Well, a lot has happened since the last time we visited this subject, hasn’t it? And who would have thought that in 2008, more than 15 years after his demise that Harry Osborn would once again live in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. But if history has shown us anything, it’s that you can’t keep a good Osborn down. And it took even less than the 23 years that passed for his father to return from the dead.

So how will this series deal with the new revelations? Particularly since the end of this series was clearly going to deal with the death of Harry? Well, I will go on as intended. I still have all of the applicable issues in my collection – and as far as I am concerned, all of the events unfolded as they were originally told and the intervention of Mephisto in “One More Day,” created an alternate universe, which is currently unfolding in “Brand New Day.” However, I’m clearly going to have a different ending that the one that was originally planned! The only real change has nothing to do with Harry’s resurrection, but since it has been more than a year since I last added to this series, I have already consolidated the previous 10 parts of The Goblin Prince into three larger sections as I moved it to the Archives , so I will merely “reboot” the numbering into what is planned to be the fourth and final installment of the series “Goblin at Rest” rather than pick up the original numbering (which would have made this part 11).

So let us begin our descent into madness….

The last time we saw our good friend Harry Osborn in Goblin’s Return, he was in the best shape he had been in a very long time – happily married with an adoring wife and son, and firmly established as the CEO of his father’s business empire. Unfortunately, he seized upon the dubious idea of redeeming his father's name and legacy as the Green Goblin by becoming a heroic Goblin (he was a few years ahead of Phil Urich in that regard). Considering that he had no superpowers, not a lot of experience, and was going into the business for the wrong reasons, this was not one of younger Osborn's smarter moves. At a time such as this, he needed the counsel of a good and caring friend. Normally, you would have thought Peter Parker would fill that role. But rather than sit down with his friend and have an honest conversation about himself, Harry, and Harry's father, Peter decided to become Spider-Man and knock Harry around for the sole purpose of demonstrating how inadequate he was, that a costume and high tech toys don't cut it in the gritty knuckle busting world of superheroes, particularly when one has a loving wife and child at home. Peter might have had good intentions, but they don't use asphalt to pave the roads to hell. And, as we found out at the end of Web of Spider-Man #67 (August 1990), all of Harry's memories had returned and he knew that Peter was Spider-Man. But Pete, who should have known that Harry knew (Harry tried to clue him in) - refused to come clean with him. Was it denial - if he didn't talk about it with Harry, Harry wouldn't remember? Stupidity? Arrogance? Or clichéd writing?

Whatever Peter's motives were for never reaching out to Harry on these issues, the repercussions proved to be devastating. His lack of honesty would soon contribute to the demise of Harry’s sanity, and then his very life, creating more misery for Peter Parker and his family for many years to come. It's ironic that years later, Peter Parker would (temporarily) come clean with the entire world about the secret of Spider-Man's identity, but not with his best friend.

Things were quiet on the Goblin front for awhile, and Harry actually had a major, non-Goblin role to play in one of Spider-Man's adventures. Long time spider-scribe Gerry Conway wrapped up his run on Spectacular Spider-Man with a three part Doc Ock story that ran through issues #173-175, and before the new writer (whom we'll talk about later) arrived, Kurt Busiek filled in for two issues beginning with #176 (May 1991) featuring a new villainess called Corona - who we can best sum up by describing her a glowing girl who flies. Corona was part of an obnoxious brother/sister scientist team who accidentally released toxic chemicals into the New York City water supply during the experiment that made her the flying glowing girl.

As the story progressed, Mary Jane, along with many other people in New York, began to succumb to a deadly, raging fever, as a result of the chemicals in the water. Corona’s brother created enough antidote to cure the infected denizens, using the chemicals that Corona sought to complete her conversion and boost her power levels. During one conflict, Corona accidentally destroyed the antidote, and all of the available ingredients necessary to whip up another batch.

While visiting a sick MJ in the hospital, Peter sees Harry and Liz Osborn come in with little Norman, who is also sick with the fever. Harry is going to pieces because when Normie told him that he wasn't feeling well, Harry's response was to give him more water, making Normie even sicker. Distraught with guilt, Harry suddenly hears a voice calling out "You poisoned your own child Harry Osborn! What kind of father are you?"

Harry looks around - but there's no one there.

This is not good.

