The Amazing Spider-Man #167
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAmazing Spider-Man #167 serves as a double debut issue of genuine narrative weight: it introduces Will-O'-the-Wisp (Jackson Arvad), one of Spider-Man's more original Bronze Age adversaries whose electromagnetic density-manipulation powers set him apart from street-level thugs and cosmic heavies alike, and it plants the first seed of Dr. Barton Hamilton — the future third Green Goblin — whose slow-burn corruption of Harry Osborn's therapy sessions would pay off across the next dozen issues. The simultaneous Spider-Slayer plot keeps J. Jonah Jameson's obsession front and center while the issue quietly advances the soap-opera subplots — Aunt May's senior-rights protest, Mary Jane's relationship with Peter — that defined Len Wein's run as one of the most character-rich stretches in the title's Bronze Age. Coming at the midpoint of Marvel's turbulent editorial-chair era, the issue exemplifies the Wein-Andru partnership working at full creative confidence: two new characters seeded in one issue, both with long storytelling legs.
In "…Stalked by the Spider-Slayer!", Spider-Man is caught between a relentless new threat and a mysterious foe with strange powers. When J. Jonah Jameson unleashes his Spider-Slayer robot, Spidey must also contend with the enigmatic Will-o'-the-Wisp, whose density-manipulating abilities throw everything off balance. Written by Len Wein and brought to life by Ross Andru’s dynamic art and Mike Esposito’s inks, this 1977 classic features a cover by John Romita that captures the tension perfectly.
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Issue #167 falls squarely within Len Wein's run as writer, which began with #151 after Gerry Conway's departure; Wein also served as his own editor on the title, with Archie Goodwin listed as editor-in-chief in the indicia. The creative team of Wein (script), Ross Andru (pencil breakdowns), and Mike Esposito (finished inks) had been the series' consistent backbone since Wein came aboard, and this issue represents them hitting their stride — critic Alex Segura noted that by #168 Wein was 'spinning subplots masterfully.' The cover was produced separately by John Romita Sr., a common division of labor on the title at the time. Wein's dual role as writer-editor gave him unusual control over long-arc plotting, which is reflected in how carefully Hamilton is introduced here as an apparently benign psychiatrist rather than being telegraphed as a future villain.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Will-O'-the-Wisp (Dr. Jackson Arvad), a physicist who gains the ability to control the electromagnetic attraction between his body's molecules, allowing him to vary his density from intangible to rock-solid, plus limited hypnotic powers.
- First appearance of Dr. Barton Hamilton, Harry Osborn's psychiatrist, who would secretly hypnotize his patient, learn the Green Goblin's secrets, and eventually become the third Green Goblin beginning in Amazing Spider-Man #176.
- Story title: 'Stalked by the Spider-Slayer!' — Part 1 of a two-part arc; Part 2 concludes in issue #168.
- Written and edited by Len Wein; interior art by Ross Andru (breakdowns) and Mike Esposito (finishes); cover by John Romita Sr.; colors by Glynis Wein.
- Editor-in-Chief at the time of publication was Archie Goodwin, one of several rotating EICs during Marvel's mid-1970s editorial upheaval.
- Spider-Man's internal monologue references earlier Spider-Slayer battles from Amazing Spider-Man #25, #58, and #105, grounding the new robot in the title's own continuity.
- The issue was distributed in multiple formats: a standard newsstand edition, a Mark Jeweler Advertisement Insert variant, and a Whitman variant — all sharing the same story content.
- Liz Allan's name is misspelled as 'Allen' throughout the issue's interior, an in-print error noted across multiple reference sources.
Cast · 14 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in L'étonnant Spider-Man #68 (1977), Super Spider-Man #243 (1977), Super Spider-Man #244 (1977), Atlantic Special [Atlantic Spesial] #2 (1978), Super Special #2 (1978), Atlantic special #2/1978 (1978), Edderkoppen #11/1978 (1978), Spindelmannen #11/1978 (1978), Spindelmannen #12/1978 (1978), L'Uomo Ragno [Collana Super-Eroi] #234 (1979), Strange #126 (1980), El Hombre Araña / El Asombroso Hombre Araña #163 (1983), Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #16 (2014), The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus #5 (2021), Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection #10 (2024), De spectaculaire Spider-Man [De spektakulaire Spiderman] #22, Die Spinne #21, Hämähäkkimies #1/1981, Σπάιντερ Μαν [Spider-Man] #79, The Amazing Spider-Man #22
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