"HOW GREEN WAS MY GOBLIN!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Mike Esposito/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: The Green Goblin is back with a plan to discover Spider-Man's true identity, and by the issue's end, he'll be doing an unmasking of his own...
Review: Where the hell do you go without Steve Ditko? Ditko's beautiful, captivating artwork was one of the biggest reasons for Spider-Man's success, and made the character stand out on the newsstands when put next to the myriad Jack Kirby drawn comics Marvel was putting out. But, come the middle of 1966, Ditko left Marvel for personal reasons, and ASM was left without its signature artist; Spidey was, for the first time - outside of guest appearances in other Marvel titles - without his co-creator. Not only that, but Steve had been the one responsible for developing the plots for the book for quite some time, with little to no input from Stan. The pressure must have been immense to follow up Steve's tenure with something that would be equally beloved, and it's a miracle that they managed to not only keep Spider-Man going, but to raise him to new heights of popularity; by the end of the decade, ASM was Marvel's top seller, beating long-time number one book Fantastic Four. If anything, the Lee and Romita run is even more well-liked than the Lee and Ditko, and whilst I personally prefer Ditko's era, I have an near-equal level of love for this period as well.
Here was Stan's chance to really take the reins of Spider-Man and do what he wanted to do with the character, and as much as I adore Steve Ditko, this was exactly what the book needed; someone who was going to take the character in a new direction, re-inventing him as readers' tastes - as well as the world at large - changed. From this issue to Issue #52, we'll see Stan's slow but dramatic re-interpretation of Spider-Man, essentially removing every element that defined the Ditko era, whilst adding new ones that would end up boosting the book's popularity, as well as growing its supporting cast. His first decision was a big one: reveal the true identity of the Green Goblin, a mystery that had been one of the cornerstones of Ditko's run. I think Stan probably also felt it wise to begin this new era with a bang, hoping to retain the readership potentially disappointed by the loss of Steve's artwork. Whatever his reasons, they were sound; this is exactly the right way to open a new chapter for the character; things feel like they're moving again, rather than the book just spinning its wheels the way it was through most of the last five Ditko issues. Not only does the Goblin's true face get revealed, but the Goblin in turn finds out that Peter is Spider-Man, a first for any of the web-head's rogues' gallery, and a huge deal at the time; superheroes' true identities were very rarely discovered in the Silver Age, so this was definitely an event, or rather, two events for the price of one; again, a perfect way to kick off the new era.
Stan also takes the opportunity to change up Peter's relationship with his supporting cast. Early in the issue, he takes the time to have a heart-to-heart with Harry after seeing that the young Mr Osborn looks a bit down during a lesson at ESU; whilst it's nothing too exciting as an individual scene, it's a big step towards improving relations between Peter and his classmates, and by the end of Issue #46, he and Harry will be best friends and sharing an apartment together. Gwen is also taking more of an interest in Peter as well, thinking to herself that it would be wonderful if he became a part of their social circle - one of the first indicators of romance blossoming between the two, and having Stan's dialogue paired with Romita's artwork, Gwen feels like a completely different character, as does Harry. We also get a nice little scene at the Bugle where Peter and Ned bury the hatchet regarding Betty, and Peter wishes Ned luck in finding her; it's a good moment to show how Stan will mature Peter during the course of this new era, as well as clearing the way for Peter and Gwen to become an item, something he was clearly very keen on.
And so, we come to John Romita, one of the most universally beloved artists in Spidey history, and for good reason; he redefined the character in the late 60s, created pretty much the definitive looks for the supporting cast as well as the villains, and produced countless pieces of exquisite artwork for the web-head throughout a long and illustrious career. Here, however, I feel his art is somewhat lacking. The cover is an absolute classic, and a really striking image, but the interior artwork lacks the lushness that we would come to love Romita for, and the action scenes don't have the same 'crunch factor'; everything just feels a little bit stilted. His most successful pieces are, unsurprisingly, those at ESU and the Bugle, which depict Peter in his civilian guise having soap opera-esque conversations with other characters. Romita's background in romance comics really serves him well here, and already he's made every character obscenely attractive; even Aunt May looks about twenty years younger than before. Romita admitted that he never really wanted to work on Spider-Man, or superheroes in general, for that matter; he much preferred romance stories, and perhaps some of that hesitancy bled into the artwork for his first few issues of ASM. It's not bad by any means; the figure work is great, and the storytelling clear, but it lacks punch or atmosphere, although the fight between Peter and the Goblin outside Peter's house is pretty awesome no matter how lacking in confidence the artwork might seem.
Of course, nowadays the fact that the Green Goblin is Norman Osborn is common knowledge amongst comic book fans, but back then, it was treated as a surprise. I don't think it has quite the intended effect, as Norman had only been formally introduced two issues ago, and was clearly a wrong-un from the outset, so it's not exactly a shock when he's revealed to be the man behind the mask. I love Norman Osborn; he's my favourite villain ever, but even I'll admit that the reveal at the end of the issue does feel a bit anti-climactic after all the mystery over who the Goblin is, only for him to turn out to be someone who we knew was a bad guy anyway. Nevertheless, the Goblin is as great as ever in this issue; I particularly love the scene in which he covertly watches Peter - devoid of spider-sense - change out of his costume; seeing the sinister shadow of the Goblin hovering over Peter's unaware head is a fantastically tense scene.
This is a really solid start to the Lee and Romita era, if lacking in places. The artwork is good but not great, and the whole thing just feels a bit lacking in zest and energy as a result, when it should be firing on all cylinders with a new artist and a fresh input from Stan. Never mind; it's still a fun time, and the Lee and Romita partnership will only grow in strength as the stories progress.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, the Green Goblin's origin is finally revealed, and Spider-Man takes on his arch nemesis in a fight to the finish...
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