Space Phantom seeks revenge on his old foes The Avengers by tricking them into fighting Spider-Man. Basically, he’s like a version of Loki.
It’s ridiculous to think Spider-Man could hold his own against Earth’s mightiest heroes, but he gets Sandman, Puma, Beetle and Rocket Racer to help him. Yes, Beetle and Rocket Racer are enough of a plus up for Spider-Man to take on The Avengers.
This is classic “hero vs hero” fighting—it is what it is. It’s very stupid and silly, and it’s also fun–in an “early 1980s Marvel” kind of way.
The cover to Amazing Spider-Man #170 is practically a trope at this point. I’m not even sure who published a cover like this first….
Also in the “no idea is original” category, this story pays tribute to the classic Amazing Spider-Man #33‘s “lifting” sequence…
Here’s what they’re paying tribute to:
It ends up tying into a Young Gods story, which doesn’t ruin it but sure doesn’t make it better.
If Parker keeps this shit up, he’s gonna herniate himself one of these days!
Word.