Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #229

Background

Spider-Man's first explosive encounter with the unstoppable Juggernaut!

Story 'Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut!'

The issue opens with a prophetic vision by Madame Web. As she looks into the near future, she sees a shadowed, muscle bound monster trying to end her life, and she sees a champion (who looks just like Spider-Man) defending her. Slowly but surely, in her vision, the champion is overcome by the monster, and there is nobody left to help her. Madame Web, afraid of what she knows is coming, calls Spider-Man and tells him that she will be attacked soon, though she doesn't yet know how or by whom, and asks for his aid.

Meanwhile, on a ship pulling into New York City, Black Tom Cassidy and his friend, the unstoppable Juggernaut wait to dock. Juggernaut complains that he is bored, and Black Tom reminds him that they are going to New York to enlist the aid of Madame Web, because with her psychic powers, nobody could beat them. Juggernaut tells Tom that he will go get Madame Web now instead of waiting to dock because he is going crazy locked up in the boat. Juggernaut jumps off the boat and hits the bottom of the water. He then begins to walk toward the shore, on his way to capture Madame Web.

At the same time, Peter Parker stops by the Daily Bugle to see if there are any assignments for him. While there, he meets and reconciles with Betty Leeds (whom he had had a fallen out with many issues earlier). Madame Web, now sensing where the Juggernaut will come from, calls Peter at the Bugle, and tells him that the Juggernaut is coming, and where. Peter swings off to stop Juggernaut.

Juggernaut, meanwhile, is not trying hard to remain discreet as he walks directly toward Madame Web's apartment, tossing over trucks and cars or whatever else lies in his path. Spider-Man spots him and jump kicks him from a few stories high, but the Juggernaut just keeps walking, not even taking notice of Spider-Man. Spider-Man then tries to create a web wall in front of Juggernaut, but Juggy just walks through it without slowing down. Spider-Man creates a hole in the street in front of Juggy, but he just climbs out of it. Spider-Man begins to get frustrated and hops on top of Juggernaut trying to hold him, punch him, kick him, or somehow slow him down. After 5 full minutes of the Juggernaut just walking and not even acknowledging that Spider-Man is there, Juggy walks right through the side of a building to get Spider-Man off of his back.

Madame Web tries to contact other heroes, but can reach none, and Spider-Man stops by Dr. Strange's place to see if he could get some mystical advice, but Dr. Strange isn't home either.

Meanwhile, the Juggernaut walks through a police barricade, shrugging off shells and bullets, not even feeling them, and finally making his way to Madame Web's apartment. Spider-Man was waiting for him there and shocked him with several thousand volts from the apartment's backup generator, but Juggy just shrugged it off, and burst into the room. Spider-Man tried to delay him, but just like in Madame Web's vision at the beginning of the issue, Spider-Man is knocked away and incapacitated by the Juggernaut. Juggernaut then seizes the protesting Madame Web, ripping her from her life support chair, not realizing that she cannot live without it. As soon as that becomes evident, Juggy drops Madame Web's body and walks off, back toward the ship. Spider-Man gives Madame Web CPR, and soon, Madame Web is taken off in an ambulance, barely alive. Spider-Man thinks to himself that he let Madame Web down, but he is not going to let Juggernaut get away with this. He swears the Juggy will not leave New York, and that he will stop him or die trying.

General Comments

Maybe it's because I love the Juggernaut (and I really, really love the Juggernaut) but I liked this issue a lot. Roger Stern does a great job of showing just how invulnerable the Juggernaut is. Spider-Man meets a foe against whom all his power is nothing, and suffers a great failure (I wasn't around when the comic was originally published, but if I had been, I bet the ending would have been a surprise), but never gives up. It really makes you eager to read the next part of the story.

Overall Rating

What can I say? Just a really well written, fun to read, and action filled issue. I love the Juggernaut.