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The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) #238-239, 244-245, 249-251
Saga o Hobgoblinu
The Hobgoblin lives! Rising from the legacy of the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's most enduring foe, comes the deadly Hobgoblin! His true identity is one of the most complex mysteries Spidey has ever faced. Featuring the Black Cat, the Kingpin, Madame Web, Mary Jane, the Prowler and more! See Spider-Man's earliest battles with one of his deadliest foes! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #238-239, #244-245 and #249-251; and PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #43, #47-48 and #85.
Hardcover
First published April 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 3, 2020
The comic book does feel needlessly verbose, but is still an interesting addition to the Spider-Man mythos, with an engrossing mystery, and entertaining drama surrounding Peter Parker's personal life.
June 4, 2022
I usually avoid these thematic collection, preferring to read the entirety of the comic runs, but this is actually a pretty tight collection, and it does a great job of revealing Roger Stern's take on the origins of the Hobgoblin.
In fact it does a great job of convincing me that Roderick Kingsley really was Stern's intent for the Hobgoblin, other than the purposeful misstep in #249 which he would have explained with a twin-brother trope. Alas, I'd been a Ned-Lee-Hobgoblin shipper for years, ever since the brilliant Wolverine crossover.
Now, I'd love to read a next volume, which collects together the mess that was made of the various reveals!
In fact it does a great job of convincing me that Roderick Kingsley really was Stern's intent for the Hobgoblin, other than the purposeful misstep in #249 which he would have explained with a twin-brother trope. Alas, I'd been a Ned-Lee-Hobgoblin shipper for years, ever since the brilliant Wolverine crossover.
Now, I'd love to read a next volume, which collects together the mess that was made of the various reveals!
January 13, 2013
Introduction:
After reading “X-Men” and “Batman” comics for so long now, I wanted to try something new, so I decided to jump into the “Spider-Man” comics and behold, “The Amazing Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin” was my first introduction into the “Spider-Man” comics and now I am actually geared up to read more from the famous web-slinging superhero!
What is this story about?
Basically, this comic takes place after the events of “The Death of Gwen Stacy” and after Spider-Man had defeated the Green Goblin, Peter Parker decides to finish up his studies at college. Unfortunately, it turns out that a mysterious man has somehow found the lost journals of Norman Osborn and discovers that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin! Using Norman Osborn’s notes on how to improve the weapons he used as Green Goblin, the mysterious man then created weapons similar to the Green Goblin’s and becomes known as the Hobgoblin! Can Spider-Man defeat this new foe and find out who this foe really is?
What I loved about this story:
Roger Stern, Bill Mantlo and Tom DeFalco’s writing: I have to admit that when I first went into this graphic novel, I thought that I would never understand what was going on in this series since this was the first time I had ever read a “Spider-Man” comic. However, not only was the writing by Roger Stern, Bill Mantlo and Tom DeFalco extremely interesting to read through, but the story was easy enough to get into since all the writers took great care in explaining to the readers about what happened in previous events and how they all tie into the current storylines. What I loved about Roger Stern’s interpretation of Spider-Man/Peter Parker is how Peter Parker is portrayed as being good-natured and intelligent and I really enjoyed the scenes where Peter Parker is shown working on a new type of technology, such as his Spider Tracer which works like a tracking device, that could help him defeat his enemies much easier. I also loved the way that Spider-Man is portrayed as being a wisecracking superhero while at the same time is extremely aware of the situations going on around him, which makes him a well-rounded character. The mystery surrounding the identity of the Hobgoblin was done extremely well as readers will be sitting on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who the Hobgoblin really is and how he knew about Norman Osborn’s notes on being the Green Goblin. I also loved the way that the Hobgoblin was not being written as just being a copy of the Green Goblin, but proved to be an extremely difficult opponent for Spider-Man for he was extremely intelligent and used Norman Osborn’s notes to his advantage.
