I: Feature Story: "To Kill A Spider-Man!"

Pages: 20

Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: John Romita
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mike Esposito (credited as Mickey Demeo)
Letters: Sam Rosen

First Appearance: Spider-Slayer II

Villain: Spider-Slayer II, Spencer Smythe

Guest Appearance: Ka-Zar, Zabu, Capt. Stacy, Col. John Jameson, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds

Cameo Appearance: Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, Dr. Bromwell

Gadgets & Technology: Destructo-Beam

Synopsis: (continued from ASM #57)

Ka-Zar realizes Spider-Man is still alive and must help revive his valiant foe. At the same time, local beat cops must contend with his angry friend, Zabu. Ka-Zar helps Spidey clear his head on a nearby rooftop, and when he comes to, he's got his memory back! Ka-Zar realizes that Spidey isn't the menace that Jameson told him he was. At the bugle offices, Jameson receives a call from Spencer Smythe, telling him he's had another go at the design of the Spider-Slayer robot. Ka-Zar must go tame his cat, Zabu, who is raging through the streets looking for him. He gets his cat and together they leave Spider-Man to his own business.

Jameson goes out to Smythe's lab, where he is shown the new and improved robotics of the Spider-Slayer. It is much tougher and stronger than the first one (see ASM #25), and he invites Jameson to pursue Spidey with it. As Spider-Man tries to make his way across town, still woozy from his fight with Ka-Zar, the Spider-Slayer starts making its slow progression towards its target - all under the control of Jameson and Smythe! Spider-Man makes it to his apartment and settles in to rest, but his Spider-Sense goes out of control! He looks out the window and sees the new Spider-Slayer marching up the wall to face him.

He leaps out the window and takes on Jameson's robot, taking its considerably stronger punches and facing down a Destructo-Beam that emanates from its head. Jameson is taken aback by the deadly beam and tells Smythe that he only wanted to capture Spider-Man, not kill him. But Smythe pushes Jameson away from the controls of the Spider-Slayer, growing in a ferocious anger to kill Spider-Man! Spidey hides inside a building to regain his composure while the robot slowly paces towards him, drawn towards him like a tractor beam pulling him towards his "spider essence."

Suddenly, Spider-Man thinks up a plan! He leaps down to the street to a phone booth, looking in the white pages for Spencer Smythe's address. He finds it, then races off towards the address. Smythe figures he is safe from Spider-Man, since they are in the office of the Daily Bugle, not at his home laboratory, but Spider-Man has a different idea. Once the robot has reached the laboratory, it blows up to bits! Spidey's theory was correct: since the Spider-Slayer was drawn to spiders, once it was inside Smythe's lab and in the midst of the hundreds of spiders he kept there, the "spider impulses" caused the robot to overload.

Back at the Bugle, Jameson is once again obligated to kick Smythe out for failure with his Spider-Slayer. And later, while Peter is walking home, he sees Ka-Zar out for a walk with Zabu. Ka-Zar senses that Peter Parker is familiar to him, but cannot place why!

--synopsis by Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Amazing Spider-Man #51-61, Annual #4

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.