Axis: Hobgoblin #1
Got a Problem? Call Hobgoblin!
This story continues from Axis #3…
Roderick Kingsley has always believed fashion was the barometer for the economy and this year things are looking bleak for the latest crop of graduates. However, Kingsley is ever the opportunist and businessman and is now offering people a chance to reinvent themselves through a brand new seminar. Not an easy thing to do since Kingsley was the original Hobgoblin.[1] However, his last business idea, licensing out super-villains, was a massive success.[2]
One person who reads Kingsley’s new ads it John Myers. When he arrives at a meeting he announces that he wants to be a super-villain. Kingsley, who is addressing the audience via video feed. He tells Myers that he has switched sides and now he is licensing out super-heroes.[3] His Hobgoblin henchmen rough John up before Roderick invites him to pull up a chair, saying the meeting will reconvene in a moment.
Kingsley can’t believe that the people who want to be heroes are just as stupid as the ones who want to be villains. Sterling, his publicist, still thinks this is a brilliant business move. He usually dealt with shady characters who were willing to take the risk of buying a villain franchise, however, everyone wants to be a hero. Roderick admits that his recent experiences of being a hero have opened up something he hasn’t seen in a while, not his heart, but a new revenue stream. He then reconnects with his view audience and welcomes them to the world of super-heroes. He tells them that he would be there in person to shake their hands because he is still a wanted criminal. However, he tells them that they can learn everything they know by buying his new book, “Hobnobbin’ with Roderick Kingsley”, which he assures his audience will teach them how to go from being a zero to being a hero.
However, this is only the first of three phases and for a nominal fee, everyone in attendance will be given access to the next two phases where they will be given the opportunity to meet him in person. The crowd loves this and Roderick leaves them to sign up with his on-site reps. After his broadcast, Roderick is amused that the one device that would ultimately allow him to rule the masses are not any of the weapons he made as the Hobgoblin, but a wireless headset. He then goes out onto a stage for one of his Ned Talks.[4] He is greeted by a massive crowd of people dressed in superhero costumes, some of them based on pre-existing heroes and original concepts.
He tells the audience about his great program where he franchises out superhero identities. He talks about how he has had years of experience licensing out his identity, his first success story was when Ned Leeds took over as the Hobgoblin.[5] He explains that he can take the Hobgoblin identity and change it from a villain to a hero because the Hobgoblin is just a brand. He then puts on a demonstration where he fights two men dressed as the Hobgoblin. He explains that licensing out a franchise generates money for the people who use them, as well as making him money at the same time. After plugging his video seminar set and then directs the crowd to his gift shop. As Roderick and Sterling watch people buy up all the Hobgoblin merchandise available, Kingsley tells his assistant that the best way to make sales is to lead by example.
Meanwhile, at an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn, the Goblin King is presented a Hobgoblin by one of his minions. The King is certain that this is one of Roderick Kingsley’s flunkies and not the real Hobgoblin and kills him instantly. He is annoyed that the Hobgoblin has turned to a force for good.[6] Mostly, the Goblin King is annoyed that Kingsley is succeeding in something he failed at, being a hero. Recalling how he was the heroic Green Goblin,[7] the Goblin King later went to join Excelsior, a group that was tasked with steering youths away from being superheroes because of how dangerous it was.[8]
The Goblin King was hoping that he could get Menace back into the fold to help him take down Kingsley. However, he was unaware that Menace was cured of the Goblin Formula by Spider-Man. So when he tried to break her out of police custody, the Goblin King didn’t anticipate the blast from one of his pumpkin bombs would send her falling into the river. Still, he believes that like any good Goblin, Lily Hollister would have survived and will find her way back to him.[8] However, in reality, Lily has been stricken with amnesia and no longer remembers who she is. Finding an advertisement for Kingsley’s new program, Lily goes to the recruitment building in the hopes they can help her reinvent herself. When she comes at the door, the guard gets a text message from Roderick telling him to let Ms. Hollister inside.
Recurring Characters
Hobgoblin, Goblin King, Hob-Heroes (John Myers), Lily Hollister
Continuity Notes
He certainly was, starting in Amazing Spider-Man #238. However, the truth wasn’t revealed until Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.
Kingsley started licensing out super-villain franchises in Amazing Spider-Man #697.
Kingsley, as the Hobgoblin, was caught in an axis spell that made him good. See Axis #3.
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that one of the people in the crowd is wearing a Kamen Rider One costume from the original Kamen Rider.
The names Ned Leeds and Lefty Donovan get tossed out as people who took over the Hobgoblin identity. As explained in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3, Roderick used proxies to act in his place, eventually taking a back seat while his brainwashed thralls act as the “real” Hobgoblin. They were:
Arnold “Lefty” Donovan: was one of the Hobgoblin’s henchmen. When Roderick uncovered Norman Osborn’s Goblin Formula he used Donovan as a test subject. He brainwashed Lefty into thinking he was the actual Hobgoblin so that when he died of a side effect his enemies would think the Hobgoblin was dead for a time. See Amazing Spider-Man #244-245.
Ned Leeds: Was a reporter for the Daily Bugle. When Roderick decided to operate behind the scenes he brainwashed Leeds into thinking he was the real Hobgoblin. Leeds first appeared as the Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #257. Ned was murdered in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1 and outed as the “real” Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #289. His name was eventually cleared by his wife, Betty Brant, in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.
The Goblin King goes over a number of the things that the Hobgoblin has done since becoming a hero. Some of them are references to other things:
One of the panels shows the Hobgoblin flying through the air with a guy under his arm. This is paying homage to the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15.
The Goblin King mentions how the Hobgoblin has barricaded the top of every bridge in New York to stop super-villains from using them. This is a nod to how the original Green Goblin murdered Gwen Stacy atop the George Washington Bridge in Amazing Spider-Man #121.
The King also complains about the Hobgoblin’s blatant copyright infringement. The panel depicts the Hobgoblin lifting up and smashing a vintage car into a rock. This is paying homage to the cover of Action Comics #1 published by DC Comics.
Phil Urich started his costumed career as the heroic Green Goblin after stumbling upon one of Norman Osborn’s secret labs in Green Goblin #1. He retired from the role in Green Goblin #13 after most of his equipment got trashed and couldn’t repair it.
Excelsior, aka the Lonsers formed in Runaways (vol. 2) #1. The group eventually dissolved when most of its members returned to superheroing in Avengers Academy #22.
Lily Hollister was once the girlfriend of Harry Osborn. She also uncovered one of Norman Osborn’s secret labs. Taking a new version of the Goblin Formula, she became the Menace. She would attack mayoral candidates in the hopes of helping her father win the election. She was ultimately exposed and arrested. Norman Osborn later took an interest in her. Eventually, she ended up as part of his Goblin Nation who attempted to conquer New York. Ultimately, Menace was cured by Spider-Man and arrested. See Amazing Spider-Man #584-588, 595-599, as well as Superior Spider-Man #16, 17, 21, 23-25, and 28-31.
Topical References
Roderick’s book advertises having a forward by Kiss frontman Gene Simmons. This should be considered topical because Gene is, at the time of this writing (Janauary 2021), 71 years old. He’s going to die eventually.
Roderick’s video seminars are depicted as being on DVD. This should be considered a topical reference since the DVD formal will eventually become obsolete.
