Toy Death!

Based on a tip from Ben Urich, Spider-Man has come to a warehouse to photograph Albert Bruckner, a crooked banker) making a secret purchase of a custom-made Ferrari after his savings and loan company made went bankrupt, leaving investors with their savings gone. As Spider-Man takes photos, his position is compromised when the dealer shows off the car's fog lights causing a reflection to cast off the lense of the wall-crawler's camera. The dealer has prepared for any kind of interruption and activates a number of defense drones to eliminate him. Spider-Man quickly destroys these attacking machines and escapes out a window so he can get his photos back to the Daily Bugle. There, Peter Parker develops his photos and hands them over to Ben Urich who is more than happy that Peter managed to get the shots for him. With his job over for the day, Peter prepares for an evening out with his wife Mary Jane.[1]

Later that evening, Peter and Mary Jane attend a 50's dance with Flash Thompson and Felicia Hardy. While Peter and Mary Jane are dancing, Flash goes to get some beverages for himself and Felicia. Left alone, Hardy wonders if she is ready for this sort of life, missing the excitement of being the Black Cat.[2] He thoughts are interrupted when an aggressive man comes up and begins hitting on her. In response, she breaks his finger, sending him packing. By midnight, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are on their way home. Passing by a newspaper stand, Peter shows Mary Jane his recent photos. He feels good to make an impact in the world. However, Peter wouldn't realize how literally an impact his photos have made. At that very moment, the mansion of Albert Buckner is attacked by Cardiac. Seeking to make Buckner pay for his greed, he uses his Beta Staff to destroy all of Albert's money and possessions, including his recently purchased car. When Buckner demands to know why Cardiac has done this, the costumed vigilante explains that Buckner needs to pay the consequences for his actions. Suddenly, Cardiac's hang-glider swoops down and carries its master away. The following day, Peter Parker is informed by J. Jonah Jameson about Cardiac's attack on Buckner. As it turns out, Cardiac has been choosing targets from Ben Urich's recent exposes. While that evening, at Ryker's Island, a guard goes to the cell holding Cletus Cassidy to know who he is talking to. Cassidy shows him when some strange liquid-like form shoots out of his chest and pulls the guard through the bars. When some other guards happen upon the horrific scene, they discover that Cassidy has managed to escape.

The next day, Peter Parker and Ben Urich go over their most recent expose on TechToys regarding one of their electronic dolls that injured a child. They managed to get out of any legal trouble due to a technicality. They are concerned that Cardiac may use this report as inspiration for his next target. However, this did little to stop the company, which changed its name and continued to market the same flawed toy design. Sure enough, when Elias Wirthham reads about this in the Bugle, he cancels all of his appointments for the day to attack the company as Cardiac. That evening, Spider-Man is staking out the factory where the electronic dolls are being made and is present when Cardiac begins attacking the facility. Although the company paid for armed guards, Spider-Man keeps them at bay while he deals with Cardiac on his own. Spider-Man's attempts to convince Cardiac to stop taking the law into his own hands fall on deaf ears and the pair come to blows. During the course of the battle, the head of security climbs up onto a crane in the hopes of using it to stop the two combatants. Meanwhile, Spider-Man tries to pull Cardiac's staff out of his hands. The beta-feedback send both combatants fleeing in opposite directions.

While Spider-Man lands in a pile of boxes, Cardiac bumps into a vat of the molten plastic used to make the dolls. Although the liquid plastic doesn't physically harm Cardiac, the fumes cause him to pass out onto an assembly conveyor belt where the dolls have their ear cavities punched in. Seeing that the two combatants took care of themselves, the guard gets out of the crane but realizes too late that he forgot to shut it down. Losing his footing, he slips and grabs onto a girder to prevent himself from falling to his death. As Spider-Man recovers from the feedback, he finds himself with time to save only one of the two imperilled men.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, Cardiac, Cletus Kasady, Ben Urich, Flash Thompson, Felicia Hardy

Continuity Notes

1. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage was erased from existence by the demon Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.

2. Felicia has mostly retired from being the Black Cat after she lost her powers in Amazing Spider-Man #343.