Our story begins in the Forest Hills home of
Peter Parker, as he worries about the poor financial situation he and Aunt May are
in. Peter then goes out swinging as Spider-Man to see if he can get any photos
to sell to the Bugle. Spidey sets up his camera and swings down upon a group of
escaping thieves, easily taking them out. However, Frederick Foswell then
appears on the scene, asking Spidey about the situation, and Spidey realizes
that he can no longer use the photos he just took, as Foswell would know that
Peter wasn’t there. Frustrated, Peter heads to the Bugle, and ends up hiding
from J. Jonah Jameson, not wanting to risk Jameson’s wrath with no pics to show
him. Peter, still hiding, stops by Betty Brant’s desk to chat. She amusedly
helps him hide from the passing Foswell, causing Peter to stumble upon another
letter to Betty from Ned Leeds, and she admits that they’ve still been writing
to each other, causing Peter to leave in a jealous huff.
Meanwhile, Jameson gets the idea to print some of the
public’s thoughts on Spider-Man, for a change of pace. A reporter goes out
recording the various public’s thoughts on Spider-Man, who have plenty of
negative things to say about him, especially once they hear that will get them
in the paper. Flash Thompson, being Spidey’s biggest fan, takes issue with
this, harassing the reporter and causing him to run off. Liz Allan then asks
Peter if he can tutor her in science, leaving Flash once again angry at Peter for
supposedly making moves on his girl. Back at the Bugle, Jameson is approached
by a Dr. Ludwig Rinehart, a psychiatrist who says he’s been studying
Spider-Man. Rinehart claims that, in his professional opinion, Spider-Man is
deeply unwell and liable to have a breakdown any day now, claiming to be able
to provide proof.
The next day, Peter reads Dr. Rinehart’s claims in the
paper, and calls Betty to see if she has any info on the guy. Betty tells Peter
that Dr. Rinehart is a professional in cases like this, causing Peter to worry
that maybe he is cracking up without realizing, setting out to find Rinehart to
convince him otherwise. Flash sees Peter leaving in a rush and decides to
follow him, thinking that he’s heading to see Liz. Peter quickly notices and
rigs his spider-signal with some webbing to go off, distracting Flash, and
allowing Peter to slip away. Spidey then swings in the vicinity of the Daily
Bugle, in order to find Rinehart, when suddenly Doctor Octopus seemingly
appears! Spidey notes that he’s eerily quiet, and as Spidey goes to attack Ock,
he suddenly disappears! The same thing then happens with Sandman, suddenly
appearing before vanishing right as Spidey tries attack.
Spidey starts to worry that he’s now suffering
hallucinations, thinking it could be the start of a breakdown, which really
would make him a danger to people! Then, just as with the others, the Vulture
suddenly appears before vanishing just as quickly. Spidey worries that he’s
starting to be unable to tell what’s real and what’s not, concerned that he
might start attacking innocent people. He heads home to get some rest, but sees
his pale reflection in the mirror, thinking he’s even worse off than he thought.
He runs out, not wanting Aunt May to see him like this. Little does he know,
that Aunt May did see him, causing her to worry that something is deeply
troubling him.
Spidey then visits Dr. Rinehart’s home, after getting
his address from the paper, in order to try and get some answers. However, when
he enters the Doctor’s office, Spidey is shocked to see that the entire room is
upside down! He runs out, as Dr. Rinehart chases after him, promising to help
and showing Spidey that everything is now normal. Dr. Rinehart tries to examine
Spidey, when the hallucinations suddenly start appearing again, before
vanishing just as quickly, as Dr. Rinehart prepares to start Spider-Man’s
treatment. Meanwhile, at the Bugle, Betty witnesses Foswell tell Jameson
something about Dr. Rinehart, causing Jameson to run out in a hurry.
As Jameson gets to Dr. Rinehart’s address, he happens
to run into Flash Thompson, who starts berating Jameson about his
anti-Spider-Man articles. Jameson runs into Rinehart’s office to escape Flash
and to find out the truth about Dr. Rinehart. At that moment, Dr. Rinehart
tells Spider-Man that the root of his problems is his double identity and tries
to get him to reveal who he is for further evaluation. Jameson then runs in,
claiming that Rinehart is a fraud, as Flash then barrels into the room as well.
Rinehart makes a break for it, activating the “hallucinations” once more to
cover his escape, as Spidey notes that they look less convincing now that his
head is clear. Spidey catches up to Dr. Rinehart, unmasking him and discovering
that he was really Mysterio all along! Now caught, Mysterio details how he had
been planning this for months, waiting for the right moment, and using the
power of suggestion and holograms to make Spider-Man think he was going crazy!
Mysterio even notes the irony that he almost had Spider-Man’s identity, before
he was inadvertently stopped by Jameson! Our issue ends with Peter making good
on his promise to tutor Liz, and promising Aunt May that everything is okay,
before realizing that their money situation still isn’t any better!