Amazing Spider-Man #39 (August 1966) – “How Green Was My Goblin” – Stan Lee/John Romita
This one starts with Green Goblin planning revenge on Spider-Man, but unlike all the other times he actually has a pretty good plan. Meanwhile, Peter Parker has a very bad cold and goes to see Dr. Bromwell, who warns him that Aunt May is still quite fragile (when isn’t she?) and can’t stand any sudden shocks. At university, Harry Osborn’s dad drops him off and is in such a shitty mood that Harry is actually nice to Peter for once and they end up having a friendly chat, which surprises both Flash and Gwen. Peter goes for a swing
as Spider-Man and happens upon a robbery on top of a skyscraper. He pounds the goons but it seems like they were waiting for him and they use a gas grenade that’s supposed to defeat him. The gas doesn’t seem to do anything and Spidey finishes off the thugs, but we see Green Goblin nearby and find out the gas has actually suppressed Spidey’s spider-sense, allowing Goblin to follow him and figure out his secret identity. (Two of the goons actually mention the Goblin and Spidey doesn’t react, so I guess we’re supposed to assume they were talking in low tones to each other.) Gobby follows Peter to the Daily Bugle and listens in on a conversation he has with Ned Leeds 
(making peace over Betty). Green Goblin keeps following as Peter walks home and Peter has an uneasy feeling the whole time, as if his suppressed spider-sense is trying to break through. Green Goblin finally confronts him at home, giving us a cool fight scene in the Parker front yard. Luckily, smoke from Gobby’s glider obscures things enough that Aunt May can’t see the fight right outside her window. Green Goblin knocks Peter out and drags him off to his hideout where he ties him up and reveals his true identity is … Norman Osborn, Harry’s father!
This is a classic issue for many reasons, starting with Spider-Man and Green Goblin finding out each other’s identities. Norman had been popping
up in the background of various issues for a while and we knew he was a bad guy when he framed Professor Stromm and tried to kill him a couple issues ago, so it’s fitting that he turns out to be the Goblin. It was clever of him to get rid of Peter’s spider-sense and follow him; I’m wondering why more villains haven’t tried that. It’s cool to see Peter fighting the Goblin in his civilian clothes. Another big change here is John Romita’s art, although in the first few issues he kinda sticks closer to Ditko’s style than his own. I think he does that on purpose to make the transition easier, something later artists could have emulated. I like Romita’s art, especially the way he depicts Peter and his supporting cast. The overall tone has shifted too, with 
Peter and Harry getting friendly, heralding a softening of the hard-luck stuff that Peter always had to deal with under Ditko’s plotting. When Spidey swings in to stop the robbery it looks like the Empire State Building, prompting some fans to wonder where he was swinging from, since it was the tallest building in New York at the time. I think Stan claimed a friendly bird was flying overhead at that exact moment and let Spidey hitch a ride. A much more outlandish occurrence is when Peter drops by the doctor’s office without an appointment and immediately gets in to see him. Now that’s hard to believe!
Amazing Spider-Man #40 (September) – “Spidey Saves the Day” – Stan Lee/John Romita
This one continues from the above issue, with Green Goblin holding Peter Parker (who he now knows is Spider-Man) captive in his waterfront hideout. Now that Peter knows Gobby is really Norman Osborn, he mentions Harry and that causes Goblin to have some doubts. He goes into a long origin story, telling Peter how he tried to be a good father to Harry but had trouble because his business kept getting in the way. He also recounts how he became the Green Goblin and even though the change is
what made his psychotic, he was kind of an asshole even before that. Peter encourages the Goblin’s rant to give himself time to get loose from his bonds. Meanwhile, Aunt May is freaking out because Peter isn’t home and hasn’t called, so (after trying the Bugle to see if he’s there) Anna Watson calls Dr. Bromwell to come see May. And somewhere in the Midwest (Chicago maybe?) Betty Brant decides to go back to New York and resolve things with Peter and Ned. At the warehouse, Peter tries to keep Green Goblin talking and we get recaps of all their earlier fights. Goblin decides to free Spider-Man so they can have one last confrontation, but Peter had almost worked his way 
free anyway, so it’s kind of an empty gesture. After an epic fight, Spider-Man accidentally knocks Green Goblin into some chemicals charged with live wires and the Goblin is knocked out. When he comes to, Norman Osborn has amnesia and can’t remember the last few years, including his transformation into the Green Goblin. Spidey knows he’s not bullshitting (because of his spider-sense), so he destroys the Goblin costume and takes him to safety, telling the cops and firefighters that Osborn is a hero who helped him finish off the Green Goblin. Peter rushes home to see Aunt May and has to let her fuss over him as a means of therapy.
So it looks like the menace of the Green Goblin is ended forever … not! Even as a kid reading these in Marvel Tales reprints, I knew the Goblin was too cool not to bring back. But the amnesia gives Spidey a convenient out that
lets him preserve his secret identity without having to contemplate killing Osborn (although in hindsight, that might’ve been the better option). Aunt May’s dithering is getting old, but I love how Anna Watson says that even Mary Jane stays out late sometimes … yeah, I’ll bet she does. Betty coming back might feel like regression, but I think it’s just so Stan and Steve can tie her up as a loose plot thread and set the stage for Gwen and Peter to get together. I’m not sure where Betty was supposed to be she hears WLS radio station in Chicago, so maybe she’s there (or somewhere in the vicinity).