Peter Parker: Spider-Man #55
Rules of the Game Part 3
Investigating who has been running an illegal gambling operation that has been sending super-villains to battle him, Spider-Man has arrived at the Baxter Building headquarters of the Fantastic Four so Mister Fantastic can look at the remains of the XP-2000 robot. While in the waiting room, Spider-Man is greeted by the Human Torch. He soon is working in the lab with Mister Fantastic in the hopes of learning who sent the robot to attack him with the Scorpion.[1] When Spider-Man’s methods fail to extract the information, Mister Fantastic uses more subtle means to get the data. Watching this from the built-in camera are Donald Hart, Buck Masterson, Edwin Hills, and Gary Wisen, the businessmen behind the illegal gambling operation. They are concerned that Reed Richards will be able to learn where XP-2000 is broadcasting. However, Gary Wisen is convinced that their next combatant, the Rocket Racer will be up to the challenge of defeating Spider-Man. Donald Hary, on the other hand, is unconvinced thinking that the Rocket Racer is a joke.[2] It doesn’t help when Rocket Racer tries to fly through the office window to get onto the streets and ends up slamming into the thick glass and falling on his ass.
By this point, Mister Fantastic is able to learn the location where the video feed is being transmitted and sends Spider-Man on his way with XP-2000. Outside the building, Spider-Man dumps the robot into a dumpster and then changes into a disguise which is basically Peter Parker with a fake mustache and sunglasses. Inside the building, Peter finds a bar and goes to the bar where he nervously orders a drink. The bartender eventually cuts through the small talk and asks the newcomer if he’s going to place any bets. Peter learns that they are pitting Spider-Man against the Rocket Racer. When Peter publicly announces that he is placing his money on Spider-Man — taking pains to say that the web-slinger is his hero — he attracts some unwanted attention. When the bartender notices that Peter’s wad of bills are all fives and a lunch ticket the bouncers beat him up and throw him out. Returning to the alley, he discovers XP-2000 has been passing the time listening to the problems of a homeless man. When the robot warns Peter that his creators have activated a homing device, he manages to get into costume just as Rocket Racer arrives on the scene to challenge him.[3] Launching a number of hand-mounted rockets, the Rocket Racer looks forward to defeating Spider-Man in his new costume.[4]
When Spider-Man stops fighting back, Donald Hard is horrified when he realizes that Spider-Man is intentionally throwing the fight and that if his audience learns this they will stop betting on battles. When Rocket Racer seemingly defeats the wall-crawler, Hart orders him to kill Spider-Man. However, the Racer has figured out what’s going on and turns off his video feed. When he asks what Spider-Man is doing, the wall-crawler explains his plan to discredit the gambling operation. Just then, the patrons begin wrecking the bar in anger, proving that Spider-Man’s plan has worked. Impressed, the Rocket Racer leaves Spider-Man with the address of his employers before leaving. He then confronts Donald Hart and his associates just as their operation is falling down around their heads. Spider-Man then webs them up and tells them how he turned over XP-2000 to the FCC who have a lot of questions about their illegal use of the airwaves to broadcast their illegal gambling operation.
The next day, Peter Parker arrives at Midtown High and once again has to make excuses for his injuries to the principal. When he runs into Louis, a student who has been in trouble for fighting, he tells the boy that the person he fought wasn’t worth it. Later, when Donald Hart and his associates are brought before a Senate hearing about their activities they are annoyed when XP-2000 is the government’s star witness. Watching the developments on television, Peter Parker gets a good laugh at their expense.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Rocket Racer, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch), Donald Hart, Buck Masterson, Edwin Hills, Gary Wisen
Continuity Notes
When Spider-Man quips that the Fantastic Four are usually off in the Negative Zone whenever he comes by to visit, Reed responds by saying that only 1% of the Fantastic Four’s adventures have brought them to the Negative Zone. At the time of this story the FF have been in the Negative Zone a total of ## times as seen in Fantastic Four #51, 61-63, 71, Annual #6, #107-110, 139-141, 178-184, 216-217, 251-256, 289-292, 318-319, Fantastic Four Unlimited #3, Fantastic Four #413, Fantastic Four (vol. 2) #7, 13, Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #17-19, 40-44, and Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Magazine #9-10.
Weiss quips that he is going for camp value in this battle ahead and Hart criticizes Rocket Racer for having nipples on his costume. These are are all jokes referring to the often garish design choices in the films Batman: Forever and Batman and Robin. These two films followed Tim Burton’s dark and gothic Batman and Batman Returns. Both films were directed by Joel Schumacher who wanted to make the films more the campy Batman television series of the late 60s. Batman and Robin was particularly panned by critics and it was a commercial flop that basically killed the Batman film franchise until 2005’s Batman Begins.
Spider-Man says he thought Rocket Racer was “being cool” and “staying in school” This is a reference to the fact that Rocket Racer had gone straight in Web of Spider-Man #50
Rocket Racer mentions how Spider-Man defeated him when they first fought. The pair first clashed back in Amazing Spider-Man #172.
