Hit and Run!

Spider-Man finds him in Toronto while on his extended assignment in Canada. As he web-slings across the city, Spider-Man can't wait to get back home to his wife Mary Jane.[1] Down below, a young boy named Phil Danton rides his bicycle to the stadium where the Toronto Blue Jays play where he is part of a bicycle safety demonstration put on by the Right Riders.[2] He is excited because he and the Right Riders are allowed to stay and watch the game and he hopes he can get autographs from some of the players. When he almost rides through a red light, Phil reminds himself to pay attention to the road. As he rides into a nearby alley, he is horrified to see a speeding car coming the opposite way. Phil turns around and tries to ride away, but the car is too fast and the boy is thrown over the hood. The driver stops and gets out of his car to get a look at the kid. Seeing that Phil is seriously hurt, and the fact that he was driving drunk and on probation, he decides to take off before he gets thrown into prison again.

As it so happens, Phil Danton is the cousin of Danny Ketch, who has just arrived in Toronto to visit him. Fate would have him arrive at the scene of the accident just as the drunk driver flees the scene. However, instead of turning into the Ghost Rider and chasing after, Danny has to ensure that his cousin gets medical attention, fast. Later, at the stadium, Peter Parker is photographing the Right Riders practicing their show. When he overhears the other members of the Right Riders worrying about where Phil is, he asks the Blue Jay's mascot where the nearest payphone is so he can find out.[3] While at the Toronto Sick Kid's Hospital, Phil has just been fitted with a cast for his broken arm. His father, George is furious that his son was struck by a hit and run driver. However, his nephew Danny assures George that whoever was responsible will see justice sooner or later. As he heads out, Danny bumps into Peter Parker, who is confused as to why Ketch has set off his spider-sense. While outside, the drunk driver has managed to track down the location of the kid he hit. Feeling guilty he has decided to go in and leave some money for the boy.[4]

As he enters the parking garage, Danny Ketch passes by on his motorcycle. Recognizing the car as the one that hit Phil, Danny triggers a transformation into the Ghost Rider and chases after the driver. Horrified by what is chasing after him, the drunk tries to getaway. When Ghost Rider catches up to the driver's side window, the Spirit of Vengeance demands that the driver confess his crimes or suffer the consequences and speeds off. The driver then notices too late that he is speeding toward the guardrail of the upper deck of the parking garage. Before he can smash through and fall to his death, the drunk is saved by Spider-Man's webbing. When Spider-Man asks the driver why Ghost Rider was hassling him, the driver explains that he witnessed Ghost Rider run over a kid and flee the scene. Ghost Rider then threatened him if he were to testify against him. Spider-Man thinks that it is unlike the Ghost Rider, but decides to have a chat with the Spirit of Vengeance. However, he tags the man's car with a spider-tracer just in case. A short while later, the drunk driver is in a bar hiring a pair of thugs. He has gotten it in his mind that if they kill the kid, then the Ghost Rider will leave them alone.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man catches up with Ghost Rider and tries to get his side of the story. However, the Spirit of Vengeance does not want any interference in his quest for justice and attacks Spider-Man. The pair just happens to be fighting it out in front of the bar the driver and his goons are making their plans. The drunk makes a break for it, and Ghost Rider buries Spider-Man under the contents of a newspaper box and follows after him. Recovering, Spider-Man realizes what's going on but doesn't want the Ghost Rider to kill the drunk. Spotting the Right Riders, he asks them to distract Ghost Rider while he goes into the hospital to check on Phil. As the youths do so, but Ghost Rider isn't stopped for long. When he drives up the side of the hospital on his motorcycle, Ghost Rider is kicked to the ground by Spider-Man. The wall-crawler goes inside and stop the drunk driver and his two goons from injecting Phil with something. While fighting the two goons, the drunk tries to make his escape but ends up coming face-to-face with Ghost Rider at the elevator. Forced to look at Ghost Rider's penance stare, the drunk is left a jibbering mess that can do nothing but confess his crimes. After the authorities arrive to arrest the drunk and his accomplices, Phil thanks Spider-Man for saving his life. Just then, Phil's cousin Danny comes into the room with the Blue Jay's mascot with tickets to that evening's game as well as a baseball autographed by every member of the team. Seeing that there isn't much more to do here, Spider-Man swings off wondering if he has enough time to catch the next flight back to New York.

Continuity Notes

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

2. Phil refers to this stadium as the "SkyDome", this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. The SkyDome was later renamed to the Rogers Center since 2004.

3. The Blue Jay's mascot is depicted as BJ Birdy. This is another topical reference as the team stopped using BJ as a mascot after the 1999 season.

4. Specifically, the drunk states that he is going to leave money for the kid's hospital bill. This should be considered an error on the part of the writer since Canada has had socialized healthcare since 1984. As such, there would be no hospital bill to pay for.