Mike Zeck, Marie Severin, John Romita Jr., Al Milgron and Ron Frenz’s artwork: With many different artists in this graphic novel, the artwork was extremely brilliant to look at! I loved the way that Mike Zeck’s artwork had a retro 70’s style look as the characters look extremely realistic and the outlining for the characters are nice and bolded, which really made the characters truly stand out. Marie Severin’s artwork makes a brilliant transition from the late 70s to early 80s style artwork as the characters are drawn in much brighter colors and have more details on their facial expressions. John Romita Jr.’s artwork is somewhat similar to Marie Severin’s artwork as the characters’ appearances are vastly improved and I loved the images of Peter Parker having wavy brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
Since this comic came out during the early 80s, I knew that I was going to be reading a ton of dialogue coming from the characters. This graphic novel actually took me two days to finish because the dialogues with each character, especially Spider-Man, were extremely lengthy. Even though I enjoyed reading the characters’ inner thoughts on a situation, I found it a bit difficult to get through this graphic novel in one day because it took so long to read through the dialogues. Also, another reason I gave this volume a four star rating was because the first two stories at the beginning which dealt with Roderick Kingsley felt a bit out of place for this volume since they barely dealt with Hobgoblin.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, even though this volume was extremely lengthy and some stories felt out of place, “The Amazing Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin” is a great introduction to the Hobgoblin and “Spider-Man” fans will definitely enjoy this volume!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
August 14, 2012
It's difficult for me to be objective about this collection of Spider-Man stories from the 80's simply because I remember reading some of them as a young collector. It was in the days before comic book stores and direct sales when I'd beg my parents to take me into any 7/11, drugstore, grocery store or book store that might have a comic book rack filled with the latest issues of Spider-Man. Not knowing the release dates for various issues, my collection was more of less hit or miss, but those few I collected I read over and over again.
I actually had a couple of issues in this collection, detailing the rise of the original Hobgoblin in the Spider-Man universe. And I'm sure had I kept them in pristine condition, I could make a reasonable chunk of change selling them on E-Bay today. But I didn't keep them in great condition nor do I still have them today.
Which is why this collection was a nice trip down nostalgia lane. After multiple attempts to bring back the Green Goblin, Roger Stern decided it was time for Spidey to face a new Goblin. The result was the Hobgoblin, a villain whose identity was kept secret for a long time during the 80's, even if we had a multitude of potential subjects. Unlike the recent collection of Venom stories I read, I never felt like any of these issues was treading the same ground time and again. Yes, Hobby makes use of an alternate Hobgoblin to study Spider-Man, but the reader is made aware of this fact by the end of the issue and there's not really a story that says this is Spidey and the Hobgoblin's final battle--no really, we're not kidding this time.
And while it'd be easy to chalk up my good will toward these stories as nostalgia, I still think there's some solid storytelling being done here. Coupled with some consistent artwork and you've got a nice collection about one of Spidey's more influential villains from the 80's.
I actually had a couple of issues in this collection, detailing the rise of the original Hobgoblin in the Spider-Man universe. And I'm sure had I kept them in pristine condition, I could make a reasonable chunk of change selling them on E-Bay today. But I didn't keep them in great condition nor do I still have them today.
Which is why this collection was a nice trip down nostalgia lane. After multiple attempts to bring back the Green Goblin, Roger Stern decided it was time for Spidey to face a new Goblin. The result was the Hobgoblin, a villain whose identity was kept secret for a long time during the 80's, even if we had a multitude of potential subjects. Unlike the recent collection of Venom stories I read, I never felt like any of these issues was treading the same ground time and again. Yes, Hobby makes use of an alternate Hobgoblin to study Spider-Man, but the reader is made aware of this fact by the end of the issue and there's not really a story that says this is Spidey and the Hobgoblin's final battle--no really, we're not kidding this time.
And while it'd be easy to chalk up my good will toward these stories as nostalgia, I still think there's some solid storytelling being done here. Coupled with some consistent artwork and you've got a nice collection about one of Spidey's more influential villains from the 80's.
December 29, 2018
86th book read in 2018.
Number 243 out of 746 on my all time book list.
Hobgoblin is an amazing villain, but there was quite a bit of extra interpersonal drama for my tastes.
Number 243 out of 746 on my all time book list.
Hobgoblin is an amazing villain, but there was quite a bit of extra interpersonal drama for my tastes.
June 20, 2016
Reprints the first appearances of the Hobgoblin in The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man in the early 1980's. I jumped into these comics shortly after theses issues, so I was familiar with the Hobgoblin, but I had never read his origin issues. The introduction of a new villain based on the legacy of Spider-Man's classic archenemy, the Green Goblin, really breathed some new life into the Spider-Man books, in my opinion.
I've always thought of this period as a particularly well written era for Spider-Man, and I found that these stories held up well. Roger Stern's writing is overly dialogue-heavy by today's standards. Characters frequently have long conversations in the midst of fistfights, and there's a good deal of "as you know..." exposition, but that's pretty typical of comics of the time. Setting aside these stylistic issues, the stories are intelligent and hold together well in the context of the super-hero world. Stern seems to know the characters well, and he writes them well. The supporting cast (especially Jonah Jameson) get some very strong subplots all through this volume. John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson do an excellent job with the art, although their recognizable individual styles don't seem quite fully formed yet.
However, even though readers at the time thought that the identity of Hobgoblin was a mystery that could be solved by a careful reading of the "clues"in the comic plot-lines, looking at these stories now, it seems pretty clear that there aren't really any clues here, and that Stern was making it up as he goes along. All you ever see of the Hobgoblin's civilian identity is a man, always in shadow, who reads Norman Osborn's diaries, and does experiments on himself. It really could be any male character in the entire Spider-Man cast, and there is nothing that leads me to think that Stern knew who it would be. It was only after a long line of teases and false reveals, a supposedly "true" reveal, and a later retcon, that the true identity of Hobgoblin was revealed many years later. These stories are just the setup for that, though, and they are fun and lively. Which is what a good Spider-Man comic should be.
I've always thought of this period as a particularly well written era for Spider-Man, and I found that these stories held up well. Roger Stern's writing is overly dialogue-heavy by today's standards. Characters frequently have long conversations in the midst of fistfights, and there's a good deal of "as you know..." exposition, but that's pretty typical of comics of the time. Setting aside these stylistic issues, the stories are intelligent and hold together well in the context of the super-hero world. Stern seems to know the characters well, and he writes them well. The supporting cast (especially Jonah Jameson) get some very strong subplots all through this volume. John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson do an excellent job with the art, although their recognizable individual styles don't seem quite fully formed yet.
However, even though readers at the time thought that the identity of Hobgoblin was a mystery that could be solved by a careful reading of the "clues"in the comic plot-lines, looking at these stories now, it seems pretty clear that there aren't really any clues here, and that Stern was making it up as he goes along. All you ever see of the Hobgoblin's civilian identity is a man, always in shadow, who reads Norman Osborn's diaries, and does experiments on himself. It really could be any male character in the entire Spider-Man cast, and there is nothing that leads me to think that Stern knew who it would be. It was only after a long line of teases and false reveals, a supposedly "true" reveal, and a later retcon, that the true identity of Hobgoblin was revealed many years later. These stories are just the setup for that, though, and they are fun and lively. Which is what a good Spider-Man comic should be.
May 9, 2017
Excellent classic Spider-man. Must read for all Spider-man fans.
All of this book is included in the Spider-man by Roger Stern Omnibus which is the better value so buy that instead.
Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus
All of this book is included in the Spider-man by Roger Stern Omnibus which is the better value so buy that instead.
Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus
January 16, 2019
A mysterious figure finds one of the then-deceased Green Goblin's safehouses, stealing his equipment and becoming the calculating Hobgoblin. Spider-Man tries to uncover his identity in several fights, but is thwarted every time.
I think the writers were just trying to string readers along this entire storyline and they had absolutely no idea who the Hobgoblin was. Not a bad volume since the idea of the Hobgoblin was interesting, but I knocked off a star considering the villain's lack of motive and the revelation of who the Hobgoblin actually was (Roderick Kingsley, a criminal fashion designer). Not to mention the fact that that revelation doesn't even come in this volume.
I think the writers were just trying to string readers along this entire storyline and they had absolutely no idea who the Hobgoblin was. Not a bad volume since the idea of the Hobgoblin was interesting, but I knocked off a star considering the villain's lack of motive and the revelation of who the Hobgoblin actually was (Roderick Kingsley, a criminal fashion designer). Not to mention the fact that that revelation doesn't even come in this volume.
