Dreaded Deadline Doom strikes Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man this month. On rare occasion in the 1970s, a regular monthly story would not be ready in time for the publication deadline. Rather than wait for the story to be completed, as is often the case now, publishers instead would rerun old material. In this case, the old material is Marvel Team-Up #3, although the story is cut down to 17 pages (the original was at 21 pages). However, this reprint serves a purpose, as it features Morbius the living Vampire, who will torment Spider-Man in the upcoming storyline.

The issue opens with a couple of new pages. Spider-Man is swinging around town and nearly falls. As he collects himself, he remembers another time he almost fell while web-slinging. Flash back to the past: Spider-Man is swinging around town, but he feels terrible. He nearly falls mid-swing, and only his spider-sense saves him from a deadly fall. "Must've caught myself a bit of that flu virus going around," he thinks. But it's much worse than that, as Spider-Man collapses unconscious on a rooftop. He is able to drag himself back to the Empire State University campus, where he is scheduled to attend a lecture by biology professor Hans Jorgenson. At the same time, Johnny Storm and the rest of the Fantastic Four are visited by a young woman named Martine, who informs the team that her fiancé, Michael Morbius, has transformed himself into the living vampire. Mr. Fantastic mentions that he and Dr. Morbius traded letters, along with a third man - Hans Jorgenson. So the Human Torch decides to head over to campus himself to check things out and visit professor Jorgenson. "Who knows? Maybe it's time Spidey and I teamed up again," the Torch says. "Thought why I even bother with that egotistical costumed wall-crawler I'll never understand!"

And as for our third player, Morbius has been holed up in an abandoned warehouse regaining his strength. Jefferson Bolt is there, too - as he has become a vampire himself, thanks to Morbius' deadly bite. "Oh, Lord in Heaven--what have I done?" Morbius asks. "Was my sin not great enough, to seal myself within this damnable coil?" But Jefferson says he likes being a vampire. Morbius says there is one man who may be able to help both of them, and he glides away to find that man. Guess who that man happens to be? It turns out that Professor Jorgenson doesn't have much useful information for Spider-Man or the Human Torch (although we'll see him again next issue). However, just as they are wrapping up their discussion, they hear a scream across campus. They discover Morbius feeding on a homeless man. "He--he killed that guy--like--like a filthy vampire!" Spider-Man shouts. He brutally assaults Morbius, overwhelmed by the brutality of the living vampire's crime. The Torch pulls Spider-Man off before he can do too much damage and Morbius presses the attack. Spider-Man, who is still quite ill, is spent after his initial burst of energy. He can't even fire his web-shooters in a straight line.

Hearing the commotion, Jacob Bolt enters the scene and tries to pull Spider-Man away from Morbius, not realizing that Spidey is only trying to stop a murderous villain. This allows Morbius to kick Spider-Man in the face and get the upper hand. Also, Jefferson Bolt turns a crowd of college students against the Human Torch: "Those costumed freaks were tryin' to kill that dude!" he says. They start throwing rocks at the Torch. With the battle seemingly going against the good guys, Morbius grabs Jacob Bolt and tries to take a bite out of the college student. Jefferson Bolt comes to his brother's aid, but is struck and killed by Morbius. Morbius then makes his escape and the fight winds to an uneasy close. "He's dead. He was gone for a month and now he's gone forever. Why? What did I do wrong?" Jacob Bolt asks. "I never knew him, kid. But maybe it wasn't what you did wrong that counts now, but what you did right...that made him, in the end, understand what it means to be a man," the Torch replies.

Those final two panels provide a nice ending to a creepy, well-told tale. Although we only meet the Bolt brothers on page 1 of this comic, we understand them and care about them by the story's end. While Spider-Man, the Human Torch and even Morbius will come back to fight another day, Jacob Bolt's pain and loss seem quite real and give this story some real power beyond just a standard punch-'em-up.

The story ends with another new page. Morbius is trapped in a strange alien world, but he is not alone. A mysterious entity speaks to him, telling him it is time to return to Earth.

Next issue: Morbius returns to New York City looking for Spider-Man - and he's not alone!

Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.

Original In:
Marvel Team-Up #3