MARVELous Monday

Welcome again to MARVELous Monday, the day I share a random Silver and or Bronze age Marvel book I read to try and spice up our boring Mondays.

This week while window shopping my Marvel app, an Amazing Spider-Man jumped out at me saying, “Read Me, Read Me!”

That issue is none other than Amazing Spider-Man issue #66, the Madness of Mysterio.

With the new movie coming this summer, seems like a good issue to read in order to get some back history on Mysterio.

Mysterio is Quentin Beck who first appears as such in Amazing Spider-Man #2, which is likely out of reach for most collectors. His first appearance as Mysterio was in Amazing Spider-Man #13.

Plus one must admire that sweet John Romita Sr. classic cover.

This issue starts off with Mysterio coming up with his grand plan of seeking revenge on Spider-Man.

You can see he’s standing over an amusement park model he’s built, outlining his plan on capturing Spidey (Screen shots provided because GBess demanded them, probably assuming I’m paid by the hour or something..  ).

Mysterio is marveling at his creation and talks about his work as a hollywood set creator and master.

He keeps thinking and talking about his revenge on Spider-Man since their last encounter landed him in jail, so he’s recounting how he escaped so he can plot his revenge against the Spider-Man, how he plans to destroy him.

Meanwhile, Peter is off gathering his stuff after a battle with the Vulture to hopefully obtain his camera with pictures to sell to Jameson at the Daily Bugle, which Jameson throws him out saying he doesn’t need his pics after he got someone else to take them.

These were the days when Peter were much poorer, so strapped for cash, has to sell his motorcycle to make ends meet. There’s a Mysterio appearance on the public street after Peter sells his motorcycle but Mysterio soon vanishes in a dense smoke as people scrambled away. Peter decided it wasn’t his time to go after him, thinking to himself he gains nothing from capturing such villains.

In the crowd, Gwen Stacy (1st appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #31 and surprisingly still in some collectors reach in terms of value) spots Peter and calls out to him, wanting to make up with him after a brief breakup (apparently her dad explained everything and Peter was not at fault from a Kingpin run-in back in Amazing Spider-Man #60). While they’re out and about getting coffee and catching up, they run into Harry who explains to Peter he is worried about his father Norman, who’s disappeared again.

Unknowing to all except Peter of his alter ego, his Green Goblin persona is coming back and haunting him, causing him to go into hiding. As Peter and Harry are driving around looking for Norman, Peter asks Harry to drop him off at his Aunt May’s house they pass. Peter breaks down the door after he hears her cry out but it’s Aunt May watching the news on television that the Mysterio is attacking the city, as it’s just props.

Peter quickly jumps on the task of stopping Mysterio when he publicly announces a challenge to Spider-Man, knowing Mysterio could actually plan out a real attack and meets him at the location of their first fight.

The fight commences between Spidey and Mysterio. Mysterio manages to get Spidey in the path of his new device that can apparently shrink objects and zaps Spidey.

As the smoke clears and Spidey comes to his senses, he realizes something isn’t right as now Mysterio is looming over him in what appears to be the scaled prop of a carnival we saw at the beginning of the story. Spider-Man is now only 6 inches tall and Mysterio plans to squash him now.

So  I can’t leave you all hanging right? This MARVELous Monday will continue with part II next week in “To Squash a Spider” story line from Amazing Spider-Man #67.