The Spectacular Spider-Man #23
Published and © by Marvel, October 1978
Title: “Guess Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb!”
Synopsis: Spider-Man and Moon Knight’s effort to track down Maggia’s “Big M” leads them back to the wild winds of Cyclone.
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Jim Mooney
Inker: Mike Esposito
Review: Part two of this team-up tale is a remarkably average comic. Writer Bill Mantlo manages to get some nice tension from Spider-Man and Moon Knight’s feeling-out process, but the villains in this one fall flat. The Cyclone is a C-list foe (Spidey was able to beat him with a hardware-store fan in a previous battle [see review of The Amazing Spider-Man #144]) while the Maggia minions are generic to a fault. On the art side, Jim Mooney’s bland-but-steady professionalism offers a stark contrast to the stylish-but-inconsistent work of then-newcomer Mike Zeck in the previous issue (see review).
Grade: C
Cool factor: This reviewer has always been partial to Moon Knight. Batman knockoff or not, Marc Spector and company had a high cool quotient early on.
Not-so-cool factor: The Maggia’s blue-and-yellow clad henchmen. Just how many crime syndicates and terrorist organizations with legions of generic masked thugs are there in the Marvel Universe?
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Alors! Zee boss – he ’as begun to whirl!” – Unnamed Maggia henchman, head over heels
Editor’s note: This review was written March 10, 2026.