We speculated earlier that Harry was likely slacking off on his medication and therapy due to the various stresses he was under (such as running a multinational corporation and dodging the occasional HobGoblin), and a misguided belief, like so many other sick people, that they don't need continued treatment once they reach a certain measure of stability. Harry probably rationalized this by surmising that having been a drug addict, relying on anti-psychotic medication was trading one addiction for another. Strong anti-psychotic drugs can also have unpleasant side effects. But people who need the drugs …begin to hear and see things that aren’t really there when they don’t take them…as we’ll soon find out.

With his recent humiliation at the hands of his best friend, who is still keeping secrets from him, and his son's sickness, for which he feels responsible, Harry is not far from falling apart. Being a father was the one thing Harry swore he would do better than the elder Norman Osborn - but now he feels he can’t even do that right. I've been through a couple of serious health scares with my own children (and been very, very lucky). I can pretty well guarantee that there isn't much else that has the capacity to destroy your marriage, your sanity, and your life than being faced with the possibility, or sadly for so many people, the reality of losing a child. Now let's transfer those feelings to someone like Harry Osborn, whose mental stability is held together with the equivalent of duct tape and baling wire.

Spider-Man, who has the fever himself as a result of being scratched by Corona during one of their fights, approaches Harry with a proposition to help save his son and everyone else infected. Through Oscorp, Harry is able to obtain what is needed for additional antidote, and as he displays his own scientific acumen in describing the process, Spider-Man, who has never seen this side of his friend, thinks "Wow! Harry's so businesslike - I'd never have guessed!"

Although Spider-Man grows progressively sicker, Corona is loose and out of control again, and he pursues her while Harry feverishly works on the antidote. Ultimately, Corona’s brother's goon squad takes care of her - and Harry successfully conjures up a cure. Everyone is saved, including Spidey, Mary Jane and little Norman and all seems right with the world. Until Harry hears the voice again - and now, he recognizes it (Willem DaFoe?).

This particular story is forgettable, but contains a heaping helping of ironies. For one, Harry doesn't act suspicious or fearful of Spider-Man (other than when Spidey initially startles him), but works with him in the crisis. Since he knows that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, the web slinger is no longer the mysterious boogeyman that has bedeviled Harry’s existence, but a man that he both knows and loves (in a non-gay way for you slashers out there). When Spidey falters, Harry comes to his aid and offers his support, and expresses concern when he is pushing himself beyond his physical limits. Harry's performance during this crisis proves that he was indeed becoming the man that his father always wanted him to be, strong in both business and in science - and demonstrating that he deserved to run Oscorp. Combined with a wife and child that adored him, Harry seems to have gotten his life together, banishing the ghost of Norman Osborn for all of time. Had Peter been wiser, he would have realized what a valuable ally Harry Osborn could have been in his own personal war on crime. Harry could have been his own Reed Richards or Tony Stark – not that Harry was in their class intellectually, but he certainly had formidable resources at his disposal. Additionally, working with Spider-Man could have given Harry the means to obtain the redemption he sought for his father’s name, and he wouldn’t have to wear a silly costume and punch out bad guys. Of course, that certainly would have been enough to cause old Norman to roll over in his grave. Well, if he were really dead, that is.

But Harry was about to run up against the one man whom he had no chance of besting, the man who held Harry's fate in his hands, the man who slowly and surely crushed Harry’s hopes and dreams, and indeed, the very life out of him.

That man was John Marc (JM) DeMatteis.

Frivolity aside, JM DeMatteis was one of the better writers to ever pen the webslinger's adventures. He first dabbled in Spider-Lore in the original Marvel Team-Up, but then made his bones on a story than stunned the Spider-Politic - "Kraven's Last Hunt," (certainly not a favorite of mine, but to be fair, one loved by many), where he not only buried Spider-Man alive, but added depth to a once laughable and cliched supervillain in Kraven the Hunter, who, of course, famously blew his brains out at the end of the story, cementing an indelible moment in Spidey history. DeMatteis also succeeded David Michelinie on Amazing Spider-Man just in time for the Clone Saga to pick up steam, and during that run he penned the beautiful "Death of Aunt May" story in issue #400,. It was a manipulative tear jerker to be sure, but one that spoke to the heart of anyone who had lost a beloved parent. He also had spun a complex web (pun intended because I'm being pretty lazy right now) of storylines in the post Clone Saga era of Spectacular Spider-Man, which included a new and deadly Jack O'Lantern, Norman Osborn's return as a recurring, menacing presence in Spider-Man's life, and a fifth Green Goblin whose identity (along with the new Jack's) was the subject of much debate. May’s subsequent resurrection to kick off the failed Spider-Man reboot of 1999, however, is said by many to have been the straw that broke the camel's back vis a vis DeMatteis' career with Marvel, although I have never read an official confirmation of this (and this appears to be thawing, as he is working on a new Spider-Man related story).

