To Judge a Nighthawk!

Putting on a press conference regarding the current government investigation into the finances of Richmond Enterprises, Kyle Richmond is shocked when he is attacked by his deceased girlfriend Mindy Williams. Witness to the attack is photographer Peter Parker, there to cover the story for the Daily Globe. He attacks the woman trying to kill Kyle and allows her to throw him out of the office window so that he can change into Spider-Man unseen. Attacking the woman as she is about to strike a killing blow to Richmond, Spider-Man pulls her head off revealing to both Kyle and Spidey that she is really a robot. The severed robots head invites Richmond to come to Grayburn University to face his past and answer for murdering Mindy all those years ago. Kyle kicks the robots head out of the window and decides to tell Spider-Man about his problems. As he does so, a shadowed figure monitoring the battle vows to kill Richmond for his past crimes.

While on the roof of Richmond Enterprises, Kyle -- having changed into his guise of Nighthawk -- explains to Spider-Man that he started receiving letters in the mail that contained photos of himself with Mindy as well as death threats. He explains that Mindy Williams was his old college girlfriend, and one reckless night his drunk driving led to an accident that killed her, an incident that forever racked Kyle with guilt. Spider-Man, able to relate to Kyle's guilt due to the years-ago loss of his Uncle Ben sympathizes with Nighthawk and offers to join him, an offer that Nighthawk accepts. As they fly to the location of Grayburn University, the duo remark how it was shut down years ago due to lack of funding and an administrative scandal. However, when they arrive, they find it teeming with life, everyone there dressed like 60's Hippie protesters. However, when they realize that protesters are armed with laser shooting guitars and razor-sharp metal protest signs, the two heroes soon find that they are not fighting hippie throwbacks, but robots designed to capture the era which Nighthawk went to university.

They are soon overpowered and knocked out by a bunch of robots designed to look like National Guard soldiers who spray them with knockout gas.

When they revive, they find themselves in chains, Nighthawk having been placed in the very same model of vehicle that he drove the fateful night that he seemingly murdered Mindy. To his shock and surprise, he is confronted by Mindy, who has been alive and well -- all be it confined to a wheelchair -- and has been the mastermind behind the whole attack. She explains that she didn't die in the accident, that Kyle's father had paid for her silence and sent her away leaving Kyle to believe that she had died. While he embarked on his career first as a costumed criminal, then as a hero she bitterly took her shush money and invested it in gaining ultimate revenge against him, hiring AIM to build her army of robots.

With the explanation of her survival complete, she finally initiates her final revenge: Sending the car speeding into a nearby tree, in the hopes that the impact will kill Nighthawk. Spider-Man breaks free and while fighting off Mindy's robots, manages to snare the car with a web-line. This slows the car down enough for Nighthawk to break free and fly to safety while the car smashes into the tree.

Furious at Spider-Man's intervention, Mindy tries to electrocute him with a device built into her wheelchair, however, Nighthawk stops her. She suddenly breaks down into tears and collapses into Kyle's arms and asks him to help her, a request that Nighthawk promises to do. After SHIELD is called in to take away the robots and Mindy sent off to an exclusive sanitarium, Nighthawk bids Spider-Man farewell telling the Wall-Crawler that if he ever needs help dealing with his own personal ghosts to look him up. Thinking it over, Spider-Man decides that perhaps someday he will and they part company.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Nighthawk, Mindy Williams

Continuity Notes

• The narrative of this story states that Kyle Richmond is going through legal problems involving the financing of Richmond Enterprises. This has been an ongoing issue the began in Defenders #74.

• Nighthawk recounts the car accident that led to Mindy Williams injuries. This was originally told in Defenders #32. This causes Spider-Man to think about the death of his Uncle Ben, who was killed by a burglar in Amazing Fantasy #15.

• Kyle Richmond identifies that he was in University and met Mindy Williams the same month that Bobby Kennedy as assassinated, and the protesters are all modeled after Vietnam protesters of the late 60's. The riot police that subdues Spider-Man and Nighthawk is likely a reference to the student protest at Kent State University in Ohio circa 1970 that ended with National Guardsmen shooting the protesters. These references should all be considered topical due to Earth-616's sliding timescale.

• Mindy recounts Kyle's career, starting off as a super-villain in Avengers #69. The flashback depicts Nighthawk's battle with Daredevil during this period of time, that happened in Daredevil #62. Kyle later reformed and became a hero in Defenders #13-14.

Don't Let the Sun Come Up on Me!

Following his adventure with Spider-Man, Nighthawk begins to wonder if he still has what it takes to be a hero. He decides to blow off some steam by firing his wing lasers at a building in the process of being demolished. This inadvertently puts a child on crutches at risk of being crushed by a collapsing wall.

The child trips and falls to the ground, prompting the horrified Nighthawk to come to the child's aid. Bracing the wall with his superior strength, Nighthawk orders the girl to crawl to safety, however her disability and low-self esteem prevent her from accomplishing the task. Things become direr when the sun begins to rise, making Nighthawk's powers begin to wane, making it harder for him to hold up the wall.

Convincing the child to try harder, she manages to crawl clear just as the wall collapses on Nighthawk, burying him under tons of rubble. Having been saved by his reinforced wings, Nighthawk blasts himself free and checks to see if the child is okay. Seeing that she is, she thanks him for saving her life and he thanks her for reminding him of the merits of being a hero before flying off into the night sky.

Recurring Characters

Nighthawk