Hobgoblin Archive

After months of planning, plotting and misdirection, Amazing Spider-Man #249 shows an invigorated Hobgoblin who is finally starting to make his master plan of conquest apparent to his intended victims. Beyond the Hobgoblin’s initial introduction in ASM #238, this issue and the two that follow (marking the end the

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My tolerance for all things Superior Spider-Man was starting to go into a bit of freefall a few weeks ago, largely fueled by the events of Superior Spider-Man #14 (and to a lesser degree, the pointless reboot of Avenging Spider-Man as Superior Spider-Man Team-Up). For a story with a

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As the only non-Amazing Spider-Man issue grouped in to the “Original Hobgoblin Saga” storyline – and the first one not to be scripted by Roger Stern – Spectacular Spider-Man #85 reads like it has two separate agendas. It marks a very critical moment in the development of the Hobgoblin

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Amazing Spider-Man #245 reminds us of a period of the Hobgoblin’s existence where his secret identity was not the source of such hand-wringing and controversy. As he did for the character’s three previous appearances in ASM, writer Roger Stern plants small clues along with some serious pieces of misdirection

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It appears that every time Marvel announces a “brand new era” of Superior Spider-Man (and with the release of Superior Spider-Man #14 last week, I think we’re officially up to our third “new era” in the title’s very short history) the dramatic status quo shift is that Otto Octavius

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Despite only making his first appearance a handful of issues ago, Hobgoblin’s rapid ascension to power in both the fictitious world of Spider-Man comic books, and the real world of public perception is on front and center display in Amazing Spider-Man #244. Showing how much confidence he has in

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What’s so unique about Amazing Spider-Man #239 is how writer Roger Stern takes his new creation, the Hobgoblin, and expertly crafts the villain as a legitimate physical and psychological threat to Spider-Man, while also exposing the character’s vulnerabilities and weaknesses. In the 20 years of Spider-Man comics that preceded

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Granted, I’m aided by the power of 20-20 hindsight, but there’s something about Amazing Spider-Man #238 that just comes across as being “special.” Even from a collectability standpoint – when I first started buying pricier back issues in the 1990s, I remember looking up ASM #238 in my Wizard

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I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but when I started reading Spider-Man comic books in the 1980s, I was a little late to the Hobgoblin party. Trust me, as a long-time collector and enthusiast, I understand why he was a big deal. But since my first comic was

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As I mentioned in my last post, I’m woefully behind in talking about Marvel’s most recent Spider-Man-relevant content, so in an effort to get back on track, I’m going to to attempt to get some posts out in rapid-fire succession over the next week or so, starting with my

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