Appearing in "To Prowl No More!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Flash Thompson (Mentioned)
- May Parker (Dream)
- Mindy McPherson (Only in recap)
- Newscaster
- Pharmacist
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "To Prowl No More!"
Spidey then changes back to Peter Parker and returns to the inside of the Bugle building, telling Jameson and Joe Robertson that he was saved by Spider-Man. Jameson is only interested in possible pictures Peter could have taken of Spider-Man fighting the Prowler, but Robertson, seeing that Peter is exhausted, sends the young man home. As Peter sleeps, his mind reels over his life, while the Prowler returns home and changes back into his civilian identity. Hobie vows to make it rich as the Prowler so he can live a life of luxury with his girlfriend Mindy, and vows that if Spider-Man gets in his way, he will defeat him.
The next day, while Peter is on the campus of ESU he is confronted by Gwen, who is upset with him ignoring her, he confronts her with the fact that he saw her out with Flash Thompson the night before and leaves before she has a chance to explain.
Later that night as a brooding Peter Parker watches the news, he sees a report about the Prowler striking again and decides to deal with this new menace once and for all. This time preparing himself with a gas filter against the Prowler's gas launcher, Spidey also makes a brief stop at a pharmacy to get film for his camera. He then spots the Prowler robbing the Smith Bros. jewelry shop. Setting up his camera, Spider-Man battles the Prowler. This time the Prowler's gas does not affect the web-slinger and he easily defeats the Prowler.
When he unmasks him and realizes that he is a young man the same age as him, Spidey has no heart to turn the disenfranchised Hobie over to the authorities. Spider-Man decides that since Hobie never stole anything or hurt anyone, he'd let him go if he goes on the straight and narrow and takes good care of his girlfriend. Happy that he is not going to jail, Hobie promises just that, and Spider-Man departs.Appearing in "If I Fail, a World is Lost!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Stark Industries
- Senator Byrd (Name revealed)
Antagonists:
- Attuma's Barbarian Horde (Unnamed)
- Attuma
- Numerous unnamed members
Other Characters:
- Stark Industries Security
- Two unnamed security guards
- United States Government
- United States Navy
- Two unnamed military personnel
- Unnamed Government Agent
- United States Navy
- Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie) (Mentioned in narration or thoughts)
- Giant-Man (Hank Pym) (Mentioned in narration or thoughts)
- Neptune (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Realities:
Locations:
- Earth
- Atlantic Ocean
- Atlantis (Mentioned in narration or thoughts)
- North America
- Vietnam (Mentioned in narration or thoughts) (Topical Reference)
- Atlantic Ocean
Items:
- Iron Man Armor MK III (First appearance)
- Attuma's Gun (First appearance; destruction)
- Nautilium (First appearance)
- Nautilium Shell (First appearance; destruction)
- Neptune's Seven Scepters (Mentioned)
Vehicles:
- Stark Industries Transistorized Mini Sub-Marine (First appearance)
- Pincer Tank (First appearance)
Synopsis for "If I Fail, a World is Lost!"
—Senator ByrdI don't see Stark here! Probably in conference at the nearest cocktail lounge with some female! Hrummph!
US Senator Harrington Byrd has commissioned Stark Industries to build a new submarine, which is to be tested by Iron Man. When Happy Hogan offers to test the sub in Iron Man's place, Tony Stark declines which puts Happy down.
While testing the sub out at sea, Iron Man soon stumbles upon Attuma and his army who are building giant weapons for Attuma's latest plan to try and take over the surface world. Attacking before Attuma can implement a missile which would make it hard for humans to breath on the surface, Iron Man makes quick work of Attuma's troops and super weapons. However in a one-on-one battle with Attuma, Iron Man is quickly defeated and imprisoned by the Atlantean warlord.
Breaking free of his prison, Iron Man then uses the experimental sub to destroy Attuma's weapon, before returning to the surface. There, Iron Man doesn't tell the others of Attuma's attack, and Senator Byrd assumes that the tests failure is due to Tony Stark's apparent playboy attitude. To make matters worse, Happy Hogan had left while Iron Man was fighting Attuma.Appearing in "Abandoned on Earth!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- a Strong Man candidate
- Olson, a janitor
- NYPD
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "Abandoned on Earth!"
Thor, Sif and Balder have defeated the now powerless Enchanters Magnir and Brona and turn them over to police custody. While in Asgard, Odin has emerged from his duel with Forsung as the victor and vows the death to all foes of Asgard. He is furious over this attack on him, and so he teleports Magnir and Brona away from Earth where he might punish all three of the Enchanters himself.
Back on Earth, Thor, Balder and Sif are contacted by Odin, who tells them of the Enchanters' defeat and orders them to return to Asgard. Balder and Sif comply, however Thor refuses and the furious Odin decides to punish his son once more, by stripping him of his all his powers except for his strength. Thor is found afterwards and revived by Donald Blake's janitor who suggests that Thor seek Blake's help. This is a notion which Thor refuses and leaves Blake's office. He decides to start a new life.
Elsewhere, the Circus of Crime is back in operation, however they have hit a snag in their performance when Bruto is laid out due to the fact that he over-strained himself trying to lift and elephant. Needing a strong man for their act, the Ringmaster begins auditions for a temporary replacement while Bruto recovers from his injuries.
The tryouts are less than successful until Princess Python's prized snake gets out of it's cage and attacks Thor (who has assumed street clothing and just happened by.) Horrified by seeing Thor fight off her snake, Princess Python attacks, gathering the other members of the Circus of Crime. The Ring Master is impressed by Thor's strength and asks him to prove that he can pull off other feats of amazing strength. Thor proves that he has super-strength, and when the Ringmaster is convinced that Thor is an asset to their act, he uses the hypno-disc on his hat to put Thor into his thrall so that they can exploit the Thunder God in their crime capers. The Circus of Crime however believes that Thor is an imitator and not the genuine article.
Deciding the put the entranced Thor on one final test: Planning to steal a statue of a bull made out of gold, the Ringmaster orders Thor to lift a lead mock-up that weighs exactly the same as the statue they intend to steal. Impressed that Thor is actually able to lift the tremendous weight, the Ringmaster decides to use Thor for his current plot, and takes Thor out of the trace (commanding him to remember nothing of what happened) and informs Thor that he has the job.
This story is continued next issue...