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Appearing in "Angst!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Spectacular Spider-Man #254

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Synopsis for "Angst!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Spectacular Spider-Man #254

Now

Spider-Man is a prisoner of the deadly Doctor Angst who has the wall-crawler wired up into a device that will amplify the subjects electromagnetic field. Angst, with his minion Sir by his side, explains that this is to push the masked hero's mental and physical limits. However, the mad scientist assures Spider-Man that his employer doesn't want the wall-crawler dead or broken, but this is only to dest Spider-Man's limits. As Doctor Angst activates his device, Spider-Man screams in agony, disturbing Sir. After assuring Sir that this is necessary, Doctor Angst continues his tests, wondering what thoughts are going through the masked hero's mind.

Eariler

Peter Parker is at the Daily Bugle showing Norman Osborn his recent photos for a report on a hospice for the terminally ill.[Continuity 1] Although Norman praises Peter for the stunning work, their long history as antagonists looms large over the conversation.[Continuity 2] Feeling uncomfortable, Peter tries to leave but bumps into Normie Osborn, Norman's grandson, who is happy to see his "Uncle Peter". This causes Peter to pause long enough for Norman to start needling him about the murder of a drug dealer named Joey-Z, a death that the authorities are blaming on Spider-Man. As he is Spider-Man, Peter is certain that Norman had something to do with the killing to make his life miserable.[Continuity 3]

Before Peter can comment, Joe Robertson storms past them on his way to J. Jonah Jameson's office. Peter is shocked to hear that Joe Robertson has recently resigned from the Daily Bugle and can't believe that this is happening.[Continuity 4] Moments later, Robertson comes storming out of Jonah's office confirming to everyone that he's quit. Peter follows Joe into his office and tries to convince Robertson not to leave. Unfortunately, Joe has had enough and can no longer work for the newspaper so long as it is partially owned by Norman Osborn. After Joe packs up his things and leaves, Parker rushes into J. Jonah Jameson's office and tries to convince Jonah not to let Joe go. Instead, Jameson shouts at Parker to mind his own business and to get out of his office. As Peter leaves, Jameson breaks down in tears, blaming Osborn for everything that is happening. Composing himself, Jonah reaches into his filing cabinet. Inside there is a gun, which he intends to use in order to serve the justice he feels is sorely needed.

Now

Completing the first test, Doctor Angst decides to begin his next, one that will bombard Spider-Man with his most haunting memories. Suddenly, the wall-crawler is suddenly surrounded by all those he cared about who died during his career as Spider-Man: His Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy and her father George, and finally Ben Reilly and he and Mary Jane's child, whose name is too painful for Peter to recall.[Continuity 5] Seeing these phantoms, Spider-Man cries out, pleading with them, telling them that he did what he could to save him. Sir watches his master torture Spider-Man and something about it stirs up some empathy from the powerhouse. However, these haunting phantoms are replaced by the appriation of Aunt May, who tells Peter that he is not a failure, reminding him of all the others he has saved over the years. Finally, she tells Peter that she is proud of him before vanishing like the other spirits. Doctor Angst picks up a strange reading from his machines and is bothered that Spider-Man's vitals are returning to normal.[Continuity 6] As the mad scientist begins recalibrating his machine, Spider-Man's mind drifts back once more...

Earlier

Still at the Daily Bugle, Peter is talking to Jacob Conover, who is praising Norman Osborn for giving him his old job back.[Continuity 7] However, their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Peter's wife, Mary Jane, who has come to meet with him for lunch. On their way out, Peter tells her how disturbed by the state of the Bugle since Norman Osborn took over. However, he can't bring himself to quit as he wants to keep an eye on his old enemy. As Norman watches them leave from his own office, Mary Jane warns Peter that Norman will be watching him as well. Peter then asks how things are going with Aunt Anna, and Mary Jane assures him that not only does she no longer believe that Peter is having an affair, she laughed off Mary Jane's revelation that Peter is secretly Spider-Man. However, Mary Jane is more concerned with how strange her aunt has been acting lately. On their way out, they bump into Ben Urich who tells Peter that he has a meeting with Norman Osborn and figures that he is going to get fired. After hearing that Joe Robertson just quit, Ben is spoiling for a fight with Osborn and storms into his office. Peter decides to stick around and see what happens next.