But let’s step back to 1991, when he was handed the reigns of Spectacular Spider-Man, and beginning with issue #178 (July 1991), he decided to swing for the fences right away, with a story that set off a chain of events that led to Harry Osborn's ultimate and tragic demise - "The Child Within."

According to an interview with Tom DeFalco in Comics Creators on Spider-Man (a valuable Spidey resource for all you addicts out there), DeMatteis stated that "The Child Within" was originally planned as a Batman story (which coincidentally, so was "Kraven's Last Hunt" with Kraven standing in for Batman's old foe, Dr. Hugo Strange) for Legends of the Dark Knight. Per DeMatties "It was intended to explore deep psychological ground regarding Batman and his inner child, that wounded little boy who'd been traumatized his parents' murders. Same for the villain of the piece, Two-Face." However, as DC recently had released a Batman graphic novel that dealt with the themes of child abuse (which as you’ll see, is the primary factor in “Child Within”), it didn't want to do another one. DeMatteis kept the idea rattling around in his head, and decided to use it when he got the Spectacular gig, substituting Spider-Man and the Green Goblin for Batman and Two-Face. What followed is a favorite Spider-Man/Green Goblin confrontation for many fans - but being the cranky old fart that I am - not for me - and of course, you'll hear me expound on that ad infinitum.

DeMatteis' writing often reflects that by and large, superheroes and villains are damaged people, and that what makes supervillains is really not that different than what makes ordinary villains. Even the heroes, who are already segregated from the rest of humanity by their unique abilities that for various reasons they must keep secret from the world at large, are often tortured by inner demons, driven to do what they do by compulsions difficult for the non-powered class to understand. And for the most part, he’s right. Unfortunately, while many times this makes for gripping storytelling, I have always felt that DeMatteis’ writing often became being preachy and pretentious - because sometimes - bad guys are just evil, irredeemable scumbags who deserve to get their asses kicked.

In addition to being almost twice as long as it needed to be, "The Child Within" also suffers from the writer not narrowing his focus strictly to Harry Osborn, Peter Parker, their tortured pasts, and mutual issues of guilt and parental abandonment, which were certainly strong and compelling enough to more than satisfy the demands of an important, multi-part story arc. However, he unnecessarily brought his own creation, Vermin the Cannibal Rat Man, into the mix, when this should clearly be Spidey’s and the Goblin’s story.

Vermin was originally a Captain America foe in the late 1970's. Edward Whelan was a geneticist working for Cap's nemesis Baron Zemo. In one of Zemo's experiments, Whelan was transformed into the Cannibal Rat Man (but if he's basically a rat on two legs - is he really a cannibal when he eats human beings?). DeMatteis created Vermin with Mike Zeck during his run on Captain America and used him again in Marvel Team-Up #128 (April 1983), which represented Spider-Man's first encounter with him. He obviously had great affection for this character, using him in "Kraven's Last Hunt," before bringing him in again for "The Child Within."

The story even begins with Vermin, who had just escaped institutionalization, where he was under the care of another DeMatteis contribution to the Spider-Man mythology, Dr. Ashley Kafka, who became the resident shrink in the Spider-Man title for years to come (and who would also mysteriously de-age from a middle aged woman nearly 50 years old to a 20-something babe in the late 1990's and become John Jameson’s main squeeze - but that's not relevant to this story). Vermin is running loose in the sewers babbling to himself, when he spies a lonely little boy who only wants to go home, and wants Vermin to help him get there (considering the tone the story was taking, it was pretty easy to deduce right away who this little boy was).

When Vermin escaped confinement, he didn't go away neatly, leaving a long, bloody trail of savagely butchered people in his wake. The magnitude of the violence disgusts Spider-Man, who believes that Dr. Kafka is a foolish for trying to cure Vermin. She believes the cure can be obtained by reaching into Vermin's psyche, reversing the transformation psychologically in addition to biologically. Unfortunately, the return of Vermin reawakens too many bad memories in Spidey of his defeat and burial by Kraven, the drama in which Vermin was a player, which feeds his growing anxiety and paranoia.

