Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1
Background
After Jason Macendale's arrest and trial for various Hobgoblin-related crimes, Peter Parker, Betty Brant and others remember the original Hobgoblin, Ned Leeds. Or are they remembering ... someone else?
Who-ever the Hobgoblin may have been, the evidence is pointing away from the late Ned Leeds, long thought to be the originator of the masked menace that has plagued Spider-Man for much of his career! The body count is climbing, and includes some of the suspects themselves.
Story 'Victims'
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1
| Editor: | Glenn Greening, Tom Brevoort |
| Writer: | Roger Stern |
| Pencils: | Ron Frenz |
| Inker: | George Perez |
| Reprinted In: | Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives (TPB) |
The trial of Jason Phillip Macendale, the current Hobgoblin, stirs up long-forgotten memories for many people. Peter Parker recalls what few people know; that Macendale assumed the Hobgoblin's cowl after having the original Hobgoblin, Peter's friend Ned Leeds, murdered. Ned's widow Betty remembers the time she saw Leeds in costume, but without his mask. Jameson wonders why he didn't insist on keeping Leeds on the Hobgoblin story, instead of letting him chase a cold-war story to Berlin that ended with his death. And long-washed-up reporter Jacob Conover, who believes Ned swiped a story he was working on, throws everything into chaos when he demands to know if there was another Hobgoblin, and Macendale responds by pointing at Betty and snarling, "Ask her!"
As Betty admits to Jameson that Ned was the original Hobgoblin, other people are concerned with this unexpected news. Senators Vandergill and Martin recall the time the Hobgoblin and Spider-Man fought at their club. Donald Menken gloats over what this will do to the Bugle's stock. The Kingsley brothers fret that an investigation in Leeds' past will throw a spanner into a takeover bid they are planning. Dr. Jonas Harrow wonders why he didn't notice the differences in the fighting styles of the various Hobgoblin before. And Peter has a sudden brainstorm - if Ned was taken down by only four of the Foreigner's operatives, perhaps Ned wasn't the original Hobgoblin after all! But if it wasn't Ned ... then who could it have been?
General Comments
Let's just say this first issue didn't bowl me over and leave it at that until the whole series is completed, okay?
Overall Rating 
Disappointing start. Two webs.