When Ben barges into Norman's office, his anger is quickly quashed when he notices that Osborn's grandson is in the room. Norman pulls out a copy of Ben's book "Legacy of Evil", and tells Urich how upset he was about the accusations that he was the Green Goblin.[Continuity 8] However, instead of firing Urich for the harm he has caused, Norman believes that Ben was genuine in his attempts to reveal the true identity of the Green Goblin. He tells Ben that he wants him to uncover the real truth. This strikes the veteran reporter speechless as he leaves Norman's office. Osborn follows right behind him and announces to the rest of the bullpen that Ben Urich has just agreed to clear his good name. He then greets Mary Jane with a kiss on the hand and walks out of the office. Seeing all this leaves Peter fuming over how easily Osborn could so easily manipulate people.

Now

Doctor Angst decides to move onto the next phase of his experiments and begins playing into Spider-Man's fears. To facilitate this, he orders Sir to approach Spider-Man. In the hero's mind he sees himself as a toddler being approached by his Uncle Ben who tells him that his parents are dead.[Continuity 9] This strikes a nerve in the wall-crawler who breaks free from his bonds and lashes out on Sir. The powerhouse quickly restrains Spider-Man long enough for Doctor Angst to inject the web-slinger with a tranquilizer so they can strap him back into the machine again.

Earlier

Mary Jane tells Peter they need to go to lunch now otherwise they won't have time before her afternoon classes. Unfortunately, Peter's spider-sense begins going off warning him of danger coming from Norman Osborn's office. Inside, Sir has knocked out Noman's bodyguards while Osborn shields his grandson from the attacker.

That's when Spider-Man comes crashing in through the window to stop Sir, even though Normie Osborn is scared of the wall-crawler and the Daily Bugle staff thinks that the web-spinner is trying to attack Osborn again. With Spider-Man on the scene, Sir makes his escape in a helicopter, prompting the web-slinger to follow after him. This all played into Doctor Angst's plot to capture Spider-Man. While he was busy fighting Sir, the web-slinger is incapacitated with an electrical jolt and taken prisoner.

Now

When Doctor Angst reaches down to inject Spider-Man with a tranquilizer, Spider-Man reveals that he is fulling in his witts and knocks the scientist away. When Doctor Angst orders Sir to stop the hero, the brute merely stands by and eventually leaves Doctor Angst to his fate. Although Spider-Man is furious over this deep violation of his being, he refuses to kill Angst. Instead, he tells the scientist to send a message to Norman Osborn that if he continues attack him at this rate, Osborn will fall and fall hard, and Doctor Angst will fall with him. After Spider-Man leaves, Norman Osborn emerges from the shadows, completely unafraid of the web-slinger's threats. As they leave the building, Doctor Angst admits that he is not afraid of Spider-Man as the hero is incapable of committing murder. However, he is concerned about his assistant, Sir, who was influenced by Spider-Man's defiance and has no such compunctions against killing.

Appearing in "The Skull Jackets"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Spider-Man Unlimited #11

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Synopsis for "The Skull Jackets"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Spider-Man Unlimited #11

Spider-Man is reading the latest edition of the Daily Bugle which features a cover story about the murder of Andrea Havershaw, a woman from his past. He thinks back to when he was an assistant to Seward Trainer in Vermont years ago when he was on the road.[Continuity 10] In those days, he made extra money tutoring students from the local college. One of these kids was Jason Havershaw, Andrea's son. He got along well with the Havershaws, as Andrea reminded Ben of his Aunt May, and Jason -- who lost his father in a plane crash when he was young -- reminded him so much of himself. Deciding that Andrea Havershaw deserves justice, the wall-crawler decides to bite the bullet and go to the only person he can get a lead from -- Ken Ellis, a reporter at the Daily Bugle. While at the 44th Precinct, Detective Marcella Cellanos leaves for lunch, telling the desk sergeant to contact her if the Havershaw lawyer calls. She then goes to a restaurant downtown to meet with Ken Ellis. She owes him a favor after he helped her crack a case and get promoted to detective. As such, she is providing him with information on the Havershaw case, even though she doesn't like it. Still, she hands him over photos from that security took on the night of the murder that reveals a potential suspect: Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat. However, this is only circumstantial evidence, particularly since the Black Cat had reformed and started her own detective agency.[Continuity 11] Moreover, the investigation so far has discovered that Andrea Havershaw was actually employing Hardy and her agency at the time of her murder. After this exchange of information, Cellanos ends their meeting and goes back to work. Ducking into the washroom, Ken suddenly feels strange and wonders what happened to him.

