Any follow-up issue to the blockbuster last issue would have to be classified as a let-down, but this issue at least comes close to the same action, drama, and great story-telling and art. We all learned by the end of last issue, that the Green Goblin exposed his identity to Peter Parker, after the Goblin learned of Spider-Man's identity. The Green Goblin turned out to be Peter's roommate's father Norman Osborn, a wealthy industrialist turned whack-job. When we left off, Peter was tied to a chair waiting for his final moments to occur, but Norman likes to talk it seems. The title to this second part of the story is "Spidey Saves The Day" featuring "The End Of The Green Goblin!", but it certainly looks like it should be titled "The End Of Spider-Man!" when you open the cover to see the first page!

The pages displays Norman Osborn showing his face to Spider-Man, as Spider-Man tries to loosen the coils used to tie him to a chair. Norman is surprised to learn that Spider-Man knows his son Harry, and it solidifies his position in thinking that he has to kill Spider-Man in order so that his son never learns that he is the Green Goblin. Peter realizes that Norman is a psychopath and plays him by continually mentioning his son Harry. Norman gets wackier and wackier as Spider-Man taunts him, and then Norman tells his story of how he became the Green Goblin. Norman's wife passed away while Harry was young, and Norman had to bring him up by himself. Norman would ignore his son's affections many times, but thought he could make it up to him by buying him gifts with his vast fortunes. Norman always wished that Harry would understand how hard his father worked to have the things he did, as he was a ruthless businessman along with his partner Professor and Inventor Mendel Stromm (introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #37). Stromm embezzled money from the business, taken away by the police, then Osborn had all of Stromm's notes and inventions. While working with a set of his notes one day at dawn, Norman created a green a chemical concoction that began to bubble and steam. Before he knew it, the mixture blew up in his face after an explosion. He was hospitalized for weeks after sustaining brain damage, but made him more intelligent and much stronger. He wanted to become the greatest costumed criminal a of all time, but he hired the likes of the Scorcher (Untold Tales Of Spider-Man #1) and the Headsman (Untold Tales Of Spider-Man #8) to do his dirty work for him. After many failures by his hirees, he then planned to his own dirty work, but he needed an identity, and sketched by pencil what he believed to be it: A rough draft of a Goblin's face (as told in Untold Tales Of Spider-Man #8). After designing the entire costume, and a flying broom-stick turn goblin glider, The Green Goblin was born!

Norman Osborn is now finished with his story, as he puts his goblin mask back on. Peter is still struggling with trying to loosen the coils, as the Green Goblin prepares to strike at any second. Just as Peter's life flashes before his eyes, the Goblin wants Peter to beg for his life. At the same time, Peter's Aunt May is worried about him being out so late and calls Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson to see if he is at work. Also at the same time, in a railroad station in the Midwest, Betty Brant contemplates going back to New York for her job and Peter Parker, but Spider-Man keeps reappearing in her brain. Now back to the Goblin and the Spider! Peter is still getting on the Goblin's nerves by stating that he never truly beat him in combat, which the Goblin tries to prove otherwise with the help of his retro-scope helmet. The helmet projects mental pictures, and the Goblin projects the events that transpired in Amazing Spider-Man #14 when they first fought, with the aid of the Enforcers. The Goblin proves that he beat the Enforcers and NOT him. Then he projects the events of Amazing Spider-Man #17 when the Goblin fought Spider-Man and the Human Torch, and Spider-Man ran away at the end to tend to his ailing Aunt May. Again, another event is projected, from Amazing Spider-Man #23 when the Goblin allied himself with Lucky Lobo. Lastly, the Goblin projects the events from Amazing Spider-Man #26 & #27, when he fought the Crimemaster for underworld supremacy.

The Goblin proved that Spider-Man truly never did beat him, but Peter bought a lot of time necessary to loosen the coils that tie him to the chair. Just as the Goblin thinks that Peter is struggling with his bonds, he decides that it would have been an empty victory to defeat a helplessly shackled foe, and sets him free. The Goblin wants to give Peter every chance and still be defeated. The battle of the century begins with the Goblin tossing a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man, but Spidey deflects it with a quickly woven web and springs it back towards the Goblin. The Goblin blasts it out of the air, then goes after Spider-Man on his goblin glider. Spider-Man punches him off of his glider after Spider-Man acts as if he is helpless and groggy, making the Goblin come close to him in the first place. The Goblin's glider is destroyed after crashing into a wall, then the Goblin is the one playing possum. He gets Spider-Man to come close to him while laying on the ground, then he grabs a live wire from the ground and uses it as a weapon. The battles continues for a couple more pages before the Goblin uses one of his newest creations: The Goblin Canon with it's lethal blast ray! The Goblin uses it on Spider-Man and misses, giving Spider-Man the chance to give him a good kick in the face, knocking him into a set of live wires and vials of chemicals. The combination of the electro-chemical effect on the Green Goblin leaves him motionless for awhile.

When the Goblin awakens, he calls for his son Harry, and wonders who Spider-Man is when he comes to his aid. Norman Osborn received amnesia from the electro-chemical shock, meaning that he no longer remembers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Spider-Man's spider sense does not go off, and he is somewhat pleased with the outcome, as there is hope for his secret identity and for Norman as well. Norman even wonders why he is wearing a strange costume, meaning that he has no knowledge that he is the Green Goblin. The firemen knock on the door and breaks things up, but not before Spider-Man changes Norman's clothes from the Green Goblin costume to a business suit. Spider-Man throws the Goblin costume into the fire that was set by the live wires, and then then returns home, as the firemen take Osborn to a doctor.

When Spider-Man gets home, he sees doctor Bromwell's car in the driveway and wonders if his Aunt May is all right. He changes into Peter Parker and goes inside to find that his Aunt has been sedated from being too worried about Peter. After his Aunt wakes up, she is delighted to see him there. Peter states that he has been studying all that time, and his Aunt tells him to get a good night's sleep. Elsewhere, in a hospital in Manhattan, Norman Osborn rests with his son Harry at his side. He still does not remember what has happened to him recently, but as time will tell, his memories will come back slowly but surely!

His memories are fully back when Norman next appears as the Green Goblin in the Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #2. He does appear several times as an amnesiac Norman Osborn in the issues leading up to that memorable issue. These last two issues are always at or near the top of the list of any reader and collector's Spider-Man list, and is a very wise investment, as far as back issue comics go. They go fast, so get them when you can!

Also see Spider-Man: Blue #1 for additional events surrounding this landmark issue.

Reprinted In:
Marvel Tales #29
Marvel Tales #179
 Marvel Masterworks Vol. 16
Spider-Man Essentials II