Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #5
The Slide-A-Way is an illegal gambling den owned and operated by the Eel. Tonight he is in for the shock of his life when the Black Cat comes to take over his operation. At first, the Eel laughs this off because of the Cat’s recent defeat at the hands of Spider-Man.[1] However, he quickly changes his tune when he discovers that she has Electro on her side. On the Black Cat’s orders, Electro takes the Eel and his men out with a powerful jolt of electricity.
On the Upper West Side, Spider-Man and his new ally Silk have been overcome by a sudden and uncontrollable lust for each other. It is so strong that Spider-Man has a hard time keeping their names straight. When Silk goes to remove his mask, he tells her to stop. That’s when Cindy reveals that she already knows he’s Peter Parker. Hearing this snaps Spider-Man out of his it and he quickly begins putting his costume back on. The pair can’t make sense of what came over them, but Peter figures that if Morlun may be coming back, they should put her back in the bunker he just freed her from. Cindy refuses, telling Peter that the damage has been done, besides she doesn’t want to go back after tasting freedom for the first time in years.[2]
Meanwhile, at the Fact Channel, J. Jonah Jameson is preparing for the first episode of his new television show. Natalie Long and the producers try to prepare Jonah for the show, but he dismisses their advice, saying he had plenty of experience on television when he was the mayor of New York City.[3] However, Jonah discovers that his segment is being bumped because they are doing a piece on Parker Industries, and there is a conflict of interest since his father is a major shareholder and Peter Parker, the CEO, is his step-brother. That’s when one of the staff informs the producer that Sajani Jaffrey, of Parker Industries, hasn’t shown up for her interview and they haven’t been able to reach her.
This is because Jaffrey has been kidnapped by the Black Cat. Even though they have her handcuffed, the Cat and Electro are actually treating her quite well. She is surprised she is being kept in a penthouse apartment instead of an abandoned warehouse. Electro doesn’t care what she thinks and wants to know what Parker Industries is inventing to capture him. Jaffrey complains about how her project was scrapped in favor of building a device that will cure Electro. This comes as a surprise to Electro, who has been having problems keeping his powers under control and demands she tell him more.[4]
While at an abandoned warehouse, Mister Negative and the new Goblin King wait to meet with the Eel, the representative for the Maggia.[5] The meeting is crashed by the Black Cat who tosses the Eel’s unconscious body onto the meeting table. Mister Negative tells the Cat that she has no standing with them, but she points out her reputation suffered in the same way as when Spider-Man outed the Goblin King as Phil Urich and assisted the Wraith in outing Mister Negative as Martin Li.[6] She then suggests that they all work together to destroy Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Anna Maria Marconi returns to Peter Parker’s apartment to try and find him. She is shocked to find Spider-Man and Silk making out on the ceiling. Seeing Marconi as a threat, Cindy leaps down to the floor and warns her to back off. He tries to explain how he and Cindy came to use the internet to find out what happened to her family. Anna Maria can hardly make sense of the series of events that led up to this but tells Peter that it’s not as important as the fact that Sajani Jaffrey went missing before her scheduled interview with the Fact Channel and they need someone. When Peter says he has important Spider-Man work to do, Anna Maria gives him a look that convinces him to drop everything and do the interview himself.
Soon Peter arrives at Fact Channel with Cindy, who refuses to leave his side in case Morlun attacks. Once in the studio, Peter is happy to see his step-brother, J Jonah Jameson. When he hears how Jonah is going to be working at the Fact Channel, Peter is happy to hear that he has landed on his feet after resigning as mayor. When introducing Cindy to Jonah, she is surprised to hear that he was mayor of the city. When Jonah asks if she’s been living in a cave for not knowing this, Peter quickly ushers her away before she says too much.
Soon Peter is being interviewed by Natalie Long, where he begins talking about his plans to build technology that will help neutralize and incarcerate super-villains. Watching the interview from home are Jay Jameson and Peter’s Aunt May, who are excited to see Peter on TV. Peter explains that the problem with past prisons is that they never took into consideration that with some villains, like Electro, their powers are actually a curse.[7] That’s when Cindy starts trying to get Peter’s attention because her spider-sense is warning her of trouble. Peter tries to nonchalantly tells her to keep her quiet when suddenly his own spider-sense begins going off. This is because Electro has forced his way into the studio and when Electro and the Black Cat make their presence known. As Electro takes out the security guards, the Black Cat demands that Spider-Man show up or else she will kill Peter Parker. That’s when Cindy changes into Silk and attacks the pair in order to keep Peter safe.
The confusion allows Peter to slip away and change into Spider-Man and join the battle. He tries to make the Black Cat see sense, but she is still unwilling to listen. As the crew at the Fact Channel try to flee, J. Jonah Jameson takes control of the situation and orders one of the cameramen to keep filming because this is an exclusive. As Silk battles, Electro,[8] Spider-Man once again tries to convince the Black Cat — and address the audience watching from home — that until recently his body was taken over by Doctor Octopus.[9] Hearing this, J. Jonah Jameson refuses to believe this story either. Electro begins firing wildly in an effort to hit Silk but she is too fast. He does manage to strick Spider-Man from behind stunning him long enough for the Black Cat to catch him in a headlock. Jameson sees this as a huge opportunity and grabs a microphone. Then, standing before Black Cat and Spider-Man he tells the audience watching live that they are about to witness Spider-Man unmasked.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Silk, Black Cat, Electro, Anna Maria Marconi, J. Jonah Jameson, Natalie Long, Sajani Jaffrey, Goblin King, Maggia (Eel), Mister Negative, Aunt May, Jay Jameson
Continuity Notes
This would have been the Doc Ock controlled Spider-Man back in Superior Spider-Man #20.
As explained in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1 and last issue, Cindy Moon was bitten by the same radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker back in Amazing Fantasy #15, some 13 years prior to this story. She was found by Ezekiel Sims who locked her away in a bunker to hide her from Morlun, just like he attempted to do with Spider-Man back in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #30-35.
Jameson was elected mayor of New York in Amazing Spider-Man #591. However, after a series of scandals, Jonah was forced to resign in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1.
When Doc Ock was Spider-Man he captured Electro and forced him into being a member of his Superior Six. His powers haven’t worked properly since then. See Avenging Spider-Man #18 and Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #5-7.
Mister Negative mentions how Phil Urich survived both the Kingpin and Green Goblin to become the Goblin King. Urich worked for the Kingpin as the Hobgoblin from Amazing Spider-Man #649 until the fall of Shadowland in Superior Spider-Man #14. He was later outed by the Doc Ock Spider-Man in Superior Spider-Man #15-16. He was recruited by the Green Goblin as his Goblin Knight and was part of the Goblin Nation’s failed attack on New York in Superior Spider-Man #27-31.
Mister Negative had a double life by operating as philanthropist Martin Li until Spider-Man, Anti-Venom, and the Wraith exposed his identity in Amazing Spider-Man #663-664.
Peter stops himself before he can talk about how J. Jonah Jameson made the mistake of giving Spider-Man control of the Raft Prison. See Superior Spider-Man #11-14 for all the details.
Electro takes offense over being called a lady killer. This is because he accidentally killed his girlfriend, the unfortunately named Francine Frye in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #2.
Doctor Octopus took over Spider-Man’s life from Amazing Spider-Man #296 until Superior Spider-Man #31.