Later that afternoon, Detective Cellanos and her partner, Sean Murphy are tailing Paul Proust -- one of Felicia's employees -- to Brighton Beach. They find it suspicious that Proust is going into a bar that is run by the Russian mob.[Continuity 12] Inside, Proust buys a drink, drawing the attention of some hired muscle who look as if to tell him he doesn't belong there. Getting the message, Paul leaves with the two detectives following after him. While at Cat's Eye headquarters, Felicia Hardy has gotten in touch with Loop, her resident hacker. He has managed to get into the NYPD database to see what the police have on the Havershaw murder. Things aren't looking good for Felicia because the murder weapon has been identified as metallic claws. Felicia, meanwhile, keeps on rubbing her neck. When Loop brings this up, Hardy dismisses it as a bee sting -- even though it's not in season. That's when Paul enters the room with similar pain. When Paul admits that he also started feeling this pain since Saturday morning, Felicia thinks there might be more to these mysterious injuries than a simple unseasonal bee sting.[Continuity 13]

Meanwhile, Spider-Man has arrived outside the church where Andrea's wake is being held. He has decided to say goodbye and ducks into an alley to change into Ben Reilly. Inside, Ben becomes paranoid. Although he has bleached his hair, he is still nervous that someone from New York might recognize him as Peter Parker.[Continuity 14] However, he is relieved when J. Jonah Jameson shoves past him without even acknowledging him. Satisfied, Ben finds a free seat among the mourners. Soon, Jason Havershaw takes the podium and delivers a heartfelt eulogy for his mother. The whole time, Ben can't help but focus on J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson, who are sitting not far ahead of him. Hearing Jonah's usual grumbling makes Ben realize how much he misses his old life as Peter Parker. He wishes he could just tell everyone, but he knows he can't because he has to be Ben Reilly now because of circumstances, for Peter's sake. After the service is over, Ben gives Jason his condolences. Jason almost doesn't recognize Ben with his new hairstyle. The pair catch up for a bit before Jason has to head to the cemetery and as he goes, Ben is left wondering why this situation is setting off his spider-sense.

Later that day, J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson return to the Daily Bugle to check on things. They are joined by Ken Ellis who tells them that he is still working on a lead in he Havershaw murder, but he has nothing that is worth publishing at this moment. Robertson tells Ken to get back to work on it. When Ken returns to his desk he gets a phone call from Spider-Man who asks him to meet. He is surprised the wall-crawler has reached out to contact him, especially after he had been investigating the disappearance of the Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man starting to wear a new costume.[Continuity 15] When the web-head arrives on the scene, Ken Ellis shares with him the lead that he is going to try and make the front page of the next edition of the Daily Bugle: The revelation that the Black Cat is the prime suspect in the murder investigation. During this encounter, Ellis makes mention to not remembering his encounter with Detective Cellanos and the pain in his neck. Deciding that he needs to pay the Black Cat a visit, Spider-Man realizes that this is going to be an uncomfortable encounter since the Cat used to have a relationship with Peter Parker and even knew his double-identity. Although she isn't aware that he has taken over as Spider-Man, Ben figures she'll figure it out pretty quickly.[Continuity 16] Swinging to the offices of Cat's Eye Investigations, Spider-Man listens outside the window as Paul Proust and Loop discuss their ongoing investigation into the murder of Andrea Havershaw. He overhears that Jason, apparently, was indebted to a Russian mobster named Valeri Kasatanov. Kasatanov used to be a part of Russian intelligence and dealt with a number of black ops in the Middle East and elsewhere before entering organized crime.[Continuity 17] That's when the Black Cat comes up behind Spider-Man, setting off his spider-sense. When he instinctively dodges out of the way, the Cat knows why and asks the wall-crawler why he would consider her a threat.

