"A MONSTER CALLED...MORBIUS!"
Writer: Roy Thomas/Penciller: Gil Kane/Inker: Frank Giacoia/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Gil Kane
Synopsis: Desperate to find a way to rid himself of his newly-grown extra arms, Spider-Man makes use of Curt Connors' Long Island laboratory, unaware that the building is soon to become the hideout of Morbius, the Living Vampire...
Review: Roy Thomas, despite being a major figure in the history of Marvel Comics, is more of a footnote in the history of Spider-Man. He enjoyed successful runs on the Avengers, the Hulk, the X-Men and more, inheriting the legacy that his mentor, Stan Lee, left behind. Strange then, that he penned only four issues for Marvel's flagship character whilst Stan took a well-earned break. Whether Stan always intended to return with Issue #105, I don't know, but return he did, and so the four Roy Thomas issues exist as something of a curiosity in ASM canon. Of those four issues, I think this one is easily the best, and the Six-Arm/Morbius Saga is the better storyline of the two he worked on.
As the last panel of the previous issue promised, Peter is not dreaming. There is no fake-out. He now has four extra arms, becoming more like a spider than ever. The first seven or eight pages of the issue are dedicated to Peter coming to terms with this change, and I absolutely love this. It allows the reader to process all the implications at the same time as the character; rarely have we felt so 'in the moment' with Peter as a character before, as he switches from wide-eyed horror, to manic hysteria, to glib humour, to scientific pragmatism, all in the opening moments of the story. It's brilliantly done, and Gil Kane's artwork has rarely been better; I love the facial expressions he gives Peter as the poor guy is confronted with his mutation, and the sight of a swinging Spider-Man with six arms is one of the most visually exciting things we've ever seen in the pages of any of his comics. I especially like the detail that Spidey has to learn to swing on a webline again, compensating for the added complication/weight of his extra arms.
There is a far greater emphasis on horror than anything we've seen before in ASM, and to be honest, even in the aftermath of this issue, it's a genre that Spider-Man comics rarely flirt with. When they do, it's usually a sci-fi type of body horror, such as the Tarantula's monstrous transformation in the Roger Stern run, or the Jason Macendale Hobgoblin becoming a literal goblin during Marvel's Inferno crossover. The horror we get in this issue is much more gothic, right down to the creepy old house that serves as Curt Connors' lab. I especially get a kick out of the moment when Spidey's spider-sense flashes a warning as he first arrives at the place; it gives the story this really powerful, ominous feeling that fits very well with Peter's predicament and mental state.
Of course, the big new addition to Spider-Man canon in this issue is Morbius, the Living Vampire. Though he may be the subject of ridicule now, thanks to the character's infamous big screen debut, he was a pretty big deal back in the early 70s, and Marvel was taking every opportunity to push him in reader's faces. He made frequent appearances in Marvel Team-Up and The Spectacular Spider-Man, as well as a starring role in the anthology title Adventure into Fear. The Comics Code had relaxed their regulations by this point, allowing for more monstrous characters and experiments with the horror genre, and Marvel were very keen to capitalise on this, producing Werewolf by Night around the same time.
In this story, we don't get much information on Morbius himself, but the character is very well introduced nevertheless, with a very cool sequence inspired by the voyage of the Demeter from Bram Stoker's Dracula, as Morbius kills everyone on board, draining them of their blood. Really, this is probably the darkest issue of ASM yet; we've never seen a mass murder in the comic before, and Morbius' obvious remorse at what he has done, the horror at what he is, is pretty harrowing. The man openly confesses that he wishes he were dead. Gnarly stuff for a superhero comic in 1971, even one that had been gradually introducing more adult themes and ideas over the past couple of years. The fight between Spider-Man and Morbius is very brief, but it's cool enough, and Kane delivers his typically exciting and cinematic angles, including a fantastic splash page as Morbius knocks Spider-Man from the balcony to the lab floor below.
Things only get more complicated for the web-slinger from there, as Curt Connors enters the scene, becoming so traumatised by what he sees that he reverts back to his Lizard form, meaning our hero has to deal with two inhuman monsters who want to see him dead. Oh well, at least it'll give him something else to think about besides his extra arms. This is a truly brilliant issue, not so heavy on the supporting cast, but giving us some great moments with Peter as the reality of his situation sinks in. Not only that, but we get an intriguing new villain into the bargain, and an old favourite turning up to make things even more complicated. Every page is beautifully rendered by Gil Kane, and Roy Thomas does an admirable job with the characters he's been given to work with. As the first issue of ASM not written by Stan, I'd say it's a success.
Rating: 4.5/5
Next time, it's Spider-Man in an unlikely team-up with the Lizard as the two go into battle against the bloodthirsty Morbius...
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