Spider-Man Super Special #1
Lurkers!
This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1...
Just before dawn, at a Long Island convention center, an intruder is caught on the premise of an upcoming science expo. There, he is caught by a guard, who notices that the intruder is somehow in a trance. Before he can apprehend the intruder, the tendrils of Venom's symbiote lashes out at the guard.
Meanwhile, at the home shared by Peter Parker and his wife Mary Jane, Peter prepares to go after Venom.[1] Peter has borrowed the sonic gun that was invented by Reed Richards as it was used against Venom before.[2] When Mary Jane asks why he has to go after Venom, Peter reminds her that he was the one that brought the symbiote to Earth in the first place.[3] He is more determined to do so after his encounter with Venom the night before, as Eddie Brock was arguing with his other. He is also disturbed by the reports of theft of scientific equipment. He then changes into his costume and heads out, telling his wife he is going to try psychology to defeat his foe but is bringing the sonic weapon as an insurance policy.
Meanwhile, at Ravencroft Institute, the alarms go off warning the guards of movement from Cletus Kasady. Entering the room, they find that the notorious serial killer is still in the catatonic state he was left in after his last battle with Venom.[4] It is considered a false alarm, but after security leaves one of the doctors is horrified when Kasady winks at him. However, his colleagues dismiss this as nothing more than his imagination. At that moment, Spider-Man is investigating the crime scene at the science expo when he is joined by the Scarlet Spider who decided to investigate it himself. The pair of them agrees to work together and begin looking around for clues. That's when Eddie Brock comes crashing out of the ventilation system. When Spider-Man threatens him with the sonic weapon, they learn that he is no longer bonded to his symbiote. He wants to hunt down and destroy the creature as he now knows that it has been influencing him adversely for years. Fearing who the alien might do if it bonds with someone else, he has a responsibility to stop it.
Spider-Man decides to trust Eddie and gives him the sonic blaster to defend himself. The Scarlet Spider then pulls Spider-Man aside and asks him if it is safe giving a weapon to an unhinged man like Eddie Brock.[5] The wall-crawler points out that the weapon is harmless to humans and Brock will need it to defend himself against his other. After comparing some notes, the Scarlet Spider figures the symbiote will be going after the Clystron Wave Modulator that is on display in Manhattan. They rush to the scene, and they discover that the symbiote has bonded to another individual in order to steal the device. Despite their efforts to stop it, the trio fail. Once again, the Scarlet Spider knows where the symbiote is heading, making Spider-Man worry that he might be developing a new power of some kind, and fears if it might be dangerous.[6] Meanwhile, Mary Jane tries to keep her worries off her mind while on a maternity wear photo shoot.[7] Her assistant is happy to hear Mary Jane has a child on the way, and expresses her reservations of starting a family of her own because her husband is a beat cop. Since Mary Jane's private life isn't so much different than that of a police officer's wife, she doesn't consider herself so lucky.
By this point, Spider-Man and his allies have arrived in Upstate New York where they discover an army of symbiotes building a stargate.[8] They suddenly realize that none of these are Eddie Brock's "other", making him wonder where his symbiote is. Suddenly, they are ambushed by an army of symbiotes. They fight their way through the symbiotes in order to stop them from opening the stargate. However, when they get to the gate, a symbiote emerges from Eddie's sonic blaster, having hiddenin the weapon during the charge. It them pulls the three men through the stargate to points unknown.
... This story continues in Venom Super Special #1.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, Eddie Brock, Mary Jane Watson, Cletus Kasady
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.
Reed first used this device in Amazing Spider-Man #258. Spider-Man first used it against Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #300.
Peter mistook the symbiote for a costume in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 and brought it to Earth in Amazing Spider-Man #252.
Carnage was left comatose following the events of Venom Carnage Unleashed #1-4.
The Scarlet Spider clashed with the Venom recently during the Exile Returns storyline.
How the Scarlet Spider knows where the symbiotes are after is revealed in Venom Super Special #1.
Mary Jane announced that she was pregnant in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.
The race of these aliens is not identified here. They are finally identified as the Klyntar race in Deadpool: Back in Black #1.
Till Death do us Part
A married couple named Julie and Randy are having an argument in a bad part of town. It gets heated to the point where Randy tells his wife to leave him alone. She refuses to let him walk around this neighborhood alone. Fed up with being hounded by his wife, Randy finally cracks and tells his wife that he wants a divorce. Hearing this really hurts Julie, who is shocked that Randy wants to give up on their marriage after only six months.
