Issue Description

Mutant villain Mesmero has decided to go straight…by becoming a Broadway producer! But when critics pan Mesmero’s lackluster (and all-around strange) show, this baddie-at-heart may resort to mind control. Mesmero not only wants the praise of critics, he wants to convince Spider-Man to star in his next death-defying production!

Mesmero's Revenge!

At the start of this issue, Peter Parker and Debbie Whitman are attending a show held by Mesmero, a former X-Men villain. During the show, Mesmero tries to make a hypnotised man juggle some balls, but when he fails to, they fall to the ground, causing minor explosions. Unknown to anyone but Peter Parker, this causes one of the stage's curtains to catch on fire. With no time to change to Spider-Man, Peter climbs onto the ceiling, and concealed from the crowd, uses one of his web shooters to pull the curtain out of harm's way, just as the crowd notices the fire. Although he doesn't see Peter, Mesmero realises that it must have been Spider-Man who stopped the fire, and says to the crowd that if Spider-Man is amongst them, then he can come after the show to him for a chance for money. Curious about the offer, Peter manages to get rid of Debbie after the show, and visits Mesmero to see what he means by his offer. Mesmero offers Spider-Man $400 a week to do a fifteen minute specialty in his show. Spider-Man agrees, and then leaves.

After Spider-Man leaves, Mesmero reads a review of his show in the Daily Globe, where he's described as "a charlatan and a blunderer". Angered that someone is simply trying to enhance their reputation at his expense, Mesmero vows that he'll pay with his life. The next day at the Daily Globe, Peter passes the critic who wrote the review, and notices that he's practically sleepwalking. Peter asks what's happening, and he's told that the man mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge before leaving. Peter suddenly realises that the critic looks just like the hypnotised man from Mesmero's show, and changes to Spider-Man to go after him. When he reaches the Brooklyn Bridge, he manages to save the man just as he jumps, and is given two tickets to a Broadway show as thanks. Spider-Man then arranges with Debbie Whitman to go on a date with her to the Broadway show. Unknown to him, more than one critic has called Mesmero's show poor, and Mesmero decides to get revenge on all the critics, as well as Spider-Man for foiling his plot with the Daily Globe's critic.

Going to see Mesmero as per their previous deal, Spider-Man notices several newspaper critics going into the stage. He then goes to Mesmero, who gives him the money which he promised, but is attached to an electric generator, knocking Spider-Man out when he grabs it. This leads to him missing his date with Debbie, who assumes that Peter stood her up. Upon Spider-Man awakening, he finds Mesmero has coated the theatre with petrol. Mesmero then throws Spider-Man some of the exploding juggling balls from his previous how, saying that if he drops any, he'll set the whole theatre on fire, with only him surviving from inside his fireproof suit. However, Spider-Man simply throws the juggling balls up high, so that they explode on the ceiling, and then confronts Mesmero personally. With Spider-Man's strength, he takes out Mesmero in one punch.

NotesFeatures the Hostess Fruit Pies ad, The Incredible Hulk VS. The Roller Disco Devils!Mary Jo Duffy's assistant editor credit taken from letters page header.There are Diamond (Direct) and Square block (Newstand) price variants available for this issue.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963)

Publisher

Marvel

Volume Description

After the success of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) a few months later the same creative team came back to start an ongoing series focusing on the character the two of them created.

The book's run continued until issue number 441 (Nov. 1998) when Marvel relaunched the title as Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 with a new number 1 in January 1999. After issue #30 (#471) Marvel used a dual numbering system, yet the indicia still stated The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2. On the title's 40th anniversary the numbering was reverted to go from issue 58 to issue 500 (Dec. 2003) as The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1.

This volume ends with #700 and is picked up by the Marvel Now! revolution volume Superior Spider-Man.

Collected EditionsMarvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 (#1-10)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 (#11-19)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 (#20-30)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 (#31-40)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 (#41-50)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 (#51-61)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 (#62-67)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 8 (#68-77)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 9 (#78-87)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 10 (#88-99)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 11 (#100-109)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 12 (#110-120)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 13 (#121-131)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 14 (#132-142)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 15 (#143-155)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 16 (#156-168 and Annual #10)Spider-Man vs. Black Cat (#194-195, 204-205, 226-227.)Spider-Man: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut (#224-230)Birth of Venom (#252-259, #298-300)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 1 (#252-258)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 2 (#259-263)Kraven's Last Hunt (#293-294)The Amazing Spider-Man: Life in the Mad Dog Ward (#295)Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane (#296-329)Sinister Six (#334-339)Powerless (#341-343)Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Round Robin (#351-360)Round Robin (#353-358)Maximum Carnage (#378-380)

Collection of sequentially numbered trades, Amazing Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Mark of the Tarantula (#231-237)Coming Home (#471-476)Revelations (#477-480)Until the Stars Turn Cold (#481-486)Life and Death of Spiders (#487-491)Unintended Consequences (#492-497)Happy Birthday (#498-502)The Book of Ezekiel (#503-508)Sins Past (#509-514)Skin Deep (#515-518)New Avengers (#519-524)

Individual trades with their own volumes because of sub-titles.

The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Power (#1-17)Punisher vs. the Marvel Universe (#161-162)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past (#259-272)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Return of the Sinister Six (#334-350)Spider-Man: The Gathering of Five (#440-441)The Other (#525-528)The Road to Civil War (#529-531)Civil War (#532-538)Back in Black (#539-543)One More Day (#544-545)Brand New Day Vol 1 (#546-551)Brand New Day Vol 2 (#552-558)Brand New Day Vol 3 (#559-564)Kraven's First Hunt (#565-567)New Ways to Die (#568-573)Crime and Punisher (#574-577)Death and Dating (#578-583)Election Day (#584-588)24/7 (#589-594)American Son (#595-599)Died in Your Arms Tonight (#600-601)Red-Headed Stranger (#602-605)Return of The Black Cat (#606-611)The Gauntlet, Vol 1 (#612-616)The Gauntlet, Vol 2 (#617-621)The Gauntlet, Vol 3 (#622-625)The Gauntlet, Vol 4 (#626-629)The Gauntlet, Vol 5 (#630-633)The Grim Hunt (#634-637)One Moment in Time (#638-641)Origin of the Species (#642-647)Big Time (#648-651)Matters of Life and Death (#652-657)The Fantastic Spider-Man (#658-662)Big Time Ultimate Collection (#648-662)The Return of Anti-Venom (#663-665)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 2 (#663-676)Spider-Island (#666-673)Flying Blind (#674-677)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 3 (#677-687 and 679.1)Trouble on the Horizon (#678-681, #679.1)Ends of the Earth (#682-687)No Turning Back (#688-691)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 4 (#688-697)Danger Zone (#692-697)Dying Wish (#698-700)Amazing Spider-Man: Peter Parker The One And Only (#700.1-700.5)

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