Amazing Spider-Man #9
The Man Called Electro!
Spider-Man is dashing past a group of pedestrians who are wondering where he is off to. Then the police are happy to see Spider-Man swinging by to help them stop gunmen, but he just swings by. Soon we find out the reason for Spider-Man rushing by was to get a prescription for Aunt May. On the other side of town, while Peter sits up at Aunt May's bedside, a new menace in the form of Electro charges himself up with electricity and sets out to steal the contents of an armored car carrying gold. After using electric shocks to scare the guards and surrounding them in a ring of electricity he manages to get what he wants.
The next morning, Peter calls the doctor and he explains that Aunt May's health is worse and that she must go to the hospital. Aunt May is worried that Peter cannot look after himself, but he assures her he can. Later that day, Peter goes to class but ignores the taunts of Flash Thompson as his mind is focused on the well being of Aunt May. When Peter finally visits Aunt May, he finds Betty Brant there visiting. Peter has much on his mind and leaves abruptly, without seeing Betty home.
Meanwhile, Electro decides to make a withdrawal at the Forest Hills Bank. There he uses electric shocks to keep the bank manager and his guest J. Jonah Jameson busy while he opens the timelock vault with his electrical powers. The next edition of the Daily Bugle is printed and there is an article claiming the criminal Electro is Spider-Man. Spider-Man searches for Electro and comes up empty a few times, and when he finally finds him, Electro defeats him. The next edition of the Bugle again claims to have proof that Spider-Man is Electro, which makes the public ask questions about who Spider-Man really is.
At a secret hideout after also reading the Bugle, Max Dillon tells his origin. When he's finished, he goes to the West Side House of Detention in downtown New York, where he sets about freeing some prisoners to become his flunkies. Jameson travels down there to see if Spider-Man shows up and to prove that they are one and the same. Peter is tied up looking after his aunt at the hospital, but wants to go to the House of Detention to take photos for the Bugle. When Spider-Man finally turns up at the House of Detention, Jameson realizes his mistake: Electro and Spider-Man are different people.
Spider-Man quickly puts rubber gloves on his hands and rubber boots on his feet to insulate him from the electric bolts he will face when he finds Electro. After a long fight with the inmates and Electro, Spider-Man finally defeats Electro with a fire hose and removes his mask, expecting to know who Electro is.
Afterwards Spider-Man sells pictures of Electro fighting Spider-Man to J. Jonah Jameson, receiving some much needed money to help Aunt May. The story ends with Betty and Peter trying to find the right words to say to each other.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, Electro, Seymour O’Reilly, Dr. Bromwell
Continuity Notes
A number of elements in this story should be considered topical references per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. These include The style of vehicles in this story and the electrical equipment used by Electro -- especially the equipment he used as a lineman.
Flash Thompson makes reference to the boxing match that he and Peter had during the events of last issue.
At the end of this story, Betty says tries to tell Peter why she left high school to work at Jameson's secretary and mentions how Peter reminds her of someone she once knew. What Betty is talking about here isn't revealed until Untold Tales of Spider-Man #12.
