"SQUASH! GOES THE SPIDER!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Frank Giacoia/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: Spencer Smythe unveils the next phase of his plan, but before he can put it into action, he'll have to rid the world of Spider-Man for good...
Review: ASM #106, whilst still decent, is a definite downgrade from the previous issue, and represents a bit of a clunky middle chapter in this Smythe trilogy. It's riddled with plot holes and logical leaps, but there's still some fun to be had with it, so let's dive in.
John Romita is back on art duties, and it's always a joy to see his work grace the pages of a Spider-Man comic. The somewhat moody edge that Gil Kane's artwork is gone (for now, at least), and now everyone and everything is ridiculously attractive again, Spencer Smythe included. Whilst I generally prefer Romita's work to Kane's, on this occasion I feel that ASM #106 lacks the kinetic energy that Kane imbued into the previous issue. Romita's panel layouts and pencils, whilst very good, and up to his usual standard, feel rather static by comparison. Kane's work on the previous issue represented something of a bold step forward for the book; this feels very much like it's rooted in the past. Still, I can never fault Romita's artistic chops, especially when he's giving us such great angles and poses for the web-slinger, and his storytelling skills have never been in any doubt.
It's a shame then, that the story he's been given feels like something of a pause after the fully loaded previous issue. Spider-Man doesn't fight anyone or anything at all in this, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (some of my all-time favourite Spidey issues are very light on action), but here it makes the story slump every so slightly, as if Stan is just killing time until the next big battle with the Spider Slayer. We do of course get a resolution to the cliffhanger from last time, in which Peter unwittingly revealed his secret identity to Smythe through one of the villain's spy cameras, but even this is pretty weak. Realising what's happened, Spidey goes to see his old friend Curt Connors to make - I kid you not - a realistic mask of his own face which he flashes in front of another of Smythe's cameras to make Smythe think it was all a ruse. I'm not sure why Curt Connors would even have the materials necessary to make a synthetic, Mission Impossible-style mask, or why this was even the first idea Spidey came up with. It's certainly creative, but perhaps too much of a stretch credibility-wise. Stan also glosses over the fact that Smythe has actually met Peter twice before, during the Ditko run, but to be fair, that was a long time ago at this point, even on a floating timeline, and the two only ever had very brief encounters.
We see Smythe unveil his master plan in this issue: he aims to forge an alliance with the major gang leaders of New York, and use his spy cameras to aid them in their crimes. It's not a bad plan as evil schemes go, and it's a more subtle piece of social commentary from Stan; CCTV installations in New York were a relatively new thing in the early 70s, so the fears about the invasion of privacy, or that such devices could be used for nefarious purposes feel very of the time. What doesn't feel quite so plausible is that these crime bosses would be using the cameras to evade police after bank robberies - the example Smythe gives. I'm no expert on organised crime, but I feel like bank robberies are a bit low-level for them; it's a crime far more likely to be committed by a few independent operators looking to get some cash, not a seemingly well-oiled and experienced criminal organisation.
Where the issue really sings is in the scenes depicting Peter and the supporting cast. We get a really nice little moment where Peter gives Harry some advice on dealing with Mary Jane ignoring him, and another appearance for Flash after his return last issue. It's clear to everyone at this point that there's definitely something amiss with the young Mr Thompson; Gwen wonders if it could be anything to do with the war. This is really excellent stuff: I will always be a sucker for Vietnam War history, especially its impact on domestic America, and seeing a beloved established supporting character in Spider-Man return from the conflict a changed man is something I can really get behind. We'll see this story unfold over the next few issues, so I'll save my full thoughts until then, but let's just say I'm a fan of this approach to Flash's character. The old rivalry between Peter and Flash flares up again when Peter gets suspicious as to why Gwen is so concerned about Flash, before Gwen promptly reminds him that Flash is their friend - why wouldn't she be concerned about him? It's a nice, humbling moment for Peter which reminds us that, despite being the hero, he's just as fallible and imperfect as anyone.
ASM #106 is the slightly weaker middle chapter of the Smythe Trilogy, boasting no real action to speak of, and a lot of contrivances. Romita's art is typically excellent, if lacking the dynamism of Kane's contributions last issue, but he at least ends on an absolute stunner of a final splash page. It's a flawed issue to be sure, but I still got some fun out of it, and if nothing else, we get to stare agog at Peter's unspeakably hideous 70s suit:
Rating: 3.5/5
Next time, Spider-Man faces off against Smythe's biggest, baddest Spider Slayer ever, and someone comes looking for Flash Thompson...
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