The Hobgoblin, Part 1
Review by Amazing Spidey; Screenshots by Kolbar

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Episode #11 - The Hobgoblin, Part 1
Original Airdate - May 20, 1995

Norman Osborne hires a petty crook, who calls himself the Hobgoblin, to kill Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin). Peter saves Fisk and does battle with the Goblin as Spider-Man. Harry Osborne asked Peter to move into an apartment with him. However, when Hobgoblin does a deal with Kingpin, he double-crosses Norman Osborne and sets out to kidnap his son Harry. Aunt May is injured by a gas bomb, and Spidey goes seeking revenge.

Review:

Once again production troubles come into play with this series. Anyone who's read any Spider-Man comics in his or her lifetime will know the Green Goblin debuted over 20 years before the Hobgoblin did. However, it went the other way in this cartoon; it would be another 2 seasons before he appeared. The reason behind this is one left from an apparently clueless previous producer, which couldn't be changed as once again, toys where being produced, and money was being made.

However, this didn't leave a huge plot hole in the series, far from it, the introduction of a new Goblin later came across flawlessly, The Hobgoblin angle benefited it all. It worked as a prelude to Norman becoming the Green Goblin, and set up Peter learning that Wilson Fisk was actually The Kingpin.

The Aunt May in a coma is nothing new, as it's been done in the comics hundreds of times, but the reason behind it was especially lame, as she went into a full coma because his room was a mess. Even though she just saw her nephew attacked by a Goblin on a glider, she gets shocked over his room. After a party no less.

The animation in the fight in the air between Spider-Man and The Hobgoblin shined, especially some of the explosions. Whilst this episode was simply a set up off what was to come in part 2, it did it very well.

Screenshots: