I: Feature Story: "The Birth of a Super-Hero!"

Pages: 20

Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Romita
Inks: John Romita
Letters: Sam Rosen

First Appearance: Mr. Dunlap

Villain: Rhino

Origin: John Jameson

Guest Appearance: John Jameson, Mr. Dunlap, Frederick Foswell, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, Foggy Nelson, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, Anna Watson

Cameo Appearance: Mary Jane Watson

Marvel Milestones: First unobstructed, on-panel appearance of Mary Jane Watson

Synopsis: Citizens are outraged after witnessing Spider-Man racing off from a bank with a bag of money in his hands. The bank manager shows the police the path of destruction created by Spider-Man and demands his arrest. Spidey swings over to the Queensboro bridge and tosses the bag in the river.

Over at JFK airport, J. Jonah Jameson is seeing his son John Jameson away. A fever comes over John and he collapses, falling through a countertop! He starts to grow, feeling stronger than ever and begins to burst through his clothes. He leans on the wall and finds himself pushing his way right through it!

John's guards rush him to the government lab and put him in a heavy suit. The spores he was exposed to in space (see ASM #41) seem to have adapted his body to heavier gravity. John's strength is too much for this planet and is putting a strain on his nervous system. The suit will limit his strength so he can function normally.

The reporters call John the newest super-hero, causing Jonah to become quite disconcerted. He's made it his life's work to attack super-heroes, and he is sure that it will make him look bad if his son turns out to be one. In order to prove his son is better than Spider-Man, and not some costumed menace, he dreams up a plan when he hears Spider-Man robbed the bank. Jonah orders John to apprehend Spider-Man, thereby creating a new substitute for Spider-Man as a super-hero Jonah can stand behind. John, who recently seemed to be in Spider-Man's debt, rushes to take care of the job, with his personality seemingly more coarse than before.

In the county jail, the Rhino wakes up from his sleep. The doctors there are trying to keep him sedated but no needles can pierce his hide. As Foggy Nelson prepares his defense for the Rhino, the massive villain busts out of jail! The doctors take him down with a spray tranquilizer but it's only a temporary solution, since they realize they cannot tear through his super-thick hide.

At ESU, Peter's classmates seem to finally start to accept him. Gwen invites him to a party at her house Sunday night, but that is the night when Peter is being forced to meet Mary Jane, and when he turns Gwen down, it puts him right back in the doghouse with her. For some reason, though, Gwen still defends Peter when Flash starts railing against him.

Peter changes to Spider-Man to do a little web-slinging and is attacked by a super-powered John Jameson. Jameson snaps Spidey's webbing and cracks the rooftops into pieces with his punches. Spidey puts all his strength into his punches but they have no effect on the astronaut. Jameson crushes the chimney Spider-Man is clinging to and Spider-Man collects the bricks in a sack of webbing. He slams the sack into Jameson and webs up his face, then body slams Jameson and swings away.

Spider-Man ponders that he has always admired John Jameson, and wishes he could explain about the bank robbery that John is blaming on him. He thinks back on that unfortunate event, where he was forced to take action in a very uncertain manner: as Peter Parker, he had sensed that someone had placed a bomb inside that money bag. He tore into the vault and grabbed the bag, tossing it into the river right before it could explode, but having no time to explain what he was doing.

Spider-Man heads to the Bugle and tries to explain to Jonah but his story falls on deaf ears. Spidey's last words are advice for Jonah to call the bank and see if they have any money missing. Curious, Jonah does and finds out that, indeed, there is no money missing after all!

John returns angry about his defeat. Jonah admits he may have been wrong about Spider-Man's role in the bank robbery, but now John totally ignores him. John is becoming bitter, arrogant and completely merciless - right in front of his father's eyes! John Jameson cannot rest. He must find Spider-Man. He must defeat him!

Spidey can't sleep either wondering what is wrong with John. It isn't long before they meet again on the rooftops. John detaches his weighted boots and leaps high in the air to get at Spider-Man. Spidey stays out of range at first but once he connects, they go flying through a skylight. They land inside a powerhouse and Spider-Man knocks Jameson into a high voltage transfer. The current kills the spores in John's body and shocks him to back to normal. Spider-Man escapes before Jonah and the armed guards collect a stunned unconscious John Jameson.

The next day, Aunt May reminds Peter that he has to meet Mary Jane. Peter has been dreading this for months as he's led to Anna Watson's house. He greets Mrs. Watson, who tells him that Mary Jane will soon arrive to join them for dinner. The doorbell rings and when Peter goes to answer it, he meets Mary Jane Watson for the first time....and she's nothing like he expected....

--synopsis by Jonathan Clarke, aka doesitmatter, and Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Amazing Spider-Man #41-50, Annual #3

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.