Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #86
Story 'The Dark Within'
Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #86
| Editor: | Danny Fingeroth |
| Writer: | Howard Mackie |
| Pencils: | Alex Saviuk |
| Inker: | Sam DeLaRosa |
| Cover Art: | Alex Saviuk |
Richard Fisk enlists the aid of Jason Macendale, The Hobgoblin. But Jason isn't entirely human these days. Richard requests Hobgoblin to go kill Spider-Man, who is Peter's bodyguard, of course. The whole thing is a little confused when Hobgoblin's demonic side breaks free at last (yeah, this is the issue where that happens) and there are TWO Hobgoblins... the regular one, and DemoGoblin. Spidey beats them both, in a bloated mind-numbingly dull slugfest which occupies most of the issue.
Other notes? Richard reminisces, remembering his childhood, and his friend Alfredo (a story for another time)... and also his friend Ned Leeds, who he remembers as The Hobgoblin. Of course, we know better than that, but let's not get caught up in the details.
Oh, and Spider-Man is struggling with his 'dark side'. A turgid tale of inner turmoil and confusion, a man searching for his own identity in a cruel and violent world? Not really. More like the kind of half-baked psycho-babble that a rather dim thirteen year old would write for a homework assignment in the last five minutes before class. Whatta steaming pile!
Overall Rating 
Half-way through. Half a web. Hmm... but don't go thinking that the whole story will get a whole web, it doesn't work that way!