The Span of Years

Atop the Brooklyn Bridge, Spider-Man sees history repeating itself as Paul Stacy prepares to walk off the edge of the bridge. It instantly reminds him of the day that Norman Osborn, as the Green Goblin, murdered Gwen Stacy years earlier.[1] While down below a crowd has gathered to see what is going on atop the bridge. They are then spent fleeing by the Shocker, who has been hired by the Friends of Humanity to eliminate Paul Stacy.

Meanwhile, in the Woodhaven neighbourhood of Queens, Jimmy-6 is surrounded by rival mobsters who are seeking to eliminate him on behalf of his own father. Jimmy shoots one of his would-be assassins in the foot. This causes the distraction he needs to take down all of the gunmen. He lets one of the killers survive to send a message back to their employer, that if he is going to send men to kill him, he shouldn't hire amateurs. At that same moment, Mary Jane visits her friend Jill Stacy at the home she shares with her father Arthur. There, Jill shows off all of the trophies and awards that her brother had won of the years. She talks about how Paul and their father used to be so close, but in recent years he has been drifting further and further away. She is not surprised to learn that her brother is being courted by the Friends of Humanity. She hopes that Mary Jane's husband, Peter, was able to talk sense into Paul despite how poorly Paul has treated him in the past.[2] Their conversation is interrupted by the doorbell. The visitor is a delivery man who has come to deliver a package for Jill's father. Arthur comes to the door and signs for the package and heads to his study. Along the way, he opens the package and what is inside is so shocking that he speaks out. Hearing his exclamation, Jill and Mary Jane ask Arthur what's wrong. He tells them that everything is fine and that he needs some privacy, slamming his study door in their faces. This leaves the two women to wonder what his abrupt behavior was all above.

Back atop the Brooklyn Bridge, the Shocker uses his new equipment to vibrate up into the air and tries to blast both Spider-Man and Pauly Stacy. Warned by his spider-sense, the wall-crawler yanks Paul to safety. When the Shocker follows after them, Spider-Man tries to strike his foe, but the Shocker's vibrations deflect the blow. Spider-Man is then blasted aside, giving the Shocker a chance to get to Stacy. The hero then tries to attack the Shocker from behind, but his new equipment is able to suspend the web-slinger in the air and violently shake his body with vibrations. With his foe at his mercy, the Shocker pummels Spider-Man, gloating about how he is going to prove that he is no longer the loser that everyone thinks he is. Back in Queens, Jill Stacy walks Mary Jane back to her home. Along the way, Mary Jane admits that she is a little jealous of the relationship that Jill has with her father since she and her own father never did.[3] Jill points out that the relationship with her father was far from perfect, pointing out that her father's dedication to his job and his fondness for conspiracies make living with him difficult at times. Not far away, Jimmy-6 slinks through the alleyways, sensing that someone is following him. When the bullets begin to fly, he ducks into an abandoned warehouse. However, this proves little cover forcing him to leap into the nearby water. As he does so, a stray bullet strikes a propane tank causing a massive explosion that covers Jimmy's escape.

At this time, Spider-Man is still at the mercy of the Shocker. However, before he could land a killing blow, the Shocker is attacked by Paul Stacy, who is insulted that the villain is doing all of this for money. The Shocker sways Paul aside, sending him falling over the edge of the bridge. Having recovered from the Shocker's onslaught, Spider-Man quickly fires a web-line down and catches Paul before he hits the ground. This time, unlike Paul's cousin Gwen, Paul survives the plunge, although he is ungrateful for the save. Spider-Man swings down and grabs Paul and tries to get them to safety. However, Stacy doesn't want to go anywhere with Spider-Man. As the two argue with each other, their hands are glued together by the Trapster, who is working with the Shocker.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Shocker, Trapster, Paul Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, Jill Stacy, Jimmy-6, Anna Watson, Arthur Stacy

Continuity Notes

1. Gwen was murdered by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121.

2. 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.

3. Mary Jane's father was abusive to his family, as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #259.