Power to the People Part One

“What I have set in motion now begins. They are coming. Men of smoke and men of sand. Predators. Hunters. An unrelenting storm of pain and sorrow the likes of which Spider-Man has never known. I have thrown down my gauntlet. My family’s rise begins now.”

- Sasha Kravinoff

Electro has hit a rough patch in his life. No money, no prospects, no respect. He also can barely keep his powers in check and something he can’t even enjoy a beer without getting a zap whenever his lips touches the glass. He is stitting by himself at in a booth when one of the barflies sits down and tries flirting with him. Max Dillon ignores her words and focuses on trying to keep his power under control. This works until the woman reaches across the table and accidentally knocks over his pint of beer. The resulting electrical feed back from the spilled booze shocks the woman so badly her instant corpse is set on fire. After the other patrons put the poor woman out they realize the man in the booth is responsible. Out numbered, Electro jams a fork into a nearby wall-socket causing an electrical jolt that blacks out the entire block and covers his escape. As he flees his electricity painfully arcs wildly from his body. Max prays to God to cut him a break but remembers that he was forsaken a long time ago.

Nearby, Spider-Man is swinging across the city and takes not of the blackout, but isn’t surprised since the heatwave hitting the city has increased the demand for air conditioning.[1] That’s when he spots a puppy about to fall out of an apartment window and saves it. He then turns the pup over to its owner, who is less than grateful that Spider-Man saved his precious Cuddlebun. Spider-Man swings away wondering why he bothers when people treat him like that and decides to look into the blackouts before he gets blamed for them also. He swings over to the offices of the DB! where, as Peter Parker, he hopes to pump Betty Brant for information at the very least he hopes she can explain why there are people picketing outside the building.[2] Inside, Betty tells Peter that the protest is because Dexter Bennett is attempting to get a government bailout to save his failing business. With the economy the way it is, people are not happy, hence the protests. When the news comes in that Bennett got the bailout, Betty is relieved that she still has a job.

Meanwhile, Max Dillon thinks about the freak accident that turned him into Electro. He was struck by lightning while on the job as a line worker.[3] He used these powers in his criminal career, putting him in conflict with heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil over the years. However, lately, his powers have been acting haywire he is either over charged, other times he’s like a dead battery.[4] Elector’s inconsistent power levels reminds him of his sister who struggled with diabetes growing up. To try and solve his problem, Electro has sought out the assistant of the Mad Thinker. However, the mad scientist only has Electro around to power his machines for room and board, reminding Max that the surgery needed to correct his powers will cost him over a million dollars. However, Electro doesn’t have any money left, telling the Thinker that he sunk his savings investing on Wall Street. He then apologizes to the Thinker’s lab assistant who is put off by his behavior. Thinking it is his facial hair, Electro uses his powers to burn the stubble from his face, however the stink it creates disgusts her and she flees from the room.

Going out, Electro walks the streets and thinks about how unfair his situation is. He’s been reduced to poverty while the government is bailing out corporations. He stops at a newsstand where he sees the front page about the DB! getting a government bailout. He thinks about how its the corporations that should pay and in his fury unleashes an electrical jolt that sets the newsstand on fire. As he walks away, Electro thinks about how he can make them pay.

The following Monday, at city hall, Mayor J. Jonah Jameson watches the news coverage about Dexter Bennett’s bail out and takes glee in seeing him suffer after he stole the Daily Bugle out from under him.[5] That’s when the news coverage moves on to reports about Electro appearing on the rooftops of the financial district. He has given a full rant denouncing the corporate elites who have been receiving government money. While he admits that he is a criminal he never took money out of the pockets of the average New Yorker and calls for the people to rise up and protest against Dexter Bennett and his newspaper. As the week advances, public opinion toward the DB! sours with newsstands even going so far as to refuse to sell the paper and the protests outside the building continues to grow.

Peter Parker, on the other hand, is exhausted after being out of town on Avengers business all week.[6] Worse, his roommate — Michele Gonzales — continues to gouge him to use anything in the apartment that’s not his. He tries explaining again that the pair of them ended up in bed together because he was nervous about his ex-girlfriend being at his Aunt May’s wedding and that he was drunk. Michele isn’t buying it, reminding Peter that she was there and was the one serving him his drinks and she gave him nothing but apple-ginger ale all night.[7] That’s when he notices that Michele is watching a video about Electro and asks what’s been going on.

