And with all my gear here in my secure vault, for once my Peter-Parker-life is 100% Spider-Free 
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Mr. Negative (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- NYPD
- NYFD
- Norman Osborn (Mentioned)
- Randy Robertson (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Referenced)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- South Street Seaport
- Hell's Kitchen
- Fisk Building (Destroyed)
- Daily Bugle Building
- Tribeca
- Peter Parker's Apartment
- Staten Island (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
- Hell (Invoked)
Items:
- Hobgoblin Armor
- Spidey Stealth Suit
- Spider-Man's Web-Shooters
- Reverbium
- Tron (Mentioned)
- Spider-Tracer
- Antarctic Vibranium
Synopsis for 1st story
Hobgoblin informs Kingpin and Montana that Spider-Man and Black Cat are coming and that they will try to steal back the reverbium. Kingpin contacts Tiberius Stone, who is monitoring the reverbium. Stone replies that everything is fine, but the communication between him and Kingpin is cut off. Spider-Man and Black Cat break in and defeat some Hand ninjas. Spider-Man goes to find the reverbium, while Black Cat tries to find Kingpin. Kingpin dispatches his forces to stop them. Hobgoblin and a group of ninjas try to find Spider-Man, but Spider-Man defeats the ninjas. However, Hobgoblin uses his goblin laugh to attack Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Black Cat finds Kingpin and Montana. She tries to ambush them, but Montana traps her with his whip.
Hobgoblin tries to use his goblin laugh again, but Spider-Man activates his suit's secondary mode, protecting him against the goblin laugh. Hogoblin then attacks Spider-Man with his fire sword, but he evades the slash.
Black Cat defeats Montana, but she is attacked by Kingpin. Stone realizes that the fight between Spider-Man and Hobgoblin begins destroying the equipment being used to keep the reverbium in check. Spider-Man shoots Hobgoblin's fire sword with a spider-tracer made of anti-metal, which completely melts the sword. Hobgoblin unleashes a powerful screams that sets off the reverbium, which will create a shockwave capable of destroying the building and some city blocks. Hobgoblin and Stone flee, leaving Spider-Man to shoot the reverbium with anti-metal spider-tracers. Spider-Man notes that although he can't stop the initial shock, the spider-tracers can destroy the reverbium before it spreads. Spider-Man then contacts Black Cat, telling her to get out of the building. She says that she is trapped in the top floor with the Kingpin, so Spider-Man goes to save her.
Spider-Man reaches the top floor and rescues Black Cat before the floor collapses. Hobgoblin manages to save Kingpin, but Montana falls to his death.
Hobgoblin takes Kingpin to Shadowland in Hell's Kitchen. There, Hobgoblin is made Kingpin's right-hand man. Hobgoblin then meets with the Tinkerer, who offers to make new weapons for him. However, the new weapons will cost a lot of money, more than Kingpin pays Hobgoblin.
Later, Phil gives his Hobgoblin footage to Robbie Robertson and manages to get Norah to have dinner with him after Robbie gives him a small bonus.
In Horizon Labs, Peter is congratulated by Max Modell for his counter-measures for the reverbium. Later, at his apartment, Peter and Carlie prepare to go to dinner with Aunt May and John Jameson, Sr. At the restaurant, Peter says that he can't have wine, because he's got work tomorrow. Peter then ponders that he has finally hit the big time.
Appearing in "The Sting That Never Goes Away"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Slayer Swarm (First appearance)
- Fly-Girl (Paula Crane) (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Jumping Spiders (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Shawna Tyron (First appearance) (Unnamed)
Other Characters:
- Venom Symbiote (Mentioned)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (As hologram)
- J. Jonah Jameson (As hologram)
- Jay Jameson (As hologram)
- John Jamesn (As hologram)
- May Parker (As hologram)
- Ben Urich (As hologram)
- Joseph Robertson (As hologram)
- Marla Madison (As hologram)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- New York City
- Alistair Smythe's Hideout
Items:
Synopsis for "The Sting That Never Goes Away"
At Alistair Smythe's hideout, Mac Gargan finds himself in a new Scorpion suit as Alistair runs some tests on him through combat training. He reveals to Gargan that his new suit is designed with cybernetic enhancements that are keeping him alive since he no longer has the symbiote. Smythe also reveals that Gargan now has a "Scorpion Sense" which is very similar to Spider-Man's Spider-Sense that allows him to sense danger due to the suit's mechanical abilities. Smythe reveals that his plan is to get revenge on Jonah Jameson since he made both of their lives miserable and reveals that he has arranging on creating new biological Spider-Slayers to target Jameson since he is now the mayor, as well as his friends and loved ones.
Solicit Synopsis
The HOBGOBLIN'S fight for power continues! Which side will SPIDER-MAN and the BLACK CAT be on... and why? Also: a surprise for AUNT MAY, and the SPIDEY versus KINGPIN rematch you've been dying to see! Included in this issue: an 8 page story featuring the return of Mac Gargan... as THE SCORPION!
