Spider-Man/Human Torch #5
Together Again
Spider-Man and the Human Torch meet up at their usual place atop the Statue of Liberty. When they get talking about the first time they met at the Statue, the pair begin discussing all the times they have met there over the years. When they get to talking, Johnny begins to talk about times they fought alongside each other, but Spider-Man has no memory of these events and tells Johnny that was the time he was replaced with a clone. Peter then asks to skip over that period of time, and Johnny cuts to the point and asks if they want to skip over what happened earlier that day...
... The Human Torch was going to give a speech at a special assembly at P.S. 108. There Peter Parker complains about having his daily lesson plan interrupted. When the Torch arrives he puts on his show for the kids but they are unimpressed. They are more surprised when Mary Jane Watson enters the room. Johnny can't believe that Mary Jane is married to Peter Parker. Suddenly the situation is interrupted when a bunch of armed gun-men shows themselves. They knock Johnny down and hold the entire gymnasium hostage. The leader of this gang explains that he is Carmine Villanova of the Maggia. He has come to get revenge against the Human Torch for sending his son to prison where he was killed. However, he is going to murder Blake Tower's son, who attends the school. However, the Maggia thugs have a hard time finding the boy because they have an outdated photo, and the boy has radically changed his appearance.
Standing with his hands in the air, Peter begins mulling over the situation and decides that their only hope is revealing his identity to the Torch. Peter pantomimes that he's really Spider-Man to the Torch. When Johnny realizes what Peter is trying to tell him he is mortified by this sudden revelation. Johnny creates a distraction by sneezing fire, and while the mobsters are distracted Johnny goes nova. This blinds them temporarily for Peter to fire a stream of webbing at one of the thugs up in the rafters. He then slips away and changes into Spider-Man and the two quickly mop up the mobsters. With the situation over and the authorities on the scene, Johnny flies off and angrily writes in the sky telling Spider-Man to meet him at their usual place....
... Johnny Storm is furious to know that Spider-Man and Peter Parker have both been the same guy all these years and he is upset that Peter never told him. Spider-Man explains that he has a secret identity to maintain that he rarely gives out. However when Spider-Man lists off the other heroes who know his identity, Johnny gets even more upset. At first, Johnny thinks he's being pranked, Peter removes his mask to prove it. Johnny believes that Parker has lived a charmed life and can't believe that he also gets to be a super-hero on top of that. This causes Peter to laugh and explains that he envies the Torch for the life he lives and tells him that he endured a lot to become Spider-Man. The two patch things up and decide to do something they should have done a long time ago...
.. Later, at the Baxter Building, Spider-Man takes his Aunt May and his wife Mary Jane to visit the Fantastic Four for the first time. Acting like family, the Parkers and the Fantastic Four then have dinner together and start making up for lost time that Spider-Man's secret identity prevented in the past.
Continuity Notes
Johnny and Spider-Man mention how they first decided to meet at the Statue of Liberty. This was when they battled the Fox in Strange Tales Annual #2
They also talk about the first time that Spider-Man met the Fantastic Four back in Amazing Spider-Man #1.
Spider-Man mentions that he was briefly replaced by a clone. This clone was originally created by the Jackal in Amazing Spider-Man #149. The clone resurfaced years later and took Spider-Man's place in Sensational Spider-Man #0. He eventually died battling the Green Goblin in Spider-Man #75.
Some facts about Spider-Man at this point in history:
As Peter Parker, he started working at P.S. 108 in Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #31. He had to quit his job when he revealed his identity in Amazing Spider-Man #533.
Peter is married to Mary Jane Parker, the couple got married in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21.
Peter's Aunt May also knows that he's Spider-Man after discovering his identity in Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #35.
Spider-Man has organic web-shooters and other enhanced abilities after The Other event.
Peter's enhanced powers, everyone's knowledge of his double identity (except Mary Jane) and his marriage to Mary Jane were erased from history by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545, however, Peter later re-reveals his identity to the Fantastic Four in Amazing Spider-Man #591.
The Fantastic Four have a copy of Peter Parker's book "Webs", which features Peter's photos of Spider-Man. It was published in Amazing Spider-Man #304.
