Know why I hate you, Leeds--? Because you have the right to propose to Betty! The shadow of--Spider-Man--isn't standing between you! 
- —Spider-Man talking to a dummy that looks like Ned Leeds
Appearing in "Just A Guy Named Joe!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Joe Smith ⏵ (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- NYPD
- ⏴ Norman Osborn ⏵
- Tommy Tomkins (First appearance)
- ⏴ Sally Green
- ⏴ Mary Jane Watson ⏵ (Cameo) (Face Not Seen)
- Marvin (Boxer) (First appearance)
- student protesters
- director
Races and Species:
Locations:
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Daily Bugle Building
- Empire State University
- a Gym
- a Movie Studio
- Queens
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
Items:
Vehicles:
- Mary Jane Watson's car
Note
Continuity Notes
- Neither Peter nor Ned knows what happened to Betty Brant. She abruptly left in Amazing Spider-Man #34. Ned proposed to her in Amazing Spider-Man #30.
- Peter misses a chance to finally meet Mary Jane. He finally meets her in Amazing Spider-Man #42.
Publication Notes
- The main image of the cover which shows Spider-Man swinging on his web is from Page 13, and the three images on the bottom are, from left to right, are page 7 panel 6, page 12 panel 4, and page 15 panel 1.
- This Steve Ditko's last issue as plotter, penciler, and inker for Spider-Man. He left the series due to ongoing creative differences between himself and Stan Lee. He was replaced by John Romita Sr.
- In fact, Ditko didn't finish the cover and only did the inside art. This is why the cover for this issue is actually comprised of four different images from within the comic itself.
- credits:
- Written and Edited by Stan Lee
- Plotted and Drawn by Steve Ditko
- Lettered, Unfettered by Artie Simek
Synopsis for "Just A Guy Named Joe!"
Joe Smith has dreams of becoming a boxing champ and after begging Tommy Tomkins to let him fight, the older man becomes his manager. Unfortunately for Joe, he’s a poor boxer and is ridiculed by others. Taking pity on Joe, Tomkins gets him a job as an extra on a science-fiction movie. While shooting the scene, an arc light falls in a puddle of chemicals and shocks Joe. As he rests, Peter Parker visits The Daily Bugle and runs into Ned Leeds. Both ask each other where Betty yet neither has an answer. Joe is shooting another scene where he has to attack stuntmen. As he fights them, he begins to lose it as a result of the shock and goes on a rampage, with debris flying everywhere, getting the attention of Peter.
Spider-Man emerges and Joe gets angrier seeing another person trying to keep him down. They fight, and after a pause in the action, Joe regains his senses and runs away with Tomkins. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn is disguised and offers $20,000 to criminals to get rid of Spider-Man. Back at Empire State University, Gwen again sees Pete in a positive light, admiring his strength and courage. As word gets out that Spider-Man has a bounty on his head, he’s busy fighting crooks coming at him left and right. As he fights, he hears a commotion at a gym, seeing Joe Smith pounding on the other boxers.
After a few punches to Joe, he’s knocked out of his delusion and Tomkins runs in before he’s arrested. Tomkins says the charges have been dropped and that the movie company wants to give Joe a large starring role for his impressive display. Spider-Man fights more criminals and is angry that Ned has the possibility to marry Betty, because he doesn’t have to hide Spider-Man, and misses another visit from Mary Jane Watson.
Trivia
- It has been rumored that the grinning mannequin punched by Spider-Man at the end of this issue was Ditko's "farewell" shot at a likeness of Stan Lee, not Ned Leeds.
