Warning Signs

Peter Parker has just been abducted by the Brll’nah>Zhkh<, a group of aliens who need his help. When they don’t understand his sense of humor they have their human representative, Tad McNair of McNair and Associates speak on their behalf. Peter is a little surprised that aliens are afraid of him considering they went out of their way to kidnap him from his bed. Still, McNair refuses to release Peter from his bonds unless he agress to sign a liability waver. After Peter signs, McNair explains that his clients have been abducting Peter and his roommate Randy for some “semi-legal” experiments and unfortunately they did not account for Peter’s unique genetics and that one of the hybrids they created, the one based on Peter’s DNA, has been causing them some problems. The creature escaped and according to Brll’nah>Zhk< law, Peter is responsible for his own DNA, but the aliens are willing to drop all criminal charges as long as Peter agrees to stop the escaped hybrid. To make matters worse, the aliens in form him that the creature is pregnant and is about to give birth at about 7 pm that evening. Peter is unsurprised by this since 7 pm is also when he is supposed to be hosting a gallery of photos while also stopping the criminal known as Typeface as Spider-Man.

At that same moment, Typeface is in his hideout preparing the next phase of his plan. As he works he listens to his recorded manifesto once more.[1] The recording explains his motivations, where he admits that he remembers only fragments of his past. He recalls that he was a soldier named Gordon Thomas and during a tour of duty he watches one of his own brother get gunned down. He wondered why and saw a large message written in the sky but could not understand what it said. Returning home, he wasn’t hailed as a hero, often mocked by people because the war he fought in was unpopular.[2] Alone in the world, Thomas found his calling as a signsmith until the company was purchased by new owners and he was part of the staff that ended up getting downsized. By this time, he realized that this message has been telling him to do all along. Blaming the warmongers for taking his life away and the lawyers and lairs take away his livlihood he has decided to get revenge against society. Drawing the letter A on his forhead, Typeface decides that the only recourse now is annihilation.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is out looking for the alien-human hybrid that has been loosed on the city, using the device the Brll’nah gave him. Deciding to look into one of the leads, the wall-crawler calls Joe Robertson to find out if the Bugle has learned anything more about the vandalism that has been going on in Times Square. Joe tells Peter that all the signs that were vandalizes were all owned by Ace Signworks, Inc. As Joe is giving Peter the address to the business, J. Jonah Jameson is going over the layouts for the next edition of the Daily Bugle when he spies a spider-creature pass by his window. Looking at an old editorial that claimed Spider-Man was a monster, Jameson rejoyces because this proves that he was right.

By 6:57 that evening, Spider-Man has succeeded in using the alien device to hunt down the spider-hybrid. At first he thinks it’s a tiny creature no bigger than a child until it stands up and extends its body to full hight, revealing that it is a massive arachnid monstrocity. While on the roof of the Ace Signworks, Typeface has his former employer prisoner and is preparing to destroy his business.[3] That’s when Spider-Man swings by telling Typeface and his would-be victim to run for cover. That’s when the spider-monster catches up with them. At first, Typeface is furious that Spider-Man is interruption his moment of retribution. As the monster webs him to the floor, Spider-Man can’t believe that Typeface would rather kill people and burn down property than help someone in need. This causes Typeface to think back to the day his brother die. He recalls that his brother’s final words was for Gordon to just live his life. This convinces Typeface to change his ways and he frees Spider-Man. While Typeface distracts the creature, Spider-Man manages to use the alien device to destroy the creature just as it is about to give birth, erradicating it and its offspring. In the aftermath of the battle, Typeface thanks Spider-Man for helping him to see the errors of his way and promises to disarm his letter bombs. However, after Spider-Man leaves, Typeface can’t find the remote control for the bombs. Not far away, his fromer employer is calling his business partner and telling him about Typeface’s attack on their business. As he detonates the bombs with the stolen remote he suggests they get in touch with their insurance company.

Soon, Peter Parker arrives at his gallery showing late only to discover that almost nobody showed up. However, someone bought one of his photos of his late Uncle Ben, but the buyer wished to remain unanonymous.[4] As Aunt May walks home with her recently bought photo she passes by an electronics store where the display televisions are all showing a news bulletin about Gordon Thomas who, along with Spider-Man, are being blamed for the destruction of the Ace Signworks.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Typeface, Joe Robertson, J. Jonah Jameson, Brll’nah>Zhkh<

Continuity Notes

1. Typerface is depicted using a pocket tape recorder here. This should be considered a topical reference since these machines are now considered obscelete.

2. This story implies that Typeface fought in the Vietnam War, any suggestion should be considered a topical reference. The Typeface profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12 merely states that Typeface fought in a “foreign war” that was unpopular with the American public.

3. Typeface accuses his former employers for replacing drafting tables for computer workstations. At the time this story was published many businesses were shifting to digital solutions. Since digital drafting is now an industry standard this reference should be considered topical as well.

4. You know, Uncle Ben. Amazing Fantasy #15. Dead. Crying Toby Maquire.