July 18, 2018
This book collects the earliest appearances of Roderick Kingsley and the Hobgoblin in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-man Issues 43, 47,48 and 85 and Amazing Spider-man 238, 239, 244, 245 and 249-251.
Thoughts on the individual issues:
(PPSS #43, 47, and 48): A crime story with Spidey hunting down the villainess Bella Donna. It's got a Noir bent to it as Peter tries to stop him. We meet Roderick Kingsley who seems unlikely to emerge as a supervillain, but we learn, he's selfish, cowardly, and absolutely ruthless in pursuit of what he wants. Enjoyable, though not essential to understanding the Goblin.
(AS #238 and 239): In a situation that has some parallels to the death of Uncle Ben, Spidey catches three of four bank robbers but decides not to chase after the fourth for fear that he'll get lost in the sewer and him wanting to retrieve his film. Unfortunately, this leads to the hood discovering Norman Osborn's stockpiles of Goblin supplies and going to a man in the shadows and telling him about it and that man becomes the Hobgoblin and Peter has some responsibility for it. We also get the first battle between Spidey and the Hobgoblin, and though the Goblin gets away he learns you need more than a creepy costume if you're going toe to toe with Spider-man. Peter is left to wonder whether Hobgoblin knows his secret identity.
(AS #244 and 245): A somewhat ho-hum robbery with Spider-man catching the bad guys takes on a whole new level danger when it's revealed Hobgoblin's involved and plans use stolen information from Osborn Manufacturing to make himself stronger. Has a nice fake-out cover for Issue #245 as it looks like the identity of Hobgoblin will be revealed. Even though what happens on the cover actually happens in the book, we don't get what readers thought they would get when they picked up the book..
(PPSS #85):After framing and killing a hood as Hobgoblin, Hobgoblin has created a formula to make himself stronger. The book features that, but is more about trying to show the challenge in the love affair between Black Cat and Spidey as Cat wants to be part of Spidey's Adventures but Spidey is worried about her being hurt, leading to a confrontation with Hobgoblin where they spaz a lot. Really could have been any villain. Kind of dubious step by writer Bill Mantlo (only issue in this book not written by Roger Stern) though there's a legitimate point about the problem in their relationship that he was trying to raise. I'll talk about that in a review of their larger ark in PPSS one day.
(AS #249-251): Hobgoblin decides to take advantage of Norman Osborne's file to blackmail members of a club to which Harry Osborn, Wilson Fisk, and J. Jonah Jameson belong to. For Harry, the blackmail centers around revealing the truth about his dad. For Jonah, the blackmail comes down to Norman's knowledge about Jameson being involved in the creation of the Scorpion. There are things to nitpick such as it not making much sense for Hobgoblin to pursue blackmail as his first big crime after so much fighting and building up muscle. What there is to like about this is everything else. We have Kingpin saving Spider-man, and we have one of Spidey's greatest fights ever on Hobgoblin's battle van without his Spider-sense. In addition, the story puts J. Jonah Jameson at a crossroads and finally has to make a decision about facing the consequences about some of his shennanigans in pursuit of Spidey, and you have Spidey rightly calling him on the carpet. It's three really great issues that are the crown jewel of the book. It also includes the 250th Issue (cheekily advertised on the cover as a normal sized 250th issue.)
Overall, these showcase some really good work by Roger Stern, along with a below part issue by Bill Mantlo before delivering a stunning finale. Great read for fans of Spidey and the Hobgoblin.
Thoughts on the individual issues:
(PPSS #43, 47, and 48): A crime story with Spidey hunting down the villainess Bella Donna. It's got a Noir bent to it as Peter tries to stop him. We meet Roderick Kingsley who seems unlikely to emerge as a supervillain, but we learn, he's selfish, cowardly, and absolutely ruthless in pursuit of what he wants. Enjoyable, though not essential to understanding the Goblin.
(AS #238 and 239): In a situation that has some parallels to the death of Uncle Ben, Spidey catches three of four bank robbers but decides not to chase after the fourth for fear that he'll get lost in the sewer and him wanting to retrieve his film. Unfortunately, this leads to the hood discovering Norman Osborn's stockpiles of Goblin supplies and going to a man in the shadows and telling him about it and that man becomes the Hobgoblin and Peter has some responsibility for it. We also get the first battle between Spidey and the Hobgoblin, and though the Goblin gets away he learns you need more than a creepy costume if you're going toe to toe with Spider-man. Peter is left to wonder whether Hobgoblin knows his secret identity.
