Starting right off from last issue, Spider-Man has
been captured, his identity discovered by the Green Goblin, who in turn
revealed himself to be Norman Osborn! Peter tries to keep the clearly unhinged
Osborn talking while he struggles against the coils that bind him. Peter brings
up Harry Osborn, Norman’s son, and Norman starts to unravel, claiming that
Harry can never know about his double life. Peter claims that Norman doesn’t
really care about Harry and Norman decides to make Peter understand by telling
him how he became the Green Goblin, promising it’ll be the last thing he ever
hears! Norman tells of how Harry’s mother passed away when he was a baby, leaving
Norman to raise Harry by himself. Norman worked tirelessly to be able to
provide for his son, buying him whatever he wanted while amassing a fortune,
but never being able to be there for him emotionally, deluded into thinking
this made him a good father.
Peter realizes that Osborn is even more far gone than
he thought, almost in his own little world while he recounts his story. Norman,
justifying his need to be ruthless when it came to his business, recounts how
he sent his former partner Mendel Stromm, seen in ASM #37, to prison, in order
to increase his control. Osborn recounts how he started working with some of
Stromm’s old notes, all the while ignoring Harry. After working for hours on a
certain chemical, it suddenly explodes in Osborn’s face, sending him to the
hospital for weeks! The doctors believed that the explosion had cause damage to
Osborn’s brain, and it indeed implanted an obsession in him to amass even more
power. With this obsession driving him for months, he crafted a costume and
equipment and the Green Goblin was born! With his story told, Osborn dons his
mask once again and the Green Goblin ponders how he should finally claim his
ultimate victory.
Meanwhile, Aunt May is fraught with worry, having no
idea where Peter is. Anna Watson attempts to console her, arguing that Peter
may just be on a date and doesn’t realize the time but her words fall on deaf
ears. Anna then suggests that Peter may be at the Daily Bugle. Their call is
answered by J. Jonah Jameson, who angrily tells them that he has no idea where
Peter is, only increasing May’s worry. Our scene changes again to a Midwest
railroad station, where we find Betty Brant, as she finally decides to stop
running from her issues and return to New York. Her mind fills with Peter, Ned,
and Spider-Man as she boards a train for New York.
Back at the Goblin’s lair, Peter tries to keep him
talking, taunting him about how he’s always lost to Peter, and how Peter will
beat him once again! In order to prove Peter wrong, the Goblin uses a device to
project his mental images of all of their previous encounters, showing that
time and again, they always escaped each other. Not wanting an empty victory,
the Goblin then frees Peter from his restraints as he commands Peter to don his
Spider-Man costume. Peter obliges and the two begin an epic battle, with Spidey
deflecting a thrown pumpkin bomb! Spidey agonizes about his situation, as even
if he wins the fight, the Goblin still knows his identity. Spidey acts stunned
from the Goblin’s glider exhaust, letting him land a sucker punch when the
Goblin flies too close. It’s then the Goblin’s turn to play possum, as he
shocks Spider-Man with a fallen electric cable. Spidey and the Goblin continue
to evade each other’s attacks until the Goblin charges up a cannon with which
to finish the fight. Spidey dodges the blast and delivers a decisive kick to
the Goblin, which sends him careening back into the live wires and chemicals,
giving him the full brunt of a huge electro-chemical shock!
A fire starts, and Spidey finds the Goblin amidst the
smoke, unconscious but alive. As he comes to, Osborn has no idea where he is.
With his spider-sense not alerting him, Spider-Man concludes that Osborn seems
to have completely lost his memory of the last few years! Fire fighters appear
on the scene, and try to break down the door. Deciding that Osborn shouldn’t be
punished for actions he committed while not really himself, Spidey changes him
out of his Goblin costume and burns it in the fire, ending the Green Goblin,
hopefully forever. Spidey leaves Osborn with the fire fighters, telling them
that he helped Spidey take down the Green Goblin. Peter then races home to find
Dr. Bromwell at Aunt May’s house, having sedated Aunt May. Bromwell criticizes
Peter for staying out so late after knowing that Aunt May shouldn’t be worrying
in her condition and Peter promises it won’t happen again. Aunt May awakens,
and feeling Peter’s forehead warm from the fire, thinks he has a fever and
concludes to take care of him, which Peter accepts, thinking it’ll be good for
her. Harry is doing much the same for Norman, as Norman promises their future
will be a good one.