Scandalous!

Spider-Man catches someone breaking into a hidden safe in an office building. When he confronts the crook he tells the web-slinger to mind his own business. When he refuses, Spider-Man quickly discovers that this thief is actually the Human Torch, when his old ally flames on and begins hurling fireballs at him. The Torch tells Spider-Man that he’s here on personal business and the web-slinger decides to trust his friend. However, when Johnny uses his power to cut through the safe the room is suddenly flooded with a knock out gas. That’s when some of Mister Negative’s Inner Demons enter the room and while Spider-Man and the Torch try to put up a good fight the gas eventually does its job and the pair pass out.

When they wake up, they find themselves trapped in a glass prison. They are confronted by Hammerhead who tells the heroes that there is barely enough air in their prison for one person, to prevent the Human Torch from flaming on. He is surprised to see Spider-Man as Mister Negative’s trap was intended only for the Human Torch. Still, Hammerhead is pleased and leaves to find out what his boss wants to be done with the web-slinger.

Left alone, Spider-Man asks how the Torch got himself into this mess. Johnny explains that he hooked up with this girl at a club a few nights back and she later claimed to have recorded their evening tryst and her boyfriend was threatening to release it on the internet. Johnny had broken into the office to try and destroy the recording before it got out. He admits that his motivation was mostly to avoid getting a lecture from his sister, Sue.

By this time, Spider-Man has figured a way out of their prisoner. Climbing to the top of the glass cylinder he begins applying his strength against the glass causing it to crack enough to let enough air in for Johnny to flame on and he melts their way out. By this time, Hammerhead and the Inner Demons have returned. After a short battle, the Torch burns out the floor under Hammerhead causing him to fall through multiple floors of the building. Soon, Johnny recovers the recording and unsure if it’s real or invites Spider-Man over to watch it. This grosses the web-slinger out, who decides to go find Hammerhead before heading home and taking a cold shower.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Human Torch, Hammerhead

Topical References

• Johnny states that his sex tape was recorded on a DVD. This should be considered a topical reference since DVD’s are not as ubiquitous as they used to be. The advent of the smartphone has pretty much done away with home video cameras.