Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #27
The Stray
Two men named Mister P and Mister Q are lurking in an alley. Their target is right out in the open. They decide to bide their time and wait for the right time to strike to avoid any unnecessary chases.
Meanwhile, Peter and Randy Robertson are heading home after going out for a bite to eat. Randy is still going on about his recent encounter with the Green Goblin, even though it happened weeks ago.[1] When Peter hears someone crying for help, he tells Randy that he forgot his wallet at the restaurant so he can slip away and change into Spider-Man. Spider-Man soon arrives on the scene of a young girl crying and asks how he can help. She tells him that she needs help getting her cat, Mister Mittens, out of a tree. This is a first for Spider-Man but this job proves to be easier said than done as the cat attacks him when he tries to get it down.[2] As Spider-Man is struggling to get the cat out of the tree, the girl’s mother leans out of their apartment window and tells her daughter to come back inside. That’s when Spider-Man gets down with the cat and discovers that this isn’t Mister Mittens, just a mangy and smelly stray. After the girl goes inside, Spider-Man’s spider-sense goes off and he leaps into a nearby alley just as the tree that the cat as caught in is barraged with machine gunfire. In the confusion, the cat manages to struggle free from Spider-Man’s grasp and run away. With the cat gone, the shooting stops and Spider-Man’s spider-sense stops ringing. Unable to find the shooters, the wall-crawler to wonder what’s going on.
Not far away, Mister P and Mister Q are disappointed that their quarry managed to escape and both men decide that bigger firearms will be needed. Opening the back of his van, Mister Q reveals that they are well stocked for their hunt and tells Mister P to take his pick. Meanwhile, Peter Parker has caught up with Randy who notices that Peter stinks. Peter realizes, to his horror, that the cat got some of its smell on him. Randy tells Peter not to worry as he’ll make sure Parker is presentable when they go out on the town that evening. The pair walk past the cat which is hiding under a car. While not far away Mister P and Mister Q have picked up their target’s signal and are preparing for their next attack. A short time later, Peter and Randy are forced to buy some cheap cologne to cover up the smell on Peter. Peter has his doubts, which are confirmed when a dog tries to smell him and is frightened away by the stink. That’s when Randy brings Peter to the underground club that they are going to party at. While they are going inside, the dog runs into the cat in an alley. They begin to fight but there is only one victor as a few moments later the cat emerges from the alley wearing the dog’s collar.
Inside the bar, Randy Robertson is excited to hear that the Black Vinyls are going to be performing that evening.[3] Soon they join Jill Stacy and Glory Grant at a table and the two women instantly notice that Peter stinks. Thinking something is up, Peter says he and Randy are getting drinks but this is just a cover for Peter to ask Randy what he’s up to. As it turns out, Randy is trying to set up Peter with Jill Stacy. Peter is upset by this and goes to the bathroom. While back at the table, Jill admits to Glory that she also feels uncomfortable with the idea of dating Peter as he’s like a brother to her. Alone in the bathroom, Peter wonders what Randy was thinking trying to set them up considering, particularly since Peter isn’t ready to start dating yet either.[4] That’s when Peter smells a familiar smell and when he opens the window he’s surprised to see the cat from earlier come tumbling in. Suddenly, Peter’s spider-sense begins going off and when he looks out the window he spots Mister P and Mister Q searching the alleyway. Noticing the massive weapons they are toting, Peter deduces that these were the men who shot at him earlier and quickly starts changing into Spider-Man. Moments later, Mister P and Mister Q enter the club and when the band sees the guns they are packing they suddenly stop playing. However, before any of the patrons can see what caused the band to stop playing, Spider-Man yanks them outside. Following them outside is the cat.
Outside, Spider-Man battles with the two heavily armed men. Not feeling like getting into his usual witty banter, the wall-crawler tells the two men to just tell him what they are up to. As they try to shoot the masked hero, they explain that they were hired by AIM to capture a cat. Realizing that the two are after the smelly feline that he has been encountering all day, Spider-Man learns that the cat isn’t dangerous and quickly knocks the men out, telling them to leave the feline alone. After the two crooks are webbed up, Spider-Man spots the cat and tells it to scram so he can get on with his life. Later that evening, as they return to their apartment, Randy apologizes to Peter and asks how he can make it up to Peter. When they get to the door, Peter is digging for his keys when he suddenly smells something awful. Opening his bag he finds the cat sleeping inside. Although the cat smells real bad, Randy tells Peter that it looks like they’ve found themselves a new roommate.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Randy Robertson, Jill Stacy, Glory Grant
Continuity Notes
Randy Robertson was attacked by a Green Goblin, not the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #25. This Goblin turned out to be Peter Parker who was under the effects of drugging and mind control.
Spider-Man mentions his recent battle with the Squid, that happened last issue.
Randy states the Black Vinyls are “the band of the millennium” this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Everyone was big on saying new things were “of the millennium” in the year 2000. It was really annoying and thankfully people stopped saying stupid shit like that after 9/11.
There’s a lot of reasons why Peter won’t go out with Jill Stacy. First, Jill is cousins with the late Gwen Stacy who Peter dated until she was murdered by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121. Second, Peter is still dealing with the alleged death of Mary Jane, who seemingly died in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #13. She survived though, as we’ll learn in in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29.
