Character Assassination Part 3

The news program Two-in-One announces that Spider-Man has just been arrested, something that will give district attorney and mayoral candidate Bill Hollister a much-needed boost just a day away from the election. The newscasters then check in on J. Jonah Jameson who is on location at the 5th Precinct. However, Jameson is too busy happily singing to himself to answer their questions. As Spider-Man is brought in, he is surrounded by a swarm of reporters whose onslaught of questions go unanswered.

While at the apartment shared by Peter Parker and Vin Gonzales, Carlie Cooper has just discovered that Vin and his partner Al are part of a group of police officers involved in the spider-tracer killings.[1] Vin and Al explain that he and their fellow officers haven’t been killing anyone just planting the spider-tracers on dead bodies so the wall-crawler gets blamed. They explain that they view Spider-Man as a vigilante that hinders their jobs. Carlie surprises them by saying she wants in, saying she agrees with them that Spider-Man needs to be stopped. Since they are needed on duty, Vin and Al tell Carlie that they’ll talk about this further later and advise her to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

Back at the police station, Spider-Man tries to joke at Sargeant Quentin Palone who gets fed up with Spider-Man’s patter and tries to unmask him.[2] That’s when Matt Murdock, the lawyer representing Spider-Man, orders him to stop saying his client is to remain masked until a judge rules on the constitutionality of unmasking his client.[3] He then sends Palone and his men out of the room so he can hold council with his client. Once they are alone, Spider-Man is about to break free of his restraints and escape, when Murdock advises him against it. He explains that Palone could make this arrest a federal matter with a phone call and it would be much harder for Spider-Man to hide with both SHIELD and the FBI out looking for him.[4] Murdock then convinces Spider-Man to let him do his job and get him out of prison. As Murdock advises his client Sargeant Palone meets with Carlie Cooper who has come to tell him that she knows who is being the spider-tracer killings. She explains that the whole thing is a conspiracy among police officers to frame Spider-Man by planting the tracers on dead bodies. Hearing this, Palone asks why she would rat out her fellow officers. Carlie tells the Sargeant that she because a cop to punish people who break the law.

Later, Spider-Man is passing time in his cell at Ryker’s Island when one of the guards comes to deliver a clean costume brought to him by his lawyer. The guard tells Spider-Man that he used to be an officer with the NYPD until he was injured trying to stop Doctor Octopus from robbing a bank. He is thankful that Spider-Man arrived to stop Doctor Octopus and saved his life.[5] He then wishes Spider-Man good luck during his court appearance the following day. Later, before a judge, Spider-Man is asked to enter a plea and pleads not guilty. This causes quite the stir on Two-in-One, who are impressed with how Murdock managed to convince the judge that Spider-Man should not be unmasked for the duration of his trial.[6] Watching this coverage is Bill Hollister and his daughter Lily. Lily points out that her father has gotten a boost in the polls following Spider-Man’s arrest and Lily figures he will be elected mayor.[6] At that same moment, Vin and Al are on patrol, trying to figure out what to do about Carlie Cooper stumbling upon their spider-tracers. That’s when Al gets a call from Seargent Palone, who tells him that they have just issued warrants for the arrest of Carlie Cooper and Vin Gonzales for their connection to the spider-tracer killers. Vin is shocked when Al suddenly pulls a gun and tries to arrest him. He asks why they are being arrested when all they did was plant the spider-tracers on dead bodies and that nobody was actually killed. That’s when Al revealed that the Bookie had figured out the whole conspiracy and they killed him in order to keep their secret.[8] That’s when their squad car is surrounded by other officers with their guns drawn. Al, with his gun still pointed at Vin, begins reading him his rights.

