A nice mystery, new villain and great arc all brought about by managing to bring a concept back in a new and fresh take.

There is a good article on the Hobgoblin in Back Issue # 35 with interviews with Stern, DeFalco, Owsley/Priest, Frenz and David.

Roger Stern says that he began to work out who the Hobgoblin was with DeFalco (editor of ASM at the time), but left the title when Danny Fingeroth took over as he couldn't work with him the same way he did with DeFalco.

His original plan was to have the Hobgoblin story resolve around issue 260 with the reveal of his ID.

The issues started when DeFalco didn't wan to use Stern's choice Roderick Kingsley as he didn't like the idea of the twin brother to throw suspicion off, and based his resolution as the Hobgoblin being Richard Fisk, and Kingsley as The Rose.

Then when Priest/Owsley took over as editor it just descended in to the madness and confusion that lasted until Stern cam back for Hobgoblin Lives.

I think if Roger Stern had continued or even Tom DeFalco had been allowed to go his course, the character really would have had a far greater impact.

By 1987 after too may red herrings and false starts, I think people were tired of the Hobgoblin story, and the character just became more maligned.

So what should have been a really great and constant edition to the Spider-Man Rogues Gallery was left to flounder, and, I guess Venom got the spotlight instead.

Although with Venom I thought there was no need to introduce Eddie Brock when Lance Bannon, and the way Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz were plotting him could have easily been the host for Venom.