FANTASTIC FOUR #263

"R. & R."
Words and Pictures: John Byrne | Letters: Jim Novak | Colors: Glynis Wein
Editing: Bob Budiansky | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Mister Fantastic heads from the new Richards home in Connecticut to Manhattan to check on the Baxter Building. Meanwhile, in California, Johnny participates in a charity race at the Wonderworld amusement park as Ben watches from the crowd. But Johnny’s car explodes after passing through a tunnel, apparently killing him.

Ben doesn’t believe Johnny is dead and suspects he may have somehow been swapped with someone else in the tunnel. He travels to the island home of Wonderworld’s owner, Alden Maas, where he learns that Maas is using Johnny in a scheme to reheat the Earth’s core. Ben attempts to free Johnny but instead falls down Maas’s tunnel, which doesn’t quite reach all the way to the center of the Earth, instead depositing Ben in the realm of the Mole Man.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Just a few issues ago I noted that the FF had not yet re-branded all their gear with the new black "4" in place of the old blue one. As of this issue, that change has taken place.

It’s declared that more than four months have passed since the previous issue, and Reed, Sue, and Franklin are now living in Connecticut under the assumed name of “Benjamin”.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #249

"SECRETS!"
Written by: Roger Stern | Breakdowns by: John Romita, Jr. | Finishes by: Dan Green
Letters by: Joe Rosen | Colors by: Bob Sharen | Edited by: Danny Fingeroth
Chiefed by: Jim Shooter

The Plot: While hosting a housewarming party at his new home in New Jersey, Harry Osborn receives a blackmail package from someone aware of his father's identity as the Green Goblin. In Manhattan, Jonah Jameson finds himself with a similar demand. The next day, Harry is accompanied by Peter Parker to the Century Club, where a number of blackmail victims, all wealthy and powerful men, are gathered to meet their blackmailer. Peter waits outside while Harry and the others enter a meeting room to find themselves in the presence of the Hobgoblin. When Jonah and Harry stand up to the goblin, he is revealed as a robotic stand-in. The true Hobgoblin then bursts into the room, having used the robot to ferret out troublemakers, but is attacked by Spider-Man.

Hobgoblin gets the better of Spider-Man by using a gas on him which dulls his spider-sense. Thus incapacitated, the wall-crawler is easily defeated by his foe. As Spider-Man passes out, he attempts to tag the goblin with a spider-tracer, but fails. Hobgoblin prepares to kill Spider-Man, but is stopped by the Kingpin of Crime, another club member. The goblin, unwilling to challenge the Kingpin, departs, unaware that the crime lord has planted the discarded spider-tracer on his glider.

Kingpin brings Spider-Man around with smelling salts and informs the web-slinger that, believing Hobgoblin to be a potential threat to his operations, he has planted the tracer. But unknown to the Kingpin, Spider-Man is unable to follow the tracer's signal without the aid of his spider-sense.