Two! Two! Two Annuals In One!

 

The year 1979 saw the character of Spider-Man at the height of his popularity, featured in three titles (Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (while also having racked up his share of the Giant-Size books) with, unbelievably, even more on the way. It was fair to wonder at times what depths were being dredged to come up with all the new story material that required taking into account Peter's double life and revolving cast of characters (anyone here remember Marcy Kane?), to say nothing of the artists tapped to churn out story after story of the web-slinger's adventures along with the travails of the stretched-to-the-limit Peter Parker, who somehow, somehow, managed to combine his activities as Spider-Man with his college, Daily Bugle, and family responsibilities while squeezing in something of a social and/or love life and hopefully some sleep, all in a 24-hour period. The coordination between the writing and art staff must have been nothing short of a trapeze act.

The one thing that Peter didn't have to worry about, of course, was a shortage of villains--with one of his deadliest pulling double duty in that year's Amazing/Spectacular annuals which shared the same plot, thanks to writers Marv Wolfman and Bill Mantlo teaming with artists John Byrne, Terry Austin, Rich Buckler and Jim Mooney. To help keep track of the events occurring in both and figure out where things are headed, the PPC ties these two annuals together in one post, as Spider-Man attempts to head off a scheme which could see Dr. Octopus launch his greatest and most ambitious plan--one that might well lead to a nuclear holocaust!

While each of these annuals clocks in at thirty-five pages, Wolfman's beginning story in ASM takes a different direction and, trimmed to 24 pages, contains a separate story-within-a-story which focuses on "Jimbo" Ryan (one of Doc Ock's hoods) and Kent Blake, a federal agent who meets a tragic end almost immediately after turning page one. As for Ryan, his own days of staying alive are numbered when Ock learns it was Ryan who absconded with the plans needed to accomplish his goal.

As for Spider-Man, his involvement begins when he interrupts a warehouse theft undertaken by Ryan and his men. Only Ryan escapes capture--but Spidey learns more of the man when a stranger at the site approaches him for help, a man who has taken a special interest in Blake's murder and offers his own help to Spider-Man in locating Ryan. Later, however, Peter unfortunately discovers that this man's knowledge extends to himself, as well.

The stranger's leads regarding Ock pan out for Spider-Man, who heads for a construction site where we see Ock has at last caught up with Ryan and is on the verge of recovering his stolen plans. Yet with Spider-Man's informant insisting on dealing with Ryan himself, there are two confrontations of interest to us--and were it not for Spider-Man, Ryan might well have met the same fate as Blake.

Regardless, when the dust settles, Peter later discovers that there had been more to this evening's events than he cares to ponder.

Wolfman's ending of Blake having "returned" to ensure his murderer is brought to justice, as well as to see his own name cleared of the mistaken assumption of suicide, is a twist to the story that's no doubt played out in one form or another in early-'60s issues of Strange Tales or Tales To Astonish (to say nothing of Wolfman's Tomb Of Dracula series). Yet here, it may come off as rather pat for a character like Spider-Man to just shrug off as something he'd rather not think about and go on about his business. Only a character such as Dr. Strange or the Watcher could reflect on it in a fashion that would manage to bring us to story's end in a way that provides the reader with closure. In this continued story, however, Spider-Man will be moving on to settling things with Ock, which effectively shelves this experience for him and ourselves as having little to no relevance.

At any rate, there's a more pressing matter that ASM's sister annual chooses to pursue first thing: Doc Ock's psychosomatic reaction to one of his metal arms being ripped from him. We know from past stories that Ock can mentally command his arms assembly from afar (due to the nuclear accident which formed the connection)--but somewhere along the line, he apparently became convinced that his arms were physically a part of him. It's a subject explored both by Spider-Man, who has recovered the severed arm at the construction site, and by Ock's physician, whose frank assessment of Ock's condition earns him his patient's contempt.

More hints from the tight-lipped Ock about what he plans--a crime which will somehow threaten the entire world. As someone who's read the story, I can attest that his scheme is as potentially deadly as they come, and of a scope perfectly suited to the character of Ock. But once he recalls his damaged appendage, he and Spider-Man must settle up first--and the wall crawler learns once more what a deadly foe Dr. Octopus can be when laying a trap that allows him to to plan for his enemy's arrival.

Yes, even a villain of Ock's ruthlessness must succumb to Stupid Villain Rule #482: Never Take Advantage Of A Foe's Helplessness To End His Threat Permanently. As for ourselves, at this stage we still haven't learned what Ock is planning, other than it will involve an act of piracy. Fortunately, we have the Coast Guard to fill in the blanks for us when they fish Spider-Man out of the drink.

Good grief, Captain, this is Spider-Man, not one of the Avengers! Do you normally divulge "ultra-secret" intelligence to a masked man you were looking to arrest?

At least these men had the sense to warn the Navy yard, which explains the hostile reception Spider-Man receives upon arrival. But the real hostiles show up in a surfacing Octosphere in the form of Ock and his gunsels, who are probably grateful for Spider-Man attacking and scattering their opposition so that they can board the sub they're after. But our hero hasn't thrown in the towel yet.

Like their clash on the moored ship, Ock and Spider-Man again fight in closed quarters where the advantage is arguably Ock's--yet both men have the unstable and flooding sinking sub to deal with. But while Ock is as formidable as ever, Spider-Man now has a go-to tactic which has been proven to throw his opponent off-balance, or, in the extreme, disable his ability to put up a fight. In this case, it literally opens the way to escape for what has become a no-win situation.

(No idea why Ock, who had replaced his damaged arm by the time he confronted Spider-Man on the surface ship, would have since substituted the replacement with the one he appears to have repaired. Also... aren't Ock's metal arms part of the chest plate he wears? Why the persistent notion that his arms are grafted to his flesh?)

While we know that Spider-Man is immune to adept at avoiding drowning, you would think a man named Octopus would be just as accomplished, especially after having battled his foe underwater more than once. But in this instance, fate acts to cut off Ock from using the same escape route.

An outcome which for first-time readers loses its "could he have died?" aspect at this point in time, decades later--but we can at least satisfy our curiosity as to exactly how Ock was able to save himself, when we catch up with him in the pages of Daredevil:

Information which renders Spidey's previous tactic useless for future encounters. Maybe instead he can work on that webbing of his--which could stand an upgrade in strength, if Ock's treatment of it is any indication.

BONUS!
Did the title of today's post ring a bell for the rest of you old-timers?