"CRISIS ON THE CAMPUS!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Breakdowns: John Romita Sr./Penciller: Jim Mooney/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: The Kingpin has a plan to steal the recently discovered petrified clay tablet from the ESU campus, using a student protest as a cover...
Review: I mentioned way back in my review of ASM #31 that that issue is quite possibly my single favourite Spider-Man comic of all time. If I had to pick a second favourite, it would be ASM #68. This issue begins what is almost certainly my favourite storyline from the Lee and Romita era: the Petrified Tablet Saga, an absolutely fantastic eight part story that features numerous villains, returning allies, strong character drama for the regulars, and some of the finest artwork to ever grace the pages of a Spidey comic. It all begins here, in an issue that I just can't praise highly enough, and one that you could argue begins a kind of third phase of the Lee and Romita era.
Think of Lee/Romita's first phase as taking place between Issues #39 and #52; John is still finding his feet as a Spider-Man artist, whilst Stan is really taking the reins of the character and steering him in a more mainstream direction that will appeal to a wider audience, removing the elements of the comic that defined the Ditko era such as the romance between Peter and Betty, or the presence of Frederick Foswell. The second phase runs from Issues #53 to #67, an era that sees a ton of returning classic villains like Doc Ock, Kingpin - admittedly a fairly new creation at the time - both Vultures and Mysterio. The writing and artwork is much more confident, and ASM really begins to soar to heights of greatness that it hadn't seen since the peak of the Ditko run. Now, in Issue #68, we begin the third phase, one that retains the confidence of the second, but heightens the melodrama to an even greater degree, as well as featuring stories with a much stronger social conscience.
This third phase of Lee and Romita is defined by stories that feel keyed in to the cultural, social and political climate of the late 1960s; the shadows of Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, Woodstock and more can all be felt in this latter stretch of stories, and I for one am fully on board. Marvel took a strong stance on civil rights issues across the board around this time period, but nowhere was it more evident than in Spider-Man, with its cast of predominately college-aged characters, who reflected a large portion of Marvel's readership. For the first time since the Ditko era, I feel that ASM was truly beginning to reflect the reality that its readers inhabited, and that's one reason why I feel that this period of Lee and Romita's work is their strongest. Look no further than this issue, in which we see students angry at the injustice of having affordable dormitories taken away from them, angry at the establishment that they feel is oppressing them. We see a demonstration led by two young black men, who are tired of a system that ignores them, that is outright against them. This is one of the most dialogue heavy issues in a long time, but I feel that this is warranted, because of just how fervently Stan is trying to convey the passion of the students, and this is helped immensely by Romita and Mooney's artwork; simply stunning, with expressive, well-defined characters and plenty of exciting, dynamic panels. There are lots of large crowd scenes here, as is to be expected, and I really appreciate the detail of each student's sign being slightly different. Again, it's this idea of the world of the comic feeling real, and I feel that Lee, Romita and Mooney accomplish this in spades.
It's nice to see Peter meeting Randy Robertson for the first time; whilst Randy has never been a major supporting character like Mary Jane or Jameson, he's still a significant member of Peter's friendship circle, and I love their easy-going, friendly banter during their first meeting here. Slightly strange is how Randy's fellow protestor Josh is introduced, as it would seem that he and Peter know each other already, even though we've never laid eyes on him before. I suppose we don't have to see Peter get formally introduced to literally every character on campus, but it does seem odd that he knows Josh and not the son of the Bugle's city editor. Speaking of which, can we all just agree how ace Robbie is in this issue? For the first time in Spider-Man, we have a character with a more clearly defined family; Robbie has a wife and a son who love him, and who he tries his best to provide for, and when Randy is in danger during the protest, Robbie steps straight in to try and help out his boy. Robbie has already been a more than welcome presence in ASM, but this is where I feel he truly begins to shine as a character, as we get an extra peek into his home life and the love he has for those close to him.
You would think that involving the Kingpin in this otherwise very grounded story would detract from the realism of it all, especially as it's quite a compelling scenario to see Peter faced with a tense situation like a student protest, that even Spider-Man wouldn't be able to defuse, but this issue is just the Kingpin at his absolute best: his brief workout session at the start of the issue reminds us just how fast and powerful he is against a whole gang of opponents, and when he storms the campus...oh, yes, this is what I want from the Kingpin. The thing that always sticks out to me the most about this issue is just how much impact the character as, and it's all down to the genius inclusion of loud sound effects to accompany his walk; every step he takes unleashes a THOOM or a THUMP; more than ever, you get the impression of the Kingpin as a powerhouse, able to tear his way through an obstacle that stands in his path. His fight with Spider-Man is brief, but satisfying, and we'll get to see much more of it next issue. The Kingpin wanting to steal the petrified tablet is perhaps a bit strange in hindsight, given his reinvention by Frank Miller into a more Machiavellian crime lord, but it's totally in keeping with the character at this point in time, and it's nowhere near as absurdly sci-fi as his brainwashing plan from the last time we saw him.
If you hadn't guessed already, I love this issue to bits. It's not just the phenomenal artwork, the exciting action or the more socially conscious plot; it's the little moments as well, such as Spider-Man being presented with as mundane a problem as being unable to get back into his own apartment because Harry has locked the window, or the way one of the Kingpin's henchmen reacts upon arriving at ESU: "So this is what a college looks like! Big deal!" Yes, it's pretty clear that the story is being crafted by middle-aged white men - some of the rather dated and obvious slang is a reminder of this - and I would argue that the object of the protest could have been something a bit more provocative than simply wanting a low-rent dorm, but everything works so seamlessly together here to give us an all-time classic story, and a textbook piece of Spider-Man.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, Spider-Man pursues the Kingpin to try and reclaim the petrified tablet, but danger lurks around the corner...
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