Amazing Spider-Man 328 - Acts of Vengeance

This is the last issue of the series drawn by Todd McFarlane and it's not hard to spot his is the greater influence on the story than David Michelinie. The issue is devoted to a fight between Spider-Man and the Hulk, whom McFarlane had previously drawn at Marvel. It could well have been his final issue at Marvel overall, and thus going out by drawing both the characters he'd made his name on would stand as a strong legacy. (Instead he succeeded in getting to draw and script a new Spider-Man series but that's another matter.)

Amazing Spider-Man #328

Writer: David Michelinie
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colour: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

McFarlane's art is a pretty polarising subject. As someone who discovered it long after the event for me it's always been a part of Spider-history rather than an active debate but it's certainly very different from the house style that came before and indeed which both Sal Buscema and Alex Saviuk use on the Spectacular Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man issues here. It works well enough, though it does seem to be pushing Spider-Man in an ever-darker direction reminiscent of other heroes, something the script picks up on with a scene where Spidey lifts up a criminal who asks, "Who are you?!?" and the reply begins "I'm Bat..." Well it was 1989 but it’s another needless homage. The cover is also a little odd in that Spider-Man seems to be lifting the Hulk up by his genitals, perhaps explaining the latter's bright green tongue.

The main plot is driven by the committee of villains having made an offer to Sebastian Shaw, recently deposed from the Hellfire Club. Shaw has the mutant ability to absorb energy and use it to enhance his strength and speed, which might have made him a good match for Spidey earlier in the storyline when the powers were still slowly developing. However here it would be a one-sided walkover - and Shaw realises as much, noting that Magneto is involved and suspecting this is really an attempt to dispose of an enemy once and for all. So Shaw instead hires the Hulk to do the job.

This is still the grey Hulk with a mercenary aspect and he accepts the task, though the battle is constrained by the sun rising hours earlier in New York than Las Vegas, with the result that the initial confrontation is aborted when he starts turning into Banner. The following night things are more brutal, with the Hulk seemingly larger than usual and Spidey really not wanting to hurt him until two children are threatened, resulting in a memorable single punch that knocks the Hulk into orbit. Comic fans have long debated who would win in a fight between Superman and the Hulk and at the time this would appear to be the nearest substitute given the difficulties of arranging inter-company crossovers. The point is even more explicit with one of the children commenting that Spidey needs a cape.

As a final bow out for such an influential artist this issue could have just been an indulgent fight between the two Marvel characters he was best known for. But this also works well in advancing the storyline as Spidey faces increasingly powered foes whilst also adding a new element to the mix in Shaw's interests in the powers. This keeps the storyline flowing well.

Amazing Spider-Man #328 has been reprinted in:

• Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures (1993)
• Spider-Man Legends: Todd McFarlane volume 3 (2004)
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Cosmic Adventures (2013)