One of Stan Lee's greatest gifts as the creator and writer of Amazing Spider-Man was his ability to craft deadly, captivating villains. The Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, the Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter - these and many other foes have made Spider-Man's adventures all the more exciting, and his triumphs that much more spectacular. In fact, Spider-Man's enduring popularity is due in at least some degree to his wonderful rogues gallery.

However, the Kangaroo will never be confused with one of those villains. Even Stan the Man didn't bat 1.000 in the ideas department.

The Kangaroo is a dim-witted ex-boxer and thug from Australia with enhanced strength and leaping ability. And get this origin: He got his powers by living among the kangaroos in the Australian wilderness, eating what they ate and mimicking their actions. Um, yeah. He badly injured a boxing opponent with a jumping kick and attempts to flee to the United States. However, immigration authorities catch up with him and plan to deport him back to Australia.

The story opens with Spider-Man swinging to the train station, where he's scheduled to meet his Aunt May. When they meet, his worrisome aunt sees that Peter is sweating and naturally assumes that her fragile nephew is ill. She insists that Peter come back to her Forest Hills home, so she can take care of him, even though he's completely healthy. Meanwhile, the Kangaroo breaks free from the police and robs an armored car. But instead of cash, the car is carrying a vial of deadly bacteria. The Kangaroo steals it but doesn't realize how dangerous it is. Peter hears of the theft on TV. He tells Aunt May he isn't feeling well and needs to go lay down. "Of course, dear! It must have been the TV that upset you!" Gotta love that Aunt May. It's a wonder she ever let Peter leave the house to go to school. Once he's in his room, he creates a web mannequin and puts it in his bed, just in case Aunt May pokes her head in the room, and Spider-Man is off to recover the deadly bacteria.

Spidey tracks down the Kangaroo as he's robbing some well-to-do party-goers and spots the vial of bacteria in his vest (and what's up with that vest, anyway? Was that ever a good look?) He has to be extremely careful and tentative when he's fighting the Kangaroo for fear of spilling the lethal bacteria. His hesitation allows the Kangaroo to temporarily get the upper hand. But Spider-Man snatches the villain, swings out over the street and shakes the vial out of the Kangaroo's vest. The Kangaroo escapes, but Spider-Man secures the bacteria, preventing a catastrophe. Of course, he can't make everyone happy, even when he prevents an epidemic. One bystander says he thinks Spider-Man may have been trying to steal the bacteria for himself, leading Spidey to remark "Nuts! If I found a way to stop war, crime, and illness--there'd still be someone to say I did it for a selfish reason!" Peter's troubles aren't over, either. Aunt May discovers the web dummy in Peter's room and faints from shock. When Peter gets home, he discards the web dummy and tells Aunt May she must've just imagined something in his bed. But rather than comfort Aunt May, Peter's words only make her think she is going senile. Peter feels terribly guilty that his lie may have hurt his aunt: "I've made her doubt--her own sanity! The longer I carry on--as Spider-Man...the more heart-break it seems to cause!"

Beyond the stuff with Aunt May, the usually solid supporting cast gets ignored in this issue for some reason. J. Jonah Jameson makes a humorous cameo early in the story, when he drops his expensive Cuban cigar out of his office window while berating Spider-Man. But there's no Gwen, no Mary Jane, no Harry or Flash, no Captain Stacy or Joe Robertson. That's more than a little disappointing, given how important the supporting characters are in the Spider-Verse. If nothing else, their absence makes you realize how important they are. Don't worry: everyone is back in Amazing Spider-Man #82.

The Kangaroo has to rank as one of Spider-Man's lamest, most uninteresting villains. But the deadly bacteria storyline actually makes this a compelling story. The villain may be dull as dishwater, but the threat Spider-Man faces is real. This is a credit to just how skilled a writer Stan Lee is - he still made this tale a worthwhile read, even though the villain in the story is strictly bargain basement material.

Thankfully, the Kangaroo doesn't resurface until Amazing Spider-Man #126, when he hooks up with Dr. Jonas Harrow for an extreme make-over, leading to his untimely demise. I doubt Spider-Man - or anyone else - really missed him while he was gone. Years later, a second Kangaroo jumps onto the scene in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #242. Yet another Kangaroo villain shows up later in Spider-Man's Tangled Web #16 & 17, and it appears to that this is a third incarnation of the Kangaroo villain.

This issue also marks the end of John Buscema's short run on Amazing Spider-Man. Buscema provided the art for Amazing Spider-Man #76-79. Buscema and John Romita Sr. collaborated on the art in issues Amazing Spider-Man #80 and this issue, but Romita returns to full-time art duty starting with Amazing Spider-Man #82.

Next issue: No more D-list villains for Spider-Man...let's just say the story is entitled "And Then Came Electro!"

Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.

Reprinted In:
Marvel Tales #62
Spider-Man Comics Magazine (Digest) #10
Spider-Man Essentials IV