Sensational Spider-Man #21
Opening Doors
Interlude
A helicopter arrives at the eccentric Aleister Building owned by the Technomancer Corporation. Aboard the chopper is Master Om, one of-of the owners of the company. He is greeted on the helipad by his costumed staff, the Neomancers, who informs him that Maegis Senreich is waiting for him at the Babylon Portal in the building's sub-basement. Master Om is satisfied of this and leaves the Neomancers to place an artifact he recovered in the Astrum Theater, warning them to be exceptionally careful with it, warning them that if any damage comes to the artifact it will cost them their lives. Entering the sub-basement, Master Om informs the Maegis that he has succeeded in securing the Sphere of 'Sara-'Kath. The news brings great joy to Senreich who intends to use the near-infinite power of the Sphere to secure him a seat in something he calls the Dark Chamber. He insists on seeing the Sphere of 'Sara-'Kath immediately. When Master Om asks about his use of the Babylon Portal and is told that the Maegis was using it to scan various dimensions and assures him that the device is securely shut down. As soon as they leave, the portal begins coming to life.
Queens
In Queens, Spider-Man is heading home after an exhausting night of being on patrol, looking forward to crawling into a warm bed. However, when he arrives at his house, the wall-crawler's spider-sense warning him that someone is watching. Not wanting anyone to see Spider-Man entering the home of Peter Parker and his wife Mary Jane, Spider-Man quickly ducks into the shadows to see who is watching him.[1] He spots the voyer and discovers that it is the young girl that just moved in next door. He remembers how Mary Jane's Aunt Anna was telling him that the girl often stares at their home for hours without saying a word. Seeing it for himself now, the wall-crawler has to agree that it is unsettling. Needing to get into his home, Spider-Man sneaks into the house through the attic unobserved. When he enters the attic, he realizes that he hasn't been up there since the day he spent together with Ben Reilly before his death.[2] Finding the unfinished board games and old childhood books make Peter think about that day and he realizes how much he really misses Ben. Not wanting to go walking downstairs in his Spider-Man costume out of fear of being caught by Aunt Anna, Peter goes looking for some clothes to wear.
While he is digging through the storage and comes across his old monster comic books. He thought they had been thrown out years earlier, but it appears that his Uncle Ben saved them from the landfill for him to enjoy at a later time.[3] When he finally goes downstairs to his bedroom he ends up waking up Mary Jane. He tells her why he had to come in through the attic and as he is talking about how creepy the little girl next door is, he sees her watching him from her window across the yard.
Interlude
At the Technomancer Corporation, some Neomancers are guarding the door to the Babylon Portal complaining about being stuck on such a boring job. That's when they hear noise coming from the other side of the door. When they open it to see what is causing the disruption they are suddenly swarmed by a horde of gremlyns.
The Next Day
Peter Parker reports to the Daily Bugle where Joe Roberston is picking up the slack after J. Jonah Jameson was seriously beaten.[4] He is upset with Peter after failing to get photos during Spider-Man's battle with the Living Pharaoh and tells him to shape up before storming off. Peter is worried about Joe's wellbeing since, on top of the pressures of keeping the Daily Bugle afloat, he has been having problems in his marriage.[5] He then bumps into Billy Walters, the Bugle's newest freelance photographer. He tells Peter that he just missed an attractive blonde woman who had come to find him.[6] When Billy asks Peter to join him for lunch, Peter tells him he has other plans and leaves.
Out on the street, Peter feels like a jerk for blowing off Billy, as he is a really nice guy and he is lacking in close friends. He quickly tables these thoughts when he meets up with his wife Mary Jane and Jill Stacy. The two women are starving and Jill is looking forward to taking the Parkers to a coffee bar that she recently discovered. As they head that way, Peter suddenly gets a strange look on his face. Mary Jane notices and asks if his spider-sense is going off, but he tells her that it is something completely different, as though something is calling out to him. This happens out front of the Aleister Building and as they walk away from the strange building they don't notice the dark clouds gathering in the sky. Soon they arrive at the place that Jill wanted to show them. Seeing the Daily Grind, the place where Ben Reilly worked until the day he died comes as a shock to the Parkers.[7]
Anna Watson answers the door and is greeted by Officer Ellen Hibbert, the woman who moved into Anna's old home next door. Ellen is running late for work and asks Anna if she would mind looking after her young daughter Hope until her school bus comes to pick her up. Anna agrees to help and is then told by Ellen that her daughter Hope is deaf.
Interlude
Maegis Senreich is observing the 'Sphere of 'Sarah-'Kath and is very pleased that Master Om brought to him. He is looking forward to tapping the energies in the artifact in order to make the Technomancer Agency virtually unstoppable. Their plotting is interrupted by one of the Neomancers who storms into the room to tell them that something is wrong with the Babylon Portal. When they get a closer look at him, the Maegis and Master Om are horrified to see that a gremlyn has fused itself to the footsoldier's head.
Manhattan
Jill takes Peter and Mary Jane into the Daily Grind and they are immediately recognized and warmly greeted by Shirley Washington, the owner, and Buzz, one of the regulars. They are delighted to see the Parkers as they have not seen the couple since Ben Reilly's death.[8] Having heard about Mary Jane having a miscarriage and offers her condolences.[9] After this pleasant reunion, Mary Jane notices that Jill is upset that her attempt to showing the couple a new place to hang out has failed.
while at that moment, at the Technomancer Company, the Maegis, and Master Om rush to the basement to see what they are going on. There they find the Babylon Portal chamber has been swarmed with creatures under the command of a being calling himself Buel the Gremlyn-Lord.
That Evening
Mary Jane wakes up to find her husband about to go out on patrol as Spider-Man. Knowing that there is something wrong, Mary Jane asks Peter to talk to her, but he swings out the window without a single word. As he leaves the house, Spider-Man is unaware that his exit has been observed by Hope Hibbert from across the street.
A half-hour later, Spider-Man is in Manhattan, where some presence continues to call to him. He decides to give in to the compelling feeling to go to the Alastair Building determined to learn what is calling him and why.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Buel, Mary Jane Watson, Jill Stacy, Master Om, Maegis Gunther Senrich, Hope Hibbert, Anna Watson, Joe Robertson, Billy Walters, Shirley Washington, Buzz
Continuity Notes
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.
Peter and his clone, Ben Reilly spent time together in the attic in The Spectacular Spider-Man #240. At the time of this story, Ben had recently died in Spider-Man #75.
Peter had a collection of monster comics that his Aunt May forced him to throw away after he had a nightmare when he was much younger. They were saved from the dumb by Peter's Uncle Ben as seen in Sensational Spider-Man #-1.
Jonah was beaten up by Jack O'Lantern in The Spectacular Spider-Man #246.
Joe Robertson has been forced to work long hours at the Bugle ever since it started having financial troubles in Amazing Spider-Man #416. He marriage problems started in Amazing Spider-Man #419 and are ongoing during the time of this story.
The identity of this woman is revealed as Desiree Winthrop in Sensational Spider-Man #26.
Ben Reilly started working at the Daily Grind in Sensational Spider-Man #0 until his death in Spider-Man #75.
Shirley and Buzz attended Ben Reilly's wake in Spider-Man: Revelations #1.
Mary Jane had a miscarriage in Amazing Spider-Man #418.
