Amazing Spider-Man #234
Now Shall Will-O'-The-Wisp Have His Revenge!
At a Brand Corporation facility in Chicago, the Will O' the Wisp breaks into the facility. When security tries to stop him, the bullets pass harmlessly through him. Wisp tells them to evacuate the building as he doesn't wish to harm them. Once the building has been evacuated, Will O' the Wisp causes the building to explode.
Meanwhile, at the offices of the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker is with Ben Urich developing the photos of the night Nose Norton was shot. Unfortunately, the only photos they got were of Spider-Man's battle with the Tarantula and no proof of the fact that the private investigators hired by the Brand Corporation shot Norton before he could threaten them. Peter then takes the photos to Joe Robertson, who buys them even though they are somewhat out of focus. It's then that Ned Leeds gets the news of the destruction of the Brand Corporation facility. The pair rush off to follow this new wrinkle in their story. When Betty Brant learns that her husband is skipping out on going to lunch with her, she confides in Peter, telling him that if she didn't work at Joe Robertson's secretary she would almost never see her husband. Peter is on his way out when he runs into Amy Powell. Seeking to get revenge on Lance Bannon for not taking their relationship serious, tells Peter that she has admired his photography for years. However, her charms are brushed off by Peter who tells her that he needs to go. Powell realizes that Peter Parker is going to prove to be a challenge.
Riding the elevator to the top floor of the Bugle, Peter changes into Spider-Man. When the doors open, Spider-Man bumps into J. Jonah Jameson who is furious that the wall-crawler is in his office. Spider-Man makes a hasty exit, with Jameson yelling at him the whole way out. When Peter returns home, he wonders why he brushed off Amy Powell and suspects that he is still reeling from the apparent death of the Black Cat. As he thinks about his past relationships, he goes to his fridge for something to eat but discovers that there is hardly any food left. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, and it is Peter's neighbor Joseph Pincus, who has a bunch of food that is about to expire. Hungrily, Peter happily accepts the free food.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, the Tarantula writhes in pain while thinking about his recent defeat at the hands of Spider-Man. That's when the Brand Corporation's James Melvin offers the Tarantula an opportunity to destroy Spider-Man for his interference. He also offers the terrorist the power to be Spider-Man's equal. The next morning, Spider-Man snags a discarded copy of the Daily Bugle and is surprised to discover that the Tarantula story has been pushed off the front page in favor of the explosion at the Boston Brand Corporation facility. Spider-Man finds this news interesting and recalls of his recent battle with the Brand's agent Killer Shrike and an attempt to cure Will O' the Wisp of his transformation, an attempt that seemingly led to the destruction of the Wisp. Arriving at Empire State University, Peter runs into Roger Hochberg who tells him that their latest experiment is going great. As fate would have it, Peter notices that the Brand Corporation is looking for student interns and decides to use this to try and learn more about Brand's shady dealings.
Later, Peter Parker arrives at the Brand facility in Jamaica, Queens. Inside, Peter is surprised by the heightened security on the scene. While walking the halls he spots James Melvin. Recognizing him from his previous encounter, Peter tosses a spider-tracer onto him so he can track Melvin later. Slipping into a washroom, Peter climbs up into the ceiling where he changes into Spider-Man. The wall-crawler then follows his spider-tracers signal through the vents until he comes upon a massive lab with an observation theater overlooking it. There he witnesses as Melvin oversees an experiment to grant the Tarantula with spider-powers. After being injected with a spider-serum and dunked into a chemical tank. That's when Spider-Man comes crashing out of the vents to stop them. When security is called, Spider-Man webs up the door. Before he can stop the experiment, Will o' the Wisp phases into the room. He begins trashing the equipment. When Spider-Man tries to stop him, he is no match for Wisp's abilities.
Wisp is only stopped when James Melvin shoots him with a magno-pulse gun. As the wall-crawler is checking to see if Wisp is okay. Suddenly, there is an explosion that frees the Tarantula who has been mutated into a spider-monster.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Tarantula, Will O’ the Wisp, Brand Corporation (James Melvin), J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Ben Urich, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, Amy Powell, Lonesome Pincus, Roger Hochberg
Continuity Notes
Peter Parker recounts his last clash with the Brand Corporation in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #57.
He also recounts his past relationships: His failed romance with Mary Jane, which ended when she turned down his marriage proposal in Amazing Spider-Man #183, the death of Gwen Stacy in Amazing Spider-Man #121, and the apparent demise of the Black Cat in Amazing Spider-Man #227. However, the Black Cat did not perish, as later revealed in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #74.