The final member of this Tortured Trio is Harry, sitting on the couch watching cartoons with little Norman. However, it is clear that Harry is not well. As his son sits transfixed by the television, Harry is pre-occupied by his own self-delusion, rambling about how he and his father were "real buddies," who would sit and watch TV together, and how his father really loved him and did his best for him after his mother died. But not matter how hard Harry tries, he cannot keep the truth submerged. Although his conscience memory tries to deny the reality surrounding Norman Osborn, his subconscious forces him to face it when it conjures up a ghostly apparition of the old man. As those who saw Spider-Man 2 & 3 know, Willem DaFoe's eerie presence in Harry's mind is 100% faithful to the comic book canon.

Norman's ghost mercilessly belittles Harry about his weaknesses and what Norman perceives as Harry's inability to command respect from his son, since like most small children, Normie (I’m going to get whiplash going between old Norman and young Norman), is a lot more interested in the television than what his old man has to say. Come to think of it, that describes most of us guys when our wives are talking to us. Harry then screams at his son and yanks him violently in order to get his attention, and then snaps back to reality aghast at his behavior when he realizes that his son is in tears.

Interspersed throughout the story are the videos Dr. Kafka watches of her earlier sessions with Vermin, where she tries to unravel the secrets of his past. During one such viewing, when Kafka quietly implores Vermin to think back to his life before Zemo, the creature suddenly becomes frantic as he refers to "the Bad Thing."

And the first time I read this, I knew exactly where that was going to go as well.

Vermin and the "boy" soon arrive at a mansion, which Vermin refers to as "home." Inside, in separate bedrooms, an elderly man and woman sleep. Vermin sneaks in and crawls into bed with the man and refers to him as "Daddy." However, "Daddy," who’s just as creeped out as the readers at the moment, is in no mood for this kind of family reunion, and pulls out a gun and shoots Vermin in the shoulder, forcing the creature to withdraw and retreat.

Harry's next “episode” occurs in Central Park, as the Osborn family is enjoying the merry-go-round. Harry once again appears happy and content when like the killjoy he is - Norman's ghost reappears - chiding Harry for indulging his son with all sorts of silly niceties, telling him that the sooner the boy learns that the world is a cold, cruel place, the better! Harry tries to tell "Norman" that they did the very same things together when Harry was a child, which Norman vehemently denies (and it is likely that Norman is correct – if Norman Osborn did anything like this with his son – it was only while Emily was still alive – although canon is a bit fuzzy on just how old Harry was when she died). However, this time, unlike the previous episode, Harry's self-delusion about Norman's behavior begins to win the battle as "Norman" begins to break and confess that he loved Harry. However, Norman soon collapses, a Goblin glider sticking in his back. He has been joined by another apparition - Spider-Man - who tells Harry that Norman was "a sick and vicious man. And you should be happy that he's dead." As this trip plays itself out, little Norman tugs on Harry, asking for his attention, and Harry turns on him, angrily demanding "What the devil do you want?" something that was no doubt asked of him in the same tone so many times during his own childhood. Once again, however, Harry snaps out of it, but not before Liz begins to look very...worried.

Obviously what's playing out here is the tortured reconciliation in Harry's mind of the disparate viewpoints of his father that he has struggled with his entire life. While Harry's conscience mind deludes himself about his father's "kindness," Norman Osborn's ghost is the buried part of Harry's psyche that reminds him of the s.o.b. that Norman really was. And just when Harry seems to be able to overcome Norman's “ghost” and impose his perspective upon it, yet another harbinger of the truth arrives in the form of Spider-Man, who once again reminds Harry of the truth, a truth that in his current mental state he doesn’t want to hear. And having once been a nurse, Liz should recognize exactly what is happening, and run straight to Harry’s medicine cabinet, or get on the phone with his doctor. But it seems that fear and denial rather than reason are winning the battle within Lizzie.

And later that night, as Harry tenderly puts his son to bed and gives him a gentle kiss, Norman Osborn returns yet again - with a special gift - and a command – that “it’s time.”

