I: Feature Story: "Spidey Strikes Back!"

Pages: 22

Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Steve Ditko
Inks: Steve Ditko
Letters: Sam Rosen

First Appearance: Rock Gimpy's gang, Wormly, Louie, Mac Gargan (unnamed)

Villain: Sandman, Enforcers: Fancy Dan, Montana, the Ox; Rock Gimpy's gang

Guest Appearance: J. Jonah Jameson, Wormly, Human Torch, Aunt May, Liz Allan, Flash Thompson, Ned Leeds, Louie

Marvel Milestones: First named appearance of Ned Leeds

Synopsis: A bunch of street hoods who have just robbed a bank have a run-in with Spider-Man, who casts his spider signal at them before delivering a balletic beatdown upon them. One of their gang escapes to "warn the boss" about Spidey's intervention. Also hearing about Spider-Man's recent heroic endeavours is J. Jonah Jameson, who is now unable to deliver his lecture to the public about "How I Proved Spider-Man Is A Cowardly Fraud". While Jameson does his typical blustering, the Human Torch flies overhead, on his way home from his most recent battle. He is grabbed by a lasso and pulled down to Earth, where he's faced by a small mob of gangsters: the Enforcers! Among their numbers is the Sandman, who is able to extinguish Johnny Storm's flame by smothering him with sand. They hold him captive in an airtight cylinder as part of their task to rid the city of "accursed crime-fighters".

Word spreads that Spider-Man is back in action, but it doesn't concern the egomaniacal Enforcers, who consider their easy defeat of the Torch as evidence that Spidey will be easy pickings for them. Speaking of Spider-Man, after episodes with Aunt May at home and Flash and Liz at school, he puts his costume on to follow the source of his Spider-Sense tingling: Fancy Dan, of the Enforcers. He follows Fancy Dan to the Enfercer's HQ, where he faces a huge gang of criminals, along with Ox, Dan, and Montana. The fight rages on and garners the attention of the police, which causes the gangsters to scatter and the Enforcers to run away.

Peter heads over to the Daily Bugle and is introduced by Betty to a new friend of hers. His name is Ned Leeds and he is a new reporter for the paper. Betty worries that Peter will frown upon her seeing another man, but Peter seems to be so confident that it doesn't matter to him. Betty wonders if this newfound confidence doesn't mean that Peter has found someone else!

While the Enforcers ponder the use of the Torch as bait for Spider-Man, Johnny Storm realizes he is unable to escape from their diabolical trap. And as they plan and plot, Spider-Man is lustily tracking them down, shaking down a two-bit thug for information on their whereabouts. Spider-Man sets up his camera before swinging into action on the Enforcers hideout, but before he can free the Torch from his chamber, the Sandman discovers him! A fight breaks out and the whole team of Enforcers and their hired thugs take on Spider-Man. Timing an evasive action roll movement just perfectly to use his force to destroy the chamber, Spider-Man frees the Torch! With both super-men fighting in close quarters, they put the Enforcers on the run. But before they can polish off the Sandman - their most powerful foe - they get tangled up in each other's way. Bickering ensues, and the two teenagers can't get their crime-fighting priorities straight as the Sandman escapes, only be to be subdued by two beat cops because he's too tired to put up a fight.

Peter sells his pictures of the big battle to a beleaguered J. Jonah Jameson, who frets out loud about how Spider-Man is back to being viewed as a hero. Betty once again tries to make Peter jealous of Ned Leeds, but for some reason, Peter seems aloof from such concerns, which concerns Betty Brant to no small degree.

Unknown to him, Peter is marked by a private investigator on his way home from school and followed. After the investigator sees the lights go out for the night in the Parker home, he calls his boss and tells him of his findings. The mysterious boss informs him to keep up constant surveillance on Peter Parker, for he must be certain "he knows Parker's secrets".

--synopsis by Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Spider-Man from
Amazing Spider-Man #11-19 and Annual #1

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.