Spider-Man explains that it is because she is suspected of murder and tries to convince her to turn herself in to the police. The Black Cat points out that Spider-Man must know that she's not guilty of murder, reminding him how he has always been hounded by the police for crimes he did not commit all through his career. She is almost insulted that the wall-crawler would think that she would allow herself to be captured on tape if she was responsible for a murder. However, more to the point, she points out that Peter would know that the Black Cat never kills. The fact that Felicia knows that he is not Peter Parker comes as a surprise to Ben. She then points out that if anyone's trust should be up to debate, it should be Ben Reilly's as she isn't convinced that he has earned the right to wear the webs. She then reminds him that when Peter Parker was Spider-Man, they had a unique bond of trust. She now hopes that Ben can extend that same courtesy now. This whole time, Ben is struggling with how attractive he finds Felicia and tries to keep his mind on the task. Getting to the point, the Black Cat explains that she was hired by Andrea Havershaw to investigate her son who has been stealing money from her. The investigation uncovered that Jason owed Valeri Kasatanov a great deal of money in gambling debts, enough to commit murder, noticing that Felicia seems to be nursing pain in her neck. Remembering what Ellis told him earlier, Spider-Man asks Felicia if she has had a lapse in memory recently that was followed by the pain in her neck. When Spider-Man suggests that this might be the work of the Chameleon, the Black Cat reminds him that the Chameleon is imprisoned at Ravencroft.[Continuity 18] However, the two agree to work together to get to the bottom of this mystery.

At the Havershaw home, Jason is quietly celebrating the windfall he has made following his mother's death. This is interrupted by the arrival of Ben Reilly, who asks to talk. Jason would invite Ben in, but there are still traces of his mother's murder and suggests that they go for a walk. It's here that Ben offers his help in trying to learn who murdered his mother. Jason appreciates the offer but points out that there is not much Reilly can do that the police are already doing and leaves in a cab. Jason then pays a visit to Valeri Kasatanov, to tell him that if the mobster gives him more time, not only will he be able to pay back the debt he owes, he will be able to make him even more money than he ever imagined. Leaving the mob hideout, Jason is unaware that he has been followed by Spider-Man who wonders what Jason's ties to the mob are, he also wonders if Jason is capable of murdering his mother. When Jason takes a taxi cab back home, Spider-Man decides to follow him. However, the man who everyone thinks is Jason Havershaw is actually an impostor. When he returns to the Havershaw residency, he goes to the room where he has the real Jason Havershaw locked up. As it turns out, Jason is a drug addict that this man has been impersonating in order to get access to the family fortune. Changing back to his original shape, this man turns out to be an armored individual calling himself Skull-Jacket.

At dawn, Spider-Man meets with the Black Cat on the roof of the Chrysler Building to exchange information on the Havershaw case. When telling her about Jason's connection to the Russian mobs, he believes that he murdered his mother in order to inherit her fortune. On top of this, even though the cops have a powerful motive, they are still considering the Black Cat as a suspect. This upsets Felicia, who up until this point was flirty with Spider-Man just to get a rise out of him. When she thinks she is still not above suspicion, she tosses Spider-Man a copy of Cat's Eye Investigation's files on the murder and abruptly leaves. Looking at the files, Spider-Man discovers that Cat's Eye has been tailing Jason and has photographed him purchasing drugs from the Russian mob. He turns this over to the police who sends Detectives Cellanos and Murphy to the Havershaw home. While they are invited in, Spider-Man watches from a distance, also unaware that the Black Cat is also watching from close by. Inside, Detective Murphy keeps "Jason" busy while Cellano slips away and searches the house. Finding the real Jason Havershaw, Cellano orders Murphy to arrest the man in the kitchen. With his cover blown, Skull-Jacket drops his holographic disguise and shoots Murphy with a dart that knocks him out and takes out the other officer that came with them. When Cellanos tries to shoot Skull-Jacket he sends her fleeing with a barrage of bullets. He then removes the dart from Detective Murphy's neck which allows him to project a hologram that makes him resemble Murphy. Hearing the shots, Spider-Man comes crashing in, fearing that Jason may have been shot. At first, Spider-Man falls for Skull-Jacket's illusion, but his spider-sense soon tips him off to the deception.

