GREEN GOBLIN #12-13 (1996): Series Ends

This issue concludes a series that was waaaaaaaay better than expected (and way better than it should have been, given it was mid-’90s Tom “Clone Saga architect” DeFalco).

Issue #12 takes a detour through the Onslaught event, and then in issue #13 Phil Urich realizes he’s a terrible super hero and just gives up being Green Goblin, with a final panel paying tribute to an iconic “fake quit” by Spider-Man…

This series was good at staying clear of the horrible mess in the Spider-Man Clone Universe. The ending feels rushed and a little unsatisfying, but it’s also nice to see a book end before it gets horrible. Still, I would have liked it if Liz Osborn’s lawsuit had led to the end of the hero. That would have brought conclusion to the other major subplot in the book and also would have been a very original way to close it out.

Ending-by-quitting is pretty original, though–especially since he stays quit. And it’s nice to end a Green Goblin book with the thirteenth issue.

Still, in all, a good series.

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