(AS #244 and 245): A somewhat ho-hum robbery with Spider-man catching the bad guys takes on a whole new level danger when it's revealed Hobgoblin's involved and plans use stolen information from Osborn Manufacturing to make himself stronger. Has a nice fake-out cover for Issue #245 as it looks like the identity of Hobgoblin will be revealed. Even though what happens on the cover actually happens in the book, we don't get what readers thought they would get when they picked up the book..
(PPSS #85):After framing and killing a hood as Hobgoblin, Hobgoblin has created a formula to make himself stronger. The book features that, but is more about trying to show the challenge in the love affair between Black Cat and Spidey as Cat wants to be part of Spidey's Adventures but Spidey is worried about her being hurt, leading to a confrontation with Hobgoblin where they spaz a lot. Really could have been any villain. Kind of dubious step by writer Bill Mantlo (only issue in this book not written by Roger Stern) though there's a legitimate point about the problem in their relationship that he was trying to raise. I'll talk about that in a review of their larger ark in PPSS one day.
(AS #249-251): Hobgoblin decides to take advantage of Norman Osborne's file to blackmail members of a club to which Harry Osborn, Wilson Fisk, and J. Jonah Jameson belong to. For Harry, the blackmail centers around revealing the truth about his dad. For Jonah, the blackmail comes down to Norman's knowledge about Jameson being involved in the creation of the Scorpion. There are things to nitpick such as it not making much sense for Hobgoblin to pursue blackmail as his first big crime after so much fighting and building up muscle. What there is to like about this is everything else. We have Kingpin saving Spider-man, and we have one of Spidey's greatest fights ever on Hobgoblin's battle van without his Spider-sense. In addition, the story puts J. Jonah Jameson at a crossroads and finally has to make a decision about facing the consequences about some of his shennanigans in pursuit of Spidey, and you have Spidey rightly calling him on the carpet. It's three really great issues that are the crown jewel of the book. It also includes the 250th Issue (cheekily advertised on the cover as a normal sized 250th issue.)
Overall, these showcase some really good work by Roger Stern, along with a below part issue by Bill Mantlo before delivering a stunning finale. Great read for fans of Spidey and the Hobgoblin.
April 21, 2023
In this amazing collection, we meet and read all about the Hobgoblin. A very cool character that ultimately becomes one of Spidey's most feared villains. Great artwork and storytelling throughout, this is a must read collection for any Spider-Man fan!
The difference from this collection and the Masterworks edition is the addition of some Spectacular Spider-Man issues that give us insight and history into Roderick Kingsley, and we also get to meet Belladonna, an interesting little villainess. Deeper insights into the characters, and more history is always a good thing, and these are great stories.
The difference from this collection and the Masterworks edition is the addition of some Spectacular Spider-Man issues that give us insight and history into Roderick Kingsley, and we also get to meet Belladonna, an interesting little villainess. Deeper insights into the characters, and more history is always a good thing, and these are great stories.
July 7, 2024
Gems include Mme. Belladonna jacks Roderick Kingsley, Belladonna suborns the ole Cat to be the new Prowler, Kingsley framejob, Hoby gets dressed, Spidey v. Hoby, Liz fails to settle MJ, Hoby fakeout, Spidey & Black Cat v. Hoby, Kingpin saves Spidey from Hoby, JJJ doesn’t submit to blackmail, & Robbie gets promoted
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2017
A lot of filler before hobgoblin even shows up. The filler truly isn't good and reduces reader interest in the storyline.
Although when Hobgoblin finally shows up, its quite entertaining and a fun, slightly campy read.
Although when Hobgoblin finally shows up, its quite entertaining and a fun, slightly campy read.
July 31, 2017
A good mystery albeit with some cheesy moments.
September 12, 2018
Amazing... pun intended
Great story arc. The Hobgoblin is a great villain, and as his origin story, this doesn’t disappoint. And it’s long, which is even better.
Great story arc. The Hobgoblin is a great villain, and as his origin story, this doesn’t disappoint. And it’s long, which is even better.
