The Amazing Spider-Man #24

May, 1965

Written by Stan Lee, Illustrated by Steve Ditko

Spidey Goes Mad

Great issue. Great frickin’ issue. Let me tell you why.

Basically it happened like this: J. Jonah Jameson has started a new campaign against Spider-Man. Again. This time he has a reporter on the street asking loaded questions to people about Spider-Man such as “Why do you hate Spider-Man?” and “Why do you think Spider-Man is a menace?” If the walkers-by say they don’t particularly hate Spider-Man the reporter retorts, “Look, do you want your name and picture in the paper or don’t you?” (Page 6). Sorta like a Fox News reporter.

Eventually some famous-in-Europe-Sigmund-Freud-knock-off psychologist catches wind of what the Daily Bugle is doing and pays Jameson a visit. The psychologist's name is Dr. Ludwig Rinehart (hee hee) and he thinks that Spider-Man is sure to lose his mind soon. He says, “It is only a matter of time before his Id and his Ego get so confused that he forgets who he really is…and then he will suffer a severe breakdown!” (Page 7) As you can see, it’s a pretty convincing diagnosis.

So the Daily Bugle publishes the doctor’s findings, basically that Spider-Man is leading a double life and this will cause him to eventually schizoid and lose his mind. Peter Parker, upon reading this diagnosis, decides that he has to meet this doctor, partly to convince him that Rhinehart’s wrong about Peter’s mental state and partly to make sure he’s not right.

But then the strangest thing happens: Spider-Man starts seeing shit. Hallucinations of his greatest foes, Dr. Octopus, The Sandman, The Vulture, all appear before him, angry and threatening. But when he reaches out to strike them he realizes they’re not actually there.

Parker starts freaking out. He’s convinced that Rhinehart’s prophecy is coming true and he’s terrified that he might hurt someone he loves. He finds the psychologist’s home office (and it’s weird that he has a home office because he told Jameson that he was just in visiting the states on vacation) and lies down in the chair to confess everything.

Dr. Ludwig stands, one arm behind his back, the other discreetly holding a smoking pipe, and says “The root of your problem is, of course, your dual identity. But, if you were to make you true identity known, much of the strain would be gone.” (Page 17) And Spider-Man is convinced. But just before he confesses to his secret identity to Ludwig Rhinehart, Jonah Jameson breaks in closely tailed by an irate Flash Thompson.

‘Where did they come from?’ you may wonder.

Well, Flash periodically appeared throughout the issue every time one of The Daily Bugle’s reporters were trashing Spider-Man. He grew angrier and angrier as the issue progressed and, by coincidence, saw Jameson getting out of a car in front of Rhinehart’s house while Spider-Man was inside. Jameson was visiting Rhinehart because his former-convict-turned-lead-reporter Foswell tipped him off that Rhinehart is actually a fraud.

Not a doctor at all!

Jameson, who has highlighted Rhinehart in several articles of his paper, is furious. He rushes into the doctor’s house to confront him and interrupts the scene before Spider-Man can confess his identity.

As things are sorted out we come to find that Mysterio is actually Dr. Ludwig Rhinehart (I can’t believe that’s not a real name!) and the whole thing was a scheme to convince Spider-Man to believe he was mad and give up being Spider-Man.

Mysterio is once again arrested, Jonah is crushed that he stopped what might have been the destruction of that menace Spider-Man, and Flash is jubilant that he helped save his hero and got to see him fight in person. And I just love when Flash is happy.

It was a great issue, well-plotted, funny, and it included all my favorite side characters. Home run.

Check back next week for the 25th Anniversary Spectacular!