Amazing Spider-Man #268 Review

Issue Review
Amazing Spider-Man #268

Direct Market Release Date: May 14, 1985

Credits

Title: This Gold is Mine!
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciller: Ron Frenz
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Owsley
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary

Federal agent Charles Anderson is busy overseeing the transport of the golden skyscrapers remains from the disaster area to Puerto Rico, where it is dumped into a deep underwater chasm. Still suspicious of Anderson's involvement with the Kingpin, Spider-Man follows Anderson as he accompanies the final load of gold on to a freighter.

It is soon discovered that the ship that Anderson and Spider-Man have boarded was hijacked by the Kingpin's crew, who plan to dump it in a different underwater trench and retrieve it at a later time. Anderson is taken captive by the crew, and meets up with the Arranger. Overhearing their discussion, Spider-Man discovers that Anderson's only involvement with organized crime was accepting the Kingpin's help in keeping crowds away from the gold building.

Spider-Man begins attacking the crew. The air support flying alongside realizes that there is trouble, and the Kingpin's men are rounded up. Satisfied that Charles Anderson wasn't more heavily involved with the Kingpin, Spider-man share an uneasy salute with the federal agent, each having helped the other out. His instincts were correct, however, as Spider-Man remains unaware that the Kingpin was tipped off as to the location of the gold dump by someone in the upper levels of government.

Quotes

Spider-Man: I don't know what terrifies me more -- the possibility of a global depression -- or the fear that the government of the United States may be tied in with the Kingpin of Crime?! Was Anderson acting alone -- or was he ordered to turn that gold over to the Kingpin? How far up the ladder does the corruption go?

Spider-Man: And, I wouldn't have to worry about that golden notebook I've got back at my apartment! What am I going to do with that thing? I could really use the money, but selling it seems dishonest! Where do you sell gold, anyway! Sheesh! For a guy who just saved the economy of the world, I seem to be having an awful lot of trouble managing my own finances! What more can go wrong!

Commentary

This issue is a direct continuation of the storyline started in Web of Spider-Man #6.

As noted in that review, this is one of the better crossovers in the series. The Frenz/Rubinstein team are in fine form here, in the middle of their now classic, Ditko-inspired run on the title. A marked improvement to the mish mash of artists involved in the first part of the story.

The only thing that can be held against it is that this two-parter probably could have been condensed into a single issue - there seems to be a lot of time devoted to nameless soldiers dismantling and transporting gold at the beginning of the book. Also, the story goes through great pains to note that Congressman Jason Black informed the Kingpin of the location of the gold dump, and that the government really was tied up with the Kingpin. We get a story where Spider-Man suspects government corruption, and then erroneously concludes that there is none, and I don't believe that this element was ever followed up on

Despite those two points, it's still a classic slice of the great Defalco/Frenz run, and a crossover that requires very little participation in the larger Secret Wars II saga, but still serves it well.

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Fantastic Four #282!