Amazing Spiderman #18 - 1st Ned Leeds Appearance
Amazing Spiderman #18 (November 1964) is Ned Leeds's 1st appearance and has seen recent gains in just about every condition. Also has Fantastic Four and Sandman Appearances as well as Daredevil and Avengers Cameo. Written by the great Stan Lee and cover and art by Steve Ditko. If Jacob Batalon takes on the role of Hobgoblin in the next movie chapter it is sure to see continued gains. Amazing Spiderman's early keys are always a great investment. Which brings us to our next book.
Amazing Spiderman #238 - 1st Hobgoblin
"Shadow of Evils Past". George Hill takes a mysterious man into Green Goblin's underground hideout. The mysterious man loads all of Norman Osborne's (Green Goblin) equipment. Then he dyes the costume and molds himself a new mask declaring the Green Goblin dead and calls himself the Hobgoblin. This comic contained tattooz so be sure to check for them when buying a raw copy. These are also steadily climbing.
Hobgoblin Lives #3 / Amazing Spider-man #253
After Spiderman battles Hobgoblin, Ned Leeds decides to follow Hobgoblin back to his hideout. Only Hobgoblin realizes he is there and captures him. Hobgoblin brainwashes Ned into acting on his behalf and so he could frame Ned for his crimes. In Amazing Spiderman #253 Hobgoblin continues to manipulate Ned Leeds into acting as the Hobgoblin and committing criminal acts at his command.
Spiderman vs Wolverine #1
This is a one-shot comic published in February 1987. This includes the 1st appearance of Charlemagne. Wolverine locates Charlemagne and she is happy to see him and kisses him. Foreigner and his Henchmen try to kill her. Spiderman and Wolverine team up to stop Charlie's (Charlemagne) death. Charlie escapes. Later Charlie decides to commit suicide and tells Wolverine to kill her instead of being taken by the KGB. As Wolverine gains the courage to kill her Spiderman stops him. A battle erupts between Spiderman and Wolverine. Spiderman gains the upper hand and Charlemagne approaches from behind. As Spiderman's Senses go off he turns and fatally punches Charlemagne in the head. It was her intention all along. Meanwhile, Ned Leeds is being tied to a chair and having his throat cut by The Foreigner at the request of Jason Macendale (Alter Ego is Jack -O'Lantern). As Spiderman finds Ned murdered with his throat cut he realizes he is surrounded by armed men. Suddenly Wolverine smashes in and grabs Spiderman and pulls him out to safety.
The Controversy On Ned Leeds's Death
Spiderman vs Wolverine #1 was written by the editor of Spider-Man at the time Jim Owsley. Tom DeFalco, Peter David, and Ron Frenz ( Spiderman Creative Team) found Ned Leeds's death objectionable. Saying that Owsley gave them no warning that he was planning on killing Leeds. Frenz Remarked: "Owsley let Tom DeFalco and I continue with our plans without telling us in advance that he was going to kill Ned. We had no heads up until Spider-Man vs. Wolverine came out that Ned Leeds was killed in that story. I can't speak to why he did it, but I can speak to the way he did it. He kept it a big secret until we felt screwed." A great book with some added controversy to go with it.
Reading Between The Lines
Charlemagne's first and only appearance is in Spiderman vs. Wolverine #1. The interesting thing is they set it up with them having had back history and immediate affection upon encountering each other and kissing. Wolverine continues to try to protect her throughout and so it is possible there is a storyline there that can still be written. Also with the Ned Leeds death controversy it is easy to assume that they were working on further story arcs with him included prior to his killing. Time will tell on Ned but one thing for sure is that these are Ned Leeds Key books thus far. They are trending up so get them while you can.
