Amazing Spider-Man #38

Jan 19

Jan 19 Amazing Spider-Man #38

Just A Guy Named Joe!

Joe Smith has dreams of becoming a boxing champ and after begging Tommy Tomkins to let him fight, the older man becomes his manager. Unfortunately for Joe, he’s a poor boxer and is ridiculed by others. Taking pity on Joe, Tomkins gets him a job as an extra on a science-fiction movie. While shooting the scene, an arc light falls in a puddle of chemicals and shocks Joe. As he rests, Peter Parker visits The Daily Bugle and runs into Ned Leeds. Both ask each other where Betty yet neither has an answer. Joe is shooting another scene where he has to attack stuntmen. As he fights them, he begins to lose it as a result of the shock and goes on a rampage, with debris flying everywhere, getting the attention of Peter.

Spider-Man emerges and Joe gets angrier seeing another person trying to keep him down. They fight, and after a pause in the action, Joe regains his senses and runs away with Tomkins. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn is disguised and offers $20,000 to criminals to get rid of Spider-Man. Back at Empire State University, Gwen again sees Pete in a positive light, admiring his strength and courage. As word gets out that Spider-Man has a bounty on his head, he’s busy fighting crooks coming at him left and right. As he fights, he hears a commotion at a gym, seeing Joe Smith pounding on the other boxers.

After a few punches to Joe, he’s knocked out of his delusion and Tomkins runs in before he’s arrested. Tomkins says the charges have been dropped and that the movie company wants to give Joe a large starring role for his impressive display. Spider-Man fights more criminals and is angry that Ned has the possibility to marry Betty, because he doesn’t have to hide Spider-Man, and misses another visit from Mary Jane Watson.