Artie Simek

The debut of Spider-Man!

The Prowler is back! But the return of this villain is the least of Peter’s worries because Gwen Stacy is leaving for England to stay with her uncle…for good.

A man is pursued by a monstrous creature in his dreams. Each night the monster comes closer to seizing him. Panicked, he barges into a doctor's office and demands medication to keep from sleeping. The doctor thinks that he is exhausted and so gives him a sedative. The creature succeeds this time in seizing the man and returns him to his world where he is a king who had been bewitched by a sorcerer he had banished. His subjects built the creature which is merely a robot to find their ruler in that alternate reality called Earth and bring him back safely.

First 25-cent cover price. "Zodiac II!" Story by Tony Isabella. Art by Jim Mooney and Sal Trapani. A mentally disturbed man threatens Roxanne's life and tries to force Johnny Blaze to track down the Zodiac. However, the Ghost Rider has other plans... 32 pages, FC. NOTE: The letters page contains Marvel Value Stamp series A # 74 (the Stranger by Gil Kane). Cover price $0.25.

As the Cat, Greer Nelson is struck by a new Hydra weapon that will condemn her to death by radiation poisoning. To save her life, her mentor Dr.Tumolo takes her to the hidden lair of the Cat People to have her reborn as Tigra, the Were-Woman. Hydra attacks again, abducting Tigra, Tumolo, and the Cat People in an effort to gain the secret of their ultimate weapon. Jack Russell, the Werewolf, happens to be passing by when Tigra is taken and joins the fight. In order to defeat Hydra, Tumolo releases their final secret upon them, the same Black Plague that the Cat People had released and cured centuries ago.

Professor X calls the X-Men when his Radar-Image Beam picks up the energy signature of a very powerful being. However, before they can get a better analysis, the being suddenly disappears in a flashing explosion. Suspecting this being to be a super-powerful mutant, the Professor and Scott concern themselves with the potential of such a powerful being. Iceman and Beast however, don't take this finding very seriously and begin horsing around again, prompting Marvel Girl to use her powers to break up their rough housing. This leads to the Professor scolding Bobby for inciting the situation.

Elsewhere in New York, the object of the X-Men's concern is a strange man in a suit that has taken up residence in a rooming house. When the landlord comes by and demands a full week's rent in cash up front, the man pulls a large wad of money out of his coat and hands it to her. Deciding to explore the city, this man, this Stranger, walks in the very air over the city to avoid traffic. The citizens of New York are shocked to find that there is a man walking right up in the sky. Not wishing to attract anymore undue attention, the Stranger flees the scene, but feels himself compelled to enter a particular building.

Walking through the wall, the Stranger finds Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants inside waiting for him. As the Stranger meets the Brotherhood, the X-Men search the city for this supposed new Mutant. As Angel scours the sky, the rest of the X-Men search the ground. Scott searches the streets and attracts the unwanted attention of the police who find is skulking about suspicious. In a scuffle, Scott's ruby quartz glasses are removed causing his optic beams to fire wildly, smashing a fire hydrant and one of the officers guns. Scott is then pulled out of the harry situation by Beast and Iceman who reunite him with Marvel Girl. The group then decides to continue looking for their query together.