We’re back with another issue of the Amazing Spider-Man! On the last mag, Doc Ock and Spidey fought on a boat, but before any one of them could get caught by the police, they got away. So, it isn’t a surprise Doc Ock has been waiting for Spider-Man. But unmasked by him?! Could this be true? Has his secret identity finally been revealed?!
*I interrupt this newsletter for an important message*
Whew! It’s been a long week of work. I barely had any time to sit down read comics without feeling so tired. Work isn’t slowing down, but I’ll do my best to publish as many newsletters I can in the upcoming weeks. The plan is to publish a comic reading on Sunday, a Moon Knight Preview before next Wednesday, and a Moon Knight Spoiler Review next Sunday. I hope I can bring all of those newsletters to you guys. I have a day off today, so you know I’m reading and writing as much as I can for you all! I’ll give you a little tease of what’s coming on the next comic reading for the week at the end of the newsletter!
Now, back to business…
The Amazing Spider-Man #12 (May 1964) “Unmasked By Dr. Octopus!” Written by: Stan Lee, Illustrated by: Steve Ditko & Lettered by: Art Simek
After Doc Ock escaped Spider-Man, Spidey decided to go to J. Jonah Jameson. He couldn’t stand how Jameson has twisted events that went against the web-head. As he got closer to Jameson’s window, he overheard Betty Brant asking for her job back. Here’s to hope Peter and Betty last for a while! On the other side of town, Doc Ock was confused. Why hasn’t Spidey followed him? Even though Peter Parker is the Amazing Spider-Man, he is also a regular teenager. He was getting ill, had exams, and Aunt May wasn’t letting Peter go anywhere. Because of that, Pete couldn’t follow Otto. Doc Ock didn’t want to waste more time, so he called Betty at the Bugle. She was spooked by the phone call. Betty knew what Doc Ock was capable of. Peter walked in. At the same time, Octavius came through the window! He grabbed Betty, Jameson, and Peter with his tentacles. Pete had no time to change into Spider-Man, so he had to stay and hear Doc threaten Betty because of Spider-Man.
Peter quickly changed into his Spidey costume and went to Jameson. He left for Coney Island to save Betty. Jameson thought of sending Peter as the photographer, but he couldn’t afford Peter to mess everything up! Typical Jameson. Peter wasn’t feeling well when he arrived at Coney Island. His powers were weakened because of his illness. Doc Ock felt disrespected and unmasked Spider-Man! The police, Betty, Jameson, and Otto witnessed Peter in the suit. Everyone thought this was a joke, but it was a great way to distance Pete from the web-slinger. He recovered from the illness in 24 hours, so this time the confrontation with Otto would be the real deal. Aunt May couldn’t believe Peter would impersonate Spidey because she kinda hates Spider-Man. Ouch! One good thing that happened because of his impersonation, Liz Allen started to see something in Peter. Maybe Peter’s life is about to change for the better, as in no Peter luck? Doc Ock headed to the streets, but he wasn’t alone. He let loose wild animals from the zoo! Spidey had to catch the big animals before he could face off Otto. This is the real Spider-Man in action! Well, it was the real one before too, but you know what I mean. Haha.
Jameson knew the fit Spider-Man was in the action because Peter would never embarrass him. Oh, how little does that clown JJJ know! Betty didn’t even want to imagine Peter in the Spidey suit. She hates when Pete is in dangerous situations. I always loved the action sequences between Spider-Man and Doc Ock. It’s a Spider and an Octopus, what more do you want!? Their fight ended at an empty sculptor’s studio. Flames started to rise. A heavy statue fell on Doc Ock, and it was harder to escape this than the boat. Even though Peter faced one of his greatest enemies, he still wanted to save him. There was no way from him to Otto, but he had the same problem for himself! How was he going to get out? His spider-webs! It was pretty creative, one of my favorite ideas from the webs. Doc Ock was saved by firefighters looking half-dead, as one said! Dr. Octopus never wanted to admit Spidey beating him. Next time will be different, rightttt? Liz Allen met with Peter and invited him to her party, but Pete had his eyes set on Betty. Things were looking bright for our boy, Peter Parker! But will it continue to be like this, or will the bad luck come back? We’ll find out in the next mag of the Amazing Spider-Man!
Favorite panels from ASM #12: Page 16 Panel #1-#5, Page 20 Panel #3-#6, Page 21 Panel #6 - As I said before, I always love the action sequences between Spidey and Ock. Peter swinging around and trapping Doc Ock was awesome. I loved Page 20 because it is what Spider-Man does. He tries to save people, as many as he can, even the villains. And finally, Page 21 Panel #6 was creative. I appreciated how the webs were used in this scenario, haha.
Page 16 Panel #1-#5
Page 20 Panel #3-#6
Page 21 Panel #6
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. You’ll see new titles like Daredevil, Silver Surfer, and the Death of Doctor Strange! Stay tuned! Happy days and take care!