Amazing Spider-Man, The (1963 series) #168

In Rockefeller Center, Spider-Man has been made immobile by Will-O-the-Wisp right when the new Spider-Slayer piloted by J. Jonah Jameson shows up, leaving him trapped between them! The Spider-Slayer advances on Will-O-the-Wisp to get to Spidey, shining a light that passes right through Will-O-the-Wisp and hits Spidey, freeing him of the hypnosis. The Spider-Slayer ends up passing right through Will-O-the-Wisp and Spidey knocks it back into the ethereal villain. While the two untangle themselves, Spidey webs the envelope he took from Jameson’s office onto a nearby statue to hide it for the time being. Just as Will-O-the-Wisp seems he’s ready to fight the Spider-Slayer, he experiences an intense pain in his head before turning once more into a ball of light and flying away! With the Wisp now gone, Spidey attacks the Spider-Slayer, which ends up grabbing him, sending them both hurtling into a nearby restaurant. While Spidey tries to outrun the Spider-Slayer, he ends up webbing up the Slayer’s video screen before jumping over it, causing Jameson to pilot the Slayer right into the statue in the middle of the skating rink plaza! The statue falls on top of the Spider-Slayer, pinning it underneath, as Spider-Man collects the envelope and swings off! While Jameson feels frustrated in yet another failure, Marla assures him that they’ll learn from these mistakes and restructure the Slayer even better for next time!

Back at his apartment, Peter finally has the chance to check out the envelope and is shocked to see the photos within, showing him disposing of his clone’s dead body! He suddenly remembers having sensed someone watching him then but is left with more questions, namely, who sent them to Jameson, and what is he supposed to do now? Meanwhile, Will-O-the-Wisp returns empty-handed to his displeased boss, Dr. Jonas Harrow! Harrow decides that Spider-Man must die if his plans are to succeed and threatens Will-O-the-Wisp with the device he implanted in him, forcing Will-O-the-Wisp to reluctantly agree to kill Spider-Man for him. Once more back at his apartment, Peter finishes up in his darkroom with a plan to deal with his photo problem. He exits to find that Mary Jane let herself in and has been making tea for the two of them. Peter tells her he’s glad to see her and the two decide to capitalize on the moment, leaving the whistling tea kettle ignored. Later, Spider-Man sneaks back into Jameson’s office to return the envelope to Jameson’s desk where he found it, and leave the rest of his plan for Jameson to find it!

As Spider-Man swings over Times Square, he’s suddenly attacked once more by Will-O-the-Wisp! Hearing Wisp’s reluctance, Spider-Man offers to help but Wisp claims there’s nothing he can do. Spidey tackles Will-O-the-Wisp, who turns intangible once more, causing Spidey to land in Times Square traffic and narrowly avoid it. Witnessing Spider-Man’s nobility, Will-O-the-Wisp feels he can’t go through with it but then spots Jonas Harrow watching him from the crowd! Deciding he has no choice, Will-O-the-Wisp hypnotizes some of the crowd to attack Spidey. Spidey gets free of them and follows Wisp up to the top of a neon sign. Will-O-the-Wisp tells Spider-Man of his boss’s blackmail, and how he’s been ordered to kill Spidey or else die himself. Though Spidey offers to help, Wisp sees no way out, and sticks his hand through the neon sign, sending electricity coursing through himself and into Spidey! Though Wisp claims he has no choice, Spider-Man reminds him that he always has a choice and that if he goes through with this, he really will lose his humanity! Will-O-the-Wisp realizes he can’t do it, and declares that he’s not a murderer, as he swoops down on Jonas Harrow in the crowd! Harrow uses his device and as Will-O-the-Wisp falls, his atoms scatter until he completely drifts apart and blows away in the wind! With Wisp now gone, Spider-Man’s spider-sense alerts him to someone in the crowd, but he swings off, thinking that no one there could possibly pose a threat to him, as Jonas Harrow shuffles off in silence!