The scenes between Harry and little Normie are touching in a way that I have difficulty describing except that they’re on the mark. I don’t know if DeMatteis has children (his bio is rather vague), but considering that he has written books for children (his Abazad series); there is little doubt he feels affection for them. It also is a subtle reminder of how fathers have changed over the decades. It’s a given that Harry loves his son. He clearly dotes on him, isn’t afraid to let his son know how much he cares, whether through words or hugs, and doesn’t care who knows it. In contrast, the elder Norman Osborn was clearly of a generation that did not express such feelings. It simply wasn’t how they were raised. Norman probably never simply told Harry that he loved him, one reason because he likely never heard those words from his own father. I doubt that my own father heard them enough from his own – unfortunately I’ll never be able to find out.

My only qualm with these moments is that it almost implies that ANY time a parent gets mad at a child, it’s because they have “the devil” in them (in Harry’s case, “the devil” is Norman, not Mephisto). Children can inspire both an insane amount of love and rage simultaneously, a conundrum that only parents really understand.

It's no coincidence that Norman's appearances are not tied to moments when Harry is in emotional distress, as you might think - but rather, moments when Harry is happy, and enjoying his lovely family and the life he has. Norman Osborn made Harry feel weak and worthless during Harry's first 20 years or so, so often that Harry began to believe it himself. And now, in moments of Harry's contentment, Norman reappears to remind him of what Harry has always believed "You don't deserve this! You’re not worthy!" But there's another dark secret lurking in the recesses of Harry's troubled mind - a feeling that whatever he does have came at a very high price...

Harry is forced to confront that secret in issue #180, which begins with him looking through the Osborn family photo album, where we get our first look ever at Mrs. Osborn (who still remained nameless - she wasn't given a name until Roger Stern's Revenge of the Green Goblin miniseries in 2000). Harry is desperately trying to focus on what he perceives as the positive aspects of his life, but two warring factions in his mind are crushing his spirit - the truth as represented by Spider-Man/Peter Parker and the denial that is trying to keep Harry from realizing that truth - represented by the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn.

"Peter's" and "Norman's" argument moves back and forth like tennis players batting the ball, with poor Harry in the middle trying to make sense of it all ("Why won't you two let me enjoy my life?"). "Peter" finally insults "Norman" once too often and Harry strikes back, savagely pummeling "Peter." Once again, Harry's denial is winning out over the truth. And then, out it comes - the secret that Harry has forced so deep that he no longer consciously remembered it. It is the one thing that his father did, more than anything else - that Harry cannot live with. "Peter" cries out:

"He killed Gwen, Harry!"

Harry stops cold, a look of horror on his face. He has spent a lifetime rationalizing every act of cruelty that Norman Osborn visited upon him and others because he was "working so hard," or he "had so many enemies," or that "all he wanted was to make enough money to give me a good life." Norman Osborn’s ruthless crushing, or even murdering, of both business and criminal competitors can almost be explained away - particularly since many of the people that Norman took action against were not very likely to have been honorable in their own right. But there is one action that Harry cannot rationalize - Norman Osborn’s murder of Gwen Stacy.

In an earlier chapter of this essay, we examined just how important Gwen Stacy was to Harry Osborn. She wasn't just his friend, but his lifeline, his salvation when he was a troubled young man with no other friends, no mother, and a psychotic father. On his own, he was a loser and a misfit – but, latching onto her social coat tails - he was somebody when he was around Gwen Stacy. All of the other kids had to treat him with respect because Gwen, by virtue of her own personality and social status, if not verbally - demanded it. While it is likely that he was more than a little in love with her and would have been more than happy to have one day married her (what red blooded teenage young man wouldn't have?), she was far more important to him than a girlfriend or a lover. She was his big sister and best friend rolled into one. And that really didn't change even when Peter Parker entered their lives. Harry finally found a measure of peace and happiness (however short-lived) with Liz Allan (another blond – I’ve always wondered if deep down, Harry was looking for another Gwen) - but he never would have made it to that point if it had not been for Gwen Stacy.

And Norman Osborn murdered her - without pity - without remorse - without caring how much she meant to his son. Gwen’s late father had also been one of Norman’s friends. It was the ultimate proof, that no matter how much Harry tried to convince himself otherwise, that Norman Osborn really didn't give a DAMN about his son (which is also not quite true either - Norman did love Harry - but the truth is - he never expressed it in a way that Harry could truly feel it). But - Norman was still Harry's father - still the man whose love and approval mattered most to him.

But why did Gwen die that day at Norman’s hand? After all, Norman did not specifically seek her out for revenge. She was merely a tool to get at the person whom Norman really wanted to strike against – Peter Parker.

