I: Feature Story: "Make Way For...Medusa!"

Pages: 20

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

First Appearance: Montgomery G. Bliss, Wilberforce

Guest Appearance: Medusa, Montgomery G. Bliss, Wilberforce, Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn

Cameo Appearance: Capt. Stacy, Mary Jane Watson

Flashback Appearance: Green Goblin

Gadgets & Technology: Mono-Cruiser

Marvel Milestones: Medusa dons a new costume in its sole appearance in Marvel history

Synopsis: Spider-Man is webbing his way along the skyscraper canyons of his hometown New York City, when all of a sudden his web is sliced in half and he starts to fall! He is caught by strands of hair from the beautiful Inhuman named Medusa, who is gliding through town on a super-fast "Mono-Cruiser". She scolds him for not watching where he's going, then drops him off. Spidey shrugs off the abrupt encounter and sets off to make things right between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, who is still bitterly angry at him for what she perceived as a violent encounter between him and her beloved father, Captain George Stacy (see ASM #60).

From his top-floor skyscraper window, Heavenly Hair Spray CEO Montgomery G. Bliss sees Medusa and her amazing head of hair float by on her Mono-Cruiser. He tells his assistant, Wilberforce, to head down to the street where Medusa is alighting in her flight craft and get her to sign up for an advertising campaign for his product. Medusa - sent on a mission by Black Bolt to investigate whether the human race is ready to accept the Inhumans - greets the "average person" on the street. At first, they are frightened of her, but when she saves a young child from getting hit by a car, they drop their fear and warm up to her; this encourages the icy queen of the Inhumans. She is approached by Wilberforce to do the ad campaign, and Medusa accepts - but only so she can study the humans more closely to better make her final decision.

Peter knocks on Gwen's door. She greets him, admitting that she wants to believe what he has to say, but when Peter can't readily supply an appropriate answer for the incident with her father, she turns him away. Peter can't see any way to explain to her without admitting he's Spider-Man.

Montgomery Bliss greets Medusa, telling her how fantastic she'll be in their ad campaign. Humoring him, she plays along so she can get an up-close look at human behavior. Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson has a strange run-in with his club associate, Norman Osborn, who seems to be having a bout of irritable behavior. He pushes JJJ aside and glumly settles into a trance with more haunting visions of the Green Goblin and Spider-Man, images in his mind he can neither shake or explain to himself.

Medusa "grows bored" with the modelling process, and lashes out, destroying Bliss' camera set-up. After she walks out on them, Bliss demands that Wilberforce track her down and bring her back to finish the Heavenly Hair campaign. Bliss sees Spider-Man web-slinging his way by the window. He concocts a plan to salvage something out of his interaction with Medua and starts to shout for help. Spidey responds and enters the room, seeing all the damage from Medusa's tantrum. Bliss hams it up, explaining that Medusa threatened to destroy the city, and that Spider-Man must stop her. Something about Bliss seems weird to Spidey, but he figures he should check into Medusa nonetheless.

Medusa is flying along on her Mono-Cruiser when Spidey intercepts her to question her. She grabs at him with her hair and the fight is on! From several rooftop vantage points, Montgomery Bliss is well-prepared to capture every moment on film, so he can use it to further promote his hair spray. Spidey doesn't want to tangle with a female, but Medusa's hair gives him no choice. She tosses a bunch of bricks at him, but he leaps out of the way and shrouds her inside his webbing. Her hair clips right through it. Spider-Man tells her he won't let her destroy the city, and Medusa tells him she made no such threat. They stop fighting and compare notes and realize that they've been had by Bliss.

Medusa has had it with human beings, and she takes off to rejoin her race. Unfortunately for Montgomery Bliss, the newspaper headlines paint Medusa as a villain, making all the footage of her useless to help promote his hair spray. Further, Bliss is fired and replaced as CEO by Wilberforce.

Mary Jane tries to pick up Peter, who turns her down. MJ realizes that Peter is really stuck on Gwen Stacy.

--synopsis by Gormuu

--letters pages provided by Debricazar

Issues Reprinted
Amazing Spider-Man #62-67, Annual #5, Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #1-2

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