Well, we are back with the Amazing Spider-Man series. Last week, I took a break and decided that I would share what I was reading throughout that week. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read that newsletter, it’s right here. I’ll start doing a comic reading for a week every other week. It will become tricky once Moon Knight releases on Disney+, but I’ll find a way. I have to let everyone know that work is picking up too, so there will be times when it is difficult to publish a newsletter on time. I apologize in advance!
Sooooo, where were we? Oh, yes! Betty is in some hot water right now. She fled town because of some personal problems. Peter has no idea what is going on with her; she boxed him out. This storyline has been going on for a couple of issues, so will her secret finally be uncovered in this mag? Let’s find out!
The Amazing Spider-Man #11 (Apr 1964) “Turning Point” Written by: Stan Lee, Illustrated by: Steve Ditko & Lettered by: Sam Rosen
Peter was still sad about Betty leaving town. But his emotions quickly changed when the radio announced the release of the notorious Doctor Octopus. Yes, Doc Ock returned in this mag! The last time Spidey and Doc faced off against each other was in ASM issue #3. Peter remembered how Doc Ock nearly beat him, so he had to stop him from being released. Spider-Man had no luck stopping him, though it was out of his hands. Instead, the brilliant scientific Peter decided to make a device to keep tabs on Otto Octavius. Pete saw a car pick Otto up and threw the gizmo on it. But wait, something doesn’t look right! The woman who picked him up was Betty Brant. Why?! It looked like they were going to Philly. And it is here where the story started to unfold. Brant’s brother, who is a lawyer, arranged everything. He was in debt with one of his clients named Blackie, a man in prison.
This one qualifies as a favorite panel of mine. I just love that being Spider-Man clears Peter’s head. It is like his go-to when he needs a break from Peter’s life.
Doc Ock was involved with this because he went to break Blackie out of prison then receive a hundred grand for his troubles. Once everything is settled, Betty should be safe. Peter had to help Betty. He left New York for Philly. After searching for her, he found her. Betty told Pete everything. It made Peter realize that he had to tell Brant that he was Spider-Man! Spidey went to look over Blackie’s escape, but Web-Slinger was too late. Police spotted the Web-Head, so he might as well get the blame. Betty and her brother, Bennett, weren’t done when Blackie arrived. He took them to a getaway ship. Spidey couldn’t leave Betty alone with those criminals, so he went to the getaway ship as well. Not the cleanest landing, though. He ended up spraining it. Oh, Peter. A man brought Spidey into a room with everyone in it. You know a fight broke out! Spider-Man went one on one with Blackie. Blackie shot a gun he had, but no bullet hit Spidey? Betty tried to talk to Bennett, but no answer. The bullet Blackie shot hit Bennett instead of Spider-Man. Betty blamed Spidey for the death of her brother, and she grew hatred for him! The bad luck continues.
Spider-Man had no time to convince Betty he wasn’t in the wrong. He had to go stop the bad guys. Even with a sprained ankle, Spidey went full-on against them. It was lovely to see the determination Pete got. The big battle was between Doc Ock and Spider-Man; they were all over the ship. Ditko drew these scenes so well to me. While the two were fighting, two men decided to steal the cash that Blackie had for Doc. They took Betty as a hostage. The men were worried about Spidey, but it was Otto who saved Betty. Well, it was mainly because of the money. The fight continued on a smaller boat. Not much space for Spidey to move, great idea from Ock. The police located the two, but before anything could happen, the boat crashed. Doc Ock and Spidey were able to get away. Blackie was caught and arrested. He even told the cops that Betty was innocent. Peter couldn’t tell Betty his secret anymore. How could he? Peter comforted her at the funeral. She told him that she didn’t hate Spidey, but she never wanted to see him. The memories of her brother would haunt her anytime she saw the Web-Head around. The curse of the double life Peter lives. It doesn't stop.
Favorite panels from ASM #11: Page 14 Panel #1, #2, #3 - I mean come on! Spider-Man has a sprained ankle, two guys are trying to hold him back, he picks up Blackie like nothing, and he knocks them all out. You can’t tell me that isn’t badass!
Hello there! I’m happy you took the time out of your day to read my post. Remember if you have any questions or want to have a discussion, leave a comment! The next newsletter will be Comic Reading for the Week! I will say ASM issue #12 is a good one, so I can’t wait to tell you guys about that one. Stay tuned! Happy days and take care!