Noteworthy Issues: The Amazing Spider-Man #59 (April, 1968)

So, how dated is this issue?  Mary Jane gets a job as a go-go dancer.  Yeah, I am sure Stan Lee and his artists understood counterculture and the like.

Issue:  The Amazing Spider-Man #59, April 1968

Writer:  Stan Lee

Artists:  John Romita Sr and Don Heck

The Plot:  Spidey goes looking for the Brainwasher!

Commentary:  So, this issue promises what is supposed to look like a new bad guy, a fellow called the Brainwasher, an individual who wants to hypnotize city government officials in an attempt to take over the local government.  Who is he?  Well, he’s arrogant, but that doesn’t mean anything, but he also doesn’t appear on-panel until literally the last panel of the last page.  And…well, I suspected he was an already-established Spider-Man villain.  Why should I suspect that?  Well, simple:  the issue goes out of the way to keep the Brainwasher’s identity a secret, so it was clearly meant to be a surprise.

I mean, I remember the Master Planner, a guy who turned out to be Doctor Octopus.  Why would a supervillain who already has an alias decide he wants an alias on top of his usual alias?  I have no idea.  But it makes me suspicious when a villain name I don’t recognize gets tossed around but I don’t see him.

Then again, the plan also involves brain-washing a retired cop in the form of Captain Stacy, Gwen’s father, and a man who was more than happy to believe Peter’s made-up story about where he’d been during his amnesia period.  Then again, Peter had to see Aunt May, and somehow he thought swinging into the hospital as Spider-Man rather than going in as Peter and walking right past all the hospital security was a smarter way to go since he wouldn’t find himself stopped by, oh, everyone with a badge and a little bit of authority between him and Aunt May.

I am starting to think Peter Parker is kind of a dope.

Anyway, I won’t say who the Brainwasher is because it was a literal last panel reveal, but I figure Spidey can take the guy.  It is kind of what he does.

Also, Aunt May is OK again.  Sheesh.

Grade:  A-