Osborn #1
Osborn Part One
Norman Osborn is watching a spider in his jail cell in the Raft. As it catches a fly in its web and consumes its prey he can’t help but find the process elegant. Taking the spider in his hand, he tells himself that today he learns how to wait.
At the offices of the Front Line, Peter Parker meets with Norah Winters for lunch. Norah is in a mood and can’t make up her mind about wanting to go to lunch with him or not. She eventually decides to go with Peter and she talks about what has her so upset today: Norman Osborn. Her boss, Ben Urich, wants to do a follow up on Osborn. She isn’t sure if she wants to take the job. She is beside herself because the one time she killed a story on Norman Osborn, he went out of control and people died.[1] Peter tries to tell her that she couldn’t know what would have happened if she published her exposé and encourages her to do the piece because she is a good reporter.
While in Washington, DC, a senate subcommittee on human rights and the law is ajourning. Senator Sondra Muffoletto asks her collagues Senators William Morrison and Mike Kohan to stay behind for a private talk. They are joined by Colonel Copeland of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Colonel has come to address the issues with Norman Osborn, who is incarcerated at the Raft. So far there have been three documented attempts on his life which is of grave concern because he’s being held without charges as the government determines his military status and his status with HAMMER can be determined and he can be put on trail for his crimes. Senator Kohan can’t believe there is any questions about what happened after the siege on Asgard an thinks Osborn, at the very least, needs to be charged with treason.[2] What’s complicating matters is that the government wants to make sure things are done right, particuarly when its clear that Osborn is mentally ill and the optics against executing someone who is insane.[3] When weighing their options, Colonel Copeland suggests they transport Osborn to a private facility. Muffoletto agrees that this is the only option and asks the Colonel to leave while she discusses this further with her fellow Senators.
Later, at a special containment center in an undisclosed location, Father Coulmier - the facility chaplan - arrives at the first wing of the facility. Officer Peter Martin admits to the Father that he is not happy to have him here and questions why he would spend time with the prisoners being held here because he considers them all soulless monsters. He also tells the priest to save his prayers for himself as he is entered into the small room surrounded with cells. Officer Martin warns the priest not to give the prisoners anything, not to accept anything given, and not to share personal details.
The prisoners are: Pryor Cashman, aka the Kingmaker, a demonic entity who feeds on human memories by replacing them with bad ones, driving his victims insane. Ai Apaec, aka the Decaptitator, the South American chimera god. Xirdal, an alien creature who has vowed to destroy the human race. This creature has been held since its capture in 1952. Lastly, June Covington aka “Toxic Doxie” a gifted scientist who is responsible for killing hundreds of the urban poor.
Father Coulmier has come to tell them that their cell mate, Carny Rives, has been removed from their cell block and won’t be coming back. This is met with anger from the other prisoners. When the father goes to leave, Officer Martin is annoyed when Ai Apaec speaks out of turn and has his cell flooded with light, the god’s weakness. June Covington pleads with him to stop and he only stops when she says please. As the guard and priest leave Pryor tells his fellow cellmates to be patient.
Back at the Raft, Norman Osborn is visited by Senator Muffoletto and he shocks her by knowing exactly why she has come. After comparing himself to political prisoners, particularly Nelson Mandela, the senator tells them to move ahead with the transfer. When the guard prepares to tranquilize Norman, Osborn crushes the spider he’s had in his hand and tells the guard to stand down, saying that he will go willingly. While back at the secret holding facility, Father Coulmier is administering prayer over some of the prisoners when he gets a call from Senator Morrison who tells him that the transfer has been completed. They both agree to follow the plan and Morrison trashes his burner cell phone. After the call is done, Father Coulmier strips off his priest’s robes, revealing a Green Goblin tattoo on the back of his neck, and takes a long look in the mirror.[4]
Eventually, news about Norman Osborn’s transfer reaches Norah Winters at the Front Line. This is such a shocking development she pulls Ben Urich out of a budget meeting to tell him about it. She has four independent sources that confirm this and that Norman has been moved to a classified location. This prompts Ben to call the commissioner and demand to know where Norman Osborn has been taken. At that same moment, Osborn has arrived at the first wing of the secret prison, taking the place of Carl Rives on the cell block.
Recurring Characters
Norman Osborn, Decapitator Kingmaker, Toxic Doxie, Xirdal, Norah Winters, Peter Parker, Father Coulmier, Sondra Muffoletto, William Morrison, Ben Urich
Continuity Notes
Norah was working on an exposé on Norman Osborn’s American Son program but killed the story when he threatened her life. Not long after this, Osborn fell from grace after a failed coup of Asgard. See Amazing Spider-Man #695-699 and Siege #1-4.
It’s touched upon here that the government gave Norman Osborn control of the Avengers. He was hailed a hero when killed the queen of a Skrull invasnion in Secret Invasion #8. The powers that be then made him the top cop in America.
Mention is also made about how Norman Osborn managed to convince people he was not crazy in the past. He has done this on a few occasions in the past while distancing himself from his alter ego, the Green Goblin. The first time he did this was in Spectacular Spider-Man #250 during a period when he was part owned of the Daily Bugle. More recently he had the DB! retract all alligations that he was the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #568.
Since being incarcerated, Norman Osborn has gained an almost religious following from other prisoners. They have gotten these tattoos to show their allegance to Norman. See Amazing Spider-Man #647.
The Prime of Miss June Covington
June Covington is being interviewed by prison staff. She tells them that most people think things went wrong for her when she caused eighteen people to die of explosive cranial fluid overproduction at a prayer meeting for special needs children. However, she thinks she made a bigger mistake a few years before that.
This was back in the days when she was a post-graduate at the University of New York. She considered herself ambitious at the time, but without direction. She spent her days toying with DNA and her nights at home binge-watching television. This all changed one night when she attended a formal party. It was boring until one man showed up that changed everything. This man was Edward Wynne a brilliant biologist. June considered him nearly perfect if it wasn’t for a birth defect that deformed one of his hands. She considered this defect as offensive as spitting on a masterpiece and decided to do something about it.
By this time, June had been experimenting on her own genetics to remove her own defects. She then began working on fixing Edward Wynn, using people she considered inferior as test subjects. A year later she presented her findings to Wynn himself and he was horrified. Even worse, he had her removed from the school. It was this moment where she realized that some people didn’t deserve perfection. This wasn’t exactly the end of her career as she found plenty of working in the black market to make a living. Although she didn’t like dealing with some of the more unsavory characters she had to deal with, relating to a moment when Norman Osborn failed to try and pick her up.
Although she was very much on the rise, June was forced to close her lab. Still, she managed to get into another formal party which was attended by Edward Wynn. She decided to get her revenge by using her beauty to trick him into coming back to her lab. Seeing it shut down he instantly began mocking her, but she then cut him with one of her fingernails. It was laced with a genetic plug-in that caused his body to become utterly paralyzed as punishment by making him a prisoner in his own body.
With her time up for the day, June concludes her story and reaches to shake the hands of the psychologist who have come to examine her. One of them notices that her fingernails look really sharp and they decide to get out as quickly as possible.
Recurring Characters
June Covington, Norman Osborn
Topical References
Dated technology: DVDs
Dated pop-culture references: Jersey Shore