Amazing Spider-Man #265
After The Fox!
The Black Fox is selling a valuable diamond to his fence, André Bullion. While going over the details André asks if the rumors of the Black Fox's retirement are true. The Fox confirms this, telling his friend that after his next heist he is going to retire indefinitely. Boullion suggests that they have a toast to Fox's career. However, the celebrations is interrupted by the sudden arrival of the police. André tells the Fox to make a run for it, but the police come bursting through the front door. Grabbing the jewels, the Black Fox covers his escape with a gas bomb and leaps out a nearby window. As the Black Fox flees down the street, he is unaware if he is being tracked by two men in a car. Suddenly, a van carrying a number of armed men start chasing the Black Fox. The Fox slips into an alleyway, and when the van tries to stop there, it accidentally rear-ends another car. When the owner of the car demands to know who is going to pay for the damage, he is surprised when one of the men in the van writes him a check, payable by Silver Sable International. In the alley, the Black Fox realizes that these armed men mean business when they begin opening fire on him, but he manages to leap over a fence and get to cover.
Meanwhile, at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Peter Parker is introduced to Harry and Liz Osborn's newborn son, Norman. They are soon joined by Mary Jane Watson who finds the baby adorable. By this time, Peter tells them that he has to go to the Daily Bugle and leaves. As he leaves, Peter is happy for Harry and Liz but grew uncomfortable with Mary Jane's presence especially after she revealed that she knows his secret identity. More upsetting was the fact that she calling him by her old pet name for him, "Tiger", which opens up old feelings. This is more trouble for Parker who is still concerned about his Aunt May being upset with him for quitting grad school and how his relationship with the Black Cat is turned sour. Deciding that some web-slinging is in order, Peter slips into the elevator and changes into Spider-Man. As he web-slings across the city, Spider-Man decides to go looking for an opportunity to take some crime photos as he needs the money. He just happens to come across the armed men who are pursuing the Black Fox. The Black Fox is pinned down and is begging to surrender, prompting Spider-Man to leap in and attack the men shooting at the Fox.
While Spider-Man is busy trouncing the armed men, the Black Fox takes the opportunity to escape. When the battle is over, the NYPD's Lieutenant Kris Keating scolds Spider-Man for interfering with a joint effort of the NYPD and the Symkarian government to capture an international jewel thief. Humiliated, Spider-Man leaves, but his presence isn't escaping the notice of the men who were watching the Black Fox. They decide that their employer, Silver Sable, will want to know about Spider-Man's interference. The news soon reaches the Symkarian embassy, and Silver Sable's Uncle Mortimer brings her the news and his concerns about cost overruns. However, Silver Sable already knows about the situation, and given the funding, she is getting she believes that she and her Wild Pack can continue their operation for fifteen days and still turn a profit. As she begins a training session, Mortimer reminds her that Silver Sable International wasn't formed to make money. Silver knows this all too well, how her father founded the Wild Pack to hunt down Nazi war criminals. However, times have changed, and so must the Wild Pack's mission. She quickly incapacitates the men fighting with her, although she accidentally shatters the kneecap of one of the fighters. Suddenly, one the servants tries to attack Sable with a knife. However, Silver Sable is agiler and quickly knocks out this would-be assassin. Suspecting that this killer was sent by one of her enemies, Silver Sable orders Mortimer to have the woman interrogated.
Meanwhile, in Forest Hills, Aunt May is looking through old photographs in the attic of her home. She is called down by her fianceé, Nathan Lubensky, calls her down. He tells her to patch things up with Peter, pointing out while she is upset with him for giving up on his future, she has given up on him. Nathan gets through to May, and she decides to call her nephew. However, whenever she tries to call the line is busy. Incidentally, this is because Peter is trying to call May, but her line is busy since they have been trying to call each other at the exact same time. Peter really wants to talk to Aunt May, but every time he has attempted to see her, something gets in the way of that goal, the incident with the Black Fox being the latest. Unfortunately, Peter can't shake his responsibility and must catch the Black Fox. With his red and blue costume rank from sweat, Peter decides to wear the black and white costume made for him by the Black Cat. As he swings across the city, Spider-Man wonders what he is to do about his costume situation. Although he likes the new black costume, he still has an attachment to the red and blue. However, his thoughts are interrupted by his spider-sense warning him that a nearby helicopter is following him. As Spider-Man ducks for cover, the two Wild Pack agents in the chopper are surprised by how quickly the wall-crawler can move.