That's when they are surrounded by members of the Pure Death gang who try to start trouble. While Randy cowers and tells Julie to do what they say, she refuses to let herself be a victim. With her self-defense training, she attacks the gang members and is holding her own pretty well, even kicking their leader in the groin. The situation changes when one of them grabs Randy and holds him at knifepoint. With Randy's life at stake, Julie stands down and can do nothing as the gang's leader decides that he is going to rape in retaliation for being kicked in the groin.
However, before he can commit this horrible act, he is interrupted by Spider-Man. Disgusted by this scene, the wall-crawler can't even bring himself to make his usual jokes. He takes down most of the gang members, except for the one that is still holding Randy at knifepoint. Panicked, the gang member threatens to cut Randy's throat. As Spider-Man tries to talk the man down, Julie can't help but see her relationship with Randy flash before her eyes. It reminds her to realize that she truly loves her husband and doesn't want to lose him. By this point, the remaining gang member cracks under the pressure of Spider-Man's negotiation tactics and lets Randy go while making a run for it. Spider-Man swings off after him, telling the couple to call the police. As Julie and Randy walk away, they both decide to give their marriage another chance.
As they go, they spot Spider-Man swinging overhead holding the crook. They wonder why Spider-Man does this. Julie figures that Spider-Man does what he does because he knows what it is like to lose a loved one.[1]
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man
Continuity Notes
Julie's theory is sound, as the death of Peter Parker's Uncle Ben in Amazing Fantasy #15 convinced him to fight crime as Spider-Man. The final panel here is a homage to the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15.
Survive and Conquer
This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1...
Somewhere south of New York, a massive lizard-like creature emerges from the muck and debris that he has been buried under for some time. As it digs its way out, the lizard creature begins shedding its skin, revealing something far more deadly underneath.
While at Empire State Hospital, FBI Agent Cary Armstrong is undergoing surgery performed by Doctor Noah Purl. Armstrong was seriously wounded during a firefight between Shadowforce Alpha and the Scarlet Spider. With his patient dying on the table, Purl decides to try an untested regeneration serum in order to save Cary's life. While upstairs, Shadowforce members Shell and Shot are gloating over their apparent destruction of the Scarlet Spider. However, the web-slinger survived their bomb blast with a protective web-shield. He ambushes the twin brothers, easily knocking them out. Rushing into the hallway, he begins helping the hospital staff with the innocent people who were wounded by the Shadowforce's attack. With the authorities on their way, the Scarlet Spider is about to leave when he is told about a hostage situation in one of the operating theaters. There, the Shadowforce member known as Clash holds doctors at gunpoint while they perform a surgery on their leader Cordite, who was injured in the battle. Up in the observation deck, Flare and Stampeded worry that Cordite is going to bring them down with her for such a rash action. That's when they are joined by Shell who has managed to recover their target, Colonel Rudev Broga.
Up in the ventilation system, the Scarlet Spider watches as the situation unfolds from the ventilation shaft. As the situation becomes tenser, the Scarlet spider decides to act. That's when the NYPD cuts the power in order to storm the facility. Not only does this catch Shadowforce off guard, it also interrupts Doctor Purl's treatment down in the basement. With an interrupted particle bombardment, the doctor panics as Armstrong begins to flatline. As the doctor tries to revive his patient, the web-slinger ambushes the mercenaries. Although he begins taking down the members of Shadowforce Alpha, their leader Cordite revives and holds the Colonel at gunpoint and orders everyone to stand down. This leaves the Scarlet Spider with no way to react. However, the situation rapidly changes when Cary Armstrong -- given enhanced strength from Doctor Purl's treatment -- comes smashing through the wall. Although Armstrong and the Scarlet Spider take down the team, their leader Cordite threatens to blow up the hospital with two bombs he has on his person. When he tosses the explosives, the Scarlet Spider catches them in his webbing and tosses them to Armstrong, who leaps out the window. He uses his impervious body to muffle the blasts. Surprisingly he survives the explosion and the fall to the street below. As the press swarms Carl, who dubs himself Mister Armstrong, the Scarlet Spider watches from the rooftop, who thinks these developments will be interesting to watch.
At that moment, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a group of campers has been slaughtered by the Lizard.[1]
... This story continues in Venom Super Special #1.
Recurring Characters
Scarlet Spider, Mister Armstrong, Noah Purl, Rudev Broga, Shadowforce Alpha (Shell, Shot, Cordite, Clash, Flare, Stampede), Cole Cooper, Ken Ellis, Lizard
Continuity Notes
This story implies that this is Curt Connors, however, this is actually a lizard transformed into a humanoid form as revealed in The Spectacular Spider-Man #238.