Amazing Spider-Man #668
Peter Parker, The Unspectacular Spider-Man
The Jackal has uneashed a bunch of criminals with spider-powers on the city prompting a response from the superhero community to try and shut them down. Shang Chi joins the Young Allies, the Avengers, the New Avengers, as well as Cloak and Dagger. The so-called Master of Kung Fu has joined the battle to assist the real Spider-Man who has inadvertently been attacked by his friends and allies because they can’t tell him apart from all of the other Spider-Men. As Spider-Man recovers from the attacks, Luke Cage orders him to leave because he will just make their job more difficult because they can’t tell him apart from the others. Hurt by this rejection, Spider-Man realizes that Luke is right and heads into an alley to change out of his costume.
Not far away, Norah Winters is capturing the battle in Bryant Park with her video camera as the mayor’s Anti-Spider-Man Squad arrives on the scene to assist the gathered heroes. She spots Peter coming out of an alley, and since she doesn’t have a camera man to help her she convinces Peter to work the camera while she continues reporting live.[2] Peter tells Norah to keep an eye out for his girlfriend, Carlie Cooper, who is somewhere in the middle of the chaos. That’s when they are joined by Mary Jane Watson who asks Peter why he isn’t doing anything. Peter — speaking in code — reminds her that he has a secret identity to protect and can’t do anything right now. However, Mary Jane points out Carlie who is using her powers to help fight against the rogue Spider-Man. She also turns his attention to average citizens who are discovering that they have powers and are starting to panic. She convinces them that they need a lead to show them how to use their newfound powers responsibly.
This inspires Peter and he hands the camera to Mary Jane. He then tells the audience watching that they need to use their powers to show people that New Yorkers aren’t the selfish obnoxious people they are made out to be and that those who now have spider-powers are now superheroes and they need to step up and use their powers to help others.[3]
The Jackal watches this from his hideout and can’t believe that Parker is doing this. However, his mysterious benefactor tells him that this only serves their cause as more spiders are awakening and getting them out in public will ensure that their abilities spread, boosting her power even further.[4] The Jackal then turns his attention to the Spider-King who he has strapped onto a table. When the creature asks what he is doing to it, the Jackal explains that he is impregnating the Spider-King with two-thousand mutated spider embryos.[5]
Back at the scene of the battle, the gathered heroes are growing tired and are starting to buckle under the superior numbers. That’s when Peter Parker arrives with an army of citizens with spider-powers to join the fight. Carlie is surprised to see that Peter has spider-powers too and he tells her that her example inspired him to do something today. By dawn, the battle is over and the heroes are victorious. However, while the battle is over there still is the issue of containing the so-called “spider-flu” that has been affecting the city. J. Jonah Jameson arrives on the scene and thanks everyone for doing their parts and deputizes everyone so they can assist on ensuring Manhattan remains under quarentine so the infection doesn’t spread outside of the city.
Soon the entire city is shut down from every bridge right down to the airport, where May Parker is still waiting for her flight to Boston. On the streets, everyone seems to be enjoying their newfound powers. However, for Mary Jane — who hasn’t exhibited powers yet — she is a little hurt when she sees Peter Parker and Carlie Cooper openly using their powers and engaging in public displays of affection together.
Still, Peter Parker doesn’t know what caused everyone to suddenly get spider-powers and wonders if he might be patient zero of the phenomenon. In order to get to the bottom of this, Peter reports to Horizon Labs where he is helping the cities greatest minds come up with a cure for this condition. When he arrives at the Lab, his colleagues Grady Scraps, Bella Fishbach and Sajani Jaffrey are excited that Mister Fantastic has arrived and is now comparing notes with Max Modell and the mysterious scientist that is working out of lab number six.[6] When Reed and Max emerges from the lab, Peter tries to get Richards to tell him who the mystery scientist is, but Mister Fantastic reminds Peter that he is good at keeping secrets.[7] Reed then asks for a sample of Peter’s DNA for examination, but when Peter offers his assistance in finding a cure Reed tells him that he and scientist #6 have it covered. Peter once again feels the sting of rejection, but Max Modells tells Parker there is another way he can help.