10 Hours later, Spider-Man is being returned to his cell where he asked why he doesn’t use his powers to escape. Spider-Man tells the guard that a friend convinced him that it was best to stay put. The guard figures it’s just as well since Spider-Man would have to get through at least 100 prisoners, some of them d-list super-villains that are in the same cell block. That’s when Spider-Man spots Vin being walked to his cell. Fearing for Vin’s safety, Spider-Man tells Matt Murdock about the situation and his concerns for Vin’s safety. The following day in court, Murdock manages to convince the court that Spider-Man should not be unmasked and protects Spider-Man from his civil suit by having a number of other heroes pose as Spider-Man in court.[9] As Murdock is seeing Spider-Man off to his cell, he passes the wall-crawler a law book telling him that it will be helpful in his situation. When Spider-Man looks inside he discovers the book has been hollowed out so Murdock could smuggle one of his web-shooters to the wall-crawler. At that same moment, Norman Osborn has returned to his office and has taken inventory of his secret hideout. He notes all the equipment that has been stolen and thinks that either his son Harry is going all out, or there is more going on than he thought.[10]

Back at Ryker’s Island, Spider-Man hears the convicts in general population roughing up Vin for being a cop and decides that it’s time to break out. Using his webbing, Spider-Man begins prying off his restraints. He then interrupts the beating that Vin is receiving. However, the convicts aren’t willing to stop without a fight and prepare to dog pile on the wall-crawler.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Matt Murdock, Carlie Cooper, Vin Gonzales, Lily Hollister, Quentin Palone, Al O’Neil, J. Jonah Jameson, Bill Hollister, Samara Saffian, Michael Levin, Norman Osborn

Continuity Notes

1. The victims of the spider-tracer killings have been showing up since Amazing Spider-Man #547.

2. Spider-Man quips that he is the chorus boy to an upcoming Broadway show. This is a reference to the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark which opened on Broadway June 14, 2011. The musical was delayed due to a series of delays and cost overruns. It bombed and ended it’s run after 3 years. Unlike other real-world references, other Marvel media exists in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe.

3. Murdock points out that being a blind lawyer with a history of incarceration and personal tragedy prevents him from having a sense of humor. He’s referring to a few things:

   • The first and obvious being the fact that Murdock is blind. Matt was blinded as a child when toxic chemicals spilled in his eyes as we saw in Daredevil #1.

   • Daredevil was sent to prison in Daredevil (vol. 2) #81 on Federal charges after he was outed as Daredevil thanks to the machinations of the Kingpin. Murdock was eventually released from prison in Daredevil (vol. 2) #87.

   • As for personal tragedies, Murdock has suffered many. The death of Karen Page in Daredevil (vol. 2) #5, but more recently his then-wife Milla Donovan was recently driven insane in Daredevil (vol. 2) #105.

4. Murdock makes mention how Spider-Man is already an outlaw for refusing to register under the Super-Human Registration Act. Spider-Man originally supported the SHRA in Civil War #1-2, but later denounced it in Amazing Spider-Man #535, making him an outlaw.

5. The flashback of Spider-Man fighting Doctor Octopus here is a previously unrecorded battle. According to the Marvel Chronology Project that battle took place before Amazing Spider-Man #68.

6. A footnote states that readers can check out Murdock’s testimony online on the Marvel website. “The Spartacus Gambit” was published on Marvel.com and was available to read for free. The story was later included in Amazing Spider-Man: Extra #1. Since this comic was published, the Sparticus Gambit has been shuffled onto Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital comic book service where, as I write this, it can still be read for free.

7. It is implied here that Lily had something to do with Spider-Man getting arrested. That’s because, as the Menace, she did as we saw in Amazing Spider-Man #585. As we learned in Amazing Spider-Man #586, after being transformed into Menace, Lily has been using her powers to try and help her father get elected as mayor.

8. The Bookie was murdered in Amazing Spider-Man #582.

9. This was all covered in Amazing Spider-Man Extra #1.

10. Since meeting Menace in Amazing Spider-Man #570, Norman Osborn thinks that the new villain is his son Harry. Norman’s wrong, as we learned in Amazing Spider-Man #586, Menace is actually Lily Hollister.