At that moment, at a shady dock-side bar, the Black Fox is making arrangements to be smuggled out of the country. He is unaware that one of Sable's agents is present. When the call is put in, the helicopter following Spider-Man is called to that location. Seeing the chopper turning away, Spider-Man decides to follow it and see what is going on. Quickly, the wall-crawler swings up and attaches himself to the bottom of the helicopter. While the Wild Pack prepare to surround the Black Fox, Spider-Man manages to find the thief first. However, the Black Fox manages to escape Spider-Man by using a smoke bomb. Unfortunately for the Fox, when he rounds the corner it is right into the clutches of the Wild Pack. The mercenaries begin opening fire on the Fox. Spider-Man is disgusted by the scene but is thankful that the Wild Pack are using mercy bullets instead of live rounds. Spider-Man webs up the mercenaries and swings away with the Black Fox. Safely on a rooftop, Spider-Man asks what the Black Fox why he is in this area and learns about the thief's attempt to smuggle himself out of the country. Spider-Man is about to turn the Black Fox over to the authorities, but the thief begs him not to, telling the hero that he has a family back in Europe that is depending on him to support them. The Black Fox goes on to say that he let the years slip away. Reminded of the situation with Aunt May, Spider-Man understands and helps the Black Fox escape from the Wild Pack.
While Spider-Man holds off the soldiers, the Black Fox escapes in a motorboat. He gloats about how he was able to trick Spider-Man into letting him go and looks forward to his retirement. However, when he checks his pockets for the jewels he stole, he finds a note from Spider-Man instead. Back ashore, Silver Sable is upset that Spider-Man allowed the Black Fox to escape. She is less upset when he turns over the stolen jewels to her. As the wall-crawler leaves the scene, Silver Sable can't help but find the masked hero interesting and wants to learn more about him. Later, Peter Parker makes a visit to Aunt May's house. When Nathan answers the door, Peter's voice is such a shock to May that she drops a plate on the floor. Peter rushes to her side to help her pick up the pieces. Finally face-to-face with each other, both Peter and Aunt May admit that they both missed each other.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, SIlver Sable, Black Fox, Harry Osborn, Liz Osborn, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May, Nathan Lubensky, André Boullion, Kris Keating, Normie Osborn, Wild Pack (Uncle Morty)
Continuity Notes
Peter's is concerned about how his Aunt May is upset with him over quitting grad school. He told her this in Amazing Spider-Man #253. (This issue erroneously attributes that to Amazing Spider-Man #252.) Parker is also worried about his relationship with the Black Cat going sour. At the time of this story, he had just recently broken up with her in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #100.
This is the last appearance of the real Lt. Kris Keating. After this story, he is murdered and replaced by the Foreigner, as revealed in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #129.
Silver Sable states that her father formed the Wild Pack to hunt Nazis. This is a factual reference, as the series Avengers 1959 reveals, Ernest Sablinova was active during the latter half of the 20th Century. How this can be, and Sable can still be a young woman in the modern age, is as yet unexplained. However, Sablinova hung out with the likes of Nick Fury and Kraven the Hunter, two men with access to a means of slowing ones age.
Spider-Man recalls his previous encounter with the Black Fox which happened in Amazing Spider-Man #256.
Spider-Man goes over his costume situation. He obtained a living black and white costume in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8. However, after discovering that it was alive and attempting to permanently bond to him, he abandoned it in Amazing Spider-Man #258. The Black Cat made him a cloth version of his black and white costume in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #99.