Elsewhere in the city, Anti-Venom has seen this sudden onset of spider-powers as a disease that needs to be cured. He has been hunting down people one-by-one and using his abilities to strip them of their spider-powers. He is unaware that he is being observed by Madame Web who forsees that both Venom and Anti-Venom will have their own roles to play in the days ahead. However, she grimly foretells that the story will end for one of them by the time this is all over. At that same moment, a military helicopter drops Agent Venom on the George Washington Bridge where soldiers are having a hard time containing the Tarantula who is trying to break through the blockade.[8]
Meanwhile, Peter has been paired up with his girlfriend Carlie Cooper to go through the NYPD’s superhuman evidence locker to salvage technology used by Spider-Man’s foes to assist the Anti-Spider-Man Squad keep the peace. As they work, Peter gives Carlie a pair of the Chameleon’s imitation web-shooters to tide her over while her body produces more organic webbing.[9] She then tells him that after they are done they are going to look into a lead she wants to follow on one of Spider-Man’s old foes, the Jackal. Hearing the name of Miles Warren’s alter ego, Peter is surprised he didn’t come to this conclusion himself. They quickly go to Empire State University where they break into the storage where Miles Warren’s old lab equipment is being kept. As they search they are unaware that they are being observed by Chase, White Rabbit and the Scorcher who are waiting for the right moment to attack…
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, the Jackal, Shang Chi, Young Allies (Gravity, Firestar, Spider-Girl), Cloak, Dagger, New Avengers (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine), Avengers (Iron Man, Hawkeye, Red Hulk, Spider-Woman), Mister Fantastic, Thing, Carlie Cooper, the Queen (unidentified), Spider-King, Taranutla, Chance, Scorcher, White Rabbit, Norah Winters, Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, Cyclops, Storm, Aunt May, Max Modell, Grady Scraps, Bella Fishbach, Sajani Jaffrey, Uatu Jackson, Anti-Venom, Madame Web, Agent Venom
Continuity Notes
It should be noted that the Jackal that appears in this story is actually a clone as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #673. The crooks all wear variations of the costumes that Spider-Man has worn over the years. I’m just going to list them all here to get that out of the way. These costumes are….
Spider-Man’s classic red-and-blue costume that he has worn from the very beginning back in Amazing Fantasy #15. The crooks wear a number of variations of this costume, some have webbing under the arms, others don’t.
Others are wearing Spider-Man’s black-and-white costume patterned after the Venom symbiote. This look was first seen in Amazing Spider-Man #252.
The Captain Universe costume that Spider-Man wore when he was the host for the Uni-Power in Amazing Spider-Man #329.
Also seen is the costume that was once worn by Ben Reilly when he was the Scarlet Spider. First seen in Web of Spider-Man #118.
The Spider-Man costume that was worn by Ben Reilly that was first seen in Sensational Spider-Man #0 until his death in Spider-Man #75.
The “Iron Spider” armor that was developed by Tony Stark. It was first seen in Amazing Spider-Man #529.
A costume patterned after Spider-Man’s stealth suit, first seen in Amazing Spider-Man #650.
Another costume is based on the ballistic armor that Spider-Man wore in Amazing Spider-Man #656.
A version of the white-on-black Future Foundation costume first given to Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #658.
2. Peter mentions how he has been blacklisted from working at the Daily Bugle. Peter’s career as a photographer was ruined after J. Jonah Jameson outed him for doctoring a photo back in Amazing Spider-Man #624.
3. Peter’s call to action is expanded upon in Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1, Spider-Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #1-2, Spider-Island: I Love New York #1, and Spider-Island: Emergence of Evil - The Jackal and Hobgoblin #1.
4. The Jacka’s mysterious benefactor is revealed to be the Queen next issue.
5. The identity of the Spider-King is revealed to be Steve Rogers, aka Captain Ameirca, in issue #670.
6. The mystery scientist in lab #5 is revealed to be Morbius the Living Vampire in Amazing Spider-Man #671
7. Reed is reminding Peter that he is keeping his identity secret. Reed has known that Peter is Spider-Man since Spider-Man/Human Torch #5. Post-Amazing Spider-Man #545, Reed was reminded of Peter’s identity when he re-revealed his identity to the Fantastic Four in Amazing Spider-Man #591-592.
8. For more on Agent Venom’s battle with the Tarantula, see Venom (vol. 2) #6.
9. Peter provides Carlie with advice on how to build up her organic webbing supply. He is speaking form experience because there was a period of time between Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 2) #20 until Amazing Spider-Man #545, Peter evolved in such a way that he produced webbing organically. This was an ability granted to him by The Other. After he rejected the Other in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #22, he eventually lost this enhanced ability. This will all be explained later on in Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #14.
