"I still can't even make up my mind whether to like him or hate 'im!" - Johnny Storm

I was surprised that this final issue in the #17-19 trilogy was a letdown. Not that I'm bothered by that - there has hardly been a mediocre ASM issue in the entire run up to this point, and #16 and #19 are merely the exceptions which prove the rule. I do think it's interesting that after the heights of "The End of Spider-Man!", Stan and Steve seemingly reward their younger readers with an issue that features a lot of Spidey fighting action. Kind of like they felt a need to hook any of the kiddies who may have discovered the mag with #18 and were in danger of not sticking with it. "Spidey Strikes Back!" doesn't feature much in the way of suspense or interior conflict or irony or any of the other non-battle aspects that make me love the series.

And yet, even in the middle of such an action issue, we do still get some absolutely wonderful scenes of soap opera. Check out this page which simply features the characters standing around chatting.

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I really like the look of that page. Although the camera perspective hardly changes, the colors of the clothing complement each other, the background color is varied from panel to panel, and the dialogue is pleasant. It's nice to see romantic rivals be so courteous and good-natured to each other. "Pleased to meet you, Leeds!" " Same here, Parker!" And Peter is so nice to Betty: "Nothing to explain, Betty! He seems to be a nice guy! Why shouldn't you see him?" After seeing Peter very anxious about Betty's affections in earlier issues, my suspicion here is that Pete is putting a brave face on this, and I'm looking for corroboration of this in future. I like how Stan provides no thought balloons for Pete in this scene or immediately following it - the result being that the reader has to wonder whether or not Pete is really as complacent about Ned as he seems to be outwardly. It happens again during the denouement -

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Betty may as well be speaking for the reader there. "But...I don't understand! Peter seems so unconcerned!" I think the reason these two scenes work so well is that we've gotten used to always sharing Pete's innermost thoughts and anxieties - that's been an obvious hallwark of the series. It's as though Stan's been setting us up and now pulls the rug out from under us and leaves us to wonder what Pete is thinking. We're not used to that - we've been shut out. During those scenes, it's almost as though Pete becomes one of the supporting characters in a comic titled Betty's Loves. He's opaque.

At the risk of going on about this, I found that this was the best aspect of this issue for me. If we didn't know how Pete felt about Betty and how much she means to him, it wouldn't put us in a sudden quandry of interpretation. We have to accept that we just don't know who Pete is at these specific moments - we're not privy to his character. We can only guess and extrapolate based on what we already know of him, and as for me, I have no idea what Pete's real feelings are there. Stan and Steve have really put one over on us. I love it.

My best guess is that Pete is in such a good mood about Aunt May's recovery (and also clearing his Spidey name) that he sincerely doesn't care whether or not he loses Betty to Leeds. That's certainly a pronounced maturity if he's not in the least bit jealous.

The other highlight of the story is how Spidey saves the Torch, paying him back for his help in #3 and #17. We get some enjoyable dialogue between them:

Don't you ever spin another heart for my sister!!__________________________Why? Are you hot for her??
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This illo features a comedic situation and atmospheric lighting.

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It's kind of weird that the Sandman escapes them in exactly the same manner that the Goblin did two issues ago - the Torch gets in the way of Spidey's webbing. If these guys are going to be forced to team up every once in a while, they might want to work on their timing. Unlike #17, the scene is extended. "We're getting all tangled up!" "Well, stop shooting out that webbing..." (LOL. For once I have to agree with Johnny.) I have to admit though that these logistical problems are used to good effect. In #17, the "Torch in the way" ploy was used fairly dramatically when Spidey was demonstrably about to defeat the Goblin, and now it results in a full page of good Spidey/Torch interplay, as well as a great scene in which two of NY's Finest succeed in subduing the tired Sandman. "Get 'im, Mike!"

But back to the soap for some nice Ditko illos. Like these great ones of "Attitude Allan".
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This one reminds me of the 1966 cartoon's titles. I hear the music when I look at it.

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There's a nice scene with a recovered Aunt May serving Petey his pancakes ("spiders don't like wheatcakes"). There are several "parent-child" dynamics at this point in SA Marvel: May/Peter, Odin/Thor/Loki, Bruce/Rick, Cap/Rick, Master/Strange, Thunderbolt/Betty, Xavier/X-Men.

The issue ends with an enemy watching Pete's house. Will he see Spider-Man coming and going?? If I remember correctly, Pete's been known to do that in a pinch, and this is the suspense created for the reader. Also there is the mystery of who this new shadowy Goblin-like figure is and how he knows of Pete and why Pete is anything other than a generic teenager to him.

I saved these illos for the end as a reward for reading this review...

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Why doesn't Pete sell to a different paper where he can get more money? I'm assuming it's because only Jonah is blind enough to not figure things out.


"Now we're getting off focus." - the Elder Son of Storytime