Comics Would Green Goblin not have been popular...

[CrimeMaster!]

Hmmmmm.... I'd have to check out my Essentials, but it seems to me that Norman was starting to act "funny" around the Brainwasher story (circa late 50's/early 60's) and I might even recall Peter having concerns that he might be falling back to his goblin persona... which of course was the case in Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #2.

I seem to think the story played itself out in ASM for a bit... and let's not forget that SSMM #2 was eventually reprinted in ASM Annual #9, so it's not like it's completely unknown to old school fans and readers.

Yeah you're correct Norman starts acting "funny" begining with issue 61 the final part of the Kinpin/brainwasher story.

The Norman remembering that he is the Goblin subplot runs through Amazing Spider-Man 61-66 and finishes of course in The Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine#2.

A cool thing is that Marvel reprinted that story in with the Amazing Spider-Man issues in the Spider-Man Masterworks vol 8.I just brought that one last year and that story arc reads together pretty good all together.

 

[CrimeMaster!]

I know it was part of continuity, etc. but since most people don't even know the magazine exists, that the events ever occured, and that the events were never referred to in the actual comic, I've always thought of the story as more of an "Untold Tales" type of thing. Not disagreeing with you that it's in continuity and part of the canon, just that it's so obscure to almost every casual reader as to be virtually unknown. Someone couldn't buy every issue from ASM #1 to current and ever know that those events occured. Doesn't make them outside of continuity, only outside of the mainstream knowledge of spider-man's adventures.

On another note, if I had to choose between Norman's Goblin and Ned Leed's Hobgoblin, (forgetting that obscene attempt to make a 98 pound Roderick Kingsley into a 240 pound Hobgoblin,) I'd take Hobby anytime. Then again I do have a big soft spot for those early-mid 80's spidey stories. Those were among the best written. I've been buying spidey comics since 1978 and have almost every issue of ASM from beginning to end and those issues from around 230 through 300 always make me smile. Same goes for PPTSSM and Web.

Actually the events of that story are referenced in Amazing Spider-Man #96.

 

[CrimeMaster!]

Two of these great images come from the Classic Spectacular Spider-Man 2 story.

My favorite

 

[webhead731]

...if he didn't kill Gwen Stacey?

I love the character of Green Goblin. He such a kick*ss villian like Doc Ock. But I've always wondered if other fans liked Green Goblin before he killed Gwen Stacey.

When you think about it in retrospect, he's just your average villian who dresses up like a funny creature and has themed weapons. I would think that fans never considered GG to be that much of threat until he did the unthinkable....killing Gwen Stacey!

So, if Green Goblin didn't kill Gwen Stacey, would you have still considered him a good villian? or would you rank him on par or below villians like Sandman and Mysterio?

The first major thing I heard about Green Goblin was him knowing who Spider-Man was. That, the character and him with the cool weapons made him my favorite Spider-Man villain. When I heard he killed Gwen a little later, that made me like him more because it shows how evil he is.