Force to drop his disguise, Skull-Jacket gets upset when the wall-crawler compares him to the Chameleon. As it turns out, Skull-Jacket is the product of Russian science that continued to perfect and implement technologies to replace the Chameleon after he defected.[Continuity 19] This gives Spider-Man the edge to take down Skull-Jacket and find the real Jason Havershaw. Still, despite the victory, Spider-Man blames himself for what happened to Jason, thinking he could have done more to prevent him from getting into this situation. That's when the Black Cat joins him and points out that he had managed to shut down a Russian mob and a major extortion racket. Despite Skull-Jacket's attempts to confuse everyone investigating this crime, it could not account for Spider-Man's strong sense of responsibility to uncover the truth. As they swing away to some nearby buildings, the wall-crawler realizes that this is the first time that Felicia has called him Spider-Man the whole time they have been working on this case. The Cat explains that this is the first time she feels that he earned the right to the name. Removing his mask, she kisses Ben Reilly on the lips and swings away.

Appearing in "Into the Dance!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Sensational Spider-Man #25

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Synopsis for "Into the Dance!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Sensational Spider-Man #25

In a secret laboratory, Doctor Angst is operating on a human subject. Completing his work, he revives his patience and presents him with equipment that will allow him to become the Green Goblin once more.[Continuity 20] While at the Manhattan Marriot, Greg and Ann Herd check into their hotel room. Once inside they unpack their bags and change into their costumed identities of Overdrive and Aura in the hopes of using their powers to collect the bounty on Spider-Man's head.[Continuity 21] While at the headquarters of S. Crier Imports, the mercenaries known as the Dealy Boys are given weapons that they will need to carry out the job they have been hired to do, eliminate Spider-Man before anyone else.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man has been patrolling the city trying to avoid every fortune seeker and lunatic who has been trying to collect on the bounty that has been placed on his head. When a group of would-be bounty hunters surrounds him, Spider-Man quickly takes them all out. One that avoided being taken down pulls out a gun. Caught in the crosshairs, the web-slinger's spider-sense also warns him that if he jumps out of the way the stray bullet will strike two kids watching from a nearby window. Quick thinking, Spider-Man webs up the shooter's glasses and pins him to a wall. Listening to the man beg for his life, Spider-Man realizes that the Trapster's frame-up job has caused people to become afraid of him. Arriving at the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker gets more disturbed since Norman Osborn is using the paper to boost the anti-Spider-Man hysteria. He wonders what Norman has over J. Jonah Jameson that made the publisher to sell half-ownership of the paper to him.[Continuity 22] After meeting up with his co-worker, Billy Walters, Peter is surprised to see Flash Thompson has been hired on as a researcher for Osborn. When he asks Betty Brant, Betty tells him that Norman was inspired by Flash kicking his drinking problem and gave him a job. Watching Flash being warmly greeted by Norman and invited into his office, Peter wonders what the madman has planned for his longtime friend.[Continuity 23] Peter then spies Jonah for a brief moment as he peeks out of his office before retiring inside once again. Before he can think of what to do about this situation, Billy Walters pulls Peter away as they have an assignment.

