"The Night Gwen Stacy Died!" Amazing Spider-Man 121 (June 1973)
"The Goblin's Last Stand!" Amazing Spider-Man 122 (July 1973)
(1973/06/01)

Reader Rating: Above Average

Summary: After a bad bout with LSD, Harry Osborn is under a doctor's care, triggering in Norman Osborn an irrational hatred of Peter Parker. This leads to Osborn once again recalling his Green Goblin alter-ego -- and Spider-Man's secret identity.

Osborn attacks Spider-Man by taking Gwen Stacy hostage. In in the ensuing encounters, both Gwen and (apparently) the Goblin are killed.

Continuity: The effect of Gwen's tragic death on photographer Phil Sheldon is described in Marvels #4.

Before Osborn's body is found, Harry hides all evidence that Norman was the Goblin (as Harry will describe in "The Green Goblin Lives Again!", Osborn/Next).

It will be revealed many years from now ("Revelations", 1996/10/01) that Osborn does not die. The formula that originally transformed him into the Goblin also gave him an accelerated healing factor. He wakes up in the morgue, excapes, and substitutes another corpse for his own at his funeral. Seeing Harry take over the Goblin identity (Osborn/Next), Osborn heads off to "pursue other ventures on the European continent."

Comments: Gwen's death, both meaningful and permanent, is a stunning moment in comic-book history, delivered by the powerful art of Gil Kane and the competent scripting of Gerry Conway.

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This page was revised on December 6, 2008