I: Feature Story: "The Return of the Vulture"

Pages: 21

Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Steve Ditko
Inks: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek

Villain: The Vulture

Guest Appearance: J. Jonah Jameson, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, Betty Brant, Aunt May

Synopsis: Though his jailers think he has been a model prisoner, the Vulture has been working overtime in the machine shop to rig up a new flying device. When he finishes it, he flies out of the yard and over the wall to freedom. Peter hears news of his escape on the radio and sets out to stop him - as Spider-Man! He doesn't forget to bring along his Anti-Magnetic Inverter, the gadget he invented to defeat the Vulture in their first battle (see ASM #2). The Vulture, meanwhile, is using his new wings to evade capture by a police helicopter, swings into a jewelry showroom to rob them, and flies away. Spider-Man spots him and casually takes a few pictures, confident he can easily beat him like he did the last time. After snapping his news shots, he turns on his Anti-Magnetic Inverter, and it appears that the Vulture dwindles down to earth just like last time.

But as Spider-Man peers over the edge to get a better look at the supposedly defeated Vulture, he has been taken by surprise! The Vulture swoops upwards and lands a hard right on Spidey's chin. The Anti-Magnetic Inverter doesn't work this time, since the Vulture has learned a lesson from his first loss to Spidey and changed his method of flying! Taken by surprise, Spider-Man falls dozens of feet and lands hard on a rooftop. Though the Vulture and the crowds of people who witnessed Spidey's fall assume he's been defeated, Spider-Man is only down, but not out. He does have what could be a broken arm, though, and wanders home to recuperate.

He's taken by surprise again, though; this time by his Aunt May, who begins to open his bedroom door while he is still in full costume. He leaps to his ceiling, over her head, and avoids detection. He changes into street clothes after she leaves, then thinks up an excuse why he has a sprained arm. After visiting the doctor, who puts his arm in a sling, Peter must endure taunts from Flash Thompson and his gang.

The Vulture plans his next attack, confident he has disposed of Spider-Man. He figures J. Jonah Jameson's publishing empire would make a great target for robbery. While Peter is at the Bugle trying to sell pics of the Vulture to Jameson, the Vulture hovers outside. He lunges inside and demands the entire payroll of Jameson Publishing. JJJ argues with him, telling him the robbery will ruin his business, and tries to negotiate a better deal with the Vulture. Peter ducks out and changes into Spider-Man, comes back inside and tries to dispatch the Vulture while favoring his bum arm all the way. Spidey webs up the pistol the Vulture tries to fire at him, but the Vulture uses Jameson as a shield to ward off Spider-Man. Their battle leads them into the newsroom, where Betty Brant hides behind a desk and Jameson runs screaming behind them, huffing and puffing in his inimitable style at the two combatants.

The newsroom now a massive mess, they find their way in battle to the printing press, where the Vulture tries to maneuver Spidey into the huge rollers to crush him. The Vulture's aerial acrobatics give Spidey a hard time, and the Vulture tries to get outside where he can fly free in the wind. He makes it through a window and Spider-Man grabs hold of him. The Vulture decides to fly him as high as he can and then drop him, but Spider-Man uses his webbing to pin his wings back so he cannot fly anymore. The Vulture flips out, thinking it's going to mean certain death for the both of them, but Spidey makes a parachute out of webbing, and they float down to a rooftop and the Vulture is left once again for the police to find, signed, sealed and delivered by Spider-Man!

Before he can leave the Bugle offices, Spider-Man is called over to JJJ's window so the Bugle publisher can bellow at him, blaming him for the wrecking of his newsroom and threatening to one day find out his secret identity. Spidey webs his mouth shut so he can't yell at him anymore, then changes into Peter Parker and goes to visit with Betty Brant, who is still hiding behind her desk. Peter tries out some flirtatious lines with her, which is received very well by Ms. Brant.

--synopsis by Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Spider-Man from Amazing Fantasy #15 and
Amazing Spider-Man #1-10

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.