And Peter Parker was with both of them when they died. More than anyone else, he was the harbinger of their deaths. He was the keeper of the Osborn family secrets. Back in Amazing Spider-Man #249 (February 1984), when Harry first found out (post-amnesia) that his father was the Green Goblin (due to the original HobGoblin’s blackmail scheme), Peter already knew, yet pretended not to know. He had been there where Norman Osborn “died,” had watched the glider impale him, yet said nothing. He feigned sympathy for Harry during any of the few talks that they probably had, pretending not to know about the Green Goblin, assuring Harry that maybe things weren’t that bad – when he knew that they were! Was Peter laughing at him behind his back? Or did he just feel sorry for him? Either way, Peter had betrayed him.

And Harry finally cracks.

But it turns out that he’s not the only one dealing with crap at the moment.

Peter Parker is struggling with his own issues. Throughout the story, Peter has been inexplicably drawn to the graves of his parents and Uncle Ben, tormented by something he can't quite understand, something that manifests itself in the "You did it!" that tingles in the back of his mind.

But there's a wicked surprise waiting for him - the Green Goblin has returned. At first, Peter thinks that Harry is just playing around again, but before long he realizes that Harry is serious, and the situation is dire indeed. Harry gasses Peter for the next stage of his plan - not to physically destroy him - but to cause him mental anguish and suffering - to match that which Harry himself has suffered all of his life - to drag Peter down into the darkness with him.

Harry uses one of his father's patented hallucinogenic gasses on Spider-Man but not before Harry once again tries to rationalize that although his father would "ignore me - call me awful names - treat me like a doormat - he loved me!" (Spectacular Spider-Man #181 -October 1991- in the event you're following along at home). And then we learn of another burden that Harry has been carrying for all of these years - the belief that it was he who created the Green Goblin. This time Harry tells Peter that Norman Osborn became the Goblin because he loved Harry and wanted to give him a better life - but as we later learned in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #14, after Harry's death - that Harry had far more tangible reasons, however mistaken, to believe that he was responsible for the Green Goblin and his father's psychosis (this has been discussed previously).

The gas forces Spider-Man to relive his recent agonizing ordeal against Kraven the Hunter, and then he finds himself surrounded by the graves of all of those who died while he was Spider-Man - George and Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, Ned Leeds, the list goes on. The guilt he feels is overwhelming, but the further the hallucination continues, the deeper it goes to the core of Peter's guilt - and like Harry before him, Spider-Man is forced to face the a "truth" that he has suppressed all of the years - an inexplicable belief that he was responsible for his parents' deaths. After all - there must have been a reason they didn't come home - right?

His emotions given free reign by the gas, Spider-Man goes temporarily mad. The ferocity of Peter's rage and pain is so powerful that it even temporarily shakes Harry out of his own psychosis - and seeing his friend in such distress - reaches out to help him. You get the feeling, that if they could have reached out to each other long ago with their mutual pain, perhaps they could have helped each other with the healing. But Spider-Man is now so delusional that he brutally attacks the Goblin and flees the scene.

And of course, we have to interrupt the story for our Vermin interlude. It is made as clear as it is going to be in the story that "The Bad Thing" is that as a boy, Vermin's father sexually abused him and that despite his fervent and tearful cries for help, his mother failed to save him. He returns home once again, attacks his mother, and threatens to kill his father.

Somehow in the midst of his dementia, Spider-Man finds Dr. Kafka's office and literally crashes in. Then, in issue #182, with Kafka's helping him, he relives the delusion that his parents "left" because they didn't love him and that somehow he was responsible for their "going away." Subconsciously, he is climbing out of a dark tunnel to the truth - that his guilt is illogical - that he was in no way responsible for his parent's deaths. He is finally able to admit that the feelings exist - but that they are groundless. Dr. Kafka states that it’s a common way of dealing with trauma. By taking on the "blame," the child can actually take control of the situation and lose the sense of total powerlessness.

