The Amazing Spider-Man #107

Cover date: April 1972

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: John Romita

Inker: Frank Giacoia

After capturing Spidey last ish, the diabolical (and I mean that!) Professor Smyth returns to his hide-out to put his insidious plan in motion. With Spidey out of action, and Smyth’s spy scanners positioned throughout the city, the local mobs can rob banks of millions, and be one step ahead of the cops. There is just one slight flaw in his genius plan; he keeps Spider-Man alive. Duh!

As you can guess, Spidey escapes Smyth’s Spider Slayer and puts a stop to his shenanigans.

Meanwhile, Flash Thompson catches up with Gwen and reveals to her his dark secret. That will have to wait until next ish, however, as Flash is taken away by some men in uniform and the next issue blurb promises a startling Spidey special...

Quite frankly, that will be a relief after the last three boring issues of Spider-Man’s rematch with Professor Smyth and his Spider Slayer; Stan Lee appears to be just going through the motions where Spider-Man himself is concerned, only showing some interest when writing the occasional snippet of soap opera involving Spidey’s supporting cast.

Is it just a coincidence that the two titles Stan Lee is currently writing, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, are both in the doldrums? Could both comics use a fresher voice?

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The Amazing Spider-Man #106

Cover date: March 1972

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: John Romita

Inker: Frank Giacoia

So, Spidey has been unmasked by Professor Smyth, or rather he’s seen Spidey without his mask on via one of the many spy-lens devices Smyth controls around New York. Spidey swings off to Doc Conner’s to borrow his lab, and whips up a ‘life-like’ Peter Parker mask to fool Smyth into believing Spider-Man was aware of the spy-lens, and was wearing a Peter Parker (or some nobody, as the gathering of top New York gang leaders rightly puts it) mask to confuse Smyth.....got all that?

Peter then goes on a date with Gwen; they visit Flash (who seems out of sorts), and then go on to the flicks and a bite to eat.
After the date, Peter changes back into Spider-Man to make his way back to Flash’s pad, thinking that Flash may open up to him without Gwen around. Cue Smyth and his Spider Slayer.....

The super-heroics are decidedly ho-hum, but Stan seems much more involved when scripting Peter Parker’s personal life. Luckily, John Romita is perfectly suited to soap-opera, enough to sufficiently pique my interest in Harry’s unrequited love for Mary Jane and Flash’s problems....more so than Smyth and his bloody Spider Slayer.

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The Amazing Spider-Man #105

Cover date: February 1972

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Gil Kane

Inker: Frank Giacoia

Spider-Man encounters a protest group outside the Daily Bugle, and one of the protestors is Randy, Joe Robertson’s son. The protest goes almost without a hitch until J.J. Jameson turns up causing an altercation with Randy. Spider-Man webs up Jonah and makes a fool of him before heading of to a party to welcome back Flash (from Vietnam) and Harry Osborne (?), and Mary Jane makes a play for Peter (Parker).

Meanwhile, J.J Jameson goes off to meet with Professor Smyth to bankroll another Spider Slayer – long story short, Spider-Man is attacked by the Slayer, Jameson can’t control it, and it turns out that Smyth has an ulterior motive for giving the Slayer to Jameson. Peter Parker is unmasked as Spider-Man!

This was a curious melange of a comic – Stan Lee doesn’t seem to know whether he wants to write soap-opera, relevant comics (!), or super-heroics. It’s a pleasant, though uneven, ride, greatly improved by Gil Kane’s easy story-telling, and wonder-fully embellished by Frank Giacoia (though there is a dissenter of Giacoia’s inks in the letter pages).

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