Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #72 (1982)

This was a great, great issue.  It’s like “the kid who collected Spider-Man,” except this kid collects Doctor Octopus!  

It also came out BEFORE that famous issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#246).  I’ve often wondered if it was the inspiration for that story.

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Anyway, also check out the tombstones with creators’ names…And also the Elektra one, which is canon.

This is the story where a kid builds his own Doctor Octopus arms and fights Spider-Man in a giant fishbowl.  It’s an issue I personally really enjoyed.  Kind of like an anti-Kid Who Collects Spider-Man story, featuring an impressionable youth who admires a villain instead.

I also like the battle—Spider-Man isn’t able to tell that it’s a kid and not the real Doc Ock (who escapes from prison at the beginning of the issue), so he has an “Oh my God” moment when he realizes he might have actually killed the kid during the fight.

At the end of the issue, we finally see Dr. Octopus. Spider-Man spends the whole issue looking for him, and in the last three panels he finds Osnick’s tribute.

And is not impressed.

The kid, Ollie Osnick, eventually (a long time from now) becomes The Steel Spider in Amazing Spider-Man #263.  And even gets to be on TV.

Yeah, it’s a famous issue.  But nobody remembers this little thing…

Frank Miller appears, drawing water towers!

Moon Knight appears as well.

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