Amazing Spider-Man #217

KEY ISSUE: Team-up of Sandman and Hydro-Man, they merge to become Mud-Thing

HERE'S MUDD IN YOUR EYE! Spider-Man is exhausted after stopping an assassination attempt on congressional candidate Barney Wicker. Soon the police arrive on the scene, and as Spider-Man explains the situation, he is suddenly attacked by Hydroman, who has reformed in the nearby water tower. The villain blasts the wall-crawler with a powerful jet of water. When the authorities try to shoot him, the bullets pass through Hydroman, and he makes his escape down a drain pipe. Spider-Man also manages to slip away in the confusion. The wall-crawler recovers his clothes from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and changes back into his street clothes. Peter decides to take in a movie and ends up crossing paths with Debora Whitman and Biff Rifkin. Pleasantries are exchanged, but Peter is not impressed with Debora's new boyfriend. To add insult to injury, Biff spoils the end of the movie Peter is about to see, much to his chagrin.  Meanwhile, Duffy's Pub, the Sandman is having some drinks and bragging to Sadie Frickett about his recent clash with Spider-Man and the Sub-Mariner. As he continues to charm her, Hydroman materializes out from the sewers outside. Spotting Sandman with Sadie, Hydroman becomes furious that he is making time with his woman. At that moment, Peter returns home after giving up on the movie. On his way in, he spots the man he thinks is the neighbor with the awful singing voice. He is glad the man is leaving so he can get some rest. However, no sooner has Peter hit the pillows, he is woken by the sound of his neighbor singing his music off key. Having had enough, Peter bangs on the wall shouting for him to be quiet. The force of his blows punches a hole in the wall between apartments. When he looks between the hole between apartments he is shocked to discover that the man who has been tormenting him with his awful singing is the short unassuming man he saw around the building in the past. Apologizing for the hole, the man -- who calls himself Lonesome Pincus -- tells him that accidents happen. Peter finds this situation so absurd, he isn't sure if he wants to laugh or cry.   While back at Duffy's bar, Hydroman confronts Sandman for making time with his woman. The two come to blows until Sadie gets between the two men and suggests that they team up and work together. The two bruisers tentatively agree, and as they walk down the street they commit petty robberies in an attempt to one-up each other and win over Sadie's affections. By this point, Peter Parker has gone to the Daily Bugle waiting for leads on a photo assignment. There he learns about the news about the Sandman and Hydroman teaming up together. Figuring the pair are out looking for him, Peter slips away and changes into Spider-Man and tries to find his two enemies before they can hurt someone. His first stop is Duffy's Pub, where he obtains the address for Sadie Frickett's apartment from the bartender. There, the Sandman and Hydroman are at each other's throats once more, with Sadie in the middle. As they come to blows once more, Spider-Man comes crashing in to stop them. While Spider-Man is distracted by his two foes, Sadie comes up behind the wall-crawler and breaks a vase over his head.   This disorientates Spider-Man long enough for Hydroman to knock the hero outside. There, the two villains attack their foe in the middle of the street as a rainstorm rages over them. Spider-Man leads the two crooks to the docks. When both Sandman and Hydroman leap at Spider-Man, the hero ducks. When the two collide in their sand and water forms, they fall into the water below. As Spider-Man catches his breath his spider-sense begins to go off. Suddenly, a massive creature -- an amalgam of the Sandman and Hydroman -- rises out of the water and goes on a rampage.