Let's take a breath here. As some readers liked to point out in message boards after the debut of DeFlowering Gwen, my degree is not in psychology. Well, they got that right - because it isn't. And my mother and father, flawed creatures that they were, (how they raised a perfect son like me, I’ll just never know), were both good human beings and parents, staying married for almost 40 years until my father passed away in 2001. And miraculously enough, I think that they still loved each other even after all of that time together. So, I am in no position to speak of issues of childhood feelings of abandonment. Still, I find it bizarre, and dramatically forced, that Peter would even remotely feel any guilt about his parents' deaths, even deep in his subconscious. He was only a baby and his parents died doing their jobs as SHIELD agents, which would have happened regardless of whether or not he had ever been born. It was the Red Skull (or a fake Red Skull, if I recall my Captain America continuity correctly), who sent the Parkers to their deaths. Pete has enough guilt over the deaths of Uncle Ben, the Stacys, and many others that bringing his deceased parents into the mix seems like a real stretch. As Spider-Man leaves Kafka's office to confront Vermin again, he reflects that he feels "free" in a way he never has been before - of having faced "the monster" of his repressed feelings about his parents and no longer feels pain from them. I'm gonna need some help on this one - whether or not DeMatteis stepped out of the batters' box in trying to make Peter's story of parental abandonment parallel Harry's and Vermin, or whether people in this similar situation are really plagued by such repressed memories. And I'm sure that someone out there can tell me if I'm the one out of step here. This is where the original concept’s origins as a Batman story are felt, because unlike Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne was not a baby and was there when Joe Chill gunned down both of his parents. Such an event would inflict the psychological damage present in this story, whereas Peter’s connection with the events surrounding his parents’ deaths is much more tenuous.

As we rejoin the story, Vermin is attacking his parents, sorting through his own demons and finds that although he believes that he hates his father for what he has done, he can't hate without guilt, and he can't bring himself to kill him. Spider-Man arrives and gives Vermin an object he can focus his unfiltered rage on, but before he gets the upper hand on the wall crawler, Harry arrives and zaps Vermin, who finds himself at the mercy of the police who are looking for an excuse to ventilate him.

Of course, Spider-Chump, er Man, decides that since Vermin was sexually abused, that excuses him from having killed and eaten people, people who had families, and who had absolutely nothing to do with Vermin's misery, so he rescues him from what would have been a firing squad. Vermin is eventually tranquilized and taken back to the institution where Dr. Kafka promises to hold him and hug him and give him sugar cookies every day.

Spider-Man then turns his attention to an increasingly nuttier Harry. Now, especially sharp-eyed fans will experienced a sense of déjà vu when they look at the panels of the subsequent Spider-Man/Goblin battle. Peter decides he has had enough of Harry's delusions and is going to force him to deal with his psychosis once and for all. He strips off both their masks and tells him that this is not about Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, but two men named Peter Parker and Harry Osborn.

Now, let's flash forward more than a decade later to the end of the Clone Saga - the classic "Revelations Part 4" in Peter Parker #75 (December 1996). Norman Osborn has returned from exile in Europe after he was believed to be dead from the events of Amazing Spider-Man #122 and has plotted to blow up the Daily Bugle building, taking everyone that Peter Parker cares about with it. Despite Osborn's fury and determination to avenge the death of his son, Spider-Man refuses to knuckle under and gets the best of Osborn, telling him that this is not about Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, but Peter Parker and Norman Osborn.

Brrrr. Just gives you the chills, eh? It's highly unlikely that those involved with Peter Parker #75, even remembered that the previous confrontation between Peter and the younger Osborn existed. But like so many things in the Spider-Man mythology, disparate events have a way of weaving together as if they were planned that way from the beginning.

Harry continues flying further and further off the plantation, blaming Peter for Gwen's death and accusing him of framing Norman Osborn. Peter decides that even if he takes Harry down - what does he do with him? So, he stands his ground, and offers Harry a chance to kill him, gambling that he doesn't have it in him to kill. Prodded by Norman's ghost, Harry takes the glider on a direct course for Spider-Man, but at the last minute pulls up, unable to do the deed. Unfortunately, Harry has now passed the point of no return - even before he finally immersed himself in the Goblin formula. His confidence has been irrevocably shattered. He knows that no matter what happens now - Peter Parker is the better man. He always was and always will be the better man. Harry threw his best at him, and tried to break his will - but Peter came back. Harry has no such strength. To some degree, this is one of the things about Peter that bedevils Norman Osborn, knowing that regardless of what happens – Parker is the better man – always was – always will be.

But unlike the elder Osborn, he also doesn't have it in him to kill. And therefore, no matter what happens, he can never be the man his father was.

In Harry's mind, there are only the two extremes - Peter Parker - whom he knows to be a selfless and brave hero, something that he feels that he could never be - and Norman Osborn - who commanded great power and respect - which Harry also craves to command - but unable to kill Peter - he knows that he can never be that man as well.

