The Amazing Spider-Man #22 (The Clown and his Masters of Menace!) Marvel Comics March 1965 (Good)

Description

Spider-Man visits the Ringmaster and his cronies, warning them and subtly placing a Spider-Tracer on the Ringmaster’s hat before leaving. Seeing their current trick no longer works, the gang decides to give Ringmaster the heave-ho and elect the Clown as their new leader. Meanwhile, Betty Brant invites Peter to join her at an art exhibit that J. Jonah Jameson is sponsoring. Outside, though, the clown and his cronies are breaking into the place, using the cannonball to break down a door, and the clown is distracting the art exhibit visitors. Peter recognizes the Clown from the Ringmaster’s gang, and Jameson sees Cannonball stealing a picture off the wall. While trying to stop the theft, Jameson gets knocked out cold by a headbutt from Cannonball. Spider-Man, not knowing the split-up of the gang, follows his Spider-Tracer to the Ringmaster to see him leaving a police station as an innocent man, but uses the Ringmaster’s hat to hypnotize him and find out where the real crooks are. Yet, as the newly-named Masters of Menace celebrate their heist, Spider-Man finds them and while kept off balance manages to fight them all off. One of the members, Princess Python, runs away, and Spider-Man tries to be a gentleman, not fighting a woman but pleading with her to surrender. While Spider-Man is knocked into her snake pit, the Ringmaster decides to get revenge and knocks the Clown out cold, making his way out with the treasure. The Ringmaster is caught red-handed with paintings, and the rest of the gang (including Princess Python) is rounded up by the police.

• Publisher: Marvel
• Issue: #22
• Published: 10 March 1965
• Cover Price: 0.12 USD
• Writer: Stan Lee
• Penciler: Steve Ditko
• Inker: Steve Ditko
• Letterers: Art Simek
• Editor: Stan Lee
• Page Count: 36 pages

Notes:

• Spider-Man reminds the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime how he defeated them the last time they met (Amazing Spider-Man #16).
• Betty gives Peter a hard time for ‘making a play’ for the Human Torch’s girlfriend (Amazing Spider-Man #21).
• This issue contains a letters page, The Spider’s Web. Letters are published by Robert Bell, Kenneth S. Gallagher, David H. Fenimore, Ronald R. Matthies, Bob Sanker, Tip Daniels, Steve Chapman, George L. Handler, Wendy Bell, Howard Kurtz & Randall Eisenstein, and Timothy Scott.
• The letters page also contains the Mighty Marvel Checklist and a Special Announcement Section.
• First appearance of Princess Python, Mrs Van Der Twilliger, and West 22nd Street.

Condition:

• 3.5 G Good
  • Raw Comic(s)
  • Bagged and Boarded
  • Grading notes: The pages are slightly yellowed. The spine is intact, not rolled, with minor damage to the top and bottom. There are no loose pages, and the staples are good.