After learning that Electro is putting on a demonstration in front of the New York Stock Exchange, Peter decides to keep an eye on things as Spider-Man. Spider-Man can’t believe that Electro has managed to make himself out to be some kind of folk-hero given his criminal past. That’s when he spots his foe lurking around near he building and tries hitting him. However, this causes a jolt of electricity so powerful it burns through the rubber gloves Peter wore to ground himself against Electro’s powers. As Spider-Man fights Electro over the mob, he discovers that they support Max Dillon and not him. Spider-Man’s attemps to remind the crowd that Electro is a criminal also fall on deaf ears. When Spider-Man tries to fire webs at Electro, he is shocked into unconsciousness. Electro then tosses Spider-Man down into the crowd and tells them to send the wealthy elite a message. While changing “Power to the People” the mob quickly swarms Spider-Man.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Electro, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Dexter Bennett, Michele Gonzales, Sasha Kravinoff (narrative)

Continuity Notes

1. Spider-Man recalls the recent electrical fire at the Empire State Building. That was in Amazing Spider-Man #601.

2. In the DB! bullpen is a wanted poster for Nick Fury. Fury has been operating under deep cover since Secret War #1-5. Norman Osborn has been particularly interested in apprehending Fury since he took over SHIELD (renaming it HAMMER) in Secret Invasion #8.

3. Electro’s origins and first battle with Spider-Man was originally covered in Amazing Spider-Man #9.

4. Electro became a Daredevil villain for a time, first fighting Daredevil in Daredevil #2. The flashbck here featuring Electro being defeated by Wolverine is from New Avengers #48.

5. Jonah’s recollection is not entirely accurate. Jameson suffered a heart attack in Amazing Spider-Man #546 and two issues later, his wife Marla sold the Daily Bugle to Bennett because she thought the newspaper was killing her husband.

6. Chronologically, Spider-Man has been doing his own thing for a while. His last stint with the Avengers was in New Avengers #55-60 and that happened prior to Amazing Spider-Man #606. One could assume that Peter was involved in an unrecorded adventure with the Avengers behind the scenes of this story.

7. Without a date to Aunt May’s wedding, Peter ended up going with Michele Gonzales in Amazing Spider-Man #600. The two woke up in bed together in the following issue. Michele thought they were starting a relationship until Amazing Spider-Man #604. However, by this point, the Chameleon made things complicated for Peter while posing as him, which is part of the reason why Michele is pissed at Peter right now. Also it should be pointed out that Peter and Mary Jane broke up post Amazing Spider-Man #545, the details of said break-up were detailed in Amazing Spider-Man #605.

Topical References

• This story was inspired by the economic recession that hit the United States from 2007 to 2009. The US government faced a great deal of criticism for bailing out corporations when individual citizens were losing their homes and livelihoods. Any indication that this story is taking place during that recession should be considered topical.

• Dated pop-culture references: The Colbert Report

The Other Woman

Spider-Man and the Black Cat are on patrol together and when she asks how his day was, he gives her a general answer knowing that she doesn’t care about his life outside of the costume.[1] He thinks about the day he’s had and figures Felicia would doubly be uninterested because it involved Peter Parker hanging out with his ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. He happened to catch her as she was getting into a cab to go to the studio of her new modelling TV show. Things were going great until a limo drove by and splashed him with a puddle.

As Spider-Man and the Cat battle some rapists in an alley he decides to bite and tells her what he did and Felicia instantly thinks he is trying to make her jealous, and reminds him that their relationship is casual by telling him that he could have said he went to see his wife and it wouldn’t bother her.[2] With the battle over, Spider-Man can’t help but Black Cat go from her devil-may-care attitude to the supportive role of a crisis councilor as she consoles the rapists victims.[3]

He thinks about how complicated this relationship is and thinks about how he went to his co-worker Norah Winters for adivce. She reminds him that an open relationship means open, as in he can see anyone else that he wants without feeling guilty. Then, Norah being Norah, decides to trip Peter up by asking him if he’s ever pictured her naked.[4]

By this point, Spider-Man and the Black Cat are on a rooftop. She tries to kiss him when he tells her that she did good with the rape victim earlier. She realizes that the Spider is trying to measure some kind of standard with their open relationship and reminds them that their relationship is no-strings and until he can’t handle that he is under no obligation. As they make out some more, Peter thinks about the secret he’s harboring.

Thinking back to earlier when Norah tripped him when they were at the mayor’s office. Peter falls down in front of Ashley Moon, the woman J. Jonah Jameson hired for departmental investigations. Peter instantly sees through Felicia’s disguise and knows that this is the Black Cat. As Jonah ushers Peter out of his office, telling him to stop fraternizing on his time, he tells “Ashley” that he’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Unaware that he’s actually Spider-Man, “Ashley” tells her that she doubts it. Thinking about this in heindsight, Peter decides that it is okay to allow himself this one indulgence.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Black Cat, Mary Jane Watson, Norah Winters, J. Jonah Jameson

Continuity Notes

1. The Black Cat is attracted to Spider-Man and not Peter Parker, as we learned when he revealed his identity to her in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #87. Although the Cat no longer remembers his identity (as this story takes place post Amazing Spider-Man #545) her specific attraction still remains.

2. Technically, he was hanging out with his wife, or at least that’s what Mary Jane was until Mephisto erased their marriage from existence in Amazing Spider-Man #545.

3. The reason Black Cat takes extra care to make sure the rape victim is okay is because Felicia has been raped before herself, as revealed in Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #5.

4. Peter recalls how Norah recently buried a story after being threatened by Norman Osborn. This happened while she was investigating his American Son program in Amazing Spider-Man #595-599.