Amazing Spider-Man, The (1963 series) #137

On a New Jersey highway, the Green Goblin intercepts a truck, hitting the drivers with knockout gas and causing the truck to crash! The Goblin then seals something from the truck and flies off, laughing maniacally all the while! Meanwhile, Spider-Man has been searching for two whole nights for Harry, to no avail. Instinctively, he heads back to his apartment before remembering that Harry blew it up (last issue). Peter then decides to visit Mary Jane at the hospital. Just as he enters the waiting room, thinking about how deeply he’s beginning to feel for her, he finds a whole crowd there expecting him! Turns out, Flash, Liz, Robbie, and Jameson all rushed over to visit as soon as they heard the news of what happened! They tell him that Mary Jane has been asking for him, and reveal that Aunt May has come to visit as well! Peter and Aunt May head in to see Mary Jane, while Flash idly wonders why Harry isn’t there. In her room, Mary Jane assures Peter that she’s okay and says there are bigger things to worry about, indicating the radio reporting on the Goblin’s earlier theft. Peter uses the excuse of going to take photos in order to leave and investigate, and ignores Jonah when he tries to talk to him on the way out the door.

After hitching a ride atop someone’s car, Spider-Man finally reaches the New Jersey highway where the theft took place. While the drivers exasperatedly try to explain things to the disbelieving cops, Spidey goes poking around in the truck and discovers remnants of a pumpkin bomb, confirming that Harry was responsible. Spider-Man is then spotted by the cops and has to make a hasty exit atop a passing truck. Back in New York, Spider-Man heads to the one place he hadn’t checked yet, Norman Osborn’s old townhouse. He realizes that perhaps subconsciously he hadn’t really wanted to find Harry before, but realizes now he has no choice! Spider-Man crashes through the window and finds the Goblin and tries to make it short by webbing him up. The Goblin avoids the webs, while Spidey tries to talk some sense into him. The Goblin fires back, before hopping on his glider to attack Spidey from the air. However, Spidey creates a web net to knock the Goblin out of the air, proving Harry doesn’t have the same experience that his father did.

Before Spider-Man can do much more, however, the Goblin reveals his true plan. He reveals on the screen behind him, Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Flash all tied to chairs with something dangling over their heads! The Goblin reveals that one of them is a bomb set to go off in six minutes while the other two are duds! The clincher: Spidey only has time to pick one! The Goblin taunts that the person most dear to Spidey will die, and in a moment of rage, Spidey knocks Harry clean out! Spider-Man races outside, trying to figure out which one to pick, before something Harry said gives him a realization! At that pivotal moment, Spidey discovers that he’s out of webbing but then remembers the spare costume and web cartridges he hid on the roof across from his the previous night. He races over there and loads up on webbing and makes a mad dash for Grant’s Tomb, where he finds Aunt May tied up. Figuring she was who Harry meant, Spidey flings the bomb into the water and waits agonizing moments to see if he picked correctly! Finally though, the bomb explodes in the water and Spidey collapses in relief!

Back at the townhouse, Spider-Man tells Harry that he failed, and Harry decides to try and kill him instead! During their scuffle, Harry gets knocked into the control board which short circuits and knocks him out! With the police on the way, Peter quickly removes his and Harry’s costumes, so that they won’t find any evidence that Harry was the Goblin. However, as Harry is being loaded into an ambulance, he makes the bold declaration that Peter Parker is Spider-Man! While Peter is ready to admit it, the cops ask Harry how he could possibly know that. He responds that it’s because he’s the Green Goblin, which is enough for the cops to disbelieve his rambling, positing that he’s too young. As Harry is driven away, the cop says he’ll need a lot of help. Peter responds that any help he can give, Harry’s already got, because…Harry’s his friend.