Amazing Spider-Man #170
Madness Is All in the Mind!
Interrupting a drilling operation, Spider-Man finds himself face-to-face with the mastermind behind the crime: Doctor Faustus. Having heard that Faustus died during his last battle with Captain America, the villain explains he survived the fall from an airplane thanks to a concealed parachute that he had on his person at the time. Suddenly, the mechanical arm of Doctor Octopus phases through the wall and grabs at Spider-Man's leg. Suddenly, he is swarmed by a group of his foes. The wall-crawler struggles to try and stop them, but ultimately the battle is ended when Faustus seemingly banishes them from sight. Having succumbed to the mind-altering drugs coming out of Faustus' cigarette, Spider-Man is totally confused after his ordeal and is easily duped into assisting his new foe.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane is helping Liz Allan find a wedding dress for her upcoming wedding to Harry Osborn. Liz points out that Mary Jane would look much better in the dress than she would. Mary Jane remarks about what Peter Parker would think if he saw her in the gown. However, when a sales clerk comes to offer assistance, Mary Jane quickly pushes the dress side, telling the woman that they are shopping for Liz and insists that she is only tagging along.
Back underground, Doctor Faustus has convinced Spider-Man that he is working with them. He explains that they are using a laser drill to gain access to secret lab facility. Blasting a corridor within the facility, Spider-Man uses his spider-sense to help Faustus and his men maneuver around floor triggers that would activate stun beams. However, one of the goons makes a misstep activating the stun beams. Quickly, Spider-Man uses his powers to leap through the beams and hit the main shut-off switch. On the other side of the hall, Spider-Man is brought before a hermetically sealed room that contains what Faustus seeks, a means of taking over the entire world. At that moment, in Forest Hills in Queens, a rental agent is showing Aunt May's old home to a prospective renter. The man, who turns out to be the burglar who shot Uncle Ben years earlier, finds the home adequate. He then departs to walk the neighborhood. Left to his own thoughts the Burglar gloats over how he will finally find what he first came looking for in that home, something that will make him incredibly wealthy.
While back in the lab facility, Doctor Faustus explains to his minions that this is the facility where this year's flu vaccine is being held and he intends to add a psychoactive drug to turn the entire world into his willing slaves. However, he doesn't account for the air purifiers that are running in the room, sucking out his cigarette smoke. This causes the effects on Spider-Man's mind to wear off. Freed from the control of the mind-altering drugs, the masked hero easily dispatches the thugs that Faustus has hired. However, when he takes the fight to the Doctor himself, the Wall-Crawler discovers he underestimated the strength of his foe. Losing the fight thanks to another dose of drugged smoke, Spider-Man quickly leaps away and reactivates the security alarm. Faustus is then taken down by the stun beams, allowing Spider-Man to wrap up the villain and his minions, leaving them for the arriving authorities.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Liz Allan, Doctor Faustus, Burglar
Continuity Notes
Faustus details how he cheated death at the end of Captain America #192.
The man who is renting Aunt May's house is the burglar who shot Uncle Ben back in Amazing Fantasy #15. The reason why is revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #200. At the time of this story, Uncle Ben's murder happened roughly four years ago per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
