"VENGEANCE FROM VIETNAM!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: John Romita Sr./Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: Flash Thompson is being hunted down by a ruthless gang of Vietnamese men, hungry for revenge after a temple in their native country was destroyed in the war...
Review: Of all the stories that he contributed to Spider-Man over the years, John Romita named this one as his absolute favourite, which I've always found very interesting. After all, it has none of the web-head's major villains, and Romita certainly worked on much more famous and iconic stories throughout his time on the character. In a 2017 interview with SyFy, he explained that he was proud of these issues because he felt he had fully stepped away from Ditko's influence on the character, and with this two-parter, firmly put his own style on the book. I'm sure my fellow fans would agree with me in saying that he had already done that and then some, but it's always nice to get an artist's perspective on their own work. Anyway, enough preamble, let's get to the issue.
This is probably ASM's most direct confrontation with the Vietnam War. Previous issues have hinted at it, and the social unrest in America during that time, but this two-part story tackles the subject in a much more head-on fashion, even if it is still surrounded by its Silver Age superhero trappings. The idea of a group of innocent Vietnamese civilians being unjustly killed by US military action is a pretty clear parallel to the infamous My Lai massacre of 1968, or at least as much as Stan and John could get away with in a book read by kids. Flash's trauma over this event is very simplified and comic-booky, but it's about as close to an exploration of a veteran's post-traumatic stress that you're going to find in an American superhero book of this era, and I for one welcome it. Stan knew his readership, and he knew that this is the kind of story they would latch onto, with themes and ideas that would have incredibly relevant at the time.
As said previously, Romita said he remained very proud of these issues, and he provides one of his very best fight scenes towards the end of this instalment, where Peter takes on the Vietnamese men who have come to kidnap Flash from the Federal Building. I always love seeing Peter fighting bad guys in his civilian clothes, and this is a terrific example, as the battle takes place in total darkness (so the villains can't see Peter's face, natch). Romita inked his own work on this issue, and he goes heavy with the black during this scene, soaking the whole fight in a moody, intense atmosphere. Add to that his gorgeous pencils and classic Romita 'crunch' (I can't get enough of the bit where Peter kicks a guy in the back through a glass window), and you have one of Jazzy John's best action sequences; it's just a shame the scene is over so quickly. I couldn't help but laugh, however, when Gwen comes rushing in after the battle to find a shoeless Peter (he wouldn't have been able to stick to the walls with them on, after all), and Peter's explanation is that the explosion set off by the bad guys blew his shoes right off. At this point, I think Gwen might just about be the most gullible person in the world, because she accepts this without question.
In all honesty, there's not a lot I can find to say about this issue. I definitely appreciate a great deal about it, from Romita's fantastic artwork, to the exploration of some pretty heavy themes, even if those themes are somewhat diluted as a result of being in a Silver Age comic book. The depiction of Vietnamese people may also turn some readers off: in this story, the Vietnamese are either wise and mysterious, or ruthless villains; the story shows its age a bit in this regard. It's a good issue to be sure, albeit one I've always liked rather than loved. Still, I respect it a great deal for what it's trying to do, and I can't imagine any Spidey writer other than Stan tackling a subject like this.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, Spider-Man enlists the help of Doctor Strange to help save Flash from the men who want him dead...
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