Amazing Spider-Man #250
Confessions!
Upon learning that the Hobgoblin is blackmailing members of New York's wealthy elite, Spider-Man went to the Century Club to stop him. However, the Hobgoblin managed to flee after dousing Spider-Man with a gas that nullified his spider-sense. Furious that the wall-crawler interfered, the men who are being blackmailed attempt to rush him. Seeing that his friend Harry Osborn is looking for his alter-ego, Spider-Man slips away to change back into Peter Parker. Peter pretends he doesn't know what's going on, and when Harry fills him in, Jameson leaves. When Peter suggests calling the police, Harry points out that these wealthy men have no interest in getting the authorities involved. Peter and Harry go to a nearby coffee shop where Harry points out that the Hobgoblin seemed to know the club in a way that suggests that he might be a member. Peter worries about how the Hobgoblin had been discovering the secrets of Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, and fears his secret identity might be compromised. Although the Hobgoblin was tagged with a spider-tracer, Parker worries he won't be able to track it now that his spider-sense is gone.
Meanwhile, at his hideout, the Hobgoblin finds the spider-tracer attached to his Goblin Glider. Knowing Spider-Man tracks these devices with his spider-sense he gloats over stripping the wall-crawler of that power. Recalling a mention in one of Osborn's journals that the Green Goblin developed the chemical to try and learn Spider-Man's secret identity, the Hobgoblin wonders if Norman had recorded this in one of his many journals. Later that afternoon, Peter tries to slip out of his apartment skylight as Spider-Man and narrowly avoids getting spotted by his landlord Maimie Muggins, beating the dust out of a rug. The wall-crawler worries that he will have to figure out something in the event that his spider-sense never comes back. Spider-Man web-slings into Manhattan where he pays a visit to wealthy financier George Vandergill. He asks George if there was anything about the Hobgoblin that he found familiar. George refuses to talk, telling the web-slinger that the Hobgoblin has nothing on him and to bother the others. Seeing that he is getting nowhere, Spider-Man departs. With Spider-Man gone, George calls his travel agent and confirms his flight out to Bimini, reiterating that it is a one-way flight.
Spider-Man next pays a visit to fashion designer Roderick Kingsley. However, when he questions Roderick, he is too frightened to talk. The pattern continues when Spider-Man visits the other blackmail victims. On his way across the city, Spider-Man is suddenly jolted by a massive warning from his spider-sense. This stuns him for a moment, but when his mind clears he recalls this was similar to the danger he sensed earlier at Harry and Liz's party. This also confirms that his spider-sense isn't gone, only numbed, and he hopes that it will return to normal before whatever this threat makes itself known to him. The wall-crawler's last visit takes him to the office of J. Jonah Jameson, who is busy writing a confession regarding his involvement in the creation of the Scorpion. Spider-Man tells Jonah that he is going to try and destroy the material the Hobgoblin has on him, but Jameson refuses to be blackmailed and intends to publish his confession. This angers the wall-crawler, who points out that Jameson is being a hypocrite, engaging in vigilante behavior over the years to try and stop Spider-Man. He also points out that this confession will also affect his career and he won't be able to be editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. Destroying Jameson's confession, Spider-Man assures him that he will stop the Hobgoblin. Jameson merely goes back to his desk and begins writing his confession over again.
Back at his apartment, Peter Parker realizes that the has a means of picking up the signal from his spider-tracer. Digging through his closet he finds the old tracking device he used before he attuned the tracers to trigger his spider-sense. Looking for the device, he sees that it is in sad shape, but manages to repair it. Spider-Man tracks down the Hobgoblin's lair and engages his foe. During the ensuing battle, the Hobgoblin is quickly disarmed by Spider-Man, forcing the villain to activate the built-in defenses within his hideout. This proves to be his undoing as one of the laser cannons misses Spider-Man and sets the Osborn journals ablaze. Trying to save the journals, the Hobgoblin panics and tosses a pumpkin bomb at the bank of lasers causing a massive explosion that decemates the warehouse. Watching the blast from his office window, Jameson gives his confession to a copy boy and tells him to run it on the front page.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Hobgoblin, “Roderick Kingsley”, Mamie Muggins, George Vandergill
Continuity Notes
The sudden jolt Peter gets from his spider-sense is a warning about the cosmic being known as the Beyonder, as revealed in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1.
J. Jonah Jameson is being blackmailed over his involvement in the creation of the Scorpion. This happened in Amazing Spider-Man #20. The reason the general public is unaware of Jameson's involvement is that the scientist he hired -- Farley Sitwell -- died shortly after the Scorpion's creation.
Peter recalls the career of Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, the details are as follows:
The embezzlement of Osborn Industries by Norman's former partner, Mendell Stromm in Amazing Spider-Man #37.
How Norman Osborn got his powers and how he discovered Spider-Man's secret identity. These details were revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #39-40.
The death of Gwen Stacy and the apparent demise of Norman Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122. The public at large believes that Norman Osborn is dead. However, he survived as revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1 and will resurface in Amazing Spider-Man #412.
He also mentions Harry's drug addiction which he struggled with from Amazing Spider-Man #96-98. This also led to a mental break following the "death" of his father that led Harry to become the Green Goblin during the course of Amazing Spider-Man #123-137. Harry underwent therapy and thus no longer believes that Peter is Spider-Man, as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #180.
The man who appears to be Roderick Kingsley here is actually his twin brother Daniel. This fact, and the true identity of the Hobgoblin are revealed in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.
Hobgoblin nullified his spider-sense using a formula similar to that used by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #39.
A millionaire refuses to talk with Spider-man, saying he'd "sooner talk to Jack Anderson." Anderson was a real-life investigative journalist, active when the comic-book was published who died in 2005. This should be considered a topical reference.