So, tragically, where does Harry Osborn fit? No where. Once again, he finds himself to be a weak, worthless, and unworthy man. And so, having made clear that he will expose Peter is he tries to bring him down, Harry drifts away on his glider, desperate to sort things out, but vowing one day to return.

And ironically, I’m sure that to Peter Parker, Harry Osborn seemed to have it all, money, power, beautiful family, no secret identity worries. But even people who seem to have it all – and sometimes, especially people who seem to have it all, can spiral into hopelessness and despair, even if medicated. Although I will never say for 100% certainty – but for example, I am pretty sure, based on what little I know about these cases, that Marilyn Monroe and George Reeves each truly committed suicide – and neither was murdered as conspiracy theorists like to believe (although there is evidence that could support that Reeves’ death was accidental, the result of two drunken people having a violent argument). It’s easier for us on the outside looking in to believe that it was murder, because we look at the lives of people like this and say “Geez – what could be their problem?” What woman in that era didn’t want to be like Marilyn Monroe, not seeing the emotional toll that a string of busted marriages and drifting perilously close to middle age (which is often not very kind to starlets who rely on their looks and sex appeal for their fame) was taking on her? And how many of us guys would be more than happy to be paid large sums of money to wear a red and blue costume and pretend to be a superhero – and have rich girlfriends to boot? We see people who we think have everything going for them and have lives that we might envy (we might really not if we truly walked a mile in their shoes) – and we just can’t imagine them chucking it all in. But that clearly shows a lack of understanding just how miserable people can be miserable whether rich or poor, or how low depression can drag a person down, particularly if alcohol gets into the mix, or if mental issues are in the family (Reeves had two family members commit suicide, and Monroe’s mother was mentally ill).

No doubt at times Harry Osborn looked back on his life and said “I am rich, successful, the head of a multinational conglomerate, I have a beautiful wife who loves and adores me, and a cute son who would make any man proud. What the hell did I ever do to deserve it? “After all, his wealth was a product of his father’s blood, sweat, and tears – not Harry’s. Although Harry probably proved to be an adept CEO, the job was still largely handed to him by virtue of inheritance, not merit. And that same father was the murderous Green Goblin – and who knows how much of that wealth was derived from criminal activities – and how much blood was sacrificed? Especially that of Gwen Stacy, Harry’s best buddy from his childhood days.

And let’s not underestimate the prospect of a steadily growing and seething resentment of Peter Parker for keeping things from him. Oh sure – Harry could have told Peter one day that he simply knew – but he wanted Pete to come to him – in a show of trust and friendship – and share it with him. Besides, Peter was living in the loft above, and as both Harry and his father had known who Peter was – another villain could find out (Venom already knew at this time) – and come to Soho looking for Spider-Man and not care who else lived there. Didn’t Peter at least owe that to Harry – that he was indirectly putting their lives at risk? And it wasn’t like Harry was Aunt May, or totally defenseless. He still had the arsenal of the Green Goblin and knew how to use it – and had used it before. He wasn’t exactly helpless.

Plus, Peter was there when his father died. Didn’t Peter owe him his version of the events?

Frankly, I can see Harry’s side.

But in the end, Harry is not emotionally strong enough to overcome his own sense of worthlessness and feelings of abandonment. Rather than see his own family as a refuge - they are but another burden - another thing he must fear - because "if they found out what I was really like - if they found out how scared and weak I am - they'd leave me, too."

As far as “The Child Within” itself, those who think that Brian Michael Bendis invented decompressed storytelling in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man need to check out this six part story. As I mentioned earlier, the addition of Vermin really adds nothing to the tale, although the use of video and film does almost give the story a certain cinematic feel, as you can easily envision the characters watching certain events unfold upon the screen.

But rather than be content with making his points once, and then moving on with the story, DeMatteis makes them over and over and over again. Everything is spelled out, the characters leave nothing to the imagination in describing the depths of their pain. This is particular grating when Harry acts like a five year old, telling Peter in issue #181 "all I ever wanted since I was a little boy was for people to love me and no one ever did." It’s true that deep down, Harry is still that little boy, still desperate for love – but does it have to be so obvious?

Still, that Harry could have been helped – after all he had once before. But that was before he immersed himself in the Goblin formula.

NEXT TIME: Harry finally obtains the power his father once had, the power that was coveted by so many HobGoblins, the power that in the end cost him everything.