"TO DIE A HERO!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Mike Esposito/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
This review contains spoilers
Synopsis: Spider-Man and Jameson have been captured by the Kingpin, and they must stick together if they want to escape from his secret headquarters alive...
Review: And so we come to the end of the first Kingpin storyline; for my money, one of the best, as if the previous two glowing reviews weren't enough of an indicator. Lee and Romita end things in much the same top notch way, giving us a finale that sums up everything that's great about this era of Spider-Man, whilst also providing another landmark moment for a certain member of the supporting cast.
Perhaps my favourite thing about this issue is the dynamic between Spider-Man and Jameson. We've seen them trade jibes with each other, we've seen Spidey web up JJ's mouth or hang him from the ceiling, and we've seen endless moments of JJ denouncing the wall-crawler from the highest rooftops, but never before have we seen them paired up in a dangerous situation, and the results are just marvellous. This has happened a few times since in Spidey history, and it's always such a delight to see these two bicker and whinge at each other whilst chaos rains down around them; even in the heat of the moment, Jameson can't stop hating the only man who could possibly save his life, and Spidey repays the vitriol in kind with some classic comebacks. There are actually some nice little bits when the web-head's still unconscious from the Kingpin's gas, and Jameson is pestering him to wake up and get the pair of them out of trouble. Beneath all the bombast and bad publicity, Jameson knows deep down that Spider-Man is a hero, even if he'll never admit it to himself, and I love small character details like that.
This really is a fabulous showcase for all the Bugle regulars, as we get a lovely and rather touching scene between Ned and Betty as well, when Ned rushes off to try and track down Jameson after finding the office ransacked and abandoned, leaving Betty anxious with worry over what kind of danger her fiancée could be heading into. I love Ned's little quip to Betty about the Pulitzer he's going to win after they're married, but it's hard not to feel sorry for Betty, seeing as she's had two boyfriends on the trot now who are constantly leaping headlong to the nearest catastrophe. We also get the undisputed debut of Joe Robertson, one of my absolute favourite supporting characters, and even with the very brief scene he has here, I already love the man; his first line - "Don't bother, Leeds! I'm right here, and it's Greek to me! - instantly has me with a grin on my face; I can't wait to get to his first meeting with Peter, because the friendly and respectful dynamic the two of them form is just such a joy to read.
But of course, the Bugle character that really stands out is Frederick Foswell, making his final appearance, as he's gunned down by the Kingpin's thugs in a desperate attempt to save the life of the man who gave him a second chance: J. Jonah Jameson. It's a wonderful, fitting farewell to a character that had been one of the highlights of the Ditko era, before fading into the background ever since Romita took over the art duties. These past few issues have really brought Foswell back into the foreground and cemented him as one of Spider-Man's best and most underrated supporting characters, and it's a genuinely moving scene as he breathes his last with a stunned and grateful Jameson kneeling over his body; Romita just nails the sombre emotion of this moment. A hero dies in this issue alright, but not the one you may have been expecting.
Obviously, before we get to the tragic end, we get a whole heap of action as Spidey takes on the Kingpin's goons, before tackling the big man himself, and as I mentioned in my previous reviews, I just adore seeing these two opponents pitted against each other. I particularly love how well Romita conveys the impact of the Kingpin's blows; one smash of his fist is enough to shatter the floor, but Spider-Man of course has some acrobatic moves of his own; slugging Kingpin in the jaw whilst standing on the ceiling is a real highlight; another great Spider-Man/Kingpin battle scene. There's also a nice little break from all the action and tragedy as we step over to the Silver Spoon to catch up with Gwen, Harry, Mary Jane and a returning Flash, on furlough from the army. It's always good fun to see Flash again, and though this scene serves little purpose other than to allow Romita to indulge in his favourite pastime of drawing obscenely attractive people, it's charming, innocent moments like this that feel so emblematic of the Lee and Romita era for me, at least at this point in their tenure.
ASM #52 is, you guessed it, another fantastic outing for Spider-Man. By this point, Lee and Romita are firing on all cylinders, and the book has soared to the greatest heights it's achieved since Ditko left. With Foswell dead, the Goblin history, Peter gaining a circle of friends and moving into the apartment with Harry, Stan's re-invention of the character is complete. Foswell's last breath is very much the final gasp of everything that defined the Ditko era as well, and from now on, Stan and John are free to do whatever they want with the wildly successful tone and style that they've established. Spider-Man has been reborn, and he's just as amazing as ever.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, we take a trip over to ASM Annual #4 for a double team-up as Spidey and the Human Torch take on a mystery pair of villains...
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