairings of Ditko's artwork and Lee's dialogue; wonderfully characterful pencils with some hilarious outbursts: "Call my lawyers! We'll sue!" "Who will we sue, B.J?" "What's the difference? We'll find someone!"
This may have been an issue that I wasn't too fond of in my youth, but I finally see the error of my ways. Yes, the Goblin's plan is extremely convoluted, and if I'm being completely honest, I still feel that some of the adaptations into TV and film have done a better job depicting the first meeting of Spider-Man and his arch-nemesis (namely the 2002 Sam Raimi movie), but I can't deny that for pure entertainment value, this is hard to beat; I had a grin on my face throughout.
Rating: 4.5/5
Next time, one of Spider-Man's first enemies returns, and he's got company! New York becomes a jungle when Kraven the Hunter is in town...
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