"THE TENTACLES AND THE TRAP!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Mike Esposito/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: Aunt May takes in a new boarder: the charming, kind-hearted individual known as...Doctor Octopus...
Review: And so continues the trend of excellence that Lee and Romita have been consistently turning out since Issue #50. The Doc Ock nullifier story got off to a terrific start last issue, and you could argue that it gets even better here, even if the nullifier itself is largely forgotten - it'll come back next time. The thing that really sells this issue is established on the very first page: Doc Ock moves in with Aunt May as her new boarder. For anyone who isn't familiar with the history between Doc Ock and Aunt May, this may sound absolutely bizarre - and, to be fair, it is - but for many, many years, Aunt May was convinced that Octavius was a lovely, charismatic, misunderstood man who was unfairly hounded by the police, the press, and Spider-Man. I realise that this makes Aunt May come across as kind of delusional, but personally, I love her relationship with one of Peter's deadliest enemies; instead of showing her to be completely mental, I'd argue that it's a wonderful example of her kind-heartedness and willingness not to judge by appearances. And hey, eventually it rubs off on Ock as well, who by the mid to late 70s has grown to appreciate the old woman who has so consistently shown him such kindness. Admittedly, in this issue he threatens to kill both her and her nephew if Peter reports Ock's whereabouts to the police, but you can't expect Ock to turn his life around on a dime.
Of course, Peter knows immediately that Ock is not to be trusted, and the scene where he walks in on his aunt and fiercest enemy politely drinking tea together is just one of the finest moments of the Lee and Romita era. Peter really does shine in this issue, especially towards the end - I mean, he is the main character - when Aunt May walks in on Spider-Man and Doc Ock battling it out in the spare bedroom, and Ock convinces her that Spider-Man is the real danger, causing her to faint. Allowing Ock to escape so that he can care for his aunt, Peter tears his mask off to try and show her that she has nothing to fear from Spider-Man. She's still unconscious for this, and so is left in the dark about Peter's secret, but the moment itself carries such weight and demonstrates in such a genuinely beautiful way just how fiercely Peter loves his aunt, and how he will go to any lengths to protect her. Romita does a sterling job here as well, really bringing out the anguish in Peter's face as he tears his mask off. I must admit to a bit of a chuckle, however, when Dr Bromwell comes over to see to Aunt May and asks Peter if he knows what caused the collapse, to which Peter lies and says that he doesn't; are neither of them going to mention the absolutely ginormous hole that was left in the wall when Ock made his escape?
Romita excels with the action as well as the emotion, giving us a superb fight sequence as Spider-Man fends off Ock's henchmen, wonderfully decked out in their Master Planner garb. I love that these suits became the default outfits for Doc Ock henchmen for a good few years - into the 80s they were still being used - because they look so damn cool. The action all takes place in Aunt May's back garden, which is a really nice change of pace from the usual skyscrapers and cityscapes that we're used to seeing; Spider-Man really doesn't fight in the suburbs often enough. Romita does an excellent job keeping the action fresh and exciting, making the most of Spider-Man's athletic ability: balancing on one leg whilst taking out three bad guys is just sublime, and any time Spidey punches a villain whilst perched on a wall is a guaranteed winner with me; this royal rumble successfully evokes the best of Ditko's wonderfully acrobatic fight scenes where Spidey would have to fend off a horde of goons. There is a very brief fight between Spider-Man and Doc Ock as well; we won't see another really big battle between them until the following issue, but when we get such a great action scene with the Master Planner henchmen, I can't complain.
There are some nice scenes with the supporting cast as well; nothing quite as engaging as last time, but there's the usual romance between Peter and Gwen - with Mary Jane getting in on the act too - and Harry is still annoyed with Peter for being so secretive and always hiding away in his room. I'm not sure whether Stan had any real plans for this subplot with Harry, as it doesn't go anywhere, and the scene between the two roommates just comes across as filler more than anything else. What certainly isn't filler is the first meeting between Peter and Joe Robertson; another brief scene, but I always love seeing Robbie, so it's nice to see his first interaction with Peter in this issue.
ASM #54 is an issue that you just wish could go on for longer. I kind of wish that Stan and John had strung out the Doc Ock living with Aunt May subplot for one more issue, as it begins and ends with this one alone, but for what we get, I'm very happy indeed. Add to that some gorgeous artwork with some of Mike Esposito's best inking yet, and a welcome return of the Master Planner's henchmen, and you have another top tier outing from the new Spidey dream team of Lee and Romita.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, Spider-Man goes on the warpath searching for Doctor Octopus, but little does he know just how dangerous things will get once Ock gets his tentacles on the nullifier again...
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