Amazing Spider-Man #39-#40

The Green Goblin, the mysterious villain whose identity has remained a secret to readers since he first
appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #14, returns for a dramatic encounter with Spider-Man in this two-issue
story.

In their previous battles, the Goblin's attempts to destroy Spider-Man have been prevented, but Spider-Man
has not been able to apprehend his enemy. The Goblin returns in issue #39 with a new plan of attack, based
upon learning Spider-Man's secret identity. He hires some thugs to stage a robbery which is thwarted by
Spider-Man. During the battle, the thugs use a special gas grenade on Spider-Man that the Goblin gave to
them. The gas seems to have no effect, but actually is designed to dull all of Spider-Man's senses, including
his spider-sense, which warns him of danger.

Unaware that his spider-sense is weakened, Spider-Man changes into civillian clothes as the Goblin
watches from a distance. The Goblin follows Peter Parker to the Daily Bugle and finds out the true name of
Spider-Man by using a shotgun microphone to overhear conversations inside of the Bugle as he hovers
outside on his flying broomstick.

The Green Goblin confronts Peter just outside of the Parker's home. The Gobin attacks and stuns Peter
enough to tie him up with a steel cable and then flies to his hideout with Peter in tow. After he securely
binds Parker in his hideout, the Green Goblin, due to his inflated ego, reveals his own secret identity in the
last panel of issue #39. Parker recognizes his foe as the father of a classmate - Norman Osborn, father of
Harry, is the Green Goblin!

Issue #40 features the origin of the Green Goblin. Spider-Man stalls for time in order to break free, getting
Osborn to talk about his life. Osborn reveals that as he worked on an experimental chemical formula it
exploded, with the damage going deep within his brain. He believes that the accident had made him more
brilliant and stronger, and he became obsessed with the idea of becoming the greatest costumed criminal of
all time. To obtain his goal, he set his sights on destroying Spider-Man, and had spent the last few years
trying to do so.

The Green Goblin releases the steel bonds in order to destroy Spider-Man in battle. During the struggle,
Spider-Man kicks the Goblin into some vials of chemicals, which also come into contact with some live
electrical wires. The Goblin suffers from amnesia, due to the electro-chemical charge. Convinced that
Norman Osborn has no memory of his years as the Goblin (including Peter Parker's secret), Spider-Man
helps Osborn out of his costume before firemen burst into the warehouse, which caught fire during their
battle. Spider-Man throws the Goblin costume into the flames, deciding that Osborn should be allowed to
go back to lead an ordinary life with his son, Harry, instead of going to jail for things he did when he wasn't
really himself.