A Hot Time In the Old Morgue Tonight

The Answer confronts a group of drug dealers and demands to know where their boss is. They tell him their employer is dead and his body is located in the police morgue, the Answer lets them live but vows to return and kill them if they are lying.

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Peter Parker is marveling at how good the pictures of his battle between the Answer look although he feels bad that he's exploiting Felicia's photography talents to earn money. He is interrupted by a knock on the door and finds that it is his landlord Mrs. Muggins demanding his overdue rent. He hands her the money in cash and she is suddenly startled by seeing something in black slink around in his bathroom. Thinking it's the Black Cat, she begins to tell Peter he doesn't like those "kinky types" on her property, and Peter quickly ushers her out the door. Going into his bathroom he finds nothing there except for his new Spider-Man costume. Peter considers the fact that the thing is capable of moving upon his mental command and begins to wonder about it. He decides that it's probably a good idea to take it to the Baxter Building and have Reed Richards analyze it and find out what makes it tick. Considering all the times the Black Cat has recently compromised his secret identity, Peter goes out as Spider-Man to track her down and talk to her about things.

What at the police morgue, two officers go to ogle over the corpses to see what sort of interesting finds they can see. Finding nothing of interest, one of the two guards points out that there is a really interesting guy elsewhere in the facility but they decide to break for lunch first before checking it out.

As Spider-Man meets with the Black Cat, the two lovers are unaware that they are being watched by the Answer, who is still gathering information on the couple. He witnesses as the two of them have a spat about the Black Cat constantly butting into his personal life and potentially compromising his secret identity. Before he can say the name of his true identity within earshot of the Answer, the Black Cat cuts him off demanding that she not mention the name of his dull alter ego. Finally tired of the Black Cat's interest in only his Spider-Man persona, Peter storms off telling her to call when she can accept both aspects of his life. As he is trying to swing away he accidentally tries to fire a web-line the way he did with his old costume but quickly corrects the problem. Witnessing this, the Black Cat figures this is a trick to get her to go rescue him and bolts off.

Realizing a split up between Spider-Man and the Black Cat could affect his plans, the Answer goes and reports back to the Kingpin about what happened. The Kingpin is furious and demands the Answer go back out an find a way to reunite the two lovers as their staying together is part of the Kingpin's plans. When the Black Cat returns to her apartment, she finds the Answer waiting for her. After a phone call confirms that he is the agent of the Kingpin, he calls in her favor that she owes to the Kingpin.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is swinging across the city thinking about his relationships compared to that of other individuals, he is so lost in thought he swings past a bunch of thieves emptying out an electronics store. While at the home of Flash Thompson and Sha Shan, Sha Shan confronts Flash about the bruises and cuts on his face and the fact that he keeps sneaking out of the house early in the morning. Flash declines to explain himself and storms out of the house, and the concerned Sha Shan calls Peter Parker for some help, however, he is not home to answer the phone. Spider-Man is swinging back the way he came when he spots the thieves and busts them up. He rounds them up and uses their own getaway vehicle to drive them to the police station. There he is met by Jean DeWolff who tells Spider-Man that the Black Cat has been taken prisoner by someone with a bomb and is being held on the roof of the police morgue.

Web-slinging there, Spider-Man finds that it is the Answer who has Felicia hostage. He tells the police and Spider-Man that if his hand is removed from the bomb it will go off in five seconds. Spider-Man gets in the middle and tries to web the Answer's hand to the bomb. The Answer, who previously treated himself to not be affected by Spider-Man's webs, easily pulls his hands away and leaves Spider-Man with an ultimatum: Use the next five seconds to save the Black Cat or to capture him. Naturally, Spider-Man plays into the Answers hands by rescuing the Black Cat, diving off the roof as the bomb goes off. This allows the Answer to escape with a body that he stole from the morgue. As Captain DeWolff scolds Spider-Man for his rash action, they realize that the bomb was just a smokescreen and the flames quickly go out as they started leaving them to wonder what the Answer was really after. The Black Cat, knowingly aiding the Answer keeps quiet, satisfied that she was able to help the Kingpin without harming Spider-Man and decides to keep her knowledge a secret.

While the two security guards from the earlier return to the morgue to pique their curiosity, the sought after body they find has been stolen from the morgue. The Answer has brought this body to the Kingpin who orders him to bring it to his science lab to find out if it can be of any use to him.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Black Cat, Jean DeWolff, Answer, Kingpin, Mamie Muggins, Flash Thompson, Sha Shan Nguyen, Silvermane (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

• Peter has been getting the Black Cat to take his Spider-Man photos for him since Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #91.

• Maimie Muggins bumped into the Black Cat while she was searching for Peter in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #90.

• Peter aquired his new costume while on Battleworld in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8. What Peter is unaware of at this time is the fact that the costume is actually a living creature. Something he discovers in Amazing Spider-Man #258.

• Peter Parker revealed his secret identity to the Black Cat in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #87.

• This corpse is revealed to be Silvermane, as revealed next issue. He has been in the morgue since his apparent death at the hands of Cloak and Dagger in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #70.

• The Black Cat owes a favor to the Kingpin because he funded her newly acquired bad luck powers in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #89. Something that she has been keeping a secret from Spider-Man ever since.