The Spectacular Spider-Man #47

Name: The Spectacular Spider-Man #47
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Oct 1980 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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“A Night on the Prowl!”

★ 1st appearance — Nathan Lubensky

About this Issue

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #47 marks the first appearance of Nathan Lubensky, the wheelchair-bound retired vaudevillian who would go on to become Aunt May's long-term fiancé and a meaningful fixture of the Spider-Man supporting cast through the late 1980s. The issue also continues Roger Stern's foundational Spectacular run, which — with Denny O'Neil's Amazing Spider-Man title stumbling — effectively made this 'sister' book the most creatively vital Spider-Man comic on the newsstand in 1980. Stern's use of serial continuity, weaving Belladonna's vendetta against Roderick Kingsley through multiple issues, helped establish the fashion-world antagonist as a prototype for the kind of street-level, motivation-driven villain that would characterize his later celebrated work. The revelation that the new Prowler is actually the original Cat Burglar from Amazing Spider-Man #30 rewards long-term readers while simultaneously deepening Hobie Brown's characterization.

In "A Night on the Prowl!", Spider-Man confronts the chilling mystery of a murder linked to the enigmatic Prowler, only to find himself chasing a false trail when he tracks down Hobie Brown—only to discover Brown’s gear has been stolen. With the real Prowler still at large and a dangerous new enemy, Madame Belladonna, pulling strings from the shadows, Spider-Man is ambushed and left trapped in a gas chamber. Roger Stern’s tight storytelling and Marie Severin’s dynamic art bring this pulse-pounding thriller to life, with Al Milgrom’s cover capturing the tension perfectly.

writer Roger Stern · artist Marie Severin · inker, letterer Bruce D. · colorist Glynis W. · cover Al Milgrom

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History

Roger Stern came to Spectacular Spider-Man in mid-1980 after leaving a staff editor position at Marvel to write full-time, having previously helmed The Incredible Hulk. He inherited the title from Bill Mantlo and immediately set about constructing serial threads — most notably the Belladonna–Roderick Kingsley vendetta begun in issue #43 — that gave the book a novelistic continuity it had previously lacked. The creative team on this issue, penciler Marie Severin (a Marvel veteran dating back to the 1950s) and inker Bruce Patterson, worked under editor Denny O'Neil with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief; the cover was handled by Al Milgrom, who served as a frequent cover artist on the title during this period.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Nathan Lubensky — Aunt May's eventual fiancé, a retired vaudevillian and wheelchair user who becomes a recurring supporting character across dozens of issues through Amazing Spider-Man #336 (1990), where he dies.
Nathan Lubensky appears but is not named in this issue; he is formally named two issues later in Spectacular Spider-Man #49.
Story title: 'A Night On the Prowl!' (Part 1 of 2); Part 2 concludes in issue #48.
Creative credits: Script by Roger Stern; pencils by Marie Severin; inks by Bruce Patterson; colors by Glynis Oliver; cover by Al Milgrom; edited by Denny O'Neil.
The mystery 'new Prowler' framing Spider-Man for murder is revealed to be the Cat Burglar (originally from Amazing Spider-Man #30, 1965), operating under Belladonna's direction after stealing Hobie Brown's costume.
Hobie Brown (the original Prowler) is established to have retired from costumed activity following an unsuccessful attempt to join the Defenders.
Hulk, Valkyrie, Hercules, Ms. Marvel, Nova, and Iron Fist appear only in a brief flashback/recap sequence referencing the Defenders storyline — not in the main action.
The issue has been reprinted in: Essential Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 2 (2006); Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern Vol. 1 (2007); Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin (2011); and the Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus (2014), as well as multiple international editions.