The pair arrive at a raging apartment fire where firefighters are struggling to get those trapped inside out safely. Slipping away, Peter changes into Spider-Man so he can help a woman down the fire ladder. However, when he comes to her aid she becomes hysterical and pleads for the wall-crawler not to kill her. That's when his spider-sense warns him just in time to dodge a bullet shot by one of the Dealy Boys. Thankfully, the Prowler comes swinging in and carries the woman to safety, telling the wall-crawler to deal with the gun-toting maniac. As Spider-Man incapacitates the shooter he is ambushed by Overdrive and Aura. The pair try to engage with the web-spinner, but that's when the rest of the Dealy Boys arrive and begin opening fire on all three costumed figures. Realizing that things are getting too dangerous, Spider-Man decides to make a strategic defeat, unaware that one of the mercenaries has tagged him with a sonar tracker that will allow them to trace the web-slinger. Returning to his home in Queens, Peter wonders what he should do. With the bounty on his head, it is becoming too dangerous for him to go out as Spider-Man anymore. This clashes with his deep sense of responsibility, prompting Mary Jane to suggest that perhaps his responsibility is taking on a new form. However, Peter can't quit because if he does, Norman Osborn wins. Talking about it just makes Peter more frustrated and he decides to go for a walk to cool down. Left alone, Mary Jane thinks about how Peter isn't the only one affected by his double-life and is equally tired of Norman Osborn interfering in their lives because, usually, if Peter isn't the one getting hurt, it's someone else.

While at the Osborn Estate, Norman has called his sister-in-law Liz and his grandson Normie to the manor. There he asks Liz to come and live with him as he fears for their safety. Unfortunately for Osborn, Liz refuses, wondering what kind of danger Normie can be other than being in proximity of his insane grandfather and his shady dealings. As Liz and Norman argue over what is right for young Normie, the boy goes into another room to play with his toys unaware that someone is lurking in the shadows outside the window watching him play. When this intruder opens the window and enters, Normie hears it and when seeing the strange asks if this is his father.[Continuity 24] Back at the Marriot, Overdrive and Aura return to their hotel room. There Aura expresses her upset and frustration over their failure to capture Spider-Man. Greg comforts his wife, assuring her that they'll capture the web-spinner next time and all of their problems will be over with soon. Although she hugs her husband, Ann can only look at her reflection in the mirror and cry.

At that same moment, Peter Paker is paying a visit to Joe and Martha Robertson. Peter pleads with Joe to come back to the Daily Bugle because the place is changing without him around to counterbalance Norman Osborn's influence.[Continuity 25] However, Joe refuses to consider the idea, saying that the change of the Bugle were threatening to swallow him whole. That's when Martha points out that Joe's job was destroying him and their marriage, and that's why Joe has quit and is not coming back. Thinking about his own wife, Peter considers Martha's words and realizes that he can relate to what she is saying.

Taking the subway back home, Peter considers Martha's words and wonders if Mary Jane is right and that he should quit being Spider-Man. As he leaves the subway station his spider-sense warns him the Dealy Boys have tracked him down. Slipping away before he can be identified, Peter changes into Spider-Man and lures the Dealy Boys into a nearby park.

There he webs up a number of flag poles to trap the Dealy Boys. As he does so, police begin rushing to the scene to arrest everyone involved. Just as Spider-Man finishes with the mercenaries, Overdrive and Aura return to try and collect on the bounty. When the police order everyone to surrender, Overdrive tries to convince the officers that he has everything under control. Things turn tragic when one of the Dealy Boys gets his arm free and tries to shoot Aura as she is about to trap Spider-Man in her force field. She hears the shot too late and when she raises her forcefield to protect herself, she traps the bullet inside with her. The bullet bounces around in the forcefield seriously wounding Aura in the process. As everyone stands around in shock, Spider-Man scoops the injured woman up and rushes her to a nearby hospital. When Peter finally returns home he finds Mary Jane crying on the couch. When he asks her what's wrong, Mary Jane tells him how Normie Osborn was kidnapped. Turning on the evening news, Peter watches incredibly as someone masquerading as the Green Goblin was captured on film kidnapping the boy.[Continuity 26] As Norman Osborn pleads to the kidnapper to return his grandson, he also takes it as an opportunity to confirm his claims that he was never the Green Goblin.[Continuity 27] As he listens to this, Peter changes back into Spider-Man to go looking for the kidnapped boy. As he does so, Mary Jane tells Peter that she wished his web-shooters shot actual bullets.

This story continues in Amazing Spider-Man #432...

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