Ascending

This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man #294…

Following his final battle with Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Man goes after Vermin, who escaped during the battle. In the sewers below the city, Spider-Man begins to feel claustrophobic and fights off the fear caused by being buried alive recently. Crawling through a muck-encrusted pipe, the wall-crawler manages to get into a primary sewer tunnel. He stops to rest when suddenly, a rat bites his finger. Soon a horde of the rodents begins flooding out of the sewer pipes. As Spider-Man struggles to fight off the swarm of pests, Kraven's servants prepare his body for burial on the surface. While at Kraven's home, the police have arrived following an anonymous tip. Their search of the premises uncovers a written confession of Kraven's activities, plus photos proving that he briefly usurped Spider-Man's identity and was responsible for the serious of violent attacks on criminals.

Back in the sewers, the rats have retreated from Spider-Man, who mockingly calls out to Vermin. When the man-monster tires to ambush Spider-Man from behind, his spider-sense warns him of trouble. The creature tries to drown Spider-Man in the fetid water. This reminds Spider-Man of being buried alive and he struggles to break free. Vermin soon loses his prey and fears that his foe will hurt him again. The Vermin's fears are warranted, as Spider-Man has managed to scurry up to the ceiling and webs him up. Spider-Man assures Vermin that he hasn't come to hurt him, and that the man who attacked him earlier was Kraven the Hunter in disguise. As he tries to convince the pitiful creature that he is trying to help, Vermin manages to break free from the webbing. Vermin refuses to surrender and cured of his condition, having come to love his current life. During the battle, Spider-Man's claustrophobia gets the better of him and flees in fear, with the Vermin following not far behind.

However, Spider-Man isn't just running out of fear, he also tricks Vermin into following him up to the surface. By this time, the rain storm has finally ended and the sun is rising in the morning sky. Horrified to be on the surface in the day light, the Vermin freezes in the middle of the morning rush hour. However, before the pitiful creature can be run over by a truck, Spider-Man swings by and rescues him. Wrapping the Vermin up with webbing and turns him over to the police. He tells the officers that he is going to get in contact with Mister Fantastic, as he believes that Reed Richards can potentially cure the Vermin of its condition. With the nightmare finally over, Peter returns home to his wife Mary Jane, who is overwhelmed with joy to see that he is alive and well. While back at the Kraven estate, Sergei Kravenoff's servants hold a silent ceremony for their master before placing his body into the ground.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Vermin, Mary Jane Watson

Continuity Notes

• Kraven the Hunter committed suicide in Amazing Spider-Man #294.

• Spider-Man was buried alive by Kraven in Web of Spider-Man #31. The hero broke free in last issue.

• Kraven, posing as Spider-Man, beat Vermin unconscious in issue #131.

• Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife in this story. However, years later, the demon Mephisto erased their marriage from existence in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such, they should be considered a common-law couple as opposed to husband and wife here.