Roaming

Needing to leave home for the weekend to begin her training as the Spider-Society’s hunter, Anya Corazon has to make up an excuse about a surprise internship to convince her father, Gil, to go. Gil is concerned that she will fall behind on her grades. Anya is only allowed to go when she is able to admit to her father that she screwed up and will tell him sooner next time.

Later, Miguel Legar, Nina Smith, and Ted Mankowski take Anya to an undisclosed place in the Yucatan Peninsula. There, Anya is left in the desert with supplies and told she needs to survive this in order to move on with her training. Once the chopper is in the air, Ted expresses his concerns about leaving a girl from Brooklyn in the middle of the desert, but Miguel reminds him that this is absolutely necessary. He reminds them all that Anya is the chosen one and that she’ll survive this. He knows its harsh, but it is the only way to make her powers fully awaken, reminding them that this is an ancient ritual that dates back to the beginning of the Spider Society. By this time, Anya has put on the goggles that came with her gear and begins the long walk through the desert.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Gil tries to call his daughter and get no response. Praying to his late wife, Gil wonders what his daughter is thinking half the time and admits that he really misses his wife and wishes he could one day turn around and find her standing behind him. He wonders now what he can do about their daughter.

Back in the desert, Anya is growing thirsty and comes upon a pool of water and kneels down to drink. That’s when the water comes to life and warns her that she cannot drink this water. As the water takes on the shape of Anya’s face, she asks what it is. It tells her it is her but not of her. Frightened, Anya runs and trips over a rock. She then witnesses as a praying mantis catches a fly and then, when flying off, gets caught in a spider web. That’s when a wolf begins to howl and Anya finds herself surrounded by the entire pack. Aboard the helicopter, Ted notices a spike in Anya’s vital signs and recommends they go back. However, Miguel’s eyes are beginning to glow and tells them to have faith as her powers are about to fully awaken.

On the ground, Anya believes that she is doomed and falls to her knees and prays to her mother. That’s when she is visited by the spirit of her mother who encourages Anya to fight, telling her daughter that she’ll always be by her side.[1] When Anya tells her mother that she is scared, the spirit tells her that Anya has the power inside her to face this threat. Touching Anya’s shirt, Sofia Corazon causes a spider pattern to appear on the shirt. That’s when the tattoo on her arm begins to glow and suddenly an exoskeleton grows out of it and surrounds her body. Suddenly, Anya jumps into action. Aboard the helicopter, Anya’s readings go off the scale prompting them to come to her location. When they find her, they find Anya — still in her armor — standing around a number of wolves they have knocked out. As her armor retreats, Anya asks her mother what’s going on and if she is hallucinating. Sofia tells her daughter to trust that this is all real and tells her to rest now that she has pushed herself to the limit. She tells her daughter that she can choose to walk away from all of this and return to a normal life, but warns her that if she continues to work with Miguel and his organization there are no guarantees for the future of her life. However, Anya cannot let this go, remembering what she said to Miguel on the day he saved her life, that she has unfinished business. That unfinished business is her mother’s death that happened 10 years ago. She was powerless to do anything back then, but she now has the ability to do something about it now.

When Miguel and the others touch down, Anya punches out Miguel as she boards the helicopter telling the others that she mad and hungry and wants something to eat. Recovering from the blow, Miguel can’t help but see a little of the last hunter in Anya. Once they are in the air again, Ted tells Anya that he cell phone has been ringing off the hook. Realizing that it’s her father, Anya worries about what to do. Miguel tells her that no matter what, she cannot tell him the true nature of her work with Webcorps. Anya agrees, admitting that nobody would believe her if she told the truth. Miguel and the others tell Anya that she is part of their family now and she can talk to them about the extraordinary things she will experience now. That’s when Miguel tells her that each hunter gives themselves a new name once they past their final test. That’s when she tells them about the vision she had of her mother and how she said she could go back to her own life, based on this, she decides to call her self Araña, her mother’s maiden name which also means spider in Spanish.

When Anya returns home her father is waiting for her and is worried sick. She apologizes for not calling, saying she literally wasn’t thinking. That’s when she noticed he’d been crying and he explains that it is his duty as a father. When Anya insists that she needs to continue this internship, he asks who is in charge. When she gives her father Miguel’s name, Gil tells her that he wants to meet with Miguel Legar.

Recurring Characters

Araña, Gil Gorazon, Spider-Society (Miguel Legar, Nina Smith, Ted Mankowski), Sofia Corazon (flashback)

Continuity Notes

1. For more on the death of Sofia Corazon check out Araña: Heart of the Spider #7, 10, and 12

Topical References

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