Read
January 4, 2022ggg
January 17, 2022
Ah, nostalgija. Da sam ovo citao u ovim godinama bez nostalgicnog osecanja i gusbampsa na svakih par strana, verovatno bih dao dosta nizu ocenu
December 27, 2022
The writing style of these old stories can drag a bit, but man I do still love the stories.
February 5, 2025
Really fun origin story for The Hobgoblin. This era of Spider-Man is mostly a blindspot for me so it was so fun seeing what the character was up to in the 80s. Hobgoblin is a super fun villain.
November 12, 2023
This run, this creative team, and this villain, the Hobgoblin, are about as near and dear to my heart as it gets. While I was buying comics (or having them bought for me by my Mom as the case may be) as far back as 1977, I did not officially consider myself to be a comic collector until Sunday, January 9, 1983. That is the day that I bought one of those sealed 3-packs of comics at the long defunct regional supermarket chain Farmer Jack which contained the following comic books: The Mighty Thor #330, Ghost Rider #79, and The Amazing Spider-Man #239. The latter is what did it for my then 9.5 year old self. The bug bit me, and it be me hard, and I was off to the races.
This book is fantastic. While it starts off slow, the introduction of Roderick Kingsley is a crucial element of the Hobgoblin saga. Marie Severin's artwork in those issues have a decidedly Ditko-esque slant to them which I found appealing. Roger Stern was still finding his voice in the first 3 issues in this book (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #43, 47, 48), but once we get to the godlike Amazing Spider-Man #238 the gloves are off. Stern and the Romitas (Jr. and Sr.!) ushered in an era of excitement, introducing a new sinister arch-nemesis for Spider-Man in the form of the Hobgoblin. I came on board for #239, and that issue remains a high point not just for comic books, but for all of western civilization. You can keep those pyramids or Stonehenge; I'll stick with Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr.'s run on this title.
I thrilled at every twist and turn, and at how insane this new Hobgoblin was. He was a step ahead of everyone the entire time, and these issues burst with excitement. It's hard to believe that I got to live through the era that such genius was spawned in. I now know how people who lived in Shakespeare's heyday must have felt.
John Romita, Jr.s artwork was getting better with each passing month. I also recall how bold the cover to issue 245 was, with the first new Marvel cover redesign in my lifetime. Little did I realize that it was merely a refined and modernized version of the 1960s trade dress. All that I new was that it looked fresh and exciting. Romita's artwork suffered when he was first paired with Klaus Janson for an inker. The two worked together on and off over the years until they became attached at the hip, playing off of each other's strengths and weaknesses. That greatness that they have since achieved is not so apparent in issue 250.
I remember buying issue 250 off of the spinner rack at 7-11 on December 31, 1983. I read it several times waiting to watch the ball drop on television. New Year's Eve was always a big deal to Mom, not so much for me. I just have fond memories of each new issue of this title being unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
The book is capped off with issue 251, oddly titled Endings!. It is in truth the beginning of the Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz era of the title. While it is built off of Stern's plot and features Klaus Janson doing the finished art, it has a slightly different vibe. DeFalco writes in a more hyperbolic Stan Lee fashion, while Ron Frenz demonstrates how he has studied at the altar of Steve Ditko. For my money, the teams of DeFalco and Frenz and Stern and Romita, Jr., are the heirs to the artistic throne of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for this title. Accept no substitutes.
This book is fantastic. While it starts off slow, the introduction of Roderick Kingsley is a crucial element of the Hobgoblin saga. Marie Severin's artwork in those issues have a decidedly Ditko-esque slant to them which I found appealing. Roger Stern was still finding his voice in the first 3 issues in this book (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #43, 47, 48), but once we get to the godlike Amazing Spider-Man #238 the gloves are off. Stern and the Romitas (Jr. and Sr.!) ushered in an era of excitement, introducing a new sinister arch-nemesis for Spider-Man in the form of the Hobgoblin. I came on board for #239, and that issue remains a high point not just for comic books, but for all of western civilization. You can keep those pyramids or Stonehenge; I'll stick with Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr.'s run on this title.
