To Stalk the Spider-Man

Returning to the surface from Subeterranea, Captain America and the Falcon tell military brass that Project Earth-Dig is a bust. This is because their plan to dispose of radioactive waste deep below the Earth’s surface would put them at war with the Mole Man and his people. When Sharon Carter sees that Captain America is still alive, she faints from exhaustion and is rushed to a hospital. Unaware of Sharon’s fainting spell, Cap assumes that she wasn’t interested in talking to him and he and the Falcon depart on Cap’s motorcycle. When Sharon wakes up in the medical tent, the doctor tells her Captain America left, leaving her to wonder if Cap no longer cares about her.[1]

As they ride back to Harlem, Sam notices that there is something bothering Steve and tries to get him to talk about it. However, Captain America is in no mood to talk. Since Rogers is in an ill mood, the two decide to call it a night after changing into their civilian identities. Returning to the office where he works as a social worker, Sam Wilson begins to doubt his abilities and decides to prove himself worthy of being Captain America’s partner. Changing back into the Falcon, Sam goes out on patrol with his bird, Redwing. That’s when they spot Spider-Man fleeing the authorities.[2] As nobody has been able to capture the web-slinger, Falcon decides to capture Spider-Man.

The web-slinger gives Falcon a good chase, but Sam is forced to break off his pursuit when he spots a woman being mugged in the street below. By the time the police arrive to arrest the crooks, Spider-Man is long gone. Falcon notices that Redwing is gone as well and hopes his pet will return and lead him to Spider-Man later. In the meantime, Sam checks in on Captain America who is blowing off steam by tossing his shield around. Steve apologizes for his temper earlier. Sam doesn’t have much to say, and takes off as soon as Redwing returns. Steve instantly knows something is up, but decides not to pry until Sam comes to him.

Redwing leads Falcon to the apartment shared by Harry Osborn and Peter Parker.[3] Unaware that they are being watched, Peter goes out to the store leaving Harry home alone. The Falcon, assuming that Osborn is secretly Spider-Man enters the apartment and subdues Harry. Hearing his roommates cries for help, Peter races back up to his room to change into Spider-Man and follow after the Falcon. When he catches up with Falcon, Spider-Man’s sudden appearance makes Sam realize he got the wrong guy and he lets Harry go. Although Falcon puts on a pretty good fight, Spider-Man is much stronger than he is and easily knocks Wilson out. Before taking off, the web-slinger decides to plant a spider-tracer on Falcon so he can find him later and find out why his fellow crime-fighter went after him.

Meanwhile, Captain America is out looking for the Falcon when he spots Redwing circling in the air. Following the falcon to its master, Captain America wakes Sam up. Steve tries to get Wilson to talk, but he’s not ready to explain himself. Little do the pair know is that Stoneface is watching them from a nearby car. Seeing the men responsible for his recent arrest, Stoneface vows to get revenge.[4]

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Falcon, Spider-Man, Stoneface, Sharon Carter, Nick Fury, Harry Osborn, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. Cap and Sharon’s relationship has been on the rocks since Captain America #124 when Cap broke up with her for breaking her promise to stop putting herself in danger.

2. Although Spider-Man has generally been wanted by the authorities since the start of his career, at the time of this story in particular Spider-Man was wanted for questioning regarding the death of Captain George Stacy. Stacy died saving the life of a child during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in Amazing Spider-Man #90.

3. This story takes place during a period in which Peter and Harry were roommates. The pair lived together from Amazing Spider-Man #46 until they were both evicted in issue #138 of that series.

4. Stoneface clashed with Captain America and the Falcon in Captain America #134.

Topical References

• Sam states that Captain America has been fighting crime for over 20 years. This measurement of time should be considered topical since it denotes the passage of time between the end of World War II and when this story was published. The length of time between these two periods will continue to grow longer due to the Sliding Timescale. Go here for all the crazy math.

• When Falcon isn’t answering Captain America’s questions, Cap asks “Want me to think you’re a racist?” This is an incredibly inappropriate thing to say by today’s standard since it trivializes actual racism. This statement is a product of its time and should be considered topical.

• Peter states that he is going out to get the last edition of the newspaper so he can catch up on the scores of sporting events. This should be considered a topical reference since newspaper usually only put out a single print edition in a day. Also the advent of specialty channels that cater to sports, the internet, and cellphones make the idea of Peter going out to get a newspaper to check the scores incredibly ridiculous. This is obviously a topical reference. Modern readers could assume that Peter came up with a more general excuse to go out, like having to buy toothpaste or something.