Nick Peron

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Green Goblin #8

The Face of an Angel!

Now

After recently being apprehended, the criminal known as Angelface is in a darkened room in a mental health facility. She tells those who are interviewing her that she doesn't belong here, saying that the Green Goblin is the one who deserves to be locked up in her place. She turns and faces them, showing that half of her face has been horribly burned. She tells them that the Goblin did this to her and insists that he is the real monster, telling them that she has the face of an angel.

Then

After turning over all of his notes about the Green Goblin over to Liz Osborn, Ben Urich has agreed to show her the warehouse where he first encountered the new hero.[1] The Osborn woman is seeking to recover the Goblin's equipment as she believes that he stole the last inventions of her late husband Harry Osborn.[2] Joining them is Phil Urich, Ben's nephew, who is also secretly the new Green Goblin. This trip has Phil on edge because he fears that they may discover the secret room where he found the equipment and gained the powers that allow him to become the new Green Goblin, and that they may somehow find a clue that will expose his secret identity. As they look around, Phil is horrified to discover that the door to the secret lab has been left open and thinks he likely forgot to close it the last time he was there. However, once they enter the room, Phil is shocked to discover that someone cleared out the room and any evidence of the Goblin equipment being stored there has been conveniently removed. Although he relieved that his identity is safe for now, it raises an even bigger concern: If the equipment is all gone, where did it go and who took it? Satisfied, Liz is about to leave when she asks Phil if he has anything to add. This leads to a tense moment of silence as Phil tries to think of something to say. He is saved the trouble, however, when Ben points out his nephew wouldn't be much help because he never encountered the Goblin before. Still, as they leave Phil has a million questions swirling in his mind about this recent development, chief among them being what someone may have learned about him. As they leave the facility, they are unaware that a van belonging to the Multivex Corporation is parked nearby.[3]

At that same moment, Angelface and her assistants -- Salt and Pepper -- are in the process of robbing a wealthy man. After threatening to cut of his appendages, the man caves and gives the three women the passwords to his computer so they can use it to electronically clean out his bank account. As she is looking for other things to steal, Angelface then comes across a corporate newspaper which has a feature article on Liz Osborn. Noting how wealthy the Osborn woman is, Angelface then decides to make the wealthy widow her next target. While back at Phil Urich's loft, Phil stares at his Goblin mask and tries to think about what to do next. His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of his friend Freddie Glazer. Thinking the mask to be nothing more than a novelty item, Freddie grabs it from Phil and puts it on. For a brief moment, Phil fears that the mask will initiate the electrical shot that triggers his powers when he is the Green Goblin. Thankfully, this does not happen and Freddie loses interest in the mask when he can't see anything out of the lenses. He then tosses it aside and convinces Phil to go out for pizza with him.

Now

Angelface tries to justify her decision to rob Liz Osborn to those who are examining her. She explains that Liz married into her fortune and therefore did not truly deserve it. Since her father taught her to earn her place in the world, Angelface has twisted this into a bizarre moral code that gives her all the justification she needed to go after Liz Osborn and her fortune. However, despite her best-laid plans, the Green Goblin interfered with what happened next...

Then

Returning home after his outing with Freddie, Phil has decided to call Liz Osborn and try to explain himself to her. After putting on his mask and activating his powers, Phil picks up the phone but thinks that there is a better approach. Putting on the rest of his costume, Phil hops onto his Goblin Glider and decides to pay Liz a personal visit instead. At that moment, Liz Osborn is heading out and is leaving her son, Normie, in the care of their nanny. However, when she opens the door she finds Angelface, Salt, and Pepper waiting for her with their guns drawn. They quickly strong-arm Liz and tie her up and begin threatening Normie and the nanny in order to get the Osborn woman to do their bidding. Fearing for Normie's safety, Liz agrees to do whatever they want, begging them not to harm her son. That's when the Green Goblin comes crashing in through the window. Startled by the sudden arrival of the masked vigilante, Salt and Pepper open fire on the Goblin. Despite Liz's pleas to stop the fighting, the Goblin incapacitates the two women. However, this allows Angelface to grab Normie and take him hostage. Although the Goblin tries to follow her, Angelface manages to use the elevator to escape into the parking garage below. There, Normie tries to get away by biting Angelface's hand. This angers the woman and she is about to put bullets into the boy's head when the Goblin arrives and throws off her aim.

Unfortunately, the Goblin is ill-prepared for Angelface's superior fighting skills and she easily bowls him over. With the vigilante at her mercy, Angelface prepares to shoot him in the face when he starts unleashing his Lunatic Laugh. This throws off her shot, causing Angelface to shoot a nearby steam pipe instead. As a result, a jet of scalding hot steam sprayed in her face, causing serious burns. The searing pain takes all the fight out of Angelface who crumples into a ball on the ground. When the Goblin tries to recover little Normie, the young boy gets upset, telling the Goblin that he is not his father. That's when Liz arrives and is happily reunited with her son. Realizing that this new Green Goblin is a hero, she is satisfied that he will use the equipment in the right way and tells the Green Goblin that he can keep it. Speechless, the Goblin flies away, satisfied that he is officially the Green Goblin now and forever.

Now

Concluding her story, Angelface explains that the police rushed her to the hospital. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, they couldn't prevent her face from scarring. She then vows that she will break out and get revenge against the Green Goblin and then she will get the last laugh.

Recurring Characters

Green Goblin, Angelface, Liz Osborn, Normie Osborn, Freddie Glazer, Ben Urich, Salt, Pepper

Continuity Notes

  1. Ben first encountered the new Green Goblin in this warehouse in Green Goblin #1.

  2. At the time of this story, everyone thinks that Harry Osborn is dead following the events of The Spectacular Spider-Man #200. However, unknown to everyone at the time, Harry survived as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #581. He will resurface again in Amazing Spider-Man #545.

  3. The Multivex Corporation first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #233. Their presence here acts as a hint of the identity of the mastermind that has been manipulating Peter Parker and Ben Reilly throughout the Clone Saga. Multivex's involvement in this deception is laid out in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.