—Peter ParkerThere's no way out! She'd never have me as I am--and I just can't give up being Spider-Man! So, she'll end up marrying Leeds--and living the quiet, uneventful life she dreams of! There's only one thing I've got to figure out--how do I forget about--the girl I love??
Appearing in "The Claws of the Cat!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Cat Burglar (First appearance) (See chronology)
- Master Planner (Voice only)
Other Characters:
- Anthony Stark (Mentioned)
- Scorpion (Mentioned)
- Anna May Watson
- NYPD
- Charlie (First appearance)
- Joe (First appearance)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Vision or hallucination)
- Cat Burglar (Vision or hallucination)
- John Jonah Jameson (Vision or hallucination)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- Earth-TRN1263 (Vision or hallucination)
Items:
Synopsis for "The Claws of the Cat!"
As Peter Parker goes out, he runs into Liz Allan who is in a hurry and tells Peter that Flash Thompson has been following her trying to learn where she works. Peter stalls Flash and then misdirects him. Peter is still concerned about Betty and calls to meet her. She drops a bombshell saying that Ned has proposed to her. Peter is ready to tell her about Spider-Man when she explains that she wants a stable home life without excitement and danger that an adventurer or a hero like Spider-Man would have. Peter, hurt by her subtle rejection of him leaves her in tears when he storms out. Though Peter returns home, Betty calls so much that he realizes he must clear his head and go out and fight crime.
As he does, police have cornered the Cat Burglar and Spider-Man makes the chase. The Cat gets Spider-Man off balance and tries to bring a water tower crashing down on him. As he flees, the police corner him on the roof, and he throws a smoke grenade to hide inside a chimney where they eventually arrest him. Peter is dejected and cuts short any attempt at conversation by Betty as he sells more pictures to Jameson.