Amazing Spider-Man, The (1963 series) #158

Picking right up from last issue, Spider-Man has been left by Doctor Octopus to plummet to the ground over an empty field! Spidey saves himself by spinning a web hang-glider and letting the wind carry him right back to the city. Once he’s over the city, he drops down and snags his web on a building to slow his descent, but still ends up landing hard in a dumpster! The next morning, Peter patches up his costume in his apartment, when he’s paid a surprise visit from Glory Grant, bearing cake. While she’s fixing coffee for them, Peter hears his doorbell ring and looks outside to see that Mary Jane is there as well. MJ mentions that she just dropped her aunt back at home and found the place completely wrecked, and wonders why Peter isn’t out looking for Aunt May! Peter assures her that Aunt May is safe with a friend (or so he’s trying to tell himself). As MJ and Glory get reacquainted, Peter gets a phone call from Robbie asking him to come down for something important, causing Peter to jet out, and asks the ladies to lock up when they leave.

At the Daily Bugle, Robbie tells Peter that their competitor, the Daily Globe, has gotten a new publisher named K.J. Clayton, who’s been hiring away all of the Bugle’s top talent, and wants to know if Peter heard from him. Jameson is obviously stressed about the whole thing, and Peter witnesses him scare away a new secretary with his usual demeanor! Just then, Robbie is alerted to the news that Doc Ock is holding someone hostage at the Brookhaven Labs, and Peter takes that as his cue to leave and check it out! Meanwhile, at the aforementioned Brookhaven National Laboratory, a team of special forces surrounds the place and tells Doc Ock to release his hostage! Inside, Doctor Octopus tells Aunt May not to heed them any mind, and she believes him, having been on the helicopter when the ghost of Hammerhead appeared once more to threaten Doc Ock. Hammerhead mentioning atomic energy gave Doc Ock the idea to head to Brookhaven Labs, where he begins to assemble something he hopes will rid him of Hammerhead forever! Meanwhile, just outside, Spider-Man arrives to find the place completely surrounded by special forces and wonders how he’s going to get inside.

Inside, Hammerhead’s ghost appears once more to hound Doc Ock, just as Spider-Man comes crashing through a window! Doc Ock attacks Spider-Man, while trying to keep him away from Aunt May, and Spidey retaliates, until Doc Ock is able to grab him and throw back out the window! Spidey dodges gunfire from the special forces and swings back in, just as Doc Ock is goading Hammerhead into the middle of a particle accelerator he’s set up. Feeling the device is too dangerous, Spidey begins to knock it out of alignment, before laying another smackdown on Ock! Just then, Aunt May screams, and the two see the ghostly Hammerhead threatening Aunt May! Realizing it’s their only chance, Spidey and Ock work together to reassemble the particle accelerator. Doc Ock goads Hammerhead into it once more, and Spidey notices that Hammerhead seems oddly happy about this. Realizing this was his plan all along, Spidey tries to stop Doc Ock from turning the machine on but gets swatted away. Doc Ock boots up the machine and Hammerhead gets overloaded with atomic energy! However, instead of destroying his ghost, it instead returns Hammerhead to flesh and blood! And now that he’s back, Spidey and Doc Ock wonder what they’re going to do now! To be continued!