"RHINO ON THE RAMPAGE!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: John Romita Sr./Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: The Rhino breaks free from jail and goes on the warpath, hoping to continue his quest for John Jameson, as well as polishing off Spider-Man once and for all...
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover just how good this issue is. In fact, it's not just good; it's utterly fantastic, and probably the finest of the Rhino trilogy. This came as somewhat of a shock to me, not because I've not enjoyed this issue in the past - because I have - but because I always remembered enjoying ASM #41 a little bit more. Not so on this revisit; I still love Issue #41, but this one just has it all: great action, great character moments, and the most dazzling Romita artwork yet.
Though he may have only appeared briefly in the previous issue, the Rhino is back in full force here, and wow, is he back. There are two huge, incredible fight scenes between Spider-Man and the Rhino, fight scenes that have an epic scale to them the likes of which we've never really seen in Spider-Man before, or at least not since ASM #20 with the debut of the Scorpion. Romita pulls out all the stops with these panels: Spidey pulling Rhino to the ground by his horn, Rhino smashing through walls, Spidey crashing through a window just as Rhino is about to grab John Jameson from his hospital bed; it's all absolutely terrific stuff. I said in my last post that you can really start to see Romita putting his own stamp on the character, and with this issue, he has well and truly arrived: this is the John Romita Spider-Man that we all know and love. I also have to tip my hat to the way in which the Rhino is defeated, as it once again showcases Peter's scientific prowess, even if his methods are entirely glossed over so we have no idea what formula he actually creates to melt the Rhino's hide.
Going hand in hand with the intense action is the use of Peter's supporting cast. Having only seen her in two panels last issue, we finally get a bit more time with Mary Jane, and she's exactly what the comic needs; she's such a bold, vivacious breath of fresh air for Peter after Betty's neurotic outbursts and contrasts well with Gwen's demure, somewhat conservative demeanour. Unlike Peter's other love interests, she doesn't run away from the possibility of danger; in fact, she's the one that suggests to Peter that they go and catch a glimpse of the Rhino in action. Just like Peter think to himself: this is the kind of girl a swingin' Spider-Man needs. Yes, her 'hip' dialogue is rather dated now - and oh boy, are we in for some incredible 60s slang over the next few issues - but I get a real kick out of it. It's got a charm all its own, and I wouldn't change it for any of today's more modern - and probably more realistic - dialogue.
MJ is the standout, but we get great scenes with the other characters as well. Betty and Ned are finally engaged - hooray! - and we get one of the all-time best Jameson lines when Peter hands him some photos of Spider-Man being saved by an ordinary cop on the beat: "Foswell! Get 'im his own key to the washroom! Put his initials on it!" There's also another very welcome appearance from Curt Connors, and we get a nice call-back to his time as the Lizard, as he speculates whether his reptilian alter ego could defeat the Rhino. Sadly, we don't get to see this idea play out, but it is at least a nice bit of foreshadowing for next issue. I also love the little moment at the end of page 19, where John Jameson thanks Spidey for saving his life, a nice restoring of the balance between them after their battle last issue.
The final page contains another of my favourite scenes, where Flash, Harry and Gwen inform Peter that Flash is due to report for his physical, after being drafted into the army. Thus begins one of my favourite qualities of the Lee and Romita era: its references to current events. I love and adore the Ditko era as regular readers will know, but it never really addressed what was going on in the real world all that much, save for Ditko's rather ill-judged condemnation of student protestors in ASM #38. Now, for the first time, we see some acknowledgement of the Vietnam War, and the effect it's going to have on the characters. It's a small step, and we'll some more significant cultural and social commentary in future, but I'll take this little nugget for what it is.
ASM #43 is tremendous fun and perfect escapist entertainment. Wonderful action scenes, some of the first tricklings of social commentary that would come to be one of the defining aspects of the Lee and Romita era for me, and we even get a neat little origin story for the Rhino as well. I honestly have no complaints at all about this; the best issue since #40. Unfortunately, this is the last we'll see of the Rhino - in the pages of a Spider-Man comic, at least - for a very long time, but until we see ol' horn-head again, we can cherish this fabulous trio of issues.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, we're back with an annual, in which Spider-Man makes a bid to join the Earth's mightiest super team, the Avengers...
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