Remains of the Day

This story continues from The Spectacular Spider-Man #231...

Running late for his day job, Spider-Man swings across the city to get to the Daily Grind on time. The wall-crawler arrives just in time to change back into Ben Reilly and report for his shift. When he enters the shop he is greeted by owner Shirley Washington and her son Devon. Also present is Jessica Carradine. She is glad to see Ben because he knows how to make her lattés. Remembering Ben's suggestion that she try to sell her photography to the Daily Bugle, she admits she followed his advice sooner because of the story in the morning edition of the paper. Ben has no idea what she is talking about, admitting that he doesn't have a television at home, and checks the headline. There he reads about the discovery of a skeleton in a Spider-Man costume that was recently found in the smokestack of an abandoned factory in Brooklyn and is horrified to read it.[1] This causes Ben to think back to the time shortly after his battle five years ago between Spider-Man and his clone. After the clone was believed to be dead, the man who thought he was Peter Parker dumped the body of Ben Reilly into that same smokestack.[2] That's when Jessica points out that Ben had zoned out for a moment and asks if he is okay. Reilly snaps back to reality and is about to prepare her drink when Shirley assigns him to run some errands instead. Ben then rushes out the door, almost bowling over Desiree Winthrop. That's when Jessica invites her to a surprise housewarming party she is throwing for Ben and asks if she will chip in to buy Reilly a television. Desiree agrees to participate, telling Jessica that she will be wearing a dress that no man can resist.

As Spider-Man swings across the city, J. Jonah Jameson scolds Joe Robertson for not informing him about this "Spider-Skeleton" the moment the Daily Bugle became aware of it. Joe tries to explain the story came in at 3 am, but Jonah doesn't care. He is also unconcerned that Ben Urich was sent to investigate because he didn't view the body, something that Jameson insists on doing.[3] While elsewhere in the city, Kaine and Muse are fleeing from the other members of the Great Game. Kaine is uninterested in participating in their deadly competition, even if he could stand to make a large sum of money. That's when the pair are ambushed by the Rhino who is looking forward to the payout he will get if he kills Kaine. Meanwhile, Spider-Man arrives at the city morgue, easily slipping past security to where the bodies are stored. Opening the refrigeration unit that contains the corpse, Spider-Man opens the body bag and is horrified to discover that the reports are true. At first, the wall-crawler doesn't know what to do and considers calling Peter Parker for help. He decides against it since he and his wife Mary Jane have moved to Portland and he thinks they deserve a happy life.[4] Instead, Spider-Man is determined to learn the secret of this skeleton before things get too out of control. Unfortunately, things aren't going to go that way for the wall-crawler, as J. Jonah Jameson has managed to bribe his way into getting access to the morgue. He then catches Spider-Man in the act of leaving the morgue with the skeleton. Jonah suspects that there is something illegal going on and threatens the wall-crawler. However, Spider-Man merely webs up Jonah's eyes and flees out a nearby window with the body bag containing the mysterious corpse inside.

Meanwhile, at Ben Reilly's apartment, all his friends from the Daily Grind and surrounding Centennial University have gathered to throw him a surprise housewarming party, however, Ben has not shown up yet. Shirley Washington pulls Jessica Carridine aside and gets her to admit that she has a romantic interest in Ben Reilly. When Jessica admits this, Shirley tells her to follow her feelings so they can be happy together. At this exact moment, Spider-Man is on his way home when he happens upon the Rhino's battle with Kaine and Muse. Although Kaine doesn't want the wall-crawler's help, Spider-Man manages to shove Muse out of the way of falling debris when the Rhino rams into a nearby wall. However, the wall-crawler is buried under rubble and left for dead for his trouble as the three combatants free in the confusion. Pulling himself free, the wall-crawler recovers the body bag from the rubble. When he returns home, he finds Jessica Carridine in his apartment watching the television she bought him as a housewarming gift. Hiding the body bag and recovering street clothes he has stashed nearby, Ben Reilly returns to his apartment. There Jessica explains that she was throwing a surprise party but everyone had already left. That's when she notices the bruises on his face and asks what happened. Ben decides to tell her a partial truth, that he was caught injured during the clash between the Rhino and Kaine. Getting a closer look at his new television, Ben is flattered that Jessica would think to get him one. She then admits that she is falling for him. However, when Ben points out that they hardly know each other, she kisses him, then tells him that they can sort out the skeletons in their closet later. This is ironic as there is a literal skeleton hanging just outside the window to Ben Reilly's apartment.

... The Return of Kaine continues in Amazing Spider-Man #409.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Rhino, Jessica Carradine, Shirley Washington, Devon Lewis, Desiree Winthrop, Muse, Kaine, Buzz, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson

Continuity Notes

1. The skeleton was discovered when the factory was torn down in The Spectacular Spider-Man #231.

2. Peter Parker battled his clone to the supposed death in Amazing Spider-Man #149 and then dumped its body in Amazing Spider-Man #151. At the time of this story, Ben Reilly was led to believe that he was the real Spider-Man and that Peter Parker was a clone in The Spectacular Spider-Man #226. This whole situation is due to the manipulations of both the Jackal and the Green Goblin as explained in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

3. Ben Urich's visit to the city morgue was seen in Green Goblin #6.

4. Some facts about Peter and Mary Jane at the time of this story:

   • 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 Mary Jane moved to Portland in Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #1.