Appearing in "Looking Back"
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #41
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jennifer Hardesty
- Aunt May
- Richard Cranston (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
Antagonists:
- Shade (Jacob Nash) (Only in flashback)
Other Characters:
- NYPD
- Lieutenant William Lamont (First appearance)
- Officer Phil (First appearance)
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) (Cameo)
- Steve Hardesty (Mentioned)
- Gordon, kid using computer in library (Mentioned) (Appeared in previous issue)
- Johnny (Mentioned)
- Uncle Ben (Mentioned)
- Mary Jane Watson-Parker (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York State
- New York City
- Queens
- Forest Hills
- Latterby (First appearance) (prison)
- Manhattan
- Greenwich Village
- 14th Precint
- Queens
- Long Island (Only in flashback)
- Book store (Only in flashback)
- New York City
- New York State
- United States of America
- North America
- Astral Plane (Mentioned)
Items:
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters
- Spider-Man's Spider-Signal
- Trench coat
- Pentagram (Only in flashback)
- Eye of Agamotto (Cameo)
Vehicles:
- Lamont's car
Synopsis for "Looking Back"
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #41
Spider-man meets with police Lieutenant William Lamont. The two follow up on a lead concerning the black star tattoo on Shade's neck from their last encounter. Lamont bring's Spider-man to Richard Cranston, a man who bears the same black star tattoo. Richard recounts how he killed a bookstore owner for the last book he needed for his ritual. While in prison he was set to complete his ritual before being jumped by Shade. During the ritual Cranston stared into the astral plane and lost his mind. Realizing that he would need help to confront the magical threat Spider-man goes to find Doctor Strange at his Sanctum Sanctorum.
Appearing in "A Strange Turn of Events"
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #42
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Shade (Apparent death)
Other Characters:
- Mary Jane Watson-Parker
- Great Weaver
- Richard Cranston (Only in flashback)
- Aunt May (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York State
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Greenwich Village
- Airport
- Times Square (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- New York City
- Los Angeles (Mentioned)
- New York State
- United States of America
- North America
- Astral Plane
Items:
Vehicles:
- Airplane
Synopsis for "A Strange Turn of Events"
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #42
- Synopsis not yet written
Appearing in "Unmasked By Doctor Octopus!"
Amazing Spider-Man #12
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Dr. Bromwell
- Peter Parker's High School classmates
- NYPD Officers
- Betty Brant's replacement
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters
- Spider-Man's Utility Belt
- Spider-Man's Spider-Signal
- Doctor Octopus' Tentacles
- Daily Bugle Newspaper
Synopsis for "Unmasked By Doctor Octopus!"
Amazing Spider-Man #12
Betty Brant has returned to New York and taken back her secretary job at the Daily Bugle. Dr. Octopus has also returned to New York, plotting to get revenge on Spider-Man, and decides to use Betty as bait. Kidnapping Betty from the Bugle building, he tells Jameson to put a call out to Spider-Man to meet him at a nearby amusement park.
With his spider-powers seemingly gone because he's come down with a cold, Peter decides that he has no choice but to save Betty as he is, and so he accepts the challenge. When he tells Jameson (pretending that he just heard it, so his identity isn't compromised), Jameson reports the story himself.
When Spider-Man arrives to battle Dr. Octopus, all his powers have completely faded. Naturally, the powerless Spider-Man proves to be no match for Dr. Octopus. Dr. Octopus publicly unmasks Spider-Man. Octopus theorizes that Parker was simply posing as Spider-Man to save his girlfriend, because Spider-Man would put up a better fight. He flees the scene to find some other way to get the "real" Spider-Man's attention.
Everyone gives Peter grief for the danger he put himself in; however, Liz Allan finds the whole episode romantic, and her opinion of Peter changes and she realizes that she's attracted to him. The next day, Peter finds that the cold has passed and as a result, his powers are back. When Dr. Octopus releases animals from the zoo, Peter goes into action as Spider-Man. He rounds up all the animals, and gets into a fight with Dr. Octopus across the city.
Their fight takes them to an artist's loft, where they inadvertently start a fire; when the flames grow too big, Spider-Man flees and Dr. Octopus is knocked out by inhaling too much smoke. The fire is put out, and Octopus is turned over to the police. Later, Liz Allan asks Peter out on a date. Peter rejects her date, telling her that he's going on a better one with Betty Brant. He tells Liz to go out with Flash Thompson, because they deserve each other.