The Spider-Queen

The city has been terrorized by a gang of racketeers that have been using violence, threats, torture, and kidnapping in order to force small businesses into paying them for protection. One day, at one such shop, Shannon Kane hears a muffled cry of a store owner being tortured in his back room. Finding the cashier suspicious, Shannon suspects that something fishy is going on and leaves. Outside, she bumps into Detective Mike O’Bell who claims to be trying to fish a quarter he dropped down a grate. Mike offers to walk Shannon home where she cuts his visit short by telling the detective that she has a headache.

This works out for Mike as he wanted to return to that grate so he can explore the basement of the shop. There he runs into the Spider-Queen who reveals that she knows that someone in the building was being tortured. When Mike asks her to tell him more, the costumed vigilante uses her webbing to trip up O’Bell, causing the policeman to hit his head, knocking him out. The struggle is overheard, so the Spider-Queen hides Mike and lures the crooks outside and makes an escape.

When Mike wakes up later, the racketeers have left the scene, he searches the place for clues but finds no clue as to where they —and their victim — had gone. Meeting with Shannon Kane the next day, Mike asks her to help with his investigation in the hopes of finding out where the crooks went. He sends Shannon to the shop, which is now run by the crooks, to learn if the original owner has a forwarding address. Shannon agrees, but actually goes as the Spider-Queen. After webbing up the thug running the shop, she learns that the owner was taken to a cabin by the lake to be worked over. Changing back into her civilian guise, Shannon then reports back to the detective about what she has learned.

As Mike rushes to the scene, Shannon changes back into the Spider-queen and goes after the crooks as well. Webbing them up, allowing Mike to rescue the shopkeeper. Slipping away, the Spider-Queen changes back into Shannon again so she can pick Mike and the shopkeeper up as they walk back to town. When Mike asks how she knew to come and rescue them, Shannon explains that she was visited by the Spider-Queen who told her everything.

Recurring Characters

• Spider-Queen

• Detective Mike O’Bell