I thrilled at every twist and turn, and at how insane this new Hobgoblin was. He was a step ahead of everyone the entire time, and these issues burst with excitement. It's hard to believe that I got to live through the era that such genius was spawned in. I now know how people who lived in Shakespeare's heyday must have felt.
John Romita, Jr.s artwork was getting better with each passing month. I also recall how bold the cover to issue 245 was, with the first new Marvel cover redesign in my lifetime. Little did I realize that it was merely a refined and modernized version of the 1960s trade dress. All that I new was that it looked fresh and exciting. Romita's artwork suffered when he was first paired with Klaus Janson for an inker. The two worked together on and off over the years until they became attached at the hip, playing off of each other's strengths and weaknesses. That greatness that they have since achieved is not so apparent in issue 250.
I remember buying issue 250 off of the spinner rack at 7-11 on December 31, 1983. I read it several times waiting to watch the ball drop on television. New Year's Eve was always a big deal to Mom, not so much for me. I just have fond memories of each new issue of this title being unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
The book is capped off with issue 251, oddly titled Endings!. It is in truth the beginning of the Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz era of the title. While it is built off of Stern's plot and features Klaus Janson doing the finished art, it has a slightly different vibe. DeFalco writes in a more hyperbolic Stan Lee fashion, while Ron Frenz demonstrates how he has studied at the altar of Steve Ditko. For my money, the teams of DeFalco and Frenz and Stern and Romita, Jr., are the heirs to the artistic throne of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for this title. Accept no substitutes.
November 15, 2014
This book is pretty middle of the road for me, both with the story and the art. I know that this is for two basic reasons; I'm not that interested in the Hobgoblin, and most of the events of the book are already known to me. To be honest I didn't read this because I wanted to know more about the Hobgoblin, I'm trying to learn more about Spider-Man's history, and the Hobgoblin was a big part of that during the 1980's. The mystery of his identity went on for quite sometime. In fact, once it was reveled who the Hobgoblin was, it was later Retconned to be someone else! Talk about a character with a convoluted past!
I think the mystery of the Hobgoblin's identity is supposed to be a large part of the enjoyment of the book. However, I, and I would guess most Spider-Man fans, already know who the Hobgoblin turns out to be. That is the biggest downfall of the book.
I'm still glad I read it though. There a few parts of Spider-Man's history in this book that I've never seen before. I'd never read an issue with Debra Witmen, I did not know that Peter quit working at the Bugle to work for a rival newspaper. And, while I was aware that Spider-Man and Black Cat acted as a team, and lovers, for awhile, I'd never read anything about it.
If you're trying to read more about Spider-Man's past, like I am, I would say you should check out this book. The Hobgoblin was a major villain for nearly a decade in Peter's life, and his legacy still bothers Pete to this day. However, if your just a more casual Marvel fan, you could skip it.
I think the mystery of the Hobgoblin's identity is supposed to be a large part of the enjoyment of the book. However, I, and I would guess most Spider-Man fans, already know who the Hobgoblin turns out to be. That is the biggest downfall of the book.
I'm still glad I read it though. There a few parts of Spider-Man's history in this book that I've never seen before. I'd never read an issue with Debra Witmen, I did not know that Peter quit working at the Bugle to work for a rival newspaper. And, while I was aware that Spider-Man and Black Cat acted as a team, and lovers, for awhile, I'd never read anything about it.
If you're trying to read more about Spider-Man's past, like I am, I would say you should check out this book. The Hobgoblin was a major villain for nearly a decade in Peter's life, and his legacy still bothers Pete to this day. However, if your just a more casual Marvel fan, you could skip it.
April 5, 2023
RODERICK KINGSLEY!!!
In case you were wondering (a) the big mystery of this story and (b) what the heck is the point o this Belladonna story... now you know via the very introduction. So the biggest spoiler is in the introduction to this volume.
That being said, the Belladonna stuff in the beginning was okay. I enjoyed the way Spider-Man and Bella adapted to each other's styles, making it equal parts fighting and thinking. The same carried over into the Hobgoblin stuff, which made the encounters all very entertaining.
Once the Belladonna story finishes, we are also through with filler and there aren't any relevant missing parts i.e. this is a complete story. Which is awesome! They also end it at a pretty good moment with semi-closure, but a very open cliffhanger. I also loved how the Hobgoblin was one step ahead the entire time, being a mental threat as much as a physical one. Harry and Peter's relationship is explored nicely in one arc with a glorious Kingpin cameo. Although Pete's beach shirt was... interesting.
