Appearing in ""The Birth of a Super-Hero!""
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Aunt May
- Daily Bugle Staff
- Gwen Stacy
- Flash Thompson
- Mary Jane Watson (First full appearance)
Villains:
- ⏴ Rhino ⏵
- John Jameson (Affected by Mysterious Spores)
Other Characters:
- Anna May Watson
- Frederick Foswell
- Ned Leeds
- ⏴ Foggy Nelson ⏵
- Harry Osborn
- Mister Dunlap, a bank manager
- Stark Industries scientists
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Peter Parker's Motorcycle
Synopsis for ""The Birth of a Super-Hero!""
At first it seems that Spider-Man has robbed a bank and drops the bag and its contents in the river near the Queensboro Bridge. [1] Then it is reinforced when at the Daily Bugle Building Frederick Foswell comes rushing in looking for J. Jonah Jameson to tell him that Spider-Man has just robbed a bank. Betty Brant is there at the Bugle talking to Ned Leeds. We find Jameson at Kennedy Airport with his son John. On John's recent spacewalk he contacted space spores. This reaction to the space spores suddenly increased his size and made him stronger.[2]
Within sixty minutes the doctors agree that the spores must come from Jupiter and not long after this diagnosis that Stark Industries have provided a special suit for John Jameson. After hearing from Frederick Foswell at the Bugle that Spider-Man has robbed a bank, the senior Jameson suggest that John become a super-hero and should battle Spider-Man.[3] Meanwhile at a nearby courthouse the Rhino lies unconscious until the doctors leave and slam the door on the way out. At the same courthouse Foggy Nelson decides to accept the defense of the Rhino.[4] At that moment the Rhino almost escapes but is subdued by a Spray Tranquillizer.
Back at Empire State University Gwen Stacy invites Peter to a Party at her house on Sunday but he must decline as he is to meet his neighbors niece Mary Jane Watson.[5] Spider-Man then fights John Jameson and explains why he was robbing the Bank at the beginning of the story (in his head, of course), that his spider-sense detected a bomb in one of the money bags and how he had to take it by force to get it away. Spider-Man distracts John Jameson and gets away.
Spider-Man then goes to the Daily Bugle to ask Jameson to call the bank and ask if any money is missing. If not, it proofs his innocence. Jameson does so and sulks over his mistake. John Jameson storms in, wanting a rematch with Spidey. He has eventually calmed down enough to be escorted back to the hotel room. This is only temporary, as he soon breaks out.
Spider-Man and John eventually find each other near a warehouse and begin another battle. Spider-Man eventually lures John inside the building, and uses the generator inside and John's electro-magnetic suit to destroy the spores completely before they were too far deep to be cured.
Finally Peter does meet Mary Jane and her famous first words are "Face it tiger...you just hit the jackpot!" [6]
Notes
- Romita is credited as Johnny Romita, Rosen as Sammy Rosen.
- This is the first time Mary Jane's face is shown.
- This issue is reprinted in Amazing Spider-Man (Fireside).
- credits:
- Produced by the Batty Bullpen's swingin'est spidophiles...
- Smilin' Stan Lee, Writer
- Jazzy Johnny Romita, Artist
- Slammin' Sammy Rosen, Letterer
- references: Amazing Spider-Man #41 and Daredevil #21
- Page 18, Panel 1 best fits the image on the cover
Trivia
- The cover of this issue is one of the 32 that appear in the comic collection from the 2000 video game Spider-Man.
See Also
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Recommended Reading
- The Rhino and John Jameson last appeared in Amazing Spider-Man # 41; they next appear in Amazing Spider-Man # 43 (next issue).
- Mary Jane was last mentioned in Amazing Spider-Man # 38 she next appears in Amazing Spider-Man # 43 (next issue)
- Foggy Nelson appeared last in Daredevil # 20; he appears next in Amazing Spider-Man # 43 (next issue)