"ROCKED BY THE SHOCKER!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Breakdowns: John Buscema/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: The Shocker breaks into the Stacy home and steals the petrified tablet, hoping to fence it to the highest bidder...
Review: Anyone who has read my review of ASM #46 knows that I'm a big fan of the Shocker, so it should come as no surprise that this is one of my favourite issues of the Petrified Tablet Saga. It's not the absolute best - Issue #68 has been and gone, after all - but this is still a fantastic slice of late 60s Spidey action, featuring one of the best and most underrated villains.
The Shocker is even better than he was in his debut; more powerful, more determined, more confident than ever before. He blazes through the Stacy home, a pawnshop, and an armoured car without breaking a sweat, and causes untold destruction throughout the issue; he really is like a force of nature in this outing. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I will never - and I mean never - forgive Brian Michael Bendis for turning this character into a total pushover in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man, but hey, we've always got the proper version to enjoy. The action scenes between Spider-Man and Shocker are just as much fun as before, with loads of destruction and plenty of 'crunch' factor to every single punch, kick and vibro-shock blast. Walls come crashing down, the floor caves in, and both super-powered foes get in some hits that you can almost feel; they really beat the tar out of each other here. I'm not so much a fan of how easily Spider-Man manages to defeat Shocker in the end, as it pretty much just amounts to knocking him unconscious with one punch, but as the preceding action is so good, it doesn't bother me too much.
There isn't as much to talk about regarding subplots this time around. In many ways, the issues are becoming less and less about the balance between Peter's personal life and his life as Spider-Man, and more about the big, splashy panels full of dynamic action. There's nothing wrong with that when the quality is as good as it is here, but later down the road, this approach is going to become a bit more of a problem. We still get some decent character moments in this issue, however; my favourite has to be Jameson's continued ranting and raving in his hospital bed as Robbie carries on with his pro-Spider-Man editorials in the Bugle; the ill-fated phone call he tries to make is hilarious. I also really like the little self-aware comment we get to accompany Aunt May's trip to Florida, about giving her fans a scene where she isn't at death's door! The dialogue between her and Peter here is just as sweet and lovely as always; I don't think anybody really nailed the relationship between the two like Stan did. I'm less of a fan of the scene that gives us more tension between Peter and Gwen, as this subplot was tiresome before it had even reached this point. Not even the return of Flash can rescue this moment; in fact, it actively makes it worse by trying to shoehorn in a potential romantic rival for Peter; why is this happening when Peter and Gwen only got together all of six issues ago?
Despite a slight annoyance with the Peter and Gwen subplot, this is still a highlight of the Petrified Tablet Saga for me. Top tier action, gorgeous artwork from the Buscema/Romita/Mooney team - lovely to have another of Marvel's premier Silver Age artists on board - and some really nice understated moments of atmosphere; I adore the scenes of Peter wandering the streets in the rain. Perhaps because it was raining outside my window when I re-read it, allowing me to immerse myself in the issue all the more. Or perhaps because this is just the latest in a long line of phenomenal issues during this storyline.
Rating: 4.5/5
Next time, the tablet is sought after by the most dangerous player yet: the aging crime lord Silvermane...
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