In short, the beginning is okay and not exactly the story you wanted here, but it was worth reading, if nothing else than as a little background for the main Hobgoblin story in the end. Also Roderick Kingsley.
In case you were wondering (a) the big mystery of this story and (b) what the heck is the point o this Belladonna story... now you know via the very introduction. So the biggest spoiler is in the introduction to this volume.
That being said, the Belladonna stuff in the beginning was okay. I enjoyed the way Spider-Man and Bella adapted to each other's styles, making it equal parts fighting and thinking. The same carried over into the Hobgoblin stuff, which made the encounters all very entertaining.
Once the Belladonna story finishes, we are also through with filler and there aren't any relevant missing parts i.e. this is a complete story. Which is awesome! They also end it at a pretty good moment with semi-closure, but a very open cliffhanger. I also loved how the Hobgoblin was one step ahead the entire time, being a mental threat as much as a physical one. Harry and Peter's relationship is explored nicely in one arc with a glorious Kingpin cameo. Although Pete's beach shirt was... interesting.
In short, the beginning is okay and not exactly the story you wanted here, but it was worth reading, if nothing else than as a little background for the main Hobgoblin story in the end. Also Roderick Kingsley.
December 20, 2013
I've never been a huge fan of this period of Spider-History, the Hobgoblin seems like Roger Stern's attempt to correct the mistakes that the Green Goblin made, but the story goes on for far too long without any kind of resolution. Indeed, this volume is titled 'The Origin of the Hobgoblin', yet we end the book with no more clue as to who he really is than when we started. That said, like the other classic tales I've been reading at the moment, the stories here are a good assortment, and despite jumping between issues, tell a cohesive tale with solid artwork for the era. You can see echoes of his future style in John Romita Jr.'s artwork here, definitely.
August 16, 2012
Hugely enjoyable romp through Spider-Man's last glory days of the '80s. My opinion is almost certainly colored by the nostalgic factor that I grew up reading these comics and loved the Hobgoblin (the Venom of his time), but what can I say? It was a blast revisiting them, being reminded of how much fun mainstream superhero comics used to be. The artwork by John Romita, Jr. and then Ron Frenz is first-rate; both are different but complement Spider-Man in unique ways. I only wish they'd jettisoned the mediocre Roderick Kingsley backstory in favor of adding more Hobgoblin comics.
June 8, 2014
Being a huge Spider-Man fan growing up in the 70's, I lost track of the comics as I grew in to a teenager in the 80's. I remember The Hobgoblin some, but didn't know HOW he came to be.
This collection fixed that! I really enjoyed this one. And if you want mystery-if you don't want to know who the Hobgoblin really is, just skip the "Previously" intro here before the 1st story! This set never tells us WHO he is-only the "Previously" blurb does!!!
Great art, good storytelling. It reminds why I enjoyed Spider-Man so much!!!
This collection fixed that! I really enjoyed this one. And if you want mystery-if you don't want to know who the Hobgoblin really is, just skip the "Previously" intro here before the 1st story! This set never tells us WHO he is-only the "Previously" blurb does!!!
Great art, good storytelling. It reminds why I enjoyed Spider-Man so much!!!
November 24, 2012
Pretty fun read but a letdown this collection doesn't actually include the unmasking of Hobgoblin... even though the introduction written for this edition gives away who it is.
Also, weird 80s clothes abounds. Peter has a midriff shirt that says Animal at one point.
All said, good comics here with an interesting and visually cool villain. Worth a read.
Also, weird 80s clothes abounds. Peter has a midriff shirt that says Animal at one point.
All said, good comics here with an interesting and visually cool villain. Worth a read.
June 27, 2013
Still one of my favorite reveals of the 90s.
October 20, 2014
via NYPL - a pretty engrossing superhero action-adventure.
January 28, 2015
Just like the Title says The glider riding, pumpkin bomb welding orange menace becomes the second goblin to give Spidey heck.
August 19, 2015
It read better than I expected. It held up fairly well. The origin is really drawn out. I guess it made the payoff better in the end.
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