...And Where the Big Wheel Stops, Nobody Knows!

Spider-Man shows up for class early and thinks about his upcoming graduation and hopes to marry Mary Jane. Meanwhile, Jackson Weele has come to the Tinkerer to get a device to destroy the Rocket Racer.

Meanwhile, Peter Parker goes to visit his Aunt May, unaware that the Rocket Racer (in his civilian guise) is visiting his ailing mother, who is sharing a room with May. When Peter's spider-sense goes off he changes into Spider-Man and bursts in on them and is attacked by the Racer. The racer changes into his costume and their fight takes them across the city. Things get more complicated when Weele, coming in a giant gyroscope device dubbed the Big Wheel, attacks them. The fight ends when the Big Wheel rolls off the docks and into the water. Spider-Man dives in but can find no trace of Weele.

Realizing that he's forgotten about Aunt May, Peter rushes back to the hospital where he learns that his sudden appearance as Spider-Man put Aunt May in another seizure and she is in intensive care. To make matters worse, Mary Jane comes to visit and at the same time tells Peter that she can't marry him because she's not ready to settle down and gives him back his ring.

Rejected, Peter returns home to find that somebody is waiting in his apartment.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Rocket Racer, Big Wheel, Tinkerer, Toy, Flash Thompson, Maimie Muggins, Betty Brant (off panel), Emma Johnson

Continuity Notes

• Although Big Wheel seemingly perishes here, he turns up alive again in Spider-Man Unlimited (vol. 3) #12.

• Mary Jane refuses Peter's marriage proposal, stating that she is not ready to settle down. There is more to her turning him down. She has been secretly aware that Peter was Spider-Man since Amazing Fantasy #15 as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #257-259. She also had a troubled childhood due to her parent's turbulent relationship and does not wish to live the same life.