Spider-Man is at the mercy of the Black Cat at the Fact Channel studio. In front of the cameras is J. Jonah Jameson who announces that the wall-crawler is about to be unmasked. The tense scene is watched live on television by Anna Maria Marconi, Aunt May, Jay Jameson, and the staff of the Daily Bugle. However, Jameson’s own showboating blocks the view of the camera so nobody can see Spider-Man’s face. Luckily, Silk is there and she quickly webs up Peter Parker’s face before it can be caught on camera. Jameson, realizing his mistake is mortified. With Spider-Man still stunned from a blast from Electro, Silk snatches him and makes a hasty retreat before anyone can stop them.

With her victory stolen from her, the Black Cat decides that if Spider-Man now has extra muscle, so should she. The Black Cat and Electro also retreat, leaving J. Jonah Jameson to lament over his poor luck.

Later, the Black Cat arrives at the Bar With No Name, where the crooks are having a eulogy for Francine Frye, a groupie that always gave them a place to crash when they were on the run from the law. She wants to require them, but none of the gathered criminals want anything to do with her since it was Electro who killed Francine and prompted Parker Industries to begin building a new super-villain prison.[1]

By this time, Spider-Man and Silk have retreated to Peter Parker’s apartment. There, Anna Maria Marconi uses a solvent to melt the webbing off Peter’s face. Peter wants to continue his search for Cindy’s family, but Anna Maria reminds him that he has to head the demonstration of his new Electro trap for the chief of police because they still haven’t found Sajani Jaffrey. Cindy insists on coming along, and Peter agrees since she helped pull him out of trouble.

While back at the Black Cat’s hideout, Electro demands answers from their prisoner Sajani Jaffrey. Afraid of being electrocuted, she assures him that Parker’s invention will work. That’s when the Black Cat sents him out so that she can talk to Jaffrey in private. She begins demanding where she can find the device and Jaffrey tells the Cat that she doesn’t need to make threats.

That evening, at the waterfront overlooking the Hudson River, Parker Industries is setting up their device that will de-power Electro. As the setup is underway, and the staff tries to answer Chief Pratchett’s questions without Sajani Jaffrey who has a better understanding of how the device works. As they wait for their fake Electro for the demonstration they are unaware that the Black Cat and the real Electro are on the scene. Electro puts on on the fake Electro outfit, the Cat disguises herself as one of the scientists. Also en route is Peter Parker and Cindy Moon who are being driven to the location by Anna Maria Marconi. The pair are giving in to their lust in the back seat, prompting Anna Maria to tell them to knock it off because they are almost there. The pair pull apart and admit that they can’t control themselves for some reason. That’s when Cindy’s spider-sense — which is more sensitive than Peter’s — detects that the Black Cat and Electro are already there. This prompts them to change into Spider-Man and Silk. Anna Maria is upset that Peter is shirking his responsibilities to his company but he offers Anna a raise if she handles this for him.

As Anna Maria races out to shut down the demonstration, Silk begins covering Spider-Man in a layer of webbing to better insulate him against Electro. That’s when a Fact Channel helicopter — tipped off by the Cat — arrives, prompting the Black Cat to order Electro into the device so she can amplify his powers even more. That’s when Spider-Man and Silk arrive on the scene. When Electro blasts him, Spider-Man is surprised that Silk’s webbing acts like a really good insulator. With her plan unraveling, the Cat yanks a chord out of the device, super-charging Electro. As a result, a bolt of electricity arcs up and shorts out the helicopter. Quick thinking, Sile weaves a massive cushion out of her webbing so the helicopter can safely land without hurting the crew inside.

As Electro’s powers rage out of control, Spider-Man asks the Black Cat why she is doing this and she explains that this is a final test to see if Spider-Man will save one of his foes, prove if he’s really himself and not Doctor Octopus.[2] Spider-Man leaps into the power chamber to pull Electro out of the device that is slowly killing him, even at the risk of himself. Seeking to destroy Spider-Man, the Black Cat throws a switch to make things worse. As Spider-Man begins to falter, Silk quickly yanks Spider-Man Electro to safety. However, the device is beginning to overload and is about to explode. Luckily, Silk is able to weave a protective cocoon around them so she, Spider-Man, and Electro are safe.

Later, reporter Natalie Long reports about the scene at the docks at the Fact Channel. She tells her audience that nobody was harmed in the blast and Electro was successfully de-powered and arrested. She then turns things over to J. Jonah Jameson for his editorial. As usual, Jameson uses his soapbox to blame Spider-Man and call him a menace. This gives Natalie time to welcome their latest intern, Cindy Moon. Cindy has gotten this job because she hopes that the Fact Channel’s resources will allow her to track down her family. While at the Slide-A-Away, a group of crooks has gathered to meet with the Black Cat. Since she successfully de-powered Electro and they are now want to join her gang. The Black Cat sees this as a new beginning and vows that this time nothing is going to stand in her way.

Back at Parker Industries, Anna Maria is patching up Peter’s burns and asks him where the win was in last night. Despite the fact that the Black Cat escaped and the city is mad at them, Peter points out that they cured Electro and nobody died, and that is considered a win in the Spider-Man playbook. That’s when Sajani Jaffrey arrives, having finally escaped from the Black Cat. She tells them all that she escaped from the Black Cat when, in reality, she gave the Cat the information on how to destroy the Electro de-powering device because she was against its creation to begin with. Peter is glad that Sajani is safe and once he is gone, Sajani checks to make sure that Anna Maria is still working in secret on the nano-tech they were working on earlier because she is concerned about Peter’s next set of projects. Peter, oblivious to the fact that Sajani is working against him considers today a good day and looks forward to what he and his friends will create next.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Black Cat, Electro, Silk, J. Jonah Jameson, Natalie Long, Anna Maria Marconi, Sajani Jaffrey, Boomerang, Speed Demon, Shocker, 8-Ball, Beetle, Killer Shrike, Melter, Ringer, Brothers Grim, the Spot, Aunt May, Jay Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Chief Pratchett

Continuity Notes

1. Electro accidentally killed Francine in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #2 because he has lost control over his powers.

2. Doctor Octopus had recently took over Peter Parker’s life from Amazing Spider-Man #698 until Superior Spider-Man #31.