"ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A ROBOT...!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Plot/Pencils: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: Professor Mendel Stromm is released from prison, enabling him to exact his revenge against the man who put him there: Norman Osborn...
Review: ASM #37 is a shining beacon amidst the rest of Ditko's Final Five. That's not to say that the other issues are sub-par, but they definitely have that 'treading water' feel, with not a whole lot of development or intrigue, and the scenes of Peter being treated like an outcast at ESU get tedious very quickly. We still get a bit of that here, but it's such a small scene and really doesn't bother me at all when it's surrounded by such a fantastic story.
As it's pretty much the only criticism I have of the issue - that, and the rather silly title - let's just get that ESU scene out of the way first. It's another example of Gwen getting annoyed with Peter and thinking he's a snob, which is about as engaging to read as it always is - ie. not very - but this time around it's actually Peter that comes across as the bigger jerk, calling Gwen "a temperamental female who drools over a fella one day and then acts like an icicle to him the next!" before blocking a well-deserved slap she aims at his face, and telling her that she's "gorrrrgeous" when she's angry. What a creep. You'll find yourself cheering when Flash turns up on the scene, warning Peter that if he behaves like that again, he'll get a pounding, and on this occasion, I'm inclined to support him.
But let's leave any negativity behind, because this issue really is brilliant. Mendel Stromm himself isn't the most exciting of villains, but both of his robots are absolutely terrific in their design, and it's tremendous fun watching Spidey go toe to toe with them, particularly the crawling, blob-like robot that attacks one of Osborn's buildings; such a classic slice of typical Ditko weirdness and creativity. The action scenes are explosive and thrilling, but Steve's plotting is finally back to its high standard; we get a really intriguing story here with plenty of potential for new developments in future issues. Sadly, that won't happen once Steve departs with the following issue, but I appreciate that we have it here all the same. I get really invested in Stromm's plan of revenge, and it's great to see Foswell getting a bit more to do again, donning his Patch disguise to track down Stromm to get a story for the Bugle. I also like the detail that Foswell and Stromm were old cellmates; despite them never meeting face to face in the issue - not knowingly, anyway - it's nice that the two have a bit of a history together.
Perhaps the most significant inclusion in this issue, however, is the first full appearance of Norman Osborn. After being consigned to small background cameos in several previous issues, he's finally able to step into the spotlight, and what a step it is. Norman Osborn is one of my all-time favourite characters, certainly my favourite villain, and even here, when it hasn't yet been revealed that he's the Green Goblin, we get little hints at just how nasty he can be, treating his son with scorn, and the fact that he stole Stromm's inventions before framing him and having him sent to prison. I love it whenever we see the brooding, scheming side of Norman, and we get it in spades here; that ominous final image of him holding a rifle, revealing that he was the one that tried to kill Stromm at the end of the issue, is absolutely magnificent. There are even a few clues dropped as to his secret: he's able to knock Spider-Man out with one punch - how else could he do that but with super-strength? - and he's also able to aim a rifle through a high window without any feasible means - of course, he must have brought his glider with him. Little details like this are proof positive that Steve always intended for Norman to be the Goblin, no matter what rumour may suggest, and I feel it's a shame that we never got to see how he would have had that story play out.
It's such a lovely thing that Steve was able to pull one last top notch issue out of the bag before he left Marvel. This story is right up there with the very best of his work on the character, and Stan's dialogue is on top form as well; my favourite line has to be the wonderfully noir-ish "I'm not holding this gun just to keep my fingers company!" It's a shame we never truly got to see Steve follow up on any of the ideas he presented here, but I'm overjoyed that he put them to paper at all.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, Spider-Man battles...Just a Guy Named Joe...
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