Amazing Spider-Man #650
While attempting to stop the Hobgoblin from attacking Horizon Labs, Spider-Man finds himself at the mercy of his foe due to his debilitating goblin laugh. As the Goblin prepares to land a killing blow, Bella Fishbach deduces a stronger signal could block out his laugh and pumps her playlist through the facility speakers. This allows Spider-Man to get his ability to move back and leap out of the way. While this is happening, Horizon Lab’s founder, Max Modell, sets off the fire alarm.
The Hobgoblin realizes that he is getting sidetracked from his mission and flees into the lab. Spider-Man follows after making sure the Horizon staff is safe. As he goes the web-slinger becomes concerned that Max Modell is smart enough to put two-and-two together and see a connection between Peter Parker and Spider-Man. His concerns quickly focus on the Reverbium that the Hobgoblin is attempting to steal. However, as the police begin arriving on the scene, the Hobgoblin knocks Spider-Man out and flees the scene. He is soon joined by a camera drone and hopes that it caught all the footage the Hobgoblin needs to become a star.
As Captain Yuri Watanabe arrives on the scene and gets the lowdown on what happened, Uatu Jackson points out that Peter Parker is among the missing. They all rush down to Peter’s lab as he scrambles to take off his Spider-Man costume. Down to his underwear, Peter quickly slaps on some headphones and begins working on a formula on his whiteboard, pretending that his music was playing too loud that he didn’t hear all the commotion.[1] Although this ruse proves to be embarrassing for everyone, Peter considers that this is better than the alternative.
Later, at the Kingpin’s headquarters, Montana tells him that a Hobgoblin has returned with the Reverbum, but it’s not the same one they hired to do their job.[2] As a precaution, he has their Hand ninjas escorting him in.[3] Although this is a different man, the Kingpin is impressed with his initiative and gives the job to the new Hobgoblin, much to the chagrin of his assistant, Montana, who doesn’t trust the newcomer.
Back at Horizon Labs, Sajani Jaffrey returns to work from her day off, upset that her latest invention was stolen while she was gone.[2] Max Modell has decided that this is a potentially dangerous weapon and orders Sajani to destroy the samples she has left with Anti-Metal. Since Peter came up with a formula to counter the Reverbium, he tasks him with a means of creating a permanent solution.[3] This inspires Peter to come up with a means for Spider-Man to get the Reverbium back. Peter puts in a call to his friend the Black Cat and asks her to use her connections to find out who the Hobgoblin is working for while he devises a way to counteract the new Hobgoblin’s sonic laugh.[4]
Meanwhile, Phil Urich has returned to the Daily Bugle to tell his Uncle Ben that he landed a new job that pays good and has room for advancement. However, he still wants to work for the Daily Bugle and offers to give Ben footage of Spider-Man’s battle with the Hobgoblin. When Phil plays the video for Ben and Norah, they are impressed with the quality. Phil says Norah can have the footage for a story about the attack on Horizon Labs thinking he will curry favor with her. However, when she tells her boyfriend, Randy Robertson, and they kiss, it makes Phil incredibly jealous. Phil decides the next video he’s expecting to make Norah pay for, thinking about how he’s going to be stepping up the Hobgoblin’s game.
At Horizon Labs, Peter is working on a new costume that will make him immune to the Hobgoblin’s sonic laugh when he is told that there are two guests waiting for him in the lobby. Peter is surprised to see that it his girlfriend Carlie Cooper and his ex, Mary Jane Watson, who have both come to check out Peter’s new lab. Mary Jane came in particular because she was concerned about Peter getting hurt during his battle with the Hobgoblin. As they talk over lunch, Peter goes on about how his new job allows him to expand on concepts he was working on when he was employed by Tony Stark. Peter and Mary Jane then find themselves quickly trying to explain why Peter worked for Tony Stark and lived at Avengers Tower without Carlie getting wise to the idea that Peter is also Spider-Man.[7] Carlie eventually stops prying when she realizes that this was all in the past. As Peter talks about his latest work, Mary Jane soon realizes that she is out of her depth and is glad to see that both Peter and Carlie can keep up with each other in conversation. She decides to head out, reminding Peter to catch the latest episode of her new TV show.
When Peter gets a call back from the Black Cat, he tells Carlie that he needs to take this “work related” call. She tells him how she roughed up one of the followers of the new goblin cult and learned that the man who bought the Reverbium was none other than Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. Peter is putting on his new costume and tells the Cat that he’ll meet up with her at Fisk Tower. Meanwhile, the man who told all of this to Felicia is found by the Hobgoblin and tells him he said everything he was told to. The Hobgoblin rewards the stool pigeon by cutting his throat.
Hours later, the Black Cat wonders what is keeping Spider-Man when a box suddenly appears next to her with a note from the web-slinger asking her to open it. Inside she finds a headset and some goggles that allow her to see and hear Spider-Man while he is wearing his new stealth costume. Spider-Man explains how the costume creates total invisibility by ending light and sound and how it will be their secret weapon to break into Fisk’s office building and take back to stolen Reverbium.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Hobgoblin, Black Cat, Kingpin, Montana, Tiberius Stone, Max Modell, Bella Fishbach, Sajani Jaffrey, Uatu Jackson, Carlie Cooper, Mary Jane Watson, Yuri Watanabe, Ben Urich, Norah Winters, Randy Robertson
Continuity Notes
Peter is singing one of the songs written by Bono and the Edge for the Spider-Man musica, Turn off the Dark.
Last issue, the Kingpin hired who he thought was Roderick Kingsley, the original Hobgoblin. This man was murdered by Phil Urich who took his place. As we’ll learn in Amazing Spider-Man #696, this was actually Daniel Kingsley, Roderick’s brother. As explained in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3, Daniel often posed as the Hobgoblin in order to obfuscate the Hobgoblin’s true identity.
The narrative notes that this story takes place after Shadowland #1-5, which saw the Kingpin’s empire restored with the conquest of Shadowland, a Hand hideout in Hell’s Kitchen.
Jaffrey was created Reverbium as a replacement for Vibranum after the Black Panther made the world’s supply inert in Doomwar #1-6. This will remain the status quo until after Secret Wars #1-9.
Anti-Metal is also referred to as Antarcitc Vibranium. It’s a different strain than the Wakandan variety that was made inert. It has the ability to melt all other kinds of metal upon contact. See Daredevil #13.
The Black Cat asks which Hobgoblin they are dealing with. That’s because there have been many that have used the identity. The various people she names are:
“Kingsley” could mean either Roderick or his brother Daniel. Roderick was the first Hobgoblin appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #238. As we’ll learn in Amazing Spider-Man #691, he’s still in hiding in South America. As for Daniel, I explained what happened to him above.
Ned Leeds was a reporter who was brainwashed by Roderick Kingsley into posing as the Hobgoblin when Kingsley decided to abandon that activity, as explained in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3. Leeds first appeared as the Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #257. He was murdered by the Foreigner in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1.
Jason Macendale was the successor to the title and the man who ordered the hit on Ned Leeds. Macendale was the Hobgoblin until he was murdered by Roderick Kingsley in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1.
Lots of Spider-Man lore on display here. The facts:
Peter and Mary Jane were forced to move into Avengers Tower while Peter (as Spider-Man) was part of the New Avengers after Charlie Weiderman burned down their home in Amazing Spider-Man #518.
During that time, Tony Stark developed a suit of Spider-Armor that Spider-Man wore from Amazing Spider-Man #529 until Civil War #5.
Topical References
Dated references: Poker Face by Lady Gaga, Wired magazine, hover boards, Myspace, MPEG videos, DVR
The Final Lesson
At the Raft Maximum Security Prison, Mach-V meets with Professor Folsom, a scientist that he hopes can help with Mac Gargan, the criminal formally known as both the Scorpion and Venom, whose health has been in decline ever since he was forced to separate from the Venom symbiote.[1] As Folsom is escorted through security, he tells Mach-V how his family had a history in the sciences. He thinks about how his father challenged him with scientific puzzles and imparted in him a sense of wonder for the sciences.
In Gargan’s cell, Folsom begins to examine Gargan and learns the full extent in which is DNA was altered.[2] Suddenly, “Professor Folsom” undergoes a startling transformation. He is actually Alystaire Smythe, the cyborg known as the Spider-Slayer. He easily incapacitates Mach-V and the guards and absconds with Gargan. Escaping to one of his labs, the Spider-Slayer tells Gargan he is about to become more powerful than ever before. He explains how his father, Spencer Smyth, died due to radiation exposure caused by creating various Spider-Slayers for J. Jonah Jameson.[3] Since both men blame Jameson for their current situations, the Spider-Slayer intends on making Mac Gargan his instrument of revenge.
Recurring Characters
Mach-V, Scorpion, Spider-Slayer, Spencer Smythe (flashback)
Continuity Notes
Mac became Venom in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #8 until he was separated from the symbiote in Amazing Spider-Man #648.
They mention the experiments of Farley and Harlan Stillwell. Farley Stillwell was hired by J. Jonah Jameson to create the Scorpion in Amazing Spider-Man #20. His brother Harlan was later hired by Jameson to create the Human Fly in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10.
Spencer Smythe started creating Spider-Slayers for J. Jonah Jameson to hunt Spider-Man back in Amazing Spider-Man #25. The radioactive compounds he used eventually gave him cancer and Spencer Smythe ended up dying in Amazing Spider-Man #192. Alistaire began following in his father’s footsteps starting in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #19.
