Noteworthy Issues: The Amazing Spider-Man #79 (December, 1969)

That Prowler guy, he may not be much of a bad guy, but he sure does remind me of Spider-Man.

Issue:  The Amazing Spider-Man #79, December 1969

Writer:  Stan Lee

Artists:  John Buscema and Jim Mooney

The Plot:  Spider-Man vs the Prowler!

Commentary:  I noted for the previous issue that the Prowler, AKA Hobie Brown, sure did seem to have a backstory that sounded a lot like Peter Parker’s.  Well, it turns out…I might have been right given how the issue ended.  All Hobie wanted to do was fake some crimes and get the credit for recovering all stolen items in order to make a name for himself and his inventions.  Instead, well, he seems to have tossed Peter Parker out a window.

OK, Peter did it on purpose, but Hobie doesn’t know that, and he spends much of the issue in a panic over killing a guy somehow.  He even gets lucky the first time he and Spidey fight with a gas attack.  Because, well, Spidey is often vulnerable to gas attacks.  But then Spidey tries again and prevails easily.

This was going to be a three parter, wasn’t it?

I mean, the Prowler is so little of a threat that Peter goes home to blow off Gwen and take a nap.

But hey, he lets Hobie go in the end because breaking and entering isn’t a crime.  He didn’t hurt anyone or steal anything.  Why not let the guy go?

I mean, he’s not wrong.  Except for the breaking-and-entering thing.

I’ll have to ask a great legal mind about that.  Where